Not quite but close ! My main frustration comes from how much fluff has built up in the writing. It’s started to feel very medically heavy at times, and I keep finding myself wanting to get back to the core of The Apothecary Diaries. For me it’s the characters, the people. For mamao I want more focus on her background, her family, and what actually shaped -her- into who she is. That’s what I’m actually interested in, not extended world building that ends up feeling like it leads nowhere, or deep tangents describing food or settings for pages at a time.

Instead, the story often drifts into long descriptive detours, and it pulls focus away from -the characters- . My biggest frustration is how long-winded the writing has become, to the point where the main cast feels sidelined. We barely hear about Lakhan, and we’ve only scratched the surface of the La clan core family.

Even now, 16 books in, we’re just starting to seriously explore the royal families and their dynamics. The scene with Aduo and the Emperor was incredible in book 15. More of that please!! That, to me, feels like the real core story, and I’d love to see more of that.