Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1 by 墨香铜臭
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was really excited when I found out the English translation of this book had finally landed so I bought it immediately. As a fan of The Untamed I was already acquainted with the story and in love with the characters. I will be honest: I don’t know whether I would keep reading if that was not the case.
The writing takes a bit of getting used to (or maybe it’s the translation. As a linguist I know how hard it is to translate literature) for someone who like me is a rookie in this kind of fiction. It felt childish at times, like how one of my students would write it, with a lot of rather cartoonish language (the transcription of laughter sounds drove me crazy, lol) and quite a LOT of telling instead of showing.
That said I couldn’t put it down and I will definitely read volume 2. Also, kudos to the scriptwriters and actors in the TV series for an excellent interpretation of the characters’ personality and for keeping mostly faithful to the story.
The illustrations throughout the book are also wonderful and I’m excited to finally (the last 1/4 or so of the first volume) begin seeing a romance developing between the two main characters (which is after all what made me fall in love with the story). Looking forward to Book 2.
Author Natalina Reis 