You've Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post Vol. 4 by Blackegg: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

You've Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post by Blackegg

Volume 4 ends the BL story set in ancient China that follows the very uneven romance between Wu Xingzi, a middle-aged country clerk, and Guan Shanjin, the only son of Lord Protector and a decorated general in his twenties. They met in a pigeon post club for gay men that exchanged pictures of penises, but the story gained depth from a treason plot and scheming old flames.

The previous book left Guan Shanjin imprisoned, seemingly for treason. But it’s only a ruse to flush out the real mastermind. He thinks he’s being clever, keeping Wu Xingzi in the dark so he won’t be harmed, but the old clerk is cleverer and more determined than Guan Shanjin believes. Not only does Wu Xingzi persuade Bai Shaochang who framed Guan Shanjin, into confessing, he is instrumental in bringing down the mastermind Yan Wenxin, the man he was romantically involved in his youth and who betrayed him back then.

The main story takes about a third of the last volume. All the problems are solved and the bad people get their comeuppances, including Lu Zezhi, the old teacher of Guan Shanjin. It’s a satisfying ending with a happily ever after. Despite the two men being very different, Guan Shanjin genuinely worships his plain and weak middle-aged spouse, and the shy older man flourishes under his care.

The ending is also very different from how the story began. The author notes in her afterword that she set out to write porn, and the first two volumes were mostly about that. But a plot emerged at some point and it pushed the extravagant bedroom scenes to the background. The ending of the story was practically demure compared to how it began.

The rest of the longish volume is extra stories, some of them very long. The best two are the wedding of Wu Xingzi and Guan Shanjin and a story of how they adopt a son. There’s also a longish story about Yan Wenxin who isn’t executed for treason but is given to the Khan of the neighbouring kingdom as a concubine instead.

The rest of the extras are various alternate universe stories, like omega-verse and beast-man ones. These are basically pure porn and I mostly skimmed them. However, it didn’t have a conclusion to the romance of Man Yue, Guan Shanjin’s right hand man, which began in the previous volume. I would’ve liked to read that.

I don’t usually comment on illustrations, but they were constantly in wrong places in this volume, confusing the reader. I don’t know what happened with those here.

All in all, the story improved as it progressed. Wu Xingzi emerged as an interesting character and while Guan Shanjin remained brash and overpowering, he was absolved in his love for Wu Xingzi. The five star rating for this volume is more for the overall story than the conclusion, as it was fairly short in the end and the extras would’ve maybe brought the rating down a little. For porn, the bedroom scenes stretched the imagination a bit too much, but as a romance it was lovely.

Riverbay Road Men's Dormitory vol. 1 Fei Tian Ye Xiang: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Riverbay Road Men's Dormitory by Fei Tian Ye Xiang

Riverbay Road Men's Dormitory is a contemporary BL novel by Fei Tian Ye Xiang, the author of historical xianxia BLs, of which I’ve started Dinghai Fusheng Records and Legend of Exorcism. It’s set in a large Chinese city and focuses on lives of five men that come together by chance.

Zhang Yuwen is a wealthy man in his late twenties who for some reason that isn’t really understandable decides to abandon a career on a rise as a film director and become an author, for which it turns out he has no true skill. His publisher tells him directly that his characters are not realistic.

He comes up with a brilliant idea. Since he owns a large mansion where he lives alone, he decides to rent out four rooms cheaply and observe his lodgers in order to learn about real people. He chooses only gay men, being gay himself. He thinks he’s chosen them carefully, but he mostly went with their looks. Turns out, all of them have something to hide.

The biggest lie is told by Zhang Yuwen himself. He doesn’t want to disclose he’s rich, so he tells the house belongs to someone else and he’s only a caretaker. He goes to great lengths to maintain the lie.

Yan Jun is an office worker with a fairly steady income. He tells Zhang Yuwen he occasionally needs to take care of his baby niece, hiding the fact that that he’s her guardian and the child lives with him permanently. Obviously, Zhang Yuwen soon finds out the truth.

Zheng Weize is the youngest of the lot at 22. He tells Zhang Yuwen he’s a college student, but he’s never attended and he supports himself, unsuccessfully, with live streaming. He’s in constant need of money and caring attention.

Chen Hong is 29 and moments away from having to close his gym business, but he doesn’t disclose his financial troubles. For him too, cheap housing comes as a saving. Last tenant is Chang Jinxing, a photographer without a steady income. He’s the most handsome of the lot and knows it himself. He pretends to be successful and educated and is neither.

Because of the lies, it takes a while for the group to become comfortable with each other. But Chen Hong is good at forming groups by activating them. He takes them laser tagging and hiking and very soon they start to become a family. A family who needs love and sex and lusts after each other and eventually falls for one or more of them.

Zhang Yuwen has forbidden them from hooking up with one another. But that doesn’t stop emotions from forming. Most of them fall for Zhang Yuwen or Chang Jinxing. Things change though, when a straight guy the group meets in one of their outings, Huo Sichen, turns out to be gay and he and Zhang Yuwen hook up. Drama starts to climax during a New Year’s stay at a resort, but the book ends before we learn what comes of it.

This was a good start to a series. It’s told from several points of view, so we get a good understanding of everyone. The characters with their lies and needs were interesting and easy to root for, even Chang Jinxing. I wanted all of them to find their love and each man seemed to suit everyone else, one way or another. But I think the pairings that began to form here are only the beginning, and everything will change several times during the story.

Author’s views of relationships and sex, gay and straight, were rather odd, based on stereotypes and stiff traditions. These views were repeated and rehashed constantly throughout the story and they were rather annoying, something that would get the story trashed by readers if it was written by a western author. It lessened my enjoyment of the story a little, but not so much that I would abandon it. I have to know what will become of all characters and if they will find their happily ever afters.

You’ve Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post vol. 3 by Blackegg: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

You've Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post by Blackegg

Volume 3 sees Wu Xingzi leave Guan Shanjin so that the latter can be happy with Mr. Lu, and head to the nation’s capital. He’s helped on his journey by Hei-er, who’s acting as Wu Xingzi’s bodyguard on Guan Shanjin’s orders—not that Wu Xingzi knows about it—and Mr. Rancui, the proprietor of the local peng society. He’s eager for Wu Xingzi to forget Guan Shanjin and so he introduces him to Ping Yifan, a successful merchant. The man is almost perfect down to his pengornis and scent that is very much like Guan Shanjin’s. It doesn’t take long for Wu Xingzi to decide that he’s going to spend the rest of his life with Ping Yifan.

But Wu Xingzi can’t entirely escape seeing Guan Shanjin in the capital, often in the company of Mr. Lu. Guan Shanjin is very busy with unravelling the origins of the treasonous plot that he took care of at the Horse Face city. It turns out the perpetrator is no other than Wu Xingzi’s long lost love, Yan Wenxin, now an important minister. And it appears Yan Wenxin knows of Wu Xingzi’s connection with Guan Shanjin, because he seeks Wu Xingzi out, ostensibly to reminisce, but obviously to influence him.

Wu Xingzi, usually very placid and forgiving person, isn’t that easy to persuade though. He’s very loyal to Guan Shanjin and knows him very well. So well, that he’s seen through Guan Shanjin’s ruse: he’s in fact Ping Yifan in disguise. The two clear the air between them. They just can’t be together until the plot against the emperor has been solved. It’s not going well for Guan Shanjin though, and the emperor has him arrested. But Wu Xingzi won’t sit idle and do nothing to help. The book ends before we learn how his plan will work.

This was somewhat different from the earlier two books. The plot is stronger and dominates the narrative, with the romance at the back. It does have some very good moments though, even if it relies on the excellence of some very odd masks. The sex scenes are fewer and less over the top. Guan Shanjin comes out better here as well. He shows in deeds, if not in words, that he cares about Wu Xingzi very much, as himself and as Ping Yifan. And Wu Xingzi shows that he’s not quite so helpless as he appears. We also learn that his father used to be an important person in the capital.

There were some side plots that were hinted at and then discarded, like what is happening with Mr. Lu, what is going on between Rancui and Hei-er, and who is the mysterious person behind the  peng society. There’s also a long extra story about Man Yue, Guan Shanjin’s longsuffering vice general, and Su Yang who owns a restaurant in Wu Xingzi’s hometown, which will be interesting to follow as well. Nevertheless, this was maybe the best book so far.

The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, Vol. 3 (light novel) by Yatsuki Wakatsu: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter vol. 3 by Yatsuki Wakatsu

First up, beware: this is the last volume. I didn’t know it going in and wasn’t adequately prepared emotionally for it to end. It left me slightly upset despite the ending being good. But now you know and can read it accordingly.

Volume 3 of the light novel has a subtitle Magic Research Exchange Plan and that’s what the story is about with no side plots. An envoy arrives from a distant country to study Romany’s summoning magic. Seiichirou is roped in to guide the visitors, as the whole project is his idea. It’s about sending him and Yua, the Holy Maiden, back to their own world.

Leading the visitors is the country’s third prince, Lars, who shows great interest in Seiichirou. Not romantically though; he’s impressed by his efficiency and considers recruiting him to work for his country. Despite Seiichirou’s skills, the visit is a bit chaotic, as the group includes mages who are very excitable and have no patience for anything but magic. Seiichirou is kept busy and he doesn’t have enough time for his partner, Aresh.

Aresh has anticipated this though. For the welcoming party, he arranges a suitable attire for Seiichirou, complete with a brooch that declares he and Seiichirou are engaged. He just doesn’t think to inform Seiichirou about it. Seiichirou doesn’t take it well that Aresh does such a huge thing behind his back, as if he isn’t part of the relationship. A fight ensues and the pair doesn’t speak in days.

It doesn’t help that Aresh is summoned home by his parents. Lars is trying to arrange a marriage between his youngest sister and the youngest son of Idolark family. That’s Aresh. Seiichirou learns about this from other people and it adds to his upset. When he finally has a chance to ask Aresh about it, the other man goes into another huff. And then leaves to escort the envoy back to their country.

A weaker man might despair. Seiichirou isn’t one of those. He goes after his man. Matters are cleared between the two, including the biggest cause of upset for Aresh: Seiichirou returning to his own world.

This was a good book, but it read like another middle book and it came as a surprise that it ended. After all the hardships, the series deserved a stronger ending. The great magical feat of sending Seiichirou and Yua back was solved rather fast with a time jump. It left the reader to wish that at least some of it had been made into another volume, maybe about the days leading up to the reverse summoning. There could’ve been lot of drama about it, and we could’ve finally witnessed Seiichirou and Aresh settle into a happy life together. Seiichirou opened about his feelings only in the last chapter and I would’ve loved to read more about that. Even the epilogue was more about general story than the two of them.

After the epilogue there were two extras, one from Norbert’s point of view as he reports to the king, and another from Aresh’s, which explains his point of view about the spat. In the afterword, the author admits that some storylines were left open, but didn’t promise more stories. I don’t really need those; only the bit that was missing from this one. But it was a sweet story as it was, with some spice, and I’m happy with where the men ended up.