I did it... I finished Thousand Autumns

Fair warning, this is a long post full of my ramblings about the entire book. It has spoilers. Without further ado!!

I'm going to talk about the ending first, actually! Note: there's a lot I can't speak for about the novel, like the history and culture, because I am a white American. I am speaking from a subjective opinion from my experience, with some knowledge as a writer and a reader.

It was nice to see Shen Qiao actually showing some sort of feelings for Yan Wushi in the last scene. I know he was never emotionless, but to see a moment where he actually liked Yan Wushi in a romantic way and didn't just tolerate him was... a bit overdue imo. This is the largest show of affection Shen Qiao has given towards Yan Wushi. No, I do not count any of the split personality moments. Anyway, I thought the ending was on par, perfect both character wise and plot wise. It's really hard to end a story using dialogue, but the author pulled it off, and in a hilarious way. This pleased me. 10/10

I saw some people complain about how the plot is confusing, but I didn't find it confusing at all. Thousand Autumns is not a plot driven story, it is character driven. There is no meteor about to destroy the earth, this is not man vs nature. It is man vs man. Most of the conflict happens because a character made a decision, and it impacted Shen Qiao. That's the whole novel. His sworn brothers were unsatisfied with Shen Qiao as a sect leader, and Shen Qiao suffered the consequences. Yan Wushi was bored and wanted to prove a point, so he messed with, embarrassed, and betrayed Shen Qiao. Chen Gong wanted power, so he betrayed Shen Qiao. Then later, Yan Wushi realizes he fucked up and now dedicates his time and energy to winning Shen Qiao over, whether Shen Qiao wants the attention or not.

And Shen Qiao isn't a passive main character. Yes, he deals with consequences, but he also goes for what he wants. That's the whole point of the book, that Shen Qiao will do what he believes is right literally no matter what. Shen Qiao had nothing, but he gave to Chen Gong. Shen Qiao had every reason to despise Yan Wushi, but he saved his life because it was necessary to keep the peace in the world.

Quick side note, I love that Bai Rong became a sect leader. 10/10 we love to see it

In all honesty, the only thing I care enough to complain about in this novel was the lack of consent. It is always Yan Wushi initiating. I understand there is a dom/sub culture; personally, I am not a fan of this and find it questionable, but I am not here to attack anyone who likes it. I actually enjoyed how teasing Yan Wushi is (after he stopped trying to break Shen Qiao). I loved the "unstoppable force Yan Wushi meets immovable object Shen Qiao" thing that they have. It is a great dynamic that created a lot of humor and tension. There's a push and pull to them, and at the same time a steady balance. I just hated how every "romantic" scene but like two involved Yan Wushi immobilizing Shen Qiao via pressure points. Imo kissing, much like a conversation, needs both parties to be interested and involved in order for it to be enjoyable.

And then the one (1) scene where Yan Wushi does kiss Shen Qiao while leaving Shen Qiao the option to stop him (I'll ignore the fact that Yan Wushi does emotionally manipulate him "you won't indulge a dying man?" I guess -_-), they were interrupted!! wtf I was actually into this scene T-T and then the author just. leaves it there. we don't see the aftermath of them being interrupted. Shen Qiao didn't go home, so I imagined they continued where they left off, but by the way he behaved in the next scene, it was like nothing happened. god i just!! i have been disappointed.

The author left Shen Qiao's kiss for the end of the book because it's a popular trope for someone to realize their feelings for someone after they've been seriously injured, and Shen Qiao definitely felt nothing like this the first time Yan Wushi almost died (nice parallel, btw). This trope works pretty well for this book, imo. I actually really liked that it was a forehead kiss, too. Forehead kisses are often perceived as innocent and protective, and that fits Shen Qiao's character really well, and it fits the situation of Yan Wushi's near death. Also can we appreciate the parallel of how the two people Shen Qiao ends up caring for the most (Qi Fengge and Yan Wushi) fought and won against the same dude? amazing. incredible.

I guess my final comment is that Shen Qiao is the best and I love him, and while Yan Wushi doesn't deserve him, I'm not upset that they are a couple. They have a great dynamic! I just wish Yan Wushi's dedication to Shen Qiao included a dedication to respecting his physical boundaries.