this is the very first nian zhong work i’ve had the pleasure of reading, and i’m pleasantly surprised by the cosmic and eldritch elements present in this novel. i say “pleasantly” because in my experience, cosmic and eldritch beings are rarely portrayed as something truly incomprehensible to the human mind and perception; however, nian zhong does spectacular work in their descriptions of these beings – detailed and comprehensive while still maintaining the incomprehensibility of their appearances (which sounds contradictory but i promise it makes sense!)

at first, i was a bit hesitant about the male lead, zhong chengshou, as he seems to be a bit of a bland character compared to the main character, yin ren, who is immediately loveable; but this portrayal makes sense as his character is something that readers have to figure out alongside yin ren. i must say though that it’s precisely because of this “blandness” that i was intrigued enough to keep reading as i wanted to know how the romance between the two will develop; and it didn’t disappoint!

there is something so inherently hilarious about a nonhuman being trying his best to conform to social norms in order not to be found out being in a romantic relationship with someone who seemingly possesses zero emotional intelligence. despite this kind of gap though, the communication between zhong chengshou and yin ren is absolutely godtier. i love that there aren’t any unnecessary prolonged miscommunication between them; it definitely elevated how i view their relationship and also made me appreciate them all the more.

the side characters are also not to be scoffed at and have significant contributions to furthering the plot, and even the antagonists are all well-rounded. they have their own motives, inner workings, and are not merely there to serve as “flat” background characters to highlight the two main protagonists. huang jin specifically holds a special place in my heart as i, unfortunately, relate so much to him. he is so hilarious in his defeatist and pessimistic outlook in life, but also so capable in what he does (it just takes him a while to get there!); his and ge tinging’s duo is something i can only hope to have in a workplace setting. i feel so connected to all these characters that i feel a bit sad cos i’m gonna miss them so much!

of course, the plot is also amazing in and of itself. in the first few chapters, i was kind of a headless chicken in how i was just blindly following along where the narrative takes me. it’s always a bit of a challenge reading a new work and moreso with this novel since i was unfamiliar with the author’s works prior. a slow start for sure but the payoff is absolutely worth it! i won’t delve too much into its intricate plot since i believe this is best experienced firsthand; i’ll just say that once the action starts picking up, i was immediately hooked!

nian zhong also does not shy away from portraying the worst of humanity—from bullying to serial killing and everything in between. some descriptions are way too vivid and stomach-turning, so fair warning to check the content warnings before reading this novel. the body horror is also something out of this world (pun intended); not just for the gory scenes but also for the entities as well. as i mentioned earlier, nian zhong has a way of describing these cosmic eldritch horrors in a way that’s highly-detailed yet still incomprehensible – truly an exercise in imagination.

all in all, a very fun and enjoyable read.

all the reveals... and of course, the government is engaging in highly sus activities, who knew?!

this volume is plot heavy and i ain’t complaining about that!

this arc is gonna hurt, i just know it