Silent Reading

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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 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.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Justice in the Dark [Live-Action Drama]
Mò Dú
Silent Reading
Đọc Thầm
Безмолвное Чтение
Мовчазне читання
ชาลาในอนธการ
默讀
默读
묵독
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Breaking Through the Clouds (8)
Sha Qing (5)
Imperfections (4)
Criminal Psychology (4)
First-Class Lawyer (4)
Swallowing the Seas (3)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Danmei Recommendations
  2. BLs Adapted into Dramas ( live action )
  3. Books I've read
  4. Have Read Pt. 1
  5. Liz's Collection: BL { Modern Crime / Psychologica...

Latest Release

Date Group Release
08/14/21 QuantumC c74
09/24/20 QuantumC c73
09/16/20 Ainushi Translations c68
09/15/20 Ainushi Translations c67
09/14/20 Ainushi Translations c66
09/13/20 Ainushi Translations c65
09/12/20 Ainushi Translations c64
09/11/20 Ainushi Translations c63
09/10/20 Ainushi Translations c62
09/09/20 Ainushi Translations c61
09/08/20 Ainushi Translations c60
09/07/20 Ainushi Translations c59
08/15/20 QuantumC c72
07/23/20 E. Danglars epilogue
07/23/20 E. Danglars v5
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103 Reviews sorted by


RiYueLingKong
RiYueLingKong rated it
March 28, 2019
Status: Completed
The starting works takes a lot of traction, the middle gets better, and the ending is best. As long as you have the attention span to get through at least the first arc, it'll be good XD.

Not for those looking for a light read, or looking to sleep at night...
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HiddenHermit
HiddenHermit rated it
March 25, 2023
Status: Completed
Very good novel. There is layer upon layer of intrigue. Not for the faint hearted reader. In fact, even though there is a happy ending for the main couple... I still felt gloomy afterwards. Author is creative in portraying the vileness of humans.
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aelin12
aelin12 rated it
November 18, 2022
Status: Completed
Really brilliant. Every character is well thought out and doesn't serve as just props or plot points. Realistic narrative and keeps you engaged. Really loved ML and MC. If you like reading psychological thrillers with romance mixed and not have a plot full of plotholes, definitely go for it. Give it some time, it grows on you
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Spoilerlove
Spoilerlove
August 31, 2022
Status: Completed
The review will make more sense if u read after finishing the novel.

Regardless of that, this ones a very good investigation thriller.

The chase scenes felt very live, I wish I could see a live action version of this!!!
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ilaalexei
ilaalexei rated it
September 7, 2023
Status: Completed
This series has to be one of my top fave books / series of all time. I legitimately think I could and would enjoy writing a lengthy thesis about it. It's a series that I enjoyed so much that I put off reading the last volume for MONTHS because I didn't want the series to end.

What kind of story is Silent Reading?
First and foremost this is a detective story. It involves police and politics, corruption and manipulation, wealthy overpowering the poor, and the list of potential trigger... more>> warnings for it is quite lengthy. There are some genuinely gruesome and upsetting content in the cases though most of it is seen afterwards and not experienced by the reader-- for example there's a scene where a girl encounters a killer but we don't see what happens and only find out about the aftermath as you read on.

This is also a story about love, friendship, trust, family, and relationships. The special investigation squad really feels like a found family and it is lovely to see them all working so hard to protect each other especially in the last volume when sh*t really hits the fan. There's positive and negative relationships of just about every kind. Some characters are close to their family and have a loving relationship while others despise or have trauma with theirs.

Finally it is a story covered and intertwined with theming and allusions. One of my favorite things about this series is how each book / volume is named after and related to another work of literature. I have not personally read all of them before but I admit I am curious to do so and return to Silent Reading and see how that changes my impression of things. Real quick here's a list of the novels in case you would like to look into them before starting Silent Reading;

  • The Red and the Black by Stendhal (1830)
  • Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955)
  • Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1606)
  • Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1871)
  • The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1844)
Who are the main characters?
Without going into details here's a little bit about our main squad:

  • Fei Du - a rich young man with a traumatic past who is interested in psychology and has a keen analytical mind. He is incredibly intelligent and determined to figure everything out (from the cases to his repressed memories) with all he has even if it hurts himself in the process. He acts cold and calculating and is determined not to trust or let others too close.
  • Luo Wenzhou - the head of the special investigation squad, he appears carefree and lighthearted but cares so deeply. He wants to protect his little family of investigators no matter what. (He also has a cat named Luo Yiguo who is hilarious every time he shows up).
  • Tao Ran - deputy captain of the squad, he has strong big brother vibes. He's serious and kind and a good foil to the flippant and brash Luo Wenzhou. He's constantly shaking his head and hoping everyone can get along (at least for a little while).
  • Lang Qiao - part of the special investigation squad, she may not be as quick on analyzing the clues but she makes up for it by being decisive and taking action. (I really appreciated her not being fridged or a damsel -- in fact she often would rush into action and saved Xiao Haiyang a few times).
  • Xiao Haiyang -he starts out in another unit but gets transferred into the special investigation squad in the second book after having worked with them closely during the first book. He's new and has a lot to learn but his incredible memory helps him pick up on some clues that others have missed. His sense of righteousness is strong but his self preservation is weak.
What is the plot of Silent Reading?
Each volume revolves around a certain case that the special investigation squad and Fei Du find themselves wrapped up in. The characters and cases that they work on are complicated and nuanced, I felt a little like a detective myself as I would take notes while reading and try to piece together clues. This includes not only the current case but the little tidbits we would get about the main character's dark past and puzzling how it has affected him into who he is today as well as hints at a large scale conspiracy manipulated by some shadowy force that was directing the characters around to their whim. After reading each volume I would have a list of questions that I had generated that still remained and I hoped I would get more clues to in the next volume.

I also appreciated that the cases seemed to become more complicated and tangled as the series continued. Suspects and victims were not mutually exclusive, What seemed simple at first glance would be revealed to be a cover-up and the characters would pursue the loose strings and uncover what really happened.

Here's a bit more info about potential triggers in the series;
Spoiler

tw -- please note that all of these warnings ALSO APPLY TOWARDS MINORS AND CHILDREN: s*xual abuse and assault, brutal violence and physical abuse, mental and psychological abuse, animal abuse, death, mu*der, drug use, torture, dismemberment, neglect, human trafficking, cult-like brainwashing, manipulation, conspiracy, corruption, police, politics, trauma, cycle of abuse, social standing as an excuse to treat people as lesser (rich targeting the poor, strong targeting the weak, men targeting women, women targeting children, etc.)

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I'm unsure if this would be considered a trigger but just in case;
Spoiler

There's a few times where FD acts cheekily towards LWZ and LWZ alludes to 'punishing' FD with s*x. I believe both characters are aware that this is meant as a form of teasing and play between them and if FD did not consent LWZ would not continue. They both know if FD teases LWZ to this extent that he's egging LWZ on purposefully and is consenting (sometimes this is an attempt to distract LWZ from asking FD questions that FD does not want to answer). Ultimately we know that LWZ wouldn't harm FD but I felt it was worth a mention. This series also unfortunately falls into the trope of one male character always tops and the other always bottoms -- to the extent that when the bottom complains or suggests switching roles the top acts offended or like he doesn't hear the other. It's like some bullsh*t pride thing that pops up from time to time in gay media that the bottom is less masculine because he's on the receiving end. Personally I think LWZ would thoroughly enjoy any type of act with FD as long as FD was doing it with him. And that's not to say a person can't have preferences-- I just get frustrated when the tops act insulted at the mere thought or implication of being the one on the receiving end.

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username51217002
username51217002
July 30, 2023
Status: Completed
If you like detective/Police novels with good written characters and a thought of plot with some really nice power couple romance give it a try.
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goobsjie
goobsjie rated it
July 10, 2023
Status: --
Well-written leads, CP chemistry, and exploration of generational abuse & trauma. Unfortunately Priest's overly ambitious plot suffers from too much "tell and no show" and an overload of characters (QJJ was nowhere near this confusing) which made the last book rather unenjoyable. Overall a 4/5 but the ending is a 3/5 and takes away from the enjoyability of the story.
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EmperorsSmile
EmperorsSmile rated it
May 4, 2023
Status: epilogue
LOVE IT! Both the novel and Zhoudu, it was so satisfying from the beginning to the ending!! I wish Pipi would write more extras T.T It went up to the top in my novel list and for now it's my favorite priest work. I'm so glad the LA dropped, it made me put the novel I was reading back then on hold and try this, I regret so much for not trying it any sooner. It was written so soo well! And the amount of research and hard work PiPi... more>> spent on this.. I even tried most of those referred works while reading, it helped understand each case better, how the plot flows, etc. Because of that I really took my time to read it compared to other novels, I even kept referring to MTL and got help from a CN friend because some details are not delivered right in fan TL (no offense, I respect and am grateful towards all the translators out there for their hard work and time, I just happened to love this novel a lot so I wanted exact and perfect details and it's also my first time going this far OTL) and Fei Du I love you sm!!!

Romance is slow burn and for some people it may be inadequate, but that's given for this kinda detective, thriller, mystery novel and imo romance is included in the right amount, any more of it would be disturbing. If you are looking for something of heavy romance I suggest you not to try and give low ratings. <<less
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Michelle-08
Michelle-08 rated it
April 21, 2023
Status: Completed
A very nice novel. The plot is good and it's like a massive spider web, everyone and everything's connected!

I feel sad for the innocent victims, truly my heart hurts for them and their back stories. I love the interaction between the main couple. It's just that, I feel that FD's character is very OP, you'll know what I mean once you're done reading the story. The also love the side characters, I think they at least were actually part of the story instead of being a "decoration" or suddely forgotten.

It's... more>> worth reading if you love crime stories with a little romance. I love fatty cat the most! Hahaha! <<less
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AnnaChoi
AnnaChoi rated it
April 4, 2023
Status: Completed
Re-reading it again since the drama being suspended because of Blackpink member edited photo. I see disgruntle review about why Fei Du and Luo Wenzhou are OP Male leads. Before I started why the leads are OP I'm going to list why this book need to be choose among Priest book to read.
    1. All the characters have an absolute background stories what and why their current habit, way of thinking shape them into. Details are given to them for us to understand and portraying them in our mind.
    1. The plot is way smoother than another Priest books. It will lead you voluntary fall into the world of "Silent Reading", imagining it and give you knowledge without preaching.
    1. As a branch family of police force, I applaud Priest for write how should be a police work. Luo Wenzhou is powerful as a young master and his old man also in the force, didnt make him exert his "power" to overlord. Keeping structure how policeman work by submit to their leader about the cases they handled, how leader should do and keep in line investigative process based on evidences not blindly shot a blank. I love the sentence said by Luo Wenzhou "We should believe our comrade since we put our back to them to keep" giving a benefit of doubt when they suspected there was a "moles" in the forces.
The Reasons Why The Leads way more OP in my humble opinion.

Spoiler

From all the characters Priest write Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du are human so their human characteristic is the reason why they are so OP.

Lets begin with Luo Wenzhou from the flash look of his description he was portrayed as sloppy team leader, lazy and untidy, harsh mouth but if you further analyzing him. Luo Wenzhou is a just leader, compassionate, highly capacitated EQ and IQ and more importantly he trust his subordinate and protect them when they were suspected and in doubt of their own capability.

If you ask me what scene to describe it, I pick when Luo Wenzhou is suspended bacause the cases is stuck, Lu Jia and Zhou Huajin being pursue by two forces Zhang's Family (black force; criminal syndicate) and Fan's group (gray force; vigilantes). When Lu Jia and Zhou Huajin really desperate to survive from attack, Luo Wenzhou came with forces gathered by his teammate which he called his children and acquaintance which he build for years when doing cases. Not so s*upidly came alone doing an hero act for boosting his false bravado. Likes what he said to Big-Eyed Lan "If the sky is fall, your Imperial Father will hold them for you" and after the rescue act he also said "His children is his children after all" because they could gather larger forces.

Meanwhile for Fei Du his mind so intricated, the villains force only to a step but Fei Du walk thousand Li for beautify his traps. Even all his kindness look like a supplementary tools for his revenge but he treat those victim more appropriate (giving them shelter, jobs and protection) but all the victim treat him like a spark of light and will sacrifice themself for Fei Du safety.

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Aiya I almost forget if you want to heightened your reading, I will put a playlist when I re-read this

  1. Dangerous Woman - Ariana Grande: Fei Du seduce Luo Wenzhou for his revenge plot but instead he trapped himself into Luo Wenzhou.
  2. LeftRight - XG: When Luo Wenzhou doing investigation but Fei Du keep involve in it.
  3. OMG - NewJeans: Fei Du know all Luo Wenzhou did for him and when their PDA shown to us by Priest.
  4. Hype Boy - NewJeans: Luo Wenzhou's caring act especially for Fei Du.
  5. Shooting Star - XG: Investigation, action scene like Lu Jia and Zhou-dage's car chase and Big-Eyed Lan Qiao's fighting scene. It will pumped your dopamine
  6. Love Me Harder - Ariana Grande: When Fei Du cocoon himself because he feel and think that he is criminal and horrible monster dont deserve together with Luo Wenzhou, but Luo Wenzhou keep Fei Du in his grasp and stated he loves Fei Du and doesnt mind it.
  7. Piano Concerto No. 2: II. Andante - Shostakovich and Symphony No. 2 Op. 27 III. Adagio - Rachmaninoff: Fei Du in entrance when remembering the 'deed' his father did or when he approach the victim.
  8. Month 7 Day 7 - Red Velvet and Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor - IV. Adagietto. Sehr langsam: The sadness scenes when Luo Wenzhou's shifu's wife dead and Xiao Wu being shot death.
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Rukz123
Rukz123 rated it
November 29, 2022
Status: Completed
I don't know what to say about this one anything other than marvellous. It was captivating, addicting and mesmerising. Characters were built so well and their further development was so touching I felt like crying. When it came to emotions and feelings, many subtle details were given which made it more unique.
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zuoran
zuoran rated it
November 1, 2022
Status: Completed
This novel... had me conflicted. I should mention, I had a wonderful time reading it. However, I feel like there’s a lot to be said about it.

To start with what I found lack-lustre, the plot itself. While I really enjoy thrillers, especially the psychological kind; the ending was sorely disappointing in that the crux of the plot was envisioned to be this great thing, but ended up falling flat on its face. At times, the cases also felt like a general summary and didn’t allow for the readers to participate... more>> in the thrill - it just narrated the story as it went along instead of laying out the case out for the reader for the suspense to deep in. This writing style put me off just a little.

What I liked was it’s unique format. A lovely thriller/crime novel with romance (extremely slowburn), the book does a great job at keeping the readers interested. Although, if you’re here for the romance you’re going to have to stick around for a WHILE. But, my fellow slowburn enjoyers will agree when I say - it was worth the wait. The stuffy feeling in their chests, heated touches and suspiciously long gazes (insane homoerot*c tension) is just what makes the wait so worthwhile.

Priest always writes their characters very, very well and I found that Fei Du’s character was particularly excellent. Encompassing trauma responses and psychological undertones of abuse, Fei Du is a character that I cannot forget. He is, perhaps, the best part of this novel and the most memorable character because of his nuanced personality.

I think: overall? Amazing. A real page-turner, with a relatively engaging plot. However, it’s strengths lie in its characters and relationships. <<less
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periperi
periperi rated it
September 19, 2022
Status: Completed
5 stars

I started from the audio drama maybe 2 years ago because I knew I wouldn't be able to read the raws and understand. Even the audio drama was too confusing for someone with poor chinese skills like me (but gosh it was still good). Because it was such a brain cell killing book, took me a long while to come back to it but I'm super glad I did. The translation is superb, many thanks to the translator!

This is one book of 4 cases, 1 major case interlinking everything.... more>> It's mind boggling how the start can seem very simple but hide something so sinister at the back. And gosh it doesn't hold back. Drugs, prostitution, human trafficking, assassination, backstabbing. It gets to the real dirty stuff of society and just turns it over.

The heart of the story is definitely the characters and I love LWZ and the chemistry he has with pretty much everyone. From TR to LQ to XHY, even his superiors like director Lu. And then there's the dynamic between him and FD. That was some explosive chemistry. The story's good when the romance is not front and center, yet it's so well developed over the course of the book. And special mention to the love hate relationship between LWZ and LYG (kitty!).

This is also most definitely an emotional rollercoaster. Sacrifices were made.
Spoiler

From XW's tragic end (his last thoughts were especially sad). To even the tragedy of the bad guy who may have started out with good intentions and then suddenly realising he'd forgotten his way.

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Not all who did something bad are BAD. There are so many characters spanning each arc that I can't quite remember who is who towards the end and everything do come full circle at the end.

Overall, it's been a long while but this had definitely been worth the read and one of my favourite books from Priest. <<less
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kim dokja fan
kim dokja fan rated it
July 11, 2022
Status: c101
[c101, 3*]my first priest novel. I dont get whats so good about this novel. I feel like its very meh/average/ordinary. I wss thinking maybe theres a huge plot twist at the end that makes it extremely good or smth but I read the reviews again n it seems most 5* reviews liked it throughout

the longwinded style of the novel eg in the first chapter wasnt really my type but it didnt make the novel bad or anyt so I just continued resding and up till now I still dont find... more>> anything super interesting or wtv about this novel. its not like the cases r super intriguing and unexpected? I mean yea there r some unwxpected parts but none that make me go "woah this is is really well written I love it" or the likes. if u like crime n mu*der mystery, which I quite like, there r other novels which I think r much better, yet arent as highly regarded. idk

[c135, 3*] ??? I dont understand why the author first focused so much on LWZ worrying that fei du was anxious over tao ran. LWZ was even closer to tao ran than he is? friends, comrades of many years. theyve gone through so much tgt and LWZ was undoubtedly super super anxious over tao ran. but it was written as if LWZ cared more abt fei du's reaction to tao ran than tao ran himself?? it feels so forced like forcing the attention to be on fei du... wldnt LWZs first reaction to be to care abt tao ran THEN care abt fei dus reaction? or it cld js be his personality to care later idk but I just dont think it feels right

edit : idk what ch just book 5 but im dropping this bc lost interest <<less
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lotuslilac
lotuslilac rated it
June 17, 2022
Status: Completed
Truly, a masterpiece.

A few weeks ago, I finished reading Rebirth Case Files and wanted to read another crime novel. Silent Reading had been bookmarked for a year but I never read it.

oh how I wish I read it sooner! This novel is truly amazing, each volume (with its own crime) was so interesting and captivating to read and then the final volume that tied everything together... perfection!

And of course, witnessing our MC Fei Du and ML Luo Wenzhou go bickering “enemies” (they don’t actually hate each other) to lovers... what... more>> an amazing love story!! And poor Fei Du, the horrible things he had to experience at the hand of his horrible father and yet, he himself came out of it so strong and independent!

honestly, I read a review before reading this novel and it said that Fei Du isn’t good at criminology (in the psychological sense) but rather, he is good at CRIME. I didn’t understand this until I read each volume and then I realized, he is excellent at putting himself in the shoes of the criminal and thinking like them!

it’s a long book, sometimes I even thought of pausing and starting another novel but it was worth it! 180 chapters (each chapter is super long) plus 5 bonus chapters! Truly a masterpiece. Read it this summer, you won’t regret it! <<less
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lomonaute
lomonaute rated it
April 19, 2022
Status: Completed
When I started reading this novel, I wasn't expecting much. The novel seemed nice from other reviews, so I gave it a try. I am usually more interested in historical/fantasy novels, but... oh boy... I am so glad I started this book ! I was glued to it for weeks...

The development of the story is very well done in my opinion, where the police investigations take the most place in the book. However, the little interactions between our MC and ML are absolutely priceless. Maybe the fact that it is... more>> not the main focus of the book makes their relation even more precious ? The character development is very well done and makes sense even the minor characters. I particularly liked how Fei Du is first pictured as this very intelligent, handsome and careless man, almost overpowered, before slowly revealing the depths of his character. It is true that the start of the novel is a bit slow, so try to get through the first 5 chapters before giving up.

The translaton by E. Danglars is flawless in my opinion, and it is great to be able to have the translation in a epub format directly. <<less
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saphire8626
saphire8626 rated it
March 27, 2022
Status: Completed
I'm a die-hard priest fan so I loved this. But I was really impressed by how chock-full of literary references this entire novel is! Priest was referencing novels I've never even heard of. There are five interlocking cases, based off Western classics:

- The first case is based off Stendhal's The Red and the Black. A young man from a rural area attempts to rise beyond the poor family that he was born in through a mix of cruelty, hard work, talent and deception.
- The second case (my favorite!) is... more>> based off Lolita. Three generations of women in the Su family trafficked young girls as s*x s*aves and then mu*dered them; the Su women were themselves trafficked as s*x s*aves. It's chilling and sad how the abused can become the abuser.
- The third case is based off Macbeth. The patriarch of a powerful Chinese family passes away, leaving a power vacuum and resulting in a series of power struggles.
- The fourth case is based off the Japanese movie, All About Lily Chou Chou, leading into a case based off Demons. A ring of abuse is revealed at a prestigious boarding school for the sons/daughters of powerful Chinese families. After unearthing the horrid abuse at the school, the main characters discover the cruelty and immorality of the fathers/families of the school's ringleaders.
- The last case (the final arc) is The Count of Monte Cristo. A previously morally upright and respected professor turns into a vigilante and begins to deliver poetic justice to the criminals who slip through the cracks in the justice system. He gathers those whom the legal system have failed and turn them into vigilante killers, forming a cult who are willing to kill innocent people in order to deliver this so-called 'poetic justice'.

These five cases together tell a very long and complicated story of power, ambition, cruelty and abuse that spanned over 20 years and through three generations in various families. I'm honestly dying to see priest's notes for this book, lol.

I'm again marvelling at the way she describes the psyche, trauma, personalities and relationships. I loved the main pair's relationship.

I liked the pace of this novel a lot. Things just kept speeding up and plot twist after plot twist explodes one after another. At some point into the fourth case, I literally read all the way till midnight on a weekday because I couldn't put down the book. The novel also again leaves me wondering about the power-based societies that seem to be the norm in Chinese novels. Family and wealth are might and power.

Well, nothing more coherent than that but that was a very enjoyable and thought-provoking read. <<less
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Ritsuka
Ritsuka rated it
March 4, 2022
Status: Completed
A masterpiece, no doubt!

Even after having read a lot of Danmei, there are only like 4 I deeply am obsessed with and this is no doubt one of them!

Tbh, I had read Priest's Faraway wanderers, and even tho I liked it.I still couldn't get why she was so popular (no offense) but now I totally get it after reading Silent Reading! This is a masterpiece to obsess over. Its so freakin well written that it left me speechless and totally hyped so many freakin times that I was literally fangirling... more>> like a 12 y/o over it!

Plot: Its crime/mu*der mystery involving the police force and the MC who's helping with these cases. There are 5 books and each contains its own case/mystery and the over-arching mystery spanning the whole plot.I swear each case is more interesting than the other. The start is a bit weak like you'll like it but it doesn't really get you going but book 2 is the one that totally draws you in and will make you not able to stop burning you eyes away reading it unstoppably. The cases were really interesting too. From drug dealing to pedophilia and school bullying.I liked how the author covered all these heavy topics and Each of them were really well written, with tons of hidden foreshadowing. The author took us on a ride with her and made us constantly try to solve the mystery with the clues given and I love how the answers always made you speechless and awed. They weren't predictable at all but when they were revealed, everything just connected together with a click, from start to end, in a full circle!

Main leads: I love both of them so much! They are so well developed and well written that I don't even know where to start.I have a lot of MCs I adore and love, but I think there are only like 2-3 MCs I admire in Danmei? And Fei Du easily is one of them! I can't say much because it will spoil the story but I deeply admire his willpower and determination to reach his goal. He suffered so much and even tho its not shown but we can imagine how he must have felt and suffered all alone and yet he planned impeccably, putting all his focus on the goal he wanted to achieve and slowly but surely, worked towards it.I just really want to hug him and give him headpats :' (. Yet he was really kind, to everyone around him even after going thru those experiences. He cared for the people who worked for him and never let any innocent be implicated in any of the mess. On the other hand, he was so indulgent and soft towards the ML, listening to him, spouting honeyed words to him and trusting him!I'm just so soft!!!! He was a CEO, breaking the cold CEO stereotype, relying on his good management team and people to manage his company snd do various tasks, rather than being an OP one man army. But he was really witty, observant and intelligent (which I loved btw) He studied criminal psychology so ofc he was really helpful in solving cases while helping the police. So I don't get from where people think 'he'd ridiculously OP', in my defence here's some spoilers too
Spoiler

He was literally trained by his father to be calm and rational in all situations till it became a reflex! He developed the habit of processing his memory again and again due to being on guard against his dad. He studied psychology books for years and discussed it with his counsellor and then there was also his dad teaching him such things. Then you tell me how can he not be observant and understand human psychology to help the police!

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Luo Wenzhou, our ML on the other hand, was a friendly, bright, charismatic yet shameless police captain lol.i always loved his word play and how he was always so shamless, praising his own beauty! He was really charismatic that everyone in his team followed him. And I loved how he chose this job for himself despite having the choice of following his dad's footsteps and having it easy. He cared so much for Fei Du and I love how patient he was with him, giving him his time and respecting his boundaries and quietly waiting for Fei Du to sort things out and give him his heart. Caring deeply for his safety and worrying for him. Taking care of him always!

Romance: The romance is just wow! Despite being a plot based novel, this romance was really one of the best? Their interactions literally just made me melt. They were ready to banter at any moment's notice at first and then I loved how slowly they both learned each other's good points and learned how good the other person is. The courting period was just *chef's kiss* I just loved the s*xual tension and flirting in the air. And then it was so fluffy and good when they got together! The forehead kisses that Luo Wenchou gave Fei Du and Fei Du getting flustered because of them because he was feeling human warmth and care for the first time, were so precious!They both indulged each other, Luo wenzhou waiting patiently and Fei Du slowly showing his heart bit by bit till they were just deeply in love like such a natural old couple living together with the bratty cat, Luo Yiguo xDD. Thats relationship goals right there! I adore this couple a lotttt!!!!

Side Characters: The side characters were fairly well developed. Tho not given THAT much time since this novel was focused more on cases and plot, they were still put into the spot light and developed well enough that I liked them! Tao Ran, Lang Qiao and Xiao Haiyang, I loved the settings and backstory given to each of them and I totally loved it when they got their own moments to shine!

Writing:This novel is really well written, not only in terms of plot but also in terms of wording, depicting the scene, dialogues and quotes.I loved literally all the psychological quotes mixed in and I saved up on all of them (as I am a total sucker for good writing!) and Just wow I'm a total Priest fangirl now because of that!

Climax:The climax is satisfying, solving everything, everything being revealed and connecting from start to end, as I mentioned above. No plot holes at all. The author tied up all loose ends and I loved the extras, giving us some much needed fluff and closure for some characters.
Spoiler

i just loved the reveal that Fei Du's mom loved him so deeply that she stayed 14 years with him to protect him till he was independent and didn't want to cause any harm to him at all. Zhang Donglai finding closure was well done too!

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I'm totally drawn to the Priest Fandom from now on. This author is literally a genius, writing such a masterpiece. All I can say is just WOW! I just really want some publishing company to license it into a English Physical Copy and i'll spend all my money on it! Besides that, I 10/10 recommend you all to read it! This is really super good! It needs more recognition! <<less
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Kanei rated it
January 8, 2022
Status: Completed
Worth it!! You know what? It's Priest, so don't hesitate it, go and read right now!!! You won't regret (if you're a sucker of crime/ thriller/ mystery genre). Otherwise it will make your brain completely lose control.
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Rainbowlad
Rainbowlad rated it
August 27, 2021
Status: Completed
I wanted to be generous because Priest is a dedicated writer but I'd probably rate it less than three.

I gotta be honest it's really hard to get through a book about a cop and a millionaire... in 2021.

Very much copaganda, very much billionaire worship, very not my kind of thing.

... more>> That being said, the dynamic between the two mains is really cute. MC is like a goofy dog who ends up being very determined and attentive towards schemey snake ML, who in turn grows to appreciate it. That part is great.

The pacing of the book is like an old-timey radio show. Where it feels very bap bap bap, one punch-two punch. Lots of dialogue. So if you're not super gripped by the plot, well then it sucks to be you because there's not much outer context. Very rarely will you get a fluffy beautiful description of something in the surrounding area.

I personally wasn't a fan of this type of pacing because I didn't love the plot, but rather felt like I was stuck in a cramped car with a bunch of humid mouth-breathing cops that I didn't like. <<less
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