Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 8

The final volume of Heaven Official’s Blessing was a beautiful and very satisfying conclusion. The climax felt a little fast at first, but when you think about how much buildup there was throughout the series, it ended up feeling earned and right. This volume really captures everything that makes the series so good. I especially loved the extra stories at the end- some of them were genuinely hilarious, especially the one with the divine statue. I also really appreciated getting those small, peaceful moments after everything was finally over. The romance is soft and heartfelt. Xie Lian and Hua Cheng are an incredibly cute and devoted pair, and reading about their bond was a joy. I’ll definitely reread this series. For me, it stands alongside Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation as one of the best danmei I’ve read so far.

I will now give a review of the series conclusion, so beware of SPOILERS!! Overall, book 8 was a good conclusion to a great story. I like the way the Xianle trio talked things out and worked together. And I LOVE the psychological aspects of the final fight. However, I do wish the fight between full power unshackled Xie lian and Jun Wu would have lasted a bit longer because Jun Wu's defeat, basically getting one hit, felt very unsatisfying to me. He was introduced as basically undefeatable, and then he suddenly got one hit because Xie lians shackles got destroyed by... the power of love? It's a very cheesy premise, and it's not entirely my thing. However, I do understand the point of the fight ending the way it did, Xie lian is not like White no face, he's not the crown Prince of wuyong and he never will be no matter how much Jun Wu wants him to be. Instead of hating and destroying, Xie lian forgives Jun Wu and shields him from the rain with the bamboo hat just like he had been shielded once in volume 6. This part was symbolically very powerful and is probably the one thing that makes this ending so special to me. It's a callback to one of the best moments in TGCF, "One person was enough." I also grew very fond of the state preceptor and his relationship to Jun wu. I love that he stayed by his side in the end because he abandoned him earlier in life. As for Hua Cheng's death, it didn't emotionally affect me as much as it was intended to because I knew he would return. The side stories existing spoiled me in that way. Nevertheless, it was a touching sacrifice. Speaking of the extras: I did not like them. I'd much rather have read the TGCF mainstory and left it at that. The first one was cute enough, but the amnesia story really rubbed me the wrong way, the way Xie lian was led to believe Hua cheng raped him made me so uncomfortable because it's not something I would like to consider as a possibility for their relationship. The bedtime story was just not very entertaining, and the last story was alright. In conclusion: I do recommend TGCF wholeheartedly, BUT not mainly for the romance aspect of it. It's a very intriguing world with lots of plot twists and interesting arcs. The characters are written amazingly, and I honestly adore the side characters so much. If I'm gonna be honest, the only major character that rubbed me the wrong way sometimes is Hua Cheng. He's just too obsessed with Xie lian which makes it a bit creepy, and the fact that he hits Eming repeatedly, and Ruoye in an extra, felt so odd. I like Hua Cheng, but sometimes he's a bit of a red flag. I might get torn apart for this take, but well. Overall, I give book 8 5 stars but EXCLUDING the extras. If they were included, I'd probably give 4 stars.

Wow! Was für ein Ende! Einfach nur unglaublich. Selbst die Bonusgeschichten hatten alles dabei. Für mich ist diese Buchreihe nun mein neues Roman Empire. Ich liebe es einfach. Das wird ab jetzt schwer zu toppen sein!