默读/Mo Du/Silent Reading by priest [SERIES REVIEW]

 

Synopsis

-from novelupdates

Childhood, upbringing, family background, social relations, traumatic experiences...

We keep reviewing and seeking out the motives of criminals, exploring the subtlest emotions driving them. It's not to put ourselves in their shoes and sympathize, or even to forgive them; it's not to find some reasons to exculpate their crimes; it's not to kneel down before the "so-called complexity of human nature"; nor to introspect social conflicts, much less to alienate ourselves into monsters.

We just want to have a fair trial—for ourselves and for those who still have hope for the world.

Ratings

• Book 1: ★★★★+(.5) (4.5/5)
• Book 2: ★★★★★ (5/5)
• Book 3: ★★★★+(.75) (4.75/5)
• Book 4: ★★★★★ (5/5)
• Book 5: ★★★★+(.75) (4.75/5)

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (4.8/5)

Trigger/Content Warnings: violence, drugs, suicide, self harm, bullying, psychological abuse, domestic abuse, child abuse, human trafficking, child prostitution, pedophilia, mentions of rape, loss of loved ones, death, murder, violent accident, torture, animal abuse

⸺ ⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕ ⸺

Ah this is probably going to be a long review, considering there are 5 books in this series, not counting the epilogue and the extras.

I really, really loved this story. It was haunting, the second and fourth books especially, but all the cases were extremely well-thought out and left me reeling with all the plot twists. I initially started this back in the beginning of 2019, but I wasn't able to finish it until now because it was recently fully translated and I will leave the link here if anyone wants to read. Also, please heed the trigger/content warnings. I tried to add as many as I could think of off the top of my head but I'm not sure if I've included all of them.

Plot & Development

The series is split into 5 books, each of these 5 books tackling different cases. But since it's a series that has an overarching story, each of these cases are connected to each other by threads that the two main characters, Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du, are trying to sort out and piece together.

The cases are genius. They were highly entertaining and moved at a good pace. But they were also extremely complex. Each case, especially the ones towards the end of the book (book 5 especially), had a lot of things going on and sometimes it got a little difficult to keep track of everything (this could also just be my pea brain). But honestly I was left in shock at some of the developments in each individual case, and I was especially left reeling when things began to weave together and the bigger, overarching plot came to light.

I would have to say my favorite books are books 2 and 4. Book 4 especially since each and every development was so mind-blowing. I honestly wish I could say more about each book but I really don't want to spoil it, and it's best to go in not knowing the stories.

However, priest does give hints as to what each case is about through the titles of each chapter in each separate book. Each of them are characters from well-known classics. For example, book 1 is based on The Red and the Black by Stendhal. Admittedly, this one is the only one whose plot I did not know at all, so I went in completely blind. However, since I knew of the basic premises of the other books, I was able to vaguely deduce what the case would be about. Book 2's was the easiest connection to see, since book 2 has connections to Vladmir Nabokov's Lolita. Book 3 has connections Hamlet's Macbeth, book 4 is Fyodor Dostoevsky's Demons, and Book 5 is Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo. 

Even though this story isn't categorized as horror, it gives off very eerie vibes and I found myself quite creeped out multiple times while reading it, but I'm also weak to anything scary so that could just be me. But even though I'm weak to scary things I really love scary stories, and I thought this story was extremely entertaining with a really nice balance of horror/suspense and romance. I went into it without looking at any trigger/content warnings, so I was actually extremely shocked by how dark this story got. But it was extremely entertaining and I'm very sad that it's over because I know I'll miss reading a story as great as this.

Characters

I really loved the cast of characters in this story. It is an extremely huge cast though and it took me a while to learn everyone's names and to remember everyone as well. It was probably especially hard for me since I took an extremely long break between the last time I read it in 2019 and picking it up again very recently at the tail end of 2020. Since all the cases are intertwined, it took some brain power to remember the characters from the very first book and remember their motives and personalities. So I recommend paying attention and noting down every character.

However, the most important characters would have to be the group at the City Bureau. I absolutely adore Luo Wenzhou. He's the captain of the department and he is equal parts reliable and shameless and he's just an extremely fun character. And I love his relationship with Fei Du, who studies psychology and is very good with criminal psychology. Fei Du is probably my favorite character of the bunch, and this most tragic. But I love his personality and his dynamic with Luo Wenzhou. I also really love their friendship with Tao Ran, Luo Wenzhou's best friend and second-in-command. He's such a kind soul and honestly it is hard to dislike him. The other two characters in this group are Lang Qiao, the only female in the group and one of the funniest characters in the entire book, and Xiao Haiyang, the youngest character of the group; I view him as the baby of the group :") I really love the dynamic between the entire team and they're kind of like a little found family. But of course, the most superior character has to be Luo Wenzhou's cat, Luo Yiguo, who is the absolute cutest character in the entire book. 

I adore Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du's relationship so much. It's a rivals to partners to lovers development and it's quite slow burn and very lovely. Their banter is hilarious and kept me going through the darkest moments of the book and they just work really well together as partners as well. They're both so shameless and it makes their interactions so hilarious. They're so flirty with each other it's hilariously endearing. I love how well-developed and interwoven the romance was. Again, this story had a very nice balance of mystery/suspense and romance.

Book 1

To me, book 1 was the least memorable. However, it is understandable since book 1 sets up the premise of the story itself and is introductory. We meet each of the characters and we gradually get to know them and are introduced to their dynamic. I think the case itself isn't the most memorable, but we got the most push-and-pull between Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du in this first book, which is why my rating for it is still quite high. It had extremely entertaining banter between the two, with Tao Ran stuck in the middle. 

However, even though I say book 1 is the least memorable it was entertaining enough for me to feel hooked at the very start. A lot of times when I start stories it takes me a while to warm up to everything. It takes me a while to get used to the setting and warm up to the characters, etc. However, when it comes to this series, I was hooked at the very start. I loved Luo Wenzhou from the start and I fell in love with Fei Du from the very beginning. Of course as the story went on we find out a lot more about Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du and their backgrounds are revealed and they undergo character development, but every layer revealed just made me love them even more.

Book 2

This was probably the most haunting book. I honestly find stories that involve children getting hurt extremely difficult to read, and this case revolved around missing children. Probably because this was the most haunting it was one of the more memorable stories. I also find this case to be more important to the overarching story than book 1, and probably because of the recent revelations I find myself thinking back to this case a lot.

I found this story pretty easy to keep up with. It was pretty moderately paced so it carried with it a feeling of eeriness and I didn't find it too scary, but the premise itself is quite haunting and terrifying.

The zhoudu interactions in this one were also gold. I love their banter so much and the slow burn of their developing feelings and developing relationship.

Book 3

This one had a lot going on, but it was extremely entertaining. It definitely was not as gruesome or terrifying as book 2, but it is an extremely important arc and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The new characters that were introduced were kind of hard to keep track of at first because there were just so many of them, but they're all ultimately quite important to the overarching plot so they stick after a while.

But there were a lot of elements to keep track of in this one, and the zhoudu in this was beautiful as it always is, but especially in this book. I think book 3 was a much-needed break from how dark and terrifying book 2 was, especially since book 4 was not a walk in the park to read either.

Book 4

This one was also quite terrifying. Probably because it was quite a gruesome scene and crime and the more that things are uncovered, the creepier the entire story gets in my opinion. This book also involves children so that also made it a little difficult to read. But I thought this case developed extremely well. I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but most of the cases start off with one goal and then they develop to bigger, more mind-blowing goals and I felt like this one had the most exciting developments and it was very fast-paced I could not put it down.

Overall, I felt like this was the most exciting book with some of the most genius developments, and that's why book 4, though it was gruesome and had me scared witless when I was reading it at 4AM, is my favorite book of the 5.

Book 5

I really cannot say much about book 5 since it's the big finale, but it was extremely smart. There were so many developments I didn't see coming and it was probably the busiest of all of the books, with all of the characters introduced and all of them moving at once. And all of them with different goals. This made it a little confusing at times, and some explanations for things that happened I had to read twice and three times for them to make sense, but I thought it was a very fitting ending for the entire series and I had a lot of fun reading it.

And, of course, the romance. Was so good. 

Conclusion

This is probably one of my favorite Chinese novels I've read, and to me that is high praise since I think I've read many good ones. Many acclaimed ones. But this one claims a seat with some of my favorites like "Cold Sands."

I wish I was better with words so I could make everyone read this, because it really is such an amazing book. Priest is so smart and it shows through her storytelling how much thought went into the entire plot and each individual case as well. And Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du's relationship has got to be one of my favorite relationships out of all the chinese novels I've read so far. Their relationship development was quite slow but also very gratifying. And who doesn't love a good slow burn?

Overall, I highly, highly recommend you read Mo Du if you can. It's one of the best stories I've come across in quite a while and I hope everyone can enjoy it as much as I did.

Also, before I end this section, Mo Du is getting a donghua adaptation and a live action adaptation as well, and I hope everyone will give it a chance and support it! I have very high hopes for it since the PV for the donghua looks amazing and I just want a chance to experience the story all over again.

End of Non-Spoiler Section—Spoilers Ahead!!

⸺ ⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕ ⸺

Aren't Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du just absolutely gorgeous? I am so excited for the donghua I can't wait to see these two animated.

I don't know where to start with this spoiler section. I don't want to start off with something too revealing right off the bat but I have so many things to say about the Gu Zhao case and Yang Zhengfeng. 

First of all I'll start with rambling. Xiao Haiyang's relationship with Gu Zhao is so adorable and it made me extremely regretful that he lost his life in such a way. And how his name was slandered afterwards too, with no one to back him up or defend his honor except for a very young Xiao Haiyang who most definitely could not do anything about the situation.

I feel like the fabrication of paternity results is not a new thing in dramas, but I found the switches to be particularly shocking. One of my favorite scenes was when Fei Du revealed to Zhou Huaijin about his true parentage. I also really liked Zhou Huaijin's character development, and how he went from a suspect and kinda (?) an antagonist to an ally in book 5 and eventually to working under Fei Du, and when all is done he was able to reintegrate into society despite his traumas and become this big brother figure to everyone. I thought that was really sweet. And I felt so bad for Huaixin, who I was kinda suspicious of in the beginning, but then I realized that he's just a kid who tried to blindly support his older brother, the person who raised him and the only one who showed him love and affection, the person who tried his best to shield him from the horrors of their family affairs.

I'm also wondering if there could have been more explanation of the depth of Fan Siyuan and Gu Zhao's relationship? Because what made Gu Zhao such a huge turning point to Fan Siyuan, and why was he able to throw everyone else under the bus just for Gu Zhao, going so far as to lose his cool when someone even uttered Gu Zhao's name. I think the book only once explicitly said that they had a close relationship, but I also thought there was a group of them that were all his students. So why was he so incensed by Gu Zhao's death to the point where he was able to throw Yang Zhengfeng under the bus as well by whispering falsities in his ear. I understand the animosity towards Zhang Chunjiu for betraying Gu Zhao and ultimately killing him, but why was Gu Zhao so special that Fan Siyuan was able to use Yang Zhengfeng as cannon fodder, essentially, to bring Fei Chengyu down and expose Zhang Chunjiu further. I thought they were all his students and I wonder why Gu Zhao was treated more preciously than the others. Unless Gu Zhao, at that point, was just an excuse for him to perform his vigilante mission.

Another thing that really shocked me was their shiniang's involvement and Yang Xin's involvement. I honestly wasn't very attached to Xiao-Wu but his death definitely shocked me. Especially since it was by Yang Xin's hand. I should have seen that there was something fishy with how distant they were but I didn't thing anything of it. I also was shocked, but also not too shocked, at the reveal that Zhang Chunjiu was the "mole" because at first I thought it was way too obvious. I realize it was probably made to look that way on purpose but I thought it was way too obvious for it to be him. And then when they revealed the connection to the orphanage and to Su Hui I was just mind-blown. And his backstory actually got to me I felt so bad for him and I really felt for the brotherly relationship between Zhang Chunhui and Zhang Chunjiu. However, Luo Wenzhou is right about how doing unto others the pain that was done to you is not the way to go. Because I think that's a pretty big motif throughout the book with Su Hui and the three generations of Su's being sexually abused and turning around and becoming the abusers. And then there are the Zhangs who decided that they needed others to understand and experience the pain they've been through. And the people who ganged up with Fan Siyuan who believe they are doing the right thing by joining his "vigilante" group, which resulted in them believing it was okay for innocents to be sacrificed like cannon fodder. I still feel so terrible for the young Feng Bin. He wasn't entirely innocent either but he definitely did not deserve the death he suffered. And all because another kid wanted to preserve this hierarchical system he created in the school. Quite sickening and also extremely horrifying when you think about how terrible these kids were and how the privilege was able to get to their heads like that. Especially in the case of Wei Wenchuan and how his father's flaunting of wealth and power and the sense of invincibility he wears was emulated by his son and led him to do something as brazen as hiring a hit on a fellow student. And they're kids. And Fan Siyuan basically led them to this through his involvement as the "online friend" and created an environment full of some of the most terrible harassment. And he still thinks he's just and that it's a "necessary sacrifice." 

 

And, of course, I must talk about zhoudu. I just love them so much. I do not have enough words in my vocabulary to fairly express how much I love them and how adorable they are. Their flirty banter is so hilarious. I feel like their banter over Tao Ran when they both liked him had me hooked on the series. I just listened to episode 2 of the audio drama and the scene when Luo Wenzhou called the traffic police on Fei Du was so funny and the way Fei Du just casually gave them more money as if it was a parking fee rather than a unlawful parking fee :") But even from the beginning you can tell that Luo Wenzhou cares so much for Fei Du despite their differences. The revelation about the game console that Fei Du has was honestly so sweet. And they're also surprisingly (but also not that surprisingly) super romantic. The phone combination. Had me screaming. I mean I knew it was coming because they take that audio and place it in every emotional zhoudu audio thing but I was still in pieces. And when Luo Wenzhou said that Fei Du is the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with? I was about to pass away I love them so much.

I feel like their relationship development was very gradual and it kind of sneaks up on you. Like throughout the book you can tell they care for each other very much, but it was hard to tell what stage in their relationship they're at a lot of the time. Like when Luo Wenzhou called Fei Du his lover at the hospital I was like "LOVER?! In front of his PARENTS?!" And then afterwards he takes Fei Du home and Fei Du stays. And it was all just so romantic. But I was still confused about what stage in their relationship they're at. I think the part when I, and probably they, went "wow they're both in it for life" was their fight, when I was so scared Fei Du was going to leave after saying things like he doesn't care or feel for Luo Wenzhou. And when Luo Wenzhou stopped him and they talked it out and they were okay? I was ready to cry.

I didn't do a review on the extras, but I'll plug it in here. The extras were all really sweet and lovely and I was honestly in tears over such a simple, ordinary scene. The watch scene was so sweet. Fei Du, fuerdai who usually has other people doing busy work for him, taking the time to tinker with Luo Wenzhou's broken watch because he thinks it's important to focus on important things. And Luo Wenzhou's happiness is the most important thing to him :") I love them so much.

To conclude this entire thing, I miss them. A lot. It's been a couple days since I've finished the entire thing and I really miss them. It's been a really long time since I've felt so sad and mopey about finishing a series, and this is how I know that Mo Du is going to stay with me a long time. I'd even go so far to say that it's right up there with my all-time favorite Chinese novels, right next to Cold Sands. 

In conclusion, I love Mo Du and I hope everyone who picks it up will love it as much as I did.

—璇