Beautiful, dirty, and damn bold. Listen, this immersion isn’t for the faint of heart. The first volume flies by, the characters become like family, but the authors periodically come up with something that makes your hair stand on end. Specifically, about the dungeon scene in the first volume: it was… powerful. A demon that first kills the caster and then resurrects him – I didn’t expect such a mess at all. It is written in an incredibly frank and creepy way, a kind of mixture of wild magic and absolute darkness. I genuinely didn’t understand what kind of magic it was or what it was leading to, but the image stuck in my head. Apparently, the authors decided to leave the explanation of this hell for later, just testing the reader’s limits. In the second volume, the world unfolds in all its grandeur, and it’s truly terrifying. I chose a couple of my favorites, but after that dungeon I’m now really scared for them. A high-quality, very mature dark fantasy with a thick atmosphere and scenes that won’t leave your head. I’m waiting for the continuation, I want to believe that the heroes will somehow pull through.

Lost in a Web of Characters: The Ingenious Navigation System That Made Me Fall in Love with Shanlu

Not for the Faint of Heart: A Raw Journey into Darkness” and text That rare case where an “adult rating” is 100% justified. There’s BDSM elements and victim psychology — it’s scary to read, but impossible to put down. Emotional rollercoaster guaranteed.

This work is a real find!

It revives the dark fantasy genre and fantasy in general!

Every character resonates, and there are so many gripping moments!

Pain, passion, betrayal, and cruelty hit you right in the heart, and the world comes alive on the pages, breathing, creaking, and felt by every cell, as if even death were tangible. I’ve long been searching for a work like this, one that grips you and gets under your skin!

And only written two volumes! I can’t imagine what will happen next!

Chronicles of the Celestial World is not just fantasy. This is a tough, mature, dark and uncompromising dive into a world where magic doesn’t save you from pain, power cripples, love hurts, and choice almost always comes with a price. From the very first pages it becomes clear: this is a dark fantasy that does not strive to be “convenient” or “comfortable” for the reader.

The authors honestly warn about the content; this is not a formality. Violence, psychological abuse, sexual scenes, war, death, discrimination and trauma are not used for shock value, but are integrated into the fabric of the world and the plot, reflecting its brutal logic and warped morality. The Universe of the Chronicles of the Celestial World lives by its own laws: patriarchal, hierarchical, bloody. Here, power is almost always associated with control over the body and soul, and magic becomes not a miracle, but an instrument of pressure. The theme of social and psychological violence is particularly powerfully explored: gaslighting, manipulation, and dominance in relationships are shown in a frighteningly realistic manner. It’s a tough read, but that’s what makes it so gripping.

The characters deserve special attention. They are complex, traumatized, contradictory, often commit morally questionable acts, and are not always likable. But that’s the book’s strength: there are no ideal heroes, no safe distance. The reader is forced to observe, empathize, sometimes be repelled, and sometimes recognize painfully familiar traits in the characters.

Intimate and sexual scenes, sometimes harsh, sometimes uncomfortable, also play a role in the plot.They raise questions of consent, power, identity, corporeality and vulnerability. Queer characters and a variety of sexual practices are integrated into the world organically, without fetishization, but also without smoothing over rough edges.

It is very important to emphasize: this book is not for everyone. Having detailed trigger warnings is not an attempt to scare off, but a sign of respect for the reader. The book requires a conscious approach, emotional readiness and an understanding of one’s own boundaries. This is a text that can evoke strong emotions, from admiration to pain, from catharsis to the need to pause.

However, for those looking for deep, dark, adult fantasy that isn’t afraid to tackle difficult themes and have honest conversations about violence, power, trauma, and survival, this book could be a truly powerful experience. Does not console, it tells the truth. Sometimes it’s harsh. Sometimes it’s painful.But that’s precisely why it remains in the memory.

I recommend reading carefully, slowly, and with care.

And be sure to pay attention to the warnings.