Return of the Swallow

Description

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“If it’s a barbarian you want, then it’s a barbarian you’ll get!”

Reclaimed by her noble family after being swapped at birth, Qin Yining is bestowed a hellish family instead. Just as she turns her situation around and gains acceptance, her country is plunged into danger instead.

Shades of gray color the world. No side is completely good, and no side is completely evil. Refusing to be a trophy won by men, Qin Yining carves her own path instead. In this absolutely riveting and spellbinding tale, what does our MC do when an entire dynasty is at stake?

Associated Names
One entry per line
锦堂归燕
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage (5)
Chongfei Manual (4)
Golden Age Legitimate Fei (3)
Female General And Eldest Princess (2)
Clear and Muddy Loss of Love (2)
The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir (2)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Sibling rivalry
  2. Ancient china
  3. Switched at birth and/or secret young lady/master
  4. Cliches, Classics, Goats
  5. Fantasy Recommendation

Latest Release

Date Group Release
07/08/20 volarenovels c495
07/06/20 volarenovels c494
07/03/20 volarenovels c493
07/02/20 volarenovels c492
06/30/20 volarenovels c491
06/28/20 volarenovels c490
06/25/20 volarenovels c489
06/23/20 volarenovels c488
06/21/20 volarenovels c487
06/19/20 volarenovels c486
06/17/20 volarenovels c485
06/16/20 volarenovels c484
06/14/20 volarenovels c483 part2
06/12/20 volarenovels c483 part1
06/10/20 volarenovels c482 part2
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107 Reviews sorted by


saosaosmr
New saosaosmr rated it
March 11, 2024
Status: c182
Surprise Mary Sue. The beginning was very promising, that our MC was beating up her antagonist was hilarious to me. But she settles in to her new role as a noble daughter easily, and all her education is off screen. So what you get is the perfect, cunning, clever and of course beautiful protagonist with almost no work. There is some very endearing humanity in how the MC and ML interact, though it is overshadowed by how self serving the rest of the story is.

I don't understand yet why the... more>> author seems to love Bintang so much and wants us to sympathize with her without putting in any work. She is unnaturally cheerful until she is reminded by her past, very oddly skilled for her age and station (the poison curing bit, oh dear) and is determined to serve MC as her maid! She openly started beefing/flirting with ML's body servant in front of MC, as her maid. The "friendships" portrayed feel shallow, and forced. None of the interactions feel real, just happens because we need the MC and her maids to have a deep bond.

I do like her father and mother's development so far, everyone else is a mixed bag.

There is an emphasis on blood, ie Qin Huining being of unknown origin of course turns out to be a bad seed because she came from bad seed. Meanwhile of course Yining is perfect because she comes from her father who is the perfect politician, and gentleman.

Also, every single event that happens is an excuse to circle jerk over Qin Yining's beauty, unparalleled wisdom, political acumen, courage, etc. It gets boring pretty fast.

The plot itself is also underbaked and underwhelming, it tries very hard to appear clever. Every turn and decision is either obvious or s*upid, and yet they spoon feed you the rationale anyway. And there's the issue that it's just so lame. Azure Justice? The Silver Masks? Solve it man Steward Zhong? I am very surprised at the high ratings on this novel, given how incredibly bad the story is. Disappointing. <<less
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Fantasy-Magician
Fantasy-Magician rated it
March 4, 2018
Status: --
It's one of best ancient Chinese ver of Cinderella I have read so far! You can tell that the author put a lot of thought in how the MC acted. She isn't a transmigator, but someone who knows how to conduct herself. While not as clueless as she should considering her background is a bit off, author manage to explain that being a real lady in her blood make her upbringing matters not so much on wild department.

What strike me the most is how MC know when being silent... more>> is more advantegous rather than blabbering cunning words like other female lead in novel. She also acted using her hand once when it's appropriate, and good at being docile but not taken advantage of. This alone make me as reader feel MC being a refined lady doesn't have to be written, you can tell she is. Which also make this MC safe from untrue character's glorifying praises plaguing most Chinese novel.

Kudos for some of her biological family members too, especially her grandma and father for not being biased blind idiots. This can be noted towards the fake lady that get switched with MC, they appear to have bias at first but they have enough brain to see what's good for them and the rest of their family.

This is a good read you won't br ashamed to admit a quality novel you enjoy. <<less
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dramamonster
dramamonster rated it
September 20, 2018
Status: c195
Update: Still 5 stars!

5 stars. If you like the heroine of "The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage", or the adventurous world of "Poison Genius Consort", you'll love this novel.

Qin Yining is the only child of the Prime Minister of Great Yan. Switched at birth by enemies and surviving on her wits alone in the war torn mountains, she is brought back at age 14 to her prestigious family. In Chapter 1, she quickly learns that she is not welcome by anyone, especially the girl who was raised... more>> in her place...

This story was very well written with a very endearing and wise heroine. Qin Yining is very intelligent (she gets that from her dad, apparently), very practical and wise (from seeing the worst of humanity as a child), and has no super powers or cheats other than an almost photographic memory.

From the first story arc, she slowly and logically gathers together her team/entourage and builds her strength. As the story spirals wider and wider, we are introduced to the greater continental sects and powers.

Although Qin Yining has to deal with her silly fool of a mother, vicious foster sister, selfish grandmother and a trampress (tramp+empress), she is fortunate enough to have the best fictional father who is intelligent, wise, loving, and sees through all the inner residence schemes with a glance.

Yes, her mom is tiresome, but once they go through adversity together, her mother learns to mature and appreciate her. Qin Yining is very filial to her parents, because they are her parents and she really wants good parental figures to love.

The male lead is cute and paradoxical. He reminds me of the male lead from the TV drama Legend of Fuyao with his many different sides. He steals every scene he is in. He is also the only one who can make the heroine lose her cool self-possession.

In the beginning, it is very hard to remember the numerous wives/daughters/servants in the Prime Minister's residence. I didn't even try. I just skimmed over the names and kept on reading. Eventually, the important characters will start to stand out more, and the rest can be ignored.

The novel is being translated at a very fast pace, but I am a bit concerned that the chinese raw is at chapter 753 and ongoing. I really hope the novel continues to be as good as it is so far.

I highly recommend this novel. It's in my top 3 now. <<less
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nightdrgn
nightdrgn rated it
March 23, 2018
Status: c33
Early review. Very unique little story with nice detail all around. It's very clear that the author spent some effort into drawing up the background detail and intrigue and not just create some cardboard to have the MC blow over.

There are a few things aside from the nicely worded details that stand out,

  • there's no wasted words; the author is really good at conveying a lot with very little, and there isn't any pointless over description either. This makes the ebb and flow of the story very nice to read.
  • the villains have a lot of depth, and do more then just be villany; so far it's hard to tell if the mandatory bad step sister will get the stick or if she'll get redeemed. I have my doubts it will go the redeeming route but have to give it points for trying where others do not. And the mandatory shitty step sister is really the only one that's clearly chaotic, everyone else being a lot more ambiguous in which way they swing.
  • the MC is good good, not chaotic good, but still not a pushover either; the premise of her being an abandoned noble girl who grew up in the mountains and was found and dragged back home is one of the best I've seen! I think of isekai as a device so don't mind it either way, but this premise is really satisfying to read, it really holds the story up. I think the thing I like the most is that unlike other MCs who have a big dark secret (otherworldy ninja, assassin, superdoctor, whatever other nonsense) the MC's "power" here is very much an open secret (she's a god damn mountain girl and has even fought wolves before). Everyone knows, there's nothing particularly mystical about it, and yet everyone is too "s*upid" to realize that "yes, she is that strong, duh!"
  • finally there's a good balance of positive input in the MCs life; arguably all stories have this, but not-so-great stories just dont get it right (too little, too whatever, etc). ROS really gets the balance right. Not all families are sh*t families, the MC isn't the only hero/heroine in the world, the good guys aren't just the super naive ones, etc etc
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wolikethat
wolikethat rated it
June 20, 2018
Status: c124
I cannot recommend this novel enough.

Return of the Swallow is a serious breath of fresh air. Although you do still have a lot of the archetypes of the genre, they're FLESHED OUT archetypes and not just cardboard cutouts clearly meant for nothing other than adding drama and opportunities for the MC to show off how much smarter/stronger/better she is than everyone else. For example, there's the usual fair weather matriarch, but she isn't a complete idiot and can frequently see through the manipulations and schemes of the "villain", but tends... more>> to be easily blinded by her emotions in the heat of the moment.

I put villain in quotes because the main antagonist in the early chapters of the novel is the MC's foster sister who, up until her return, was always believed to be the actual daughter. It isn't until the MC's arrival that she and the rest of the family discover she was adopted to replace the baby (MC) that had been stolen away by the father's enemies. This gives the antagonist a very real and very understandable motivation different from just petty jealous or romantic rivalry. She's afraid that the MC will completely steal her place and she'll be throw away by the family who raised her. And given the way even the text itself emphasizes how blood trumps rearing, you can kind of see where she's coming from. It doesn't at all excuse her selfish, malicious, and immature actions, but in a world where even legitimately born girls can been tossed aside or killed at the drop of a hat, it's easy to see how fear and panic can drive a pampered girl who suddenly discovers she's an orphan with no blood ties to anyone to extremes.

Most importantly, I LOVE the MC. I'm a sucker for this genre of light novel and have devoured all the tr*shy black belly MC and face slap fest stories on NU, and although I do enjoy seeing a cool, ruthless, and infallible MC bulldoze her way through white lotuses and sleazy officials, it does quickly get boring and annoying and hard to relate to the MC after a while and I often end up dropping them. Not so here! The MC is definitely clever and does plenty of face slapping, but she also encounters consequences, set-backs, and difficult situations where there really is no right way out. For example, there was one incident where
Spoiler

the MC was being punished by confinement to the family temple to copy scripts. During this time, one of her maids was framed for theft and in danger of being beaten to death. The MC heard about it and was going to leave the temple to go help her maid. She was stopped by one of the senior servants who warned her that if she left the temple before her punishment was complete she would lose what little foothold she had managed to gain in the family and even if she went there was still a strong possibility she wouldn't be able to save her maid causing her to look incompetent and foolish. The MC acknowledges that this is true, however she said that if she didn't try to save her maid just because doing nothing was better for her then that would be immoral: "Qin-mama, I would rather be someone incompetent than one lacking in morals."

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This is the kind of MC I really want to root for. On top of that, the relationship between the MC and her father is so good it made me cry on more than one occasion. The two of them develop not just affection but a shared respect and peership. Realizing her cleverness and intelligence, the father treats her like a son and internally thinks that if the kingdom were at peace how happy he'd be to let her go out and try things, test her cleverness, make mistakes and have her come to him to fix things if she gets into trouble. This is the best father-daughter relationship I've ever read in ANY novel, let alone a LN. The ML is equally fantastic. Honestly, I expected him to be another cold and heartless general-prince who doesn't care for anyone except the MC. I was WRONG you guys. Although he is incredible strong, feared, cool, etc like all LN dreamy MLs, he's also a genuinely good man. In one scene, he receives an order from the emperor to slaughter everyone in one of the enemy kingdom's cities, despite it being a civilian city with few troops.
Spoiler

The ML refuses. Even when some of his subordinates (and later on the emperor) call him s*upid and "soft as a woman" for doing so, the ML responds: "Soft as a woman? Maybe. The Yan government boasts that they have three hundred thousand troops defending Xihua. But in reality, they barely scr*pe thirty thousand, and only that if we count the kids just over ten. War is the business of men. What does it have to do with women, children, and the elderly? When chaos runs rampant under the heavens, it's the people who suffer! Those cries of ours when we raised our banner in rebellion, were they all false!? The hell is this order to slaughter helpless elders, women, and children?! Whoever the f*ck wants to be less than an animal can go do it! I'm not doing it!"

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Up until that point I was actually rooting for the MC to get together with another character that had been introduced, but this made me do a complete 180. MC & ML forever!! My new OTP!! Perfect match meant to be decreed by the heavens. Give them a marriage certificate and a kingdom ASAP! That being said, the ML's earnest and sincere love rival is pretty hard not to root for as well.

Really this novel is just full of well-rounded and unexpectedly complex characters. Not just the leads, but also the family and even the side characters. You understand why some of the relatives put up with the foster sister's scheming; she's the daughter they raised for fourteen years, they understand why she's acting out and she is still the person who grew up with them, so it's understandable that their love and attachment to her is stronger in comparison to the MC and so they are more tolerant of her bad behavior, even though the MC is also a victim. That being said, they all do have breaking points and their favoritism is never so extreme that their treatment of the MC is completely unreasonable. There is very little black and white in this story. There are so many characters you root for one minute and root against the next, with it all being a matter of context and circumstances. We also get glimpses into the plots and schemes of side characters that are at the periphery of the MC's activity, but ultimately have nothing to do with her except tangentially. The MC may be our protagonist, but she isn't the only protagonist of this world; other people are using their wits and cunning to do good and protected loved ones as well.

All in all, this novel deserves every star I can possible throw at it. <<less
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errantknight
errantknight rated it
February 2, 2020
Status: --
I had to drop this in chapter 199. I tolerated the male lead until that point and did my best to ignore the unlikelihood of a 15 year old strategist and the fact that the ML treats the MC like a pet and possession because I enjoyed the relationships she had with her servants and her father, and her competence. But I was completely unable to stomach both her and her servants behavior in this chapter. The servants just ceded all authority from her to to the ML and let... more>> him toy with her, and the strength she shows when she's not with him was completely absent. She's always been totally ooc with him, in all honesty, but in this chapter her lack of will was just nauseating. She just folds, even when she has a genuine right to be angry. This novel sends a message that it's fine for a girl to be smart and brave as long as she's weak with her husband. Blech. <<less
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Baturinsky
Baturinsky rated it
July 5, 2018
Status: c122
It started pretty well, with quite intelligent and sympathetic protagonist. But then author has just started sadistically screw her over again and again so hard that I just have no heart to suffer through this. It's too cruel even for already quite cruel genre. Can't recommend.
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Mmailah
Mmailah rated it
April 10, 2019
Status: c289
This is a pretty well-written novel but it makes me exhausted from reading it. We can’t seem to get a breather. Something is always happening. Even heartwarming scenes between Qin Yining and the people she loves aren’t stress-relievers because there’s always the undertone of tragedy or oncoming danger. To be honest, this entire novel reeks of tragedy. I don’t see how Qin Yining and Pang Xiao can be together. Nothing foreshadows this, it’s just a feeling. I feel that they met and fell in love at the wrong time; and... more>> usually, when that happens, these types of couples never end up together. <<less
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slepnirson
slepnirson rated it
March 31, 2018
Status: c40
Far and away one of the most engrossing stories I've seen in a while, webnovel or other format. The characters have very well built out personalities, and the descriptions of the setting fall right in the zone of not too much description (filler), but just enough to give the characters a realistic stage to play out the story.

Additionally, ... more>>
Spoiler

with the exception of the randomly stalkerish prince

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, the characters act in line with their established personalities. The MC is smart, but not omniscient, kind, but not a pushover, and the author reveals much of the story through the MC's inferences and deductions.

A little upset I didn't find it earlier, but also that I didn't wait longer so I had more to binge.

Also, none of the recommendations are all that similar. Try Transmigrator Meets Reincarnator <<less
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Uhoh_
Uhoh_ rated it
May 13, 2019
Status: c302
I was hesitant to read this at first, I've put it off for months because I read it's just full of tragedies and no pay off. Though it's not completely accurate, the MC will encounter problems left and right. I'm not in love with it, but it's an awesome novel if you have the patience to trudge through numerous challenges and countless solutions to them with a little sprinkle of face slapping. This book is for you! As I read, The MC and She Miao of The Rebirth Of Malicious... more>> Empress from Military Lineage are really similar! Both beauties and have unsurpassed intelligence! Though MC don't have a blessing of reincarnation, she is brilliant all the same. Speaking of romance, my teeth are sweetened to the core because of the fluff when MC and ML are together. So looking forward to updates!!

Spoiler

YO THE OLD DOWAGER IS A MOTHERFÛČKÍNG HAG ALRIGHT FOR THE LORD OF JESUS SHE f*ckING ATE RICEBALL I hope she dies

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silent hobby
silent hobby rated it
August 18, 2018
Status: c164
First of all, if you wanna try to read this story, prepare for roller coaster read. The translation is great and the story is also great.

You got everything in this novel:

  • Inner courtyard "fight"
  • Family's love and hate
  • Family crisis
  • Strong and smart MC
  • Arrogant, powerful and possessive ML
  • Politics and war
  • Scheming
  • etc...
You name it, this story almost has it all, except about transmigration, rebirth and cultivation world.

If you like to read something that made you always feel sitting on the edge with unpredictable plot and emotional journey, this is a perfect novel for you. I'd like... more>> to say this novel packed with quantity and quality. <<less
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KichiX
KichiX
March 19, 2019
Status: c150
All the other reviews hit the nail on the head, so I won't repeat all the well deserved praise this novel has received.

I want to mention the one thing that's really stuck out to me: well-developed, lovable characters, whom the audience has spent many chapters getting to know, dying. The tiny strand of hope you have that these characters won't die is crushed as you hear about their deaths and witnesses the heart-breaking effect it has on the other characters. They don't come back. They don't escape. They die. And... more>> that's so rare in these novels.

In other novels death is threatened, ordered, haunts and scares characters, but very rarely do central side-characters actually die. If they do die, their deaths often have little to no impact on the main characters. This, to me, is one of the stand out, heart-wrenching moments of this story - the sadness as three-dimensional characters you support are killed, and the long-lasting consequences as the other characters deal with their grief and hatred towards the killers.

Furthermore, because death is a real tangible consequence that we have witnessed befalling other characters, the fears of Qin Yining for her life and her family's take on very real weigh. Instead of being an abstract concept, "death" becomes a very real thing that could snuff out the main lead, or any of the other characters we care about, in an instant. So while the lives of Qin Yining, and the male lead are pretty much assured, there's still an edge of doubt while reading this - perhaps, just perhaps, they could, actually, die. <<less
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Anagnorizien
Anagnorizien rated it
November 30, 2019
Status: c217
If novelupdates is a library and people ask me what book to borrow then I'll probably give TKA (The King's Avatar) if he's a boy or ROS (Return of the Swallow) if she's a girl. These two are my absolute favourites.

Return of the Swallow is a diamond in a sea of pebbles. A welcome break from all the transmigration stories starring overpowered MC's with mindboggling cheats that makes them (almost) invincible. The characters are described vividly and their personalities have depth. The plot although cliché is written in a manner... more>> that grips your attention yet also flows freely without things that throws you out of loop or events that have absolutely no relevance apart from comic relief.

The thing I love the most about this novel is the MC's character. She's so determined, kind and wise. Other books proclaim their MCs as sensible but as you go along the story you beg to disagree with that proclamation. If the MC is rational and sensible then she wouldn't become vicious and overly cruel in handling matters involving human lives.
Spoiler

Qin Yining is my role model for MCs done right. She always thinks of the lives of the people around her even when they offended her or schemed against her like Qin Huining and the late Sixth Qin Miss or the Old Dowager. She always gave them chances to redeem themselves.

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But she is also really decisive specially if she or her family is backed into a corner. These seemingly paradoxical characteristics makes her complex and much more real to me.

I also like to hate on the villains. There are villains here that are not idiots but are complete fools and some are just as stubborn as a c*ckroach.
Spoiler

If I'm asked to smack just one character then I'll choose Li Qitian. How dare he hurt my Yining and blackmail my Xiaoyao. I would smack the trampress and the old Dowager if only they're not women and the elderly. Also the decrepit emperor deserves more than a smack for purging the Sun's.

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Other supporting characters have left a mark on me too. They were not just there as background to the story.
Spoiler

Songlan, why? Poor Bingtang and her family. The Suns are my greatest heartbreak, such a good family but they met tragedy due to that damnable emperial couple. And the Old Steward of Luminous Charm, such good and loyal man.

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I judge a novel based on the feelings I felt reading it. ROS certainly achieved what I think is a great story to me. It made me cry of sadness or frustration, made me fearful of the unknown future, and made me smile with their antics or shenanigans. Basically, ROS made me look crazy when reading it. This novel made me feel/empathize for the characters and I couldn't ask anything more of this story. <<less
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Ricelord
Ricelord rated it
August 26, 2018
Status: c172
In short, read it. It's good.

Spoiler alert, I guess? I don't know how to use any of the functions on this site.

This story has quickly become one if my favorites. Unlike most of the stories in this genre, it seems to have a little bit more realism to their characters. I especially enjoyed how the main character, Qin YiNing, was created. She's quite a sincere character, with intelligence and wisdom all portrayed in her actions and thoughts. She doesn't really have a special power like other main characters - just... more>> her relatively high specs. She solves problems through careful thought over consequences and predictions on how her opponents would think and act. There is no whipping something out of her sleeve, or "oh yeah, I experienced this before, and so happens to be the solution to this problem", which commonly comes out in other novels. She merely knows how to wield the power she was given.

As for the other characters, they are a little bit less fleshed out than Qin YiNing, but there is change and progress in the thoughts of the characters. The mother can be an example of this, as she changes under the sincere care of Qin YiNing. The father, in my opinion, is also one of the best relative/side character I've seen. Usually, the supposedly "intelligent" people in novels are not actually shown as such. They all make dumb decisions that someone who is learned and constantly thinks of consequences would never make. However, this father, lives up to the intelligence of his position. He also has an admirable character, one that doesn't deviate so suddenly like many other novels and their characters.

To complain a little about the flaws, I'd say it's only the two characters, Qin HuiNing and the old dowager. They're humans, yet they never learn even after experiencing such humiliation and truama. Quite unrealistic, but again, a common aspect of many other novels. Also, I feel that there is not enough respect in how the male lead treats Qin YiNing, but that also is a matter of personal opinion. As for writing/translation, the only problems really are that there are no "he saids" or "YiNing replied" whenever a character speaks. Thoughts are also not enclosed in quotations, but they are italicized, so I guess that's okay, but still irks me.

Overall, great story. I recommend if you want something in this genre. <<less
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LazyDays
LazyDays rated it
May 10, 2020
Status: c468
A lovey dovey couple that can actually be considered to be in a healthy relationship. No forceful ML, no spoiled FL, just two people deeply in love with each other.

The story starts out with family drama, moving to political conspiracy drama, and then pseudo romcom and then suspense drama.

Surprisingly enough, there is next to no relationship drama. Both leads are clear to one another, can communicate their feelings properly, and equally respect one another.

In addition to a competent but not black bellied FL, this is a true gem amongst Chinese... more>> novels <<less
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iamthecoffee
iamthecoffee rated it
February 24, 2018
Status: c85
Return of the Swallow is full or descriptive language and it really brings the story to life, it is already full of schemes in the Prime Ministers house hold (reminds me of when I was still living with my sisters XD... ok, they are not that bad... my sisters that is), so I am looking forward to reading when it branches out into the rest of the city/empire/world.

I feel it is extremely well written and translated. I know that I have only read 10 chapters... but I know what a... more>> like... plus that is all that has been released so far! XD

So, I will admit that there is a fair bit of crying in the first few chapters... I felt like I was going to drown at one stage...

Time for an update!

So, I have really just fallen more and more in love with this novel! XD we have seen the pettiness in the family, and that her father is actually pretty awesome! And meeting the maternal family was awesome, and satisfying in many ways!

There are big events that have already happened in the story and it has been very interesting and entertaining to see how our MC, Qin Yining, has managed to skirt disaster and make her way through them! It is really great seeing an MC that users their brains rather then secret techniques to power their way through!

I really can't recommend this story enough! Go read it! You will love it! <<less
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hariett98
hariett98 rated it
November 29, 2019
Status: c404
Return of the Swallow...

As I usually call it 'Ros'.

As I was contemplating what to write on this review, I can just say that for starters, this novel is one of my favorites, at least one of my Top 5.

Ros for me, at first, was like any other novel that I read; too typical, overly cliched, and had a very common plot summary. Despite being so, I decided to give it a shot and continue reading it as I was too bored with nothing else to do and just said to myself, 'why not?'. It was then, realization struck me hard that thankfully and fortunately, I didn't drop this damn novel. Upon reading it further, as I initially planned to do so, I became unaware of the fact that I already lost myself on reading it, to the point that I even binge-read it. I abruptly became hooked at Qin Yining's character.

Spoiler

I'm really eager to

know how will she respond to every challenges without a cheat trick like a past-life knowledge or some hidden cheat system, etc. She was just solely relying on the knowledge that she acquired through a rough childhood. Aside from Qin Yining, I also love Pang Xiao.

He was not the typical love-at-first-sight kind of male protagonist. His character was well-balance, be it his domineering side or his gentle side. For me, their combination was a well-thought concept that complements each other's weaknesses and strengths so, I wanted to applaud the author for this birthing this great novel and to the translator, @etvolare,

for giving us, readers, a chance to read this novel in the language that we understand.

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Now, for the specifics of this review, I just wanted to say that:

    • The story was good. It was very addicting and had good story flow. The dramas, conflicts, schemes, fluffy scenes, and political warfare were overall satisfying and well-balanced. (I just slightly don't like family dramas and schemes on the first couple of chapters.)
    • Every character had a very well-thought back-story as to why they had that kind of attitude and thinking. Both protagonists and antagonists, even also the neutrals.
    • And lastly, the writing was superb! Kudos to you ms. translator.
Overall Summary:

If you wanted to read a refreshing Chinese novel with a theme like historical and romance, this is the right novel for you! I can guarantee you that you would not regret reading this if just give this novel a chance. This was a one hella great novel !!!

(P.s. I honestly want to write more but I cannot for I am too tired and sleepy from editing so, I'll just make this review a brief one. Thank you for stopping by.)
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Airisu
Airisu rated it
December 11, 2018
Status: c233
What can I say? It's an amazing read till now. I really recommend it if you like strong minded female characters, and a good ML too. Because, yes, our ML is a little possessive and stuff, but he is overally a very well written character. Plus, you can't dislike him! He's a cunning fox, but our MC is one too. They are a perfect pair. Talking about the plot, I don't wanna spoil anything, but overally we have an MC that lived in dire straits for all her life, to... more>> be found later on by her parents. She goes back to the rich family, that as usual in chinese novels is a beehive, and she has a lot of difficulties living there. The process to be accepted is not easy at all, and she is not a cold b***h or anything, she feels emotions too, so she struggles. Let's say, the characters feel very human here. That's another reason why I like it. All the character are very well written and have a depht that's rare to find. They grow, slowly but steadily. Even people you dislike at the start, will become better in the future, the opposite happens too. They grow in a good or bad way, but they are varied and feel real.

Another thing: there is no "grudge forever" here. There are actually characters able TO THINK who is the real culprit behind things that happened (the smart ones, at least). I appreciated that a lot, cause a lot of times this doesn't happen, creating useless drama.

I really don't wanna spoil anything about the plot, so I will stop here. There are better reviews up here anyway, go read them if you wanna know more! Just know I really recommend it. It's, for now, one of my fav reads. <<less
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Cherry_sakiera
Cherry_sakiera rated it
August 31, 2018
Status: c145
  1. The novel its not like the others that having one that transmigrated or reborn. But the actual experience is a good teacher. The female lead is genius!
  2. The female lead's father is so unlikely the other novel as he is so good to his daughter and level-headed. Moreove he not like the other father that like the concubine more than the legal wife. Truthfully, I cant count how many I cried cause of the warmnest!
  3. Well, too summarize. This novel is good, the characters unlike the other and the flow also so soo good!????
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SuibianRose
SuibianRose rated it
May 9, 2021
Status: c534
I had to drop this. The conflict was just never ending and repetitive. The main character couldn't even take a breather before the next conflict. The ML couldn't really protect her and doesn't deserve her. There wasn't much character growth with the women surrounding her either. It's like they we're given just 1 personality trait and stuck to it no matter what. And mostly that trait was to be jealous of her beauty. It was exhausting.

I was on chapter 533 and decided to check how many chapters this novel had... more>> (I don't know why I didn't check before I started reading, oh well) and saw it had 1207 chapters. I wasn't even halfway omg. So I read the reviews from people who finished it already and it made me kind of depressed. I'm not going to read all of those chapters to not even get a juicy satisfying ending. DROPPED <<less
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DontLookDown
DontLookDown rated it
June 2, 2018
Status: c95
This is not your average Ancient Chinese romance novel, but it does have a lot of those elements.

The protag is a really smart girl brought into the circle of higher society, which in and of itself is somewhat cliché. The difference here? The protagonist actually has morals. Not to say that other similar stories have characters without said morals, but they care a lot less about upholding them. For example,
Spoiler

despite having a mother that is pretty much unanimously hated by the audience because of her s*upidity, the MC doesn't push her away. (I'll be honest here and say that, while I also dislike the MC's mom, it's more forgivable. At least she's not suicidal-s*upid. It's only overly emotion-based thinking s*upid).

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As far as I've read, the ML (as far as I can tell) is also really likable. The initial image painted of him is a taciturn "general" figure, like other stories. He's really not. I probably can't accurately describe how incredibly cute their interactions are through just text, so I'll leave it up to you to read.
Which leads me to my next point, and why this story is so incredibly good. The characters >w< !!! With the exception of a few characters, almost every single character, main and supporting, is so complex. It makes you fall in love with them so much!
If I were to point out the biggest flaw, it would probably be the constant flip-flop the characters seem to use to justify the behavior of the MC. They go from, "Ahh! It's because her father's smart!" to "She's a barbarian because she grew up in the country!" back to "Wow, she's just like her father!". It's not a glaring flaw, and it does make sense in context, but it does feel a tiny bit forced. I can't rate this 4.7/5 so I'll just rate it a 5.
Overall, this is a really good story for anyone into the historical romance genre. You can definitely have too much romance, but this one is delightfully filling.
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