i really love the art of this manga, the story was very interesting and really fast-pacing
the story and the development of the characters are really impressive.

I need the second volume right now!

A bright heart was one of my favorite reads of 2024 and to say i was disappointed by its sequel is an understatement.

A bright heart was delightful and made my chinese webnovel heart happy. The characters were endearing, the romance cute and it felt complete by itself despite the unanswered questions.

A fiery spirit takes place immediately after and I really wish I hadn’t read it. The digital arc was a mess, the writing felt different, the pace was uneven and the characters gave me nothing. Between the abrupt transitions between scenes, the plot armor and the ridiculous deus ex machina twist, this was not the sequel book one deserved and not even Yunle could save it.

thank you to the publisher for the e-arc of this book!!

A Fiery Spirit is definitely one of my most anticipated releases of this year. i love myself a chinese historical fantasy with all the court politics. i'm not sure how my mindset has changed over the past year but this book didn't hit the same highs as the first one.

getting it out of the way first,, the politics felt watered down, yet somehow it took up at least half the story. who didn't like who in court, Yunle getting shut down in meetings, and Mingshin fumbling her new magic in secret with Hanxin. it really took a good chunk of the story for it to finally get interesting for me, especially since the politics felt like a lot of rehashing what we already know from A Bright Heart.

the romance between Jieh and Mingshin didn't particularly speak to me either. i loved the moment when Jieh overcomes his prejudices against magic and accepts Mingshin. that has to be the big high for me, and that whole scene of him being poisoned was super dramatic. but every other time, it just kind of felt like they were off doing their own thing and while the romance isn't the biggest part of the story, i admit it was one of the things i liked most about the first book.

a lot of convenient moments in this book, where their plans go awry only to right itself again quickly, or having someone save Mingshin at the last moment, or even just (spoilers!!) her gaining All the Powers and becoming op. and i don't want her to die, i promise, but that ending felt like she should have. the world will go on because it's cruel and she will be forgotten by everyone but her loved ones. Jieh will rule with Yunle in memory of her. that's how i felt it should have gone.

but of course Nüwa ex machina and all that. haisss. i wanted to love this book so much more than i did. while i didn't hate it, it bored me at parts. still, there are some highlights. though i wouldn't have minded more Yunle/Fei content or even just Yunle maneuvreing in court while the rest were off on their quest instead of just a couple of paragrapgs of exposition. so much exposition.

One of my favorite books that came out last year was A Bright Heart. It was a fun read, and I had zero expectations because it’s really underrated—I didn’t see anyone marketing it. So, I was so excited when I found out about the sequel, A Fiery Spirit, and I’m glad I got to read it early. Shout out to Union Square & Co.!

Now, let’s talk about the book!
This book picks up not long after the ending of the first one. And oh, it starts with a funeral—because why not? The funny thing about this book is that the cover is bright, colorful, and cheerful, but the actual story is full of murder and backstabbing. It was a wild ride, and I really enjoyed it. Of course, there are pros and cons, and I think I liked the first book better, but I’d say this one lived up to its older sister.

Things I liked about this book:
•Mingshin, our protagonist. She still has flashbacks to her life in the other timeline, and her trust issues play a big role in this book, with their own development—which I really liked. As someone with trust issues myself, I’d say it’s an accurate portrayal. She’s also very smart, kinda manipulative, and lies a lot… but that’s understandable. Her hatred towards Aylin, her cousin, is honestly hilarious. It’s like, “Hmm, maybe she would be different if she wasn’t raised by her evil dad,” but then immediately “Yeah, screw that, she’s too far gone.” She was such a fun MC to follow, and I love her as a character. It’s also interesting to see a book character be one step ahead of me (a book reader).
•Yunle, our princess, and probably the secret protagonist of this book. She’s amazing and really shines throughout the story. I think she might be the author’s favorite.
•Jieh’s mother is such a fun character. She’s the classic evil, manipulative mother-in-law you’d see in a typical Asian drama, but I feel like, in a way, she actually likes Mingshin—because Mingshin is just as cunning and manipulative as her. It’s kinda funny.
•The pacing is really fast, so I don’t think you’d get bored—there’s a lot of drama.
•It’s also a very easy read, even if you pick it up at 9 PM after getting home from work. If you’re new to English fantasy books, this is a great one to start with.
•I liked the ending.

Neutral… because I kinda get it:
•One of the things I disliked in the first book was the romance. Jieh is a green flag, but I found their relationship a bit flat. However, this book makes it clear that the romance between Mingshin and Jieh isn’t the main focus, and as someone who isn’t into romance, I respect that choice. Their relationship feels more like a comfort zone that Mingshin could easily lose if the kingdom found out about her magic. I feel the same about Fei and Yunle’s relationship—it’s there, but romance isn’t the main focus of the story.

What I disliked about this book:
•Speaking of magic, I didn’t like how overpowered Mingshin becomes. If this had been better established in the first book, it wouldn’t feel like she suddenly became a quick learner. She’s so close to being a Mary Sue, though luckily, she still fails sometimes.
•There’s a lot of convenience in this book. There’s plenty of drama, but most of the problems are solved way too quickly. They’re literally fighting a god in this book, yet the stakes don’t feel high enough because previous conflicts were resolved too easily.
•The repetition is annoying. One time, Mingshin narrated something, and then another character pointed out the exact same thing. It kinda feels like this:
Mingshin’s brain: “I think I’m scared.”
Character B: “Mingshin, you’re scared.”
Like… bro, I know.

Overall
I really liked this book. I don’t think I can rate it higher than 4.5, but definitely not lower than 4. I think 4.25 is a fair score. It has a somewhat closed ending, but there’s still a little gap in case the author wants to write a sequel. If they do, I’ll definitely read it!

A Bright Heart was one of my absolute favourite reads last year, so I was so excited for the sequel! And it (mostly) lived up to my expectations. I still completely adored the characters and the beautiful way the book was written, although the plot wasn't as unique and interesting as it had been in the first book. There was also a fair bit of plot that was relegated to a brief retelling rather than actually being on the page, which meant it wasn't as engaging as it maybe could have been. That said, I did still love the story and will waiting to see what the author writes next!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The timing was extremely fortuitous because I came across A Fiery Spirit on Netgalley just as I was finishing A Bright Heart, and I knew I wanted to continue Mingshin’s story as soon as possible! She’s such a fantastic main character, where her strength is both in her cleverness but also in the people she surrounds herself with. I love seeing her growth from the beginning of A Bright Heart to A Fiery Spirit, and how this duology concludes. There is really great world building with the magic and the different cultures, and so much political navigation. I had a lot of fun with this book and found it hard to put down, because I just had to see how Mingshin would navigate her situation and come out ahead. I look forward to seeing what Kate Chenli will write in the future and definitely will be keeping my eye out.

Thank you for the ARC opportunity

With A Fiery Heart, , first I will say is a beautiful cover! Giving justice to the title of *bright* cover. Second, I did had trouble getting into the story in the very first chapters, I was kinda disappointed how the conversation and moving through the plot was taking shape of it, I did had some of the spirit from the first book but I was always waiting for more of it.

During the first half, I was not feeling the conversation/dialogue between characters, it felt too null for me in some points,
Like robots talking but as the book was flowing with the plot, this aspect started to get more easier to read along and to engage with characters.

But in the end, I enjoyed reading this book and the last few chapters were picking more my attention and enjoying how the plot was evolving to the ending.

3.5 towards 4*