Tang Jiu Qing
Seven Seas Entertainment
7 January 2025
430
Paperback
Danmei/BL
Bought Copy
DESPERATE MEASURES
After a close call with a deadly epidemic and an attempt on the emperor’s life, the imperial court of Qudu is in turmoil. The emperor is determined to hold someone among the noble clans accountable, a desire Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye are prepared to use to their political advantage. The chaos gives them another opportunity as well—a chance to investigate the suspected mastermind behind the fall of Zhongbo five years ago.
Yet as they delve deeper into the past, new dangers emerge in the present. For every move they make, their unseen adversary seems always a step ahead, driving them into a trap from which there is no way out. As Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye’s lives grow more and more entwined, both find they are increasingly reliant on each other. But when Xiao Chiye extends a hand in their most desperate hour, will Shen Zechuan take it?
I am still a little on the fence when it comes to the Ballad of Sword and Wine series. I don't dislike it, but it hasn't had the impact for me of Heaven Official's Blessing, say, or Thousand Autumns. When this volume started, it took me a while to remember events from the end of volume two and get back into the story. I found the first half of this volume a bit so-so; however, my interest reawakened as new, more action-packed events began to happen in the second half. I feel I am invested enough to keep reading, so we will see what volume four has to offer a little later in the year. The best thing about the series is the relationship between Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye, but the plot has not been as exciting as some of the other danmei I have read, which is what makes me hesitate over it a little. I think I generally prefer xianxia to wuxia. I like to have the supernatural elements too. Thousand Autumns has been the only exception to that so far, but that was a shorter series, so it was faster paced and the characters were a bit more distinct and memorable. I am giving this volume of Ballad of Sword and Wine four stars.
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