The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish vol. 4 by Xue Shan Fei Hu: review

4/5 stars

The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish vol. 4 by Xue Shan Fei Hu

The delightful and silly story of a transmigrating fish in a book about ancient China comes to an end in this volume. It doesn’t go out in a bang or with high emotions. It ends with a sweet happily ever after.

The last volume is slightly uneven. The main story about those plotting against the emperor comes to an end already during the first third of the book. There are some surprises in store for the reader and Li Yu both, but thanks to his ingenuity, a coup is thwarted and the emperor survives another day. As a reward, Prince Jing is finally named the crown prince.

It’s what Li Yu had been tasked to do by the fish scamming system, but apparently it isn’t enough. The final tribulation isn’t over. The rest of the book meanders to that goal with small side steps that include people realising Li Yu and the beloved pet fish might be the same.

Mostly, it’s about family stuff. The biggest drama comes from another pregnancy. This time Li Yu accidentally chooses the wrong option and has to go through it in human form. He is not happy, sob, sob. A little girl is born and instantly made a princess by the happy emperor. But it appears she’s not able to turn into a fish like her brothers and fish father.

And then, finally, the last tribulation comes to an end. Li Yu learns that the only reason it hadn’t was because Prince Jing was afraid it would make Li Yu leave. But he promises to stay forever. As a reward, Li Yu is now a human that can turn into a fish, not a fish that can turn into a human. And he’s given an option to return to his life and not remember what took place in the book world. Obviously, he refuses. But he’s given a chance to visit once, and he can take someone with him. It’s a nice side quest, but it could’ve been better.

The book ends with a brief description of the happily ever after for the pair. A prosperous empire and a good rule follow when Prince Jing becomes the emperor instead of the tyranny of the original story. And finally, no family member is left behind when it comes to fishy antics. The end.

This was a delightful ending, but much of it was just fillers to make the required word count. The reader slightly disconnects from the story, and while there are cute moments, they remain a bit distant. There are barely any fishy antics and the children are sidelined from the action. But the love between Prince Jing and Li Yu is wonderful and their happily ever after is well deserved. All in all, a lovely, delightful story.