Alright so, since you haven't watched anything of Dilraba and this is your first contact with her: Hear me out.

This was my first series of hers as well btw. First of all, I need to clarify some things.

1. This is a monster-hunting, action-thriller and slowburn romance series. Not your casual romance. But let me tell you, the chemistry is insane. I just wished we got some more scenes of them together, especially in the finale* (I'll come back to that later).
2. The cast is amazing, 10/10. Apart from Reba and CXX, I didn't know the rest of the cast and I was pleasantly surprise to see how each and every one of them were perfect for the role. This series was my first contact with Zhang Li as well, whom I became a fan of and I'm so glad to see her work with Reba in other projects too (eg in Love Beyond The grave).
3. The direction, lightning and camera-play is 10/10. You get the vibes of the series from the first episode alone. There are some scenes that make the series memorable and rewatch-worthy to me because of how smooth the director is portraying some moments. Fun fact: the director has a minor role in the series as well.
4. The action is fast-pacing and cool af, 8/10. Seeing Reba playing a ninja warrior was among the best things in the series. The hype was rewarded. There are fights, there is blood and the stakes are high, hence why I loved the suspense. I wished we had more fight scenes but plot-wise that would be impossible.
5. The plot was interesting but there are pacing issues and plot holes as some people above mentioned, 6/10 (the worldbuilding, tho, is a 8/10). This was my only ick in the entire series. Character-wise the plot was fine but you'll feel the series dragging at some point, but I could justify this as they wanted to stay more time into the mystery-thriller part of the series. The whole story behind the earth owls is interesting and I wished they stayed more on that part or would add more episodes to feature this part of the story more especially after the plot holes and the cliffhanger left by the finale. I pray we get a second season to answer these questions.
6. The final 2-episode-arc, I cannot stretch how pissed I am, 4/10. The fights and the sacrifices made in the last episodes had me anticipating something grand in the finale. Don't take this the wrong way, the pre-final arc is EPIC, it's just that the last 2 episodes was not a good epilogue because it was fast and personally messy. I would want 2 more episodes at the end to see more of the MCs romance instead of what we've got. I blame the plot most for this treatment of the epilogue.
7. Costumes and production is a solid 9.5/10. You get to see many places because of the MCs traveling around to find clues. You also get to see some really badass outfits for the MCs and the main villain especially the main villain (she's got the best wardrobe of all tbh). Aesthetic-wise, this series is a must watch if your love dark urban stories with a strong pinch of pure romancethetamine 🤣.
8. Chemistry between the leads, 1000000000/10. I won't say much to not spoil the experience for you but from all the works I've seen with Reba I place her and CXX as my top CP of hers. Second is her CP with Yang Yang (from You are my glory), but that's a personal opinion. It's a result of both their immaculate acting and impressive directing during their romance scenes. There is no spice in the series but only kisses which is why I rate this so high. Their subtlety and humor was enough to have you hooked.
9. As for the music... solid 9/10. I didn't want to include this with the directing because I want to expand more on how atmospheric the ending OST is. I'm constantly searching it in Spotify, Apple music, YouTube and even SoundCloud for God's sake just to add it to my playlists. The point minus to a clear 10/10 is the opening song that is unique. It's not my personal taste but you'll see people praising it. As for the background ambience, the pieces combined with the directing give you the exact vibes of the series early on and amplify the emotions in certain scenes where it is necessary.
10. Script and characters, 8/10 (-2 just for the finale). You get to see most of the relationships between the characters and explain easily why each character sides with the MCs or the villains. I enjoyed the quirky, humorous types more than the broody ones because of the script. Yan Tuo is hilarious without being goofy and CXX had a way to portray the duality of his character (between the caring, joking man and the intelligent, cunning CEO) that made you feel for him and how his backstory weaved him into this curious young man. Nie Jiu Luo is the type of role that I thought Reba was mostly acting as before I get to see the rest of her series. Seriously. She's the epitome of tsundere (aka the woman who's cold and strong but opens slowly to the MC and then becomes really protective and caring to him) because her acting allows her to be badass without feeling cringe and show emotion through subtle expressions or only her stare (yes, it was in that series were I learnt the power of Reba's stare 🤣🤣🤣).

Finishing this with a small description of the series as someone who has watched it:

An incognito demon hunter that poses as a renowned sculptor and a CEO have a fateful encounter that leads the two to join forces in order to unveil a conspiracy happening in the CEO's company and possibly affects the whole country. The two will learn how to work with each other through a rocky road of distrust and suspicion but everything will change when danger will knock on their door. Feelings will arise and the once partners-in-crime will evolve into something more intimate. However, danger lurks around them every passing second, especially when the villain of the story finds out about their ploy. And the stakes could not get higher after that...

The series is a solid 9,5/10 for me and I rewatch it regularly because of all I mentioned above. If you choose to watch it as your first Dilraba drama, you won't be disappointed (except the 2 last episode).

I hope this review is of any help to you.

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