December 2024

Pa Ying’s Book Review

Historical Danmeis are known for their martial cultivation storylines and are usually depicted as good versus evil. Meng Xi Shi takes the cultivation storyline to the next level in Thousand Autumns because a religious war between Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism is at the forefront of this epic.

This first book is super heavy on story building, which sets the pace for the rest of the journey for our main characters, Yan Wushi and Shen Qiao. Meng Xi Shi does a fantastic job of detailing the context of this religious war through the eyes of Shen Qiao as he learns the world around him after losing his title, martial arts, memory, and sight. 

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Volume One - A character study/analysis of (eventual) lovers

A focal point of this book was establishing the setting, the world lore, conflicts, and really defining our two main characters. Meng Xi Shi artfully builds a nuanced and complex religious war through plot points that exist to deepen our understanding of these two men. Everything that happens successfully enriches the narrative as a consequence of creating events that seem to exist only to further define Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi’s characters.

Atlas’ Book Review: 1 Big Fart 💨

We’re not really sure what he means by this, but don’t take his review too seriously; he can’t read. 

Check it out: Art by Arlo on Tumblr!

Arlo has been making and sharing fan art for over a decade, and for the last couple of years, he’s focused on Danmei. To date, a lot of his work has been centered around the MXTX novels, but as we read books for this podcast, he’s venturing into more novels across the genre! 

He’s no longer posting art on X, but he’s on Instagram, Bluesky, and Tumblr! He’s excited to be back on Tumblr and has been really active on that account. 

UP NEXT, we’re reading The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish Vol.3

When Prince Jing is sent to the western border, his boyfriend and pet fish, Li Yu, joins him to secure his position as heir. However, their plans take a twist when Li Yu unexpectedly lays eggs. With four baby fish in tow, they face challenges maintaining order and protecting their new family. Will the emperor accept their union, and can they navigate the dangers of the imperial court?

What we’re excited about:

• BABIES!

• the promised “double MPREG”

• More fluff!

Check out the full reading list here.

Want to read along with us? We keep an updated list of what we plan to read next. Many of the books featured on this list are new or upcoming releases, and sometimes, the release date gets moved. When that happens, we adjust the list.