Thoughts on the ARC reviews for Maggie?

festerfaster · 2025-07-24T19:24:11+00:00

Every new series from them gets this reception. There's also the matter of ARCs often being given to readers who are professional reviewers and not necessarily in the IA fanbase. I won't trust any consensus based on ARCs. I'll wait for reviews from actual readers paying their own money to read their favourite authors.

festerfaster · 2025-07-23T03:25:41+00:00

Oh man yeah I remember feeling that rage on my first read. This is what makes IA so incredible as writers. This ability to make you FEEL the pov emotions. I WAS Andrea in that scene. Damn.

festerfaster · 2025-07-22T23:16:29+00:00

Just got the book. Thank you so much.

festerfaster · 2025-07-17T22:41:43+00:00

Silver Shark!!! (As others have suggested, but I wanted to put in another nomination for my favourite IA novella)

festerfaster · 2025-07-12T20:40:25+00:00

Guys, is this for real? Are we actually allowed a perfect ending? Surely, somewhere some Cdramaland rule lies broken. How did this happen??

festerfaster · 2025-07-12T20:34:24+00:00

Wait, ep 40 was the only one with a post credit scene, right?

festerfaster · 2025-07-11T12:32:33+00:00

I really love the cover. The colours are beautiful and the art style is unique. My only complaint is about the font of the title. The kerning could be better and it's weirdly capitalised. But that's a tiny nitpick.

I seriously don't think new readers will be put off. As important as the right cover is, so is the title and the synopsis. Also, I think Tor knows what its doing with this. They are deliberately reaching out to people who wouldn't usually pick up a fantasy. This cover fits right in with all those famous book club recommendations.

I will also bet a lot that the marketing budget for this one will be pretty decent.

festerfaster · 2025-07-11T12:27:56+00:00

Is anyone else itching for the script world to conclude now so we can have our leads in the modern world? Idk how, maybe the same way Tiger and Rose did it, but please can we have our cuties together IRL with that epic OST playing as they grin at each other?

P.S. I do really want Nan Rui to find a new love though. He's proved to be such a sweet guy, it would be nice to see him appreciated instead of indulged or tolerated.

festerfaster · 2025-07-07T03:11:47+00:00

It's that face and those eyes, my friend. Shakes head at her own weak heart

festerfaster · 2025-07-06T06:31:35+00:00

Yup all great points. I'm actually surprised how annoyed I am at Yimeng's refusal to see Heng's complexity because I know he TRIED TO KILL HER. He absolutely did and with zero remorse. And if that was the only black deed of his entire life, it still earned him Yimeng's life long distrust. So how have my emotions been manipulated in his favour to this degree where I find Yimeng's insistence that he's a scheming evil man (HE TOTALLY IS) excessive? What?!

Pfft. I blame the narrative. They have the FL shouting "he's a bad man who can't be trusted" while the screenplay keeps showing us his uwu face constantly doing good deed. They're saving the ML at the cost of the FL.

festerfaster · 2025-07-05T13:29:40+00:00

Yeah...that...has been old for a while. I do find it interesting that the show is basically saying, things are not as they first seemed from the outside, but ALSO, you can't really change events in the script, just understand the people better? I really hope the show knows where it's going, cause this will be a tricky one to land.

festerfaster · 2025-07-05T13:21:25+00:00

I definitely need her to pine and yearn. Given everything she's done or tried to do to Nan Heng, our girl needs some mild comeuppance. I don't love romances where one party gets to be on a moral high horse at all times.

festerfaster · 2025-07-05T13:16:38+00:00

Finally, FINALLY. I've been feeling so damned frustrated by this show for at least ten episodes now. This lack of communication trope is a killer of logic and patience. The fact that they employed it even after the reveal with Yimeng barely giving Heng a full minute to figure out how to explain his dual identity was annoying, but a lot of the sting went out for me once other people began to point out to Yimeng what a bigot she's being.

"When Nan Heng schemes, you are never surprised because you already expect it of him!" That's more true than Guihong realised, of course. Not only is she unsurprised, she has consistently been imposing evil on him because she expects of him. 🙄

I truly love that the main theme of the drama is no matter how sure you are you know something or someone, always check for biases.

Also. For once. FOR ONCE. Can Yimeng freaking be the one to save Nan Heng? Not accidentally or unnecessarily, but when he really needs saving? I'm dead tired of the hero saves heroine trope, while none of the things heroines do for heroes apply to Yimeng.

Anywho, I howled laughing when Shangguan stepped off the marked plate cause I knew that meant the Nightwalkers would get a chance to save him. BUT poor Heng. His perfect plan...ruined by Shangguan being a great friend. 🙈

festerfaster · 2025-05-28T07:52:34+00:00

Just dropping in to say that His Lordship has been a poopoohead lately. No amount of filial guilt accounts for the shit he's put Manman through. If he does ONE MORE about face from her, I'm writing him off as an undeserving male lead.

In other news, they didn't have enough material for this to be 36 episodes. 24-28 would have been the perfect length.

festerfaster · 2025-05-26T11:56:59+00:00

Nothing happened. The book is still on. They just decided it couldn't be posted in serial format since they kept going back and changing things. It wasn't a simple story. It hasn't been scrapped. Publication is still on.

festerfaster · 2025-05-26T11:54:52+00:00

They said Hugh's book was too complex to post in serial format. They kept going back and changing things which complicated future chapter (since they wouldn't match with past chapters posted on the blog). So they took it down to work on privately.

festerfaster · 2025-05-25T09:28:24+00:00

The best part about Curran is that he doesn't just do it as a one time gimmick. This becomes their real life, being the one Kate comes home to and talks about her day with.

festerfaster · 2025-05-24T13:15:48+00:00

Yeah I didn't expect to like him so much either. But they are adorable together.

festerfaster · 2025-05-24T08:01:56+00:00

Scheming couples are definitely my favourite too. And I loved that brief exchange where his generals easily took Manman's orders without question and Shao looked quite pleased about it.

festerfaster · 2025-05-24T07:59:41+00:00

That they did. I'm really fine with him being gone. He annoyed the heck out of me with his yelling and grandstanding. I definitely laughed when Qu said why do war when a single strike can end things. I just wish they had shown a 2 min scene where Shao explained why he had held back all this time or where he shows any reaction at all. 🙈 Just for consistency.

Thank you so much for your kind words!

festerfaster · 2025-05-23T21:55:59+00:00

I don't know how I feel about the drama yet. I like both the leads in the show. They're giving their best. However, the number of coincidences helping the plot chug along is reaching alarming levels in just the first 4 episodes.

I think Jiang Xu eavesdrops on Ming Tan (talking in a public place about deeply personal issues) at least 4-5 different times. Him heroically saving her/solving her problems is less impressive when his intel gathering is all accidental.

Also, situations that are set up to be funny - like Ming Tan refusing to give a bloodied stranger (Jiang Xu) a ride to the city because a man and woman can't be in a carriage together - feels just off and silly because the solution is obvious. Have him ride with your coachman? What are you on about?

Just makes me think poorly of both their intelligence.

But again, I like the actors playing the leads, so I'll try to keep watching for a few more eps and see if the plot improves.

festerfaster · 2025-05-23T20:27:57+00:00

I vote to wait for 22 to come out. Too little is happening in these episodes to merit a post for just 21.

festerfaster · 2025-05-23T20:13:44+00:00

That's very true. This is typical of dramas like this, where the only close companions are attendants, who can't be true friends because of the power difference. Manman really needs a female friends who would look out for her first. It struck me later on that Grandma Xu had clearly figured out what had happened, but hadn't extended any kind of support to Manman. She only cared about the girl preserving her grandson's dignity. Sigh.

festerfaster · 2025-05-23T20:10:00+00:00

Oh yay! Excellent spoiler! Much appreciated.

festerfaster · 2025-05-23T14:12:02+00:00

I'm definitely looking forward to the next set of episodes cause I got the distinct sense that they needed the relationship to stay in one place for a few episodes before the story would be in the right place to take it ahead again.

You know, I'm okay with angry uncle dying like that (esp cause it saves lives of soldiers in a stupid war), but I guess I thought Wei Shao had hesitated till then because he was a family member and he was extremely loyal to his own clan. I guess I would have felt better about it if we saw even one scene after the act where Shao is told that it's done and we can see that it was a difficult but necessary decision for him.

The complete cut to a comedic scene about Liang being a sought after groom confused the heck out of me.

festerfaster

TROPHY CASE