To respect Amélie's wishes, my review is to come after release!

I was so excited to receive an ARC of this sequel, and after approval, I learned Amélie significantly revised portions of the story and asked readers to wait for the finished version on release day. This is going to be an exercise in patience for me over the next few months, but I look forward to reading the finished edition!

Thank you for the early copy!

Amélie Wen Zhao’s writing is lush and evocative. Just as the first book did, this sequel captivated me with beautiful imagery and the artistic illustration of raw emotion. I love the way she writes Àn’yīng’s thoughts— they are equal parts reflective, intelligent, and so very human.

This sequel also reveals how much Yù’chén has suffered and continues to suffer. At times it was almost painful to read through the heartbreak, but his struggles with wanting to be seen and loved were well-executed and tugged at my heartstrings in a way I didn’t expect. I shed a few tears that I wasn’t expecting— but then again, that is an Amélie Wen Zhao specialty.

In terms of the love triangle, I have to admit it took away from my enjoyment. Hào’yáng’s devotion for Àn’yīng fell flat for me, partially because we didn’t know as well in the first book. I also wasn’t a fan of how Àn’yīng treated Hào’yáng and Yù’chén while she was trying to untangle her own feelings.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it if one is looking for a satisfying mix of drama, romance, and action.

I can't believe the story is completed. I loved the first book in this dulogy that I have two copies in different editions. Mostly because I forgot I ordered one, loved it so much that I didn't want to miss out so I ordered it a second time.

Book 2 of The Three Realms

Àn’yīng is the female main character in this duology and I like her. She knew what she wanted for her family and for her kingdom. She faced choices that were hard but she never lost her love or her focus. It was hard. She had fallen in love with the Prince of the Kingdom of Night in the first book. She didn't know who he was at the time. Yù’chén's character broke my heart because he LOVED her so much, even knowing that being with her would be near impossible. He fought for her. The thing is Hào’yáng, the last Mortal Emperor was also wonderful, loving, and kind. I also liked Yù’chén AND Hào’yáng, how is it that I liked BOTH the men in this story? That's only the love story part! It broke my heart the ending. Then my heart healed and broke again. All of this while an epic battle was planned and executed. All of this while a realm was being destroyed, and fighting for survival was top priority. All of this was taking place in both the mortal and immortal realms, which were described so well I could visualize each location. So beautifully and heartachingly wonderful.

In the breathtaking sequel to The Scorpion and the Night Blossom, the battle has just begun. With Àn’yīng’s kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction, and amidst a budding forbidden romance, she must now risk everything to protect her world.

The first edition hardcover of The Dragon and the Sun Lotus will feature stunning ombre stenciled edges and exclusive printed endpapers!

A decade ago, the Kingdom of Night began the war against the Kingdom of Rivers, ravaging the lands and releasing mó—beautiful, ravenous demons—to roam free, drinking the souls of mortals. Now the mó have made it beyond the magical wards of the immortal realm—the Kingdom of Sky—and will not stop until the entire world falls to darkness.

Àn’yīng is determined to banish the mó to their realm and return the mortal realm to peace. But a stunning betrayal has turned the tides of this war: Her handsome rival from the Immortality Trials and the man she was falling in love with, Yù’chén, is now the enemy. Yù’chén is half mó, his mother none other than Sansiran, the Demon Queen of the Kingdom of Night . . . and the monster responsible for killing Àn’yīng’s father.

There is one hope for the future, though. The boy in the jade—Àn’yīng’s lifelong mystery guardian and heir to the last mortal Emperor—Hào’yáng. Together, Àn’yīng and Hào’yáng must join forces to rally an army that stretches across realms, from the Four Seas of the Dragons to the Phoenixes of the Golden Desert. But first she must awaken to the immortal power slumbering in her own veins.

The thrilling conclusion of The Three Realms duology
THE SCORPION AND THE NIGHT BLOSSOM • THE DRAGON AND THE SUN LOTUS



I received this egalley from NetGalley and Random House Children's Books | Delacorte Press I was under no obligation to give a review. All opinions are my own.

This was a strong sequel to the first book and the characters are what really draw me in. I’ll be curious what the final version of the book is like as I’ve heard there were edits after this book. Overall well written and engrossing

im kinda mad about the way the ending came about tbh........ the overarching plots and plot points are fine, it's what i expected honestly, but did we......have to......erm........have her fall in love with..........haoyang lmao. i literally wasn't convinced..... idk i feel owed an epilogue or bonus after story or something.

the drama of it all though.... if u like c-dramas this is for u fr.

anying feels like your typical female protag nowadays; she's got a set goal, a family she wants to protect, a world she's gotta save, and she's got two love intrests, one good and one 'bad' and it's nice and all, but the author could've added more to haoyang and her cause i was like mmmmm don't care. their relationship is way too platonic for me to even suspect romance or sexual attraction T_T by two-thirds in i was like i.....don't care anymore lololol where's yuchen.

the whole love triangle thing aside, though i wish i knew this was gonna end up like that before i started the book, i think this is a decent (albeit dramatic) conclusion to the first book.

thank you to netgalley and Delacorte Press for the eARC!

This was a strong sequel in the Three Realms series, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the previous book. It uses what I was expecting from the Scorpion and the Night Blossom and improved on it and continued the storyline perfectly. I've enjoyed the forbidden romance and how it was used to keep the reader invested in what was going on. The overall storyline worked well and was glad I got to read this. The characters were everything that I was hoping for and enjoyed about the first book. Amélie Wen Zhao has a strong writing style and was glad I read this.

Thanks to Netgalley, Amelie Wen Zhao for the advanced e-arc of Dragon and the Sun Lotus. This books had me in so many emotions. This is a really great emenies to lovers book

The Dragon and the Sun Lotus is a splendid follow up to the magical Scorpion and the Night Blossom. It follows Àn’yīng dealing with the fall out of the major betrayal of book one and the build up to the war between realms.

Truthfully, most of this book was okay. I was not fond of the direction the romance went in. I respect AWZ for breaking out of the YA mold and doing her own thing, but not every decision worked for me.

Still, AWZ has great prose and a lush world. The ending was a nice suprise as well.

4.5 stars!! Thank you to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Random House Children's Books for this advanced copy! You can pick up The Dragon and the Sun Lotus on March 3, 2026.

If there's one thing I trust Amélie Wen Zhao to do well, it's craft a devastating conclusion to a series that's equal parts heartbreak and hope. This book had me gasping, crying, and giggling kicking my feet at all turns. But ultimately, it's a story of sacrifice and the things we're willing to do to save the ones we love.

In the first book, Àn’yīng demonstrates that theme when she does everything in her power to pass the Immortality Trials and save her mother's life. Now, in The Dragon and the Sun Lotus, we see what lengths Yù’chén and Hào’yáng are willing to go to in order to protect their respective kingdoms and Àn’yīng. The introduction of new POVs made these characters' journeys even more heartbreaking, as we see certain events play out through their eyes (and see their devotion and yearning for Àn’yīng firsthand).

I was a bit surprised by how dark this book turned at times. Amélie pulled no punches when it came to the events happening in the demon realm, and the pain and suffering Yù’chén especially endured. It put so much of his past into perspective, as well as his desperate wish for Àn’yīng to see him as more than his demon self. He's had to close off his humanity for so long, and only she brought out that side of him and allowed him to be (somewhat) vulnerable.

I'll be very curious to see what changes Amélie made to the final version of this book! I loved this one, but I am wildly curious how some scenes might have changed and influenced different character arcs or overall vibes from the book.

Overall, if you love heartbreaking enemies-to-lovers with immortals and monsters fighting across multiple realms, this is 100% your book! Also, the K-Pop Demon Hunter vibes are incredible throughout the whole series, so def pick it up if you loved that movie.

i was unbelievably excited to get this ARC because the scorpion and the night blossom is a favorite book for me!!! however, i was communicating with amelie and she said she’s made a lot of changes since the proof pages for the ARC and that she encourages people to wait until the final version published as major scene alterations occur. i want to respect amelie’s wishes and read the finalized version so i don’t read an incorrect version of the story. however, knowing the track the books are on, im going to share a 5 star rating to support amelie and this book. thank you!

Favorite quote(s):

“Love is the most powerful magic in our realms, " he replied. “Take what you feel and hone it into a blade. Even when all else fails, you will have love to guide you.”


Review:

Wow, this was a great end to this duology. Àn’yīng was incredible in this book. She really grew and became stronger. I loved that it has more than one POV I adore it when books do this because it really adds to the story, and we get more details. Yù’chén was also really great in this. I do think there was less of him, but I enjoyed what there was. He had a lot happening between Sansiran and her using him to the realms and their issues, and then everything with Àn’yīng. Hào’yáng was so sweet, and I adored him so much. He was always there for Àn’yīng, and their relationship was incredible. I really was put through the emotional ringer with this one. This book was beautifully written, and I can’t wait to see what Amélie writes next.

PERFECT SEQUEL😭!!!!!

Amelie Wen Zhao has done it again. She delivered a masterful conclusion to Scorpion (book 1) and I don’t think I’ll get over it anytime soon. As a current certified KPOP Demon Hunters fan, this duo literally reminded me of the film which made the expirence 10x more enjoyable.

AnYing and YuChen were everything to me. The chemistry and connection between them was absolutely raw and emotional, and at times even humrous. (Love a man who knows he’s handsome). YuChen was literally my fave character, but unfortunately some things for him didn’t end up how I wanted which kind of sucked but I can live with it because I was happy with the ending.

The Dragon & the Sun Lotus picks up shortly after the events in The Scorpion and the Night Blossom. This story follows Àn’yīng as she endeavors to end a war between the Kingdom of Night and the rest of the Realms, and as she navigates her feelings for both Yù’chén and Hào’yáng. While this story does have a few chapters from Yù’chén's POV, the majority of the story is from Àn’yīng's POV.

This story took me on an emotional journey and I enjoyed it even more than the first book. The stakes were high, both personally for the main characters and for the Realms, and there were twists that I didn't see coming. The central theme of the story revolves around sacrifice, and the choice between prioritizing one's kingdom or love. While I'm not usually a fan of the love triangle trope, I will say that I was emotionally invested in the romance aspect of the story (and because I don't want to mention any spoilers, I will just say that I very much appreciated final scene in the book!).

The Dragon & the Sun Lotus contains beautiful writing, great pacing, interesting world-building, and characters that you want to root for. The story also strikes a good balance between the romance, worldbuilding, and overall plot. While the characters themselves didn't have quite as much depth as I would have preferred, overall, I think the writing style, pacing, and the plot more than made up for this.

Overall, I would definitely recommend!

4.5/5 Stars


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for providing me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

4.5 ✨
Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Okay I really liked this, this was so much better than the first book in my opinion. Also, I can totally see why people are recommending this duology if you loved K-pop Demon Hunters and I can see it even more now after reading book two. This was such a beautiful love story, and I especially loved the ending and how everything was fully wrapped up. I will definitely be checking out the authors other works as well. I definitely recommend this if you love a love triangle where you root for them both, lush and beautiful world building, and an emotional love story.

One girl, two boys, three realms....the tale that began in The Scorpion and the Night Blossom with three central characters and three realms in conflict comes to a conclusion. There are even dragons as the title suggests. The conflicts of Àn’yīng's heart and her world play out in the second book of The Three Realms Duology and though its clear who most readers will be rooting for in the struggle of the realms, the resolution to the love triangle is a little more murky. In books where one of the two choices is a clear villain, annoying, or has someone else to fall back to, it is easier to rally around one clear solution to a triangle, but in this case both suitors have their charms. The resolution and the way that it is tied up in the resolution of the power struggle between realms was interesting to follow. This was an entertaining, easy-to-read story, with good world building and interesting characters and magics, and a good mix of action and light romance. Overall, a nice read for fans of ya fantasy based on Asian myths and with this book, the story is complete, so no need to wait to read an ending.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Children's - Delacorte Press) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

“I keep having a dream,” he whispers. “The same dream. I'm in a forest, and I've been searching my entire life for something, but I don't know what it is. Then I hear someone say my name, and suddenly, I know in my soul that I've found what I'm looking for.”

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
~ 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 ~
⚔️ Dual pov
🦂 Rivals to Lovers to Enemies
💙 Love Triangle
🌸 C-Drama Vibes + Chinese Mythology
🐉 Forced Proximity
❤️ Villain Demon Prince
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

~ 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 ~
The Dragon and the Sun Lotus is a solid follow-up to The Scorpion and the Night Blossom, it’s just as easy to get swept up in the beautiful enchanting prose and the devastatingly tragic story. I flew the pages of The Dragon and the Sun Lotus and while I loved it, I do think in the third act is where the book falters. I found it dragged the book down a lot and left me feeling a little disappointed, it's what ultimately stopped it from being a 5 star read.

Amélie Wen Zhao did mention on her IG that the arc is a draft to which she has since made thorough edits since then. A few key scenes have been refined tonally and a LOT has been revised or cut, so it is possible some of the weaknesses I perceived in the arc could have changed or been improved on.

~ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 ~
⟢Àn’yīng
At the end of The Dragon and the Sun Lotus, I admittedly walked away not knowing how I felt about Àn’yīng as a character. I do understand her actions and her motivations, but yet I can't help but feel she just went about it the wrong way. She’s just as driven as in The Scorpion and the Night Blossom and her love for her family is just fierce. It just comes down outside of that, it's where I don’t think she’s grown as a character since she’s just very hyper focused, which can be a good thing, but it does come at the cost of her character.

⟢Hào’yáng
Hào’yáng represents Àn’yīng's past, her boy in the Jade that grew to be the captain of the immortal guard to heir to the mortal throne. The issues I had with Hào’yáng's character is that he sometimes comes off as the male equivalent of a Mary Sue, he's just a tad bit too perfect and maybe that is in part due to him being presented as the chosen one. His backstory is tragic with his family being murdered but yet it hardly compares to what the reader knows about Yù’chén's history. Even in The Dragon and the Sun Lotus, we do get to know a little more about Hàóyáng, but it adds very little to his overall character. It feels like his character could be summed up easily as the boy in the Jade that is also the heir and that's literally it. Despite his character being a huge driving force in the plot, he himself as a character adds very little since there isn't a proper character arc that happens with him and he just serves as a plot device. Maybe it all just hinges that I just found it hard to root for the golden boy that got to live in the sun.

⟢Yù’chén
A huge part of the reason why I loved The Scorpion and the Night Blossom was in part due to Yù’chén and that certainly still rings true with its sequel. Amélie Wen Zhao artfully crafts such a beautiful tragic and complex character, that I couldn’t help but be drawn to. In The Dragon and the Sun Lotus, we get Yù’chén’s pov, and those were some of my favorite chapters. There are lots of harrowing scenes with Yù’chén and how despite being a possible heir to the mortal throne, he’s treated in an abusive manner and like he’s less than for his halfling status. Everybody uses him, especially his mother, Sansiran, the Demon Queen of the Kingdom of Night. The inherent tragedy to his character is he doesn't know true peace and has to live in the shadows despite yearning for the sun.


~ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 ~
It's a strange feeling to both love the romance and feel like Yù’chén deserved better than Àn’yīng. The romance is still just as devastating and electric. However, there are choices made that do have me faltering on it. This can be summed up with the dreaded love triangle, now I do think love triangles can work if well executed, this isn’t the case. Hào’yáng could have easily been just Àn’yīng’s friend, but instead there’s a forced stereotypical love triangle between half-brothers. While Katherine Pierce once said, “it’s okay to love them both,” it just didn’t work here because I’m not quite sure why Àn’yīng loved Hào’yáng outside of him being her childhood companion.

The foundation of Àn’yīng and Hào’yáng’s relationship often feels like it was built on stilts, functional but way less solid without the proper development. Their relationship centers on Àn’yīng chasing the feeling of familiarity of the past and the safety it provides, in order to chase away the sting of betrayal. There’s a lot of repetition throughout that Hào'yáng is the boy in the jade and it just feels like that’s all he is to her. As soon as she learns Hàóyáng has loved her for nine years, a switch flipped and she loves him back. It’s like their romance was happening more in the background of the story rather than the forefront. Unlike the romance with Yù’chén, it just didn’t feel real and was being born out of familiarity and duty more than anything else.

There’s a very pivotal scene that touches upon one of the major themes in the novel, the idea of duty and sacrifice of one’s self for the good of their kingdom. Àn’yīng’s mother says, “And if there is anything she deserves in this life, it is someone who will love her first and foremost, irrevocably. Who, when it comes down to it, will choose her over a kingdom.” That rings beyond true with Yù’chén throughout the story, he ALWAYS tries to choose Àn’yīng first even at the cost of his kingdom. He yearns like no other and will literally beg if it means saving Àn’yīng’s life. In contrast, while I do believe Àn’yīng did love Yù’chén, at times it didn’t feel like she ever truly forgave him for what transpired and their relationship doesn't ever fully heal from the wounds inflicted. That's the cusp of their tragic relationship,Yù’chén loves her but it's not enough to overshadow what that love can entail and what has happened in the past.

I can’t help but feel that with Àn’yīng’s choices it does feel like she’s repeating what her father did, picking her kingdom over love. Yes, it is logical and makes sense to be on the good side, but paired with the love triangle and the ending it feels like it could have been handled better. We also may have stayed in the enemies territory a bit too long and not enough of the lovers part of the enemies to lovers.

~ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 + 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔 ~
*spoilers*
I have some rather mixed emotions about the ending. I found it to be very emotional and tragic to the point it really channels that C-Drama vibes with the bittersweet ending. I really loved the last few lines of the story, but all the events that unfolded before the final scene are what didn't land all the way for me.

I can’t help but want to compare it to Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan, since they both check off very similar boxes: love triangle, love interest betrays her, said love interest redeems himself, and reincarnation. Both Wenzhi and Yù'chén both redeem themselves at the end with a heart-breaking sacrifice out of their love for the main character. They both choose love over a crown and a kingdom, in which they had once betrayed the heroine for. Yet where The Dragon and the Sun Lotus strays is the choices made with the love triangle and the fallout of that sacrifice.

The ending just felt a tad bit too easy and sweet with Àn’yīng's victory, like we don't see much how it affected her emotionally. It's almost as if she didn't really pay a cost, she gets to be empress and married to Hàóyáng, on top of that in the future there is a door left open to be with Yù'chén.

Now when it comes to the love triangle and the way it was handled in the end, it just came off as a cop-out. Yù'chén places Àn’yīng above all else, knowing the only way she will get her dreams to become reality is through his death. Yet for Àn'yīng, while she may care for him, it doesn't truly feel like she chooses Yù'chén, at least in the way that time and time again Yù'chén chooses her. As soon as she finds out that Hàóyáng is a possibility, she ditches Yù'chén so much that it gives me whiplash, like one moment she was kissing Yù'chén and then soon after she was married to Hàóyáng.

We do get hints of Àn’yīng having slight moments of clarity when it comes to all of what Yù'chén has said and done, but it doesn't equate to a full awakening that Yù'chén has changed. Ultimately, Yù'chén can't help the circumstances in which he was born in. Yet he continues to fight relentlessly for Àn’yīng and has tried his best to prove the depth of his selfless love. The issue is Àn’yīng's resentment and pride overpowers that desire to see that change and wanting his love. I really would have loved to see Àn’yīng actually grapple and grieve more in regards to what Yù'chén really meant to her or even just reflect on what she has lost at the cost of duty towards her kingdom. By smothering her emotions and having no regrets over pushing it away, the ending just didn't hit as hard as I would have liked.

It very much just feels like Àn’yīng moves on without that ache over the loss or feeling like her world has been turned inside out. She achieves her fairy tale ending and then when she's all alone, she crosses paths once again with Yù'chén. It was meant to be perceived as their story never being quite finished and with time and different circumstances, their story can resume in the sunlight rather than in the darkness. They both have the same dreams about meeting in the future, almost as if they’re fated. But yet unfortunately I was left instead with this feeling like he's now her choice because he's the only one left and she can feel free to love him fully now, without him being a halfling-mó.

- 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚁𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚖 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝙲𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗'𝚜 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 + 𝙳𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚎 𝙿𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚌. -

Thank you Netgalley and Delacorte Press for letting me read The Dragon and the Sun Lotus by Amélie Wen Zhao! The Scorpion and the Night Blossom was one of my favorite reads last year, so I was so excited to be able to read the sequel early, and it does not disappoint! The writing is beautiful and poignant; the C-drama vibes are flawlessly delivered and An’ying, Yu’chen, and Hao’wang are all such compelling leads.

I love Amélie’s writing and story telling and I loved this story and the first book. However the ending of this one wasn’t my favorite in my personal opinion. But the story was still great and good writing!

I like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance at reading this.

For the CDrama girlies indeed. Amelie gives us an end to the story that gives feelings of Till the End of the Moon. If you know, you know. Though, there are shades of Moonlight Mystique in there too.

The book picks up almost immediately after the events of the first. An'Ying remains a steadfast protagonist, she is on a mission to end the Mo, free the Sky and mortal realm for the night that is slowly taking over everything. Discovering she is the heir of a goddess leaves her in a bit of a predicament when it comes to her powers - they don't seem to be manifesting.

The events of the first book also leave her in a crossroads regarding her heart. She thought she was falling in love with someone who truly was misjudged and instead, he turns out to be the son of the enemy. The boy in the jade is really the guard who she never really focused on or bothered to feel deeply for. Which one should she give her hear to?

Talking too much about which man deserves her and ends up with her is spoiler territory, but I will say this: I like that you can see both sides - the chapters with Yu'Chen are sad, and you realize that while he is the son of evil he is not evil himself. He can't help what he is, but he can help who he is and what he can be. So this book is basically watching him rough it out due to a covenant (a pact between his mother and he) that she [An'Ying] cannot be harmed as long as he does what he asks of her [his mom].

I really like Hao'Yang. He remains loyal, determined, and understanding through it all. He understands her difficulty, he never forces her, and on-top of that he is very respectful of the boundaries of her heart. There is a part where her mother asks him would you choose your kingdom or her [An'Ying] and while it gave him pause, his response later on is sweet.

The ending of the book is one of my favorites in a story featuring love triangles - because I feel both shipper sides will be happy.

I can't wait to purchase the book and put in on my shelf with my other CDrama inspired tales. Thank you Amelie!

**4.5 STARS**

+ I loved book one of this series, The Scorpion and the Night Blossom. Book two starts off right after the events of that book one ending. Hào’yáng and Àn’yīng are betrothed and back in her home town. She is with her mom and sister again but they still have to plan on defeating the demons that have made their way through to the mortal world because of Yù’chén.

+ There is a race against time to defeat the demons and seal the world off to them. And Àn’yīng learns the truth about what is letting the demons come through to their mortal world. Which means for her there is only one choice in how to defeat them. Also the dragons make more of an appearance in this book and there is an epic battle.

+ This story took me on an emotional whirlwind and though there is a a fight between good and evil happening, it’s the romance that gutted me. This was a love triangle I did not want because both guys are guys I loved. Hào’yáng is the golden one, the good one, the one who will be a good emperor. He has a past with Àn’yīng that has just been revealed – he was her best friend when she didn’t even know it was him. But Yù’chén, the half-demon prince, who is abused and tortured and when he meets her he finally knows something good – she fell in love with him first and he was always my choice for her. I loved the both of them in book one.

+ I didn’t expect to shed tears but I cried because of Yù’chén and just thinking of him and what he had to endure makes my heart hurt.

~ I didn’t love Àn’yīng’s choices and not only when it came to choosing between these two guys. I’m glad she is thinking about the bigger picture, defeating the demons, saving her friends and family, choosing the good side. But some of her choices about Yù’chén, made me upset. Could he help the circumstances he was born to? If she didn’t want him, then do what you have to do and let him go. There’s an intimate scene which she initiates, and clearly she’s thinking of someone else but it’s in his POV and we just get more of his heartbreak. I was so sad for Yù’chén throughout this whole story.

~ I did feel the ending (though I will take it because I couldn’t take the alternative to it), was a bit of a cop-out. She made her choice but she kind of gets to have both at the end? But like I said, I’ll take it, if at least to know there is some hope for Yù’chén.

Final Thoughts:

I didn’t expect this sequel and conclusion to break my heart. I still loved it, despite it making me cry but wow what an emotional rollercoaster. I think my heart will hurt every time I think of this series because of Yù’chén.