The Pillow Book is a sequel side story/novella from To the Sky Kingdom aka Three Worlds, Three Lives, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms where Bai Qian & Ye Hua were the leads and with Donghua Dijun & Bai Fenjiu being small support characters.
But in The Pillow Book Donghua & Fengjiu are the leads whereas BQ & YH are small support characters.
Needless to say - I'm SOOOO glad they have their own story! :) I liked Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, but I LOVE the Pillow Books! (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧Pillow Books ✧゚・: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ)
Also, the Pillow Book can be read as a standalone, if one hasn't read TMOPB before, you'll get everything anyways ;D
This ^ gif is from Eternal Love when they still were just awesome side kicks ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
After I saw the tv adaption of TMOPB titled Eternal Love back in 2017...well...while I do love the main couple in both novel & drama Bai Qian & YeHua...in the drama Donghua & FengJiu totally stole more of my love! And I most certainly love their books more too, sorry, guys, you're great...but these two are even greater XD I guess I love Pillow Books more than TMOPB because TMOPB had only female leads pov. We couldn't see male leads intentions & actions which would've contributed to the story more. In Pillow Books we have both povs which makes it so much better.
ALSO - Donghua is super shameless and Fengjiu just adorable and badass in her own way :D No wonder I love these two, hehehehehe
The drama also had both povs which makes me love it more than the novel (TMOPB), which is super duper rare. Might be the only occasion, in fact.
Same for this ^ gif ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Aaaaaaaand sometimes dreams truly do come true! 2020 started off fantastic because (among other awesome novel to tv adaptations) The Pillow Books got their drama adaption this year and we get to see Donghua & Fengjiu's story come to life!!!! wohoooo!!!!! It's currently airing and best of the best...they cast the same actors! WOHOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Dilmurat Dilraba & Gao Vengo did such spectacular work portraying their characters in Eternal Love and they're representing their roles now in Eternal Love of Dream which is the Pillow Books story. And best of the best - the drama actually follows the book, I'd say, pretty close! YAAAAAAAAAY :D
In Eternal Love, because they really barely showed up in the book, in tv series they were given a sort of made up plot, but in Eternal Love of Dream Donghua & Fengjiu's story follows the Pillow Books, so one can pretty much do the same with dramas as they do with books, can be read/watched separately.
Now THIS ^ gif is from their own drama mwahahahahhaa :D ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
I know I'm totally gushing here about both books and more like their tv adaptations...but sooooo rarely we get a properly adapted book to tv which actually follows the book without any major changes! Like sooooooooooooo rare! Can't not enjoy it ;)
By the by, in case someone is interested (and I'd totally recommend) to not just read the books but also see the dramas, both can bee seen on their own, like I said. Of course, if one has read TMOPB it would give a slightly better understanding of the world, buuuut...you'd still do just fine reading the Pillow Books on their own :) Same goes for their dramas ;D
As I said, they're awesome on their own ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
I know I slightly (or more like completely) might not be making sense right now, but I'm just soooo SOOOO glad the drama is following the book...because the books are AWESOME!!!!
I said it and I'll say it again Donghua is shameless and the kind of shameless that's rare to come across and absolutely love him for it! Ahahhhahahhahahaha. Who cares about saving ones face? All that matter are what you want/think and the result XD
And Fengjiu is truly adorable. And strong for her age.
And the two of them together are just so fun.
Needless to say, I love the book. This is only the first part of the story, but it's mighty entertaining, thought of course it's not all fun and has it's share of heartache as well.
But seeing Fengjiu as a fox is well worth it ;p
P.S. For those who may not know but come across the plagiarism thing since some people are spouting that crap here - the accusation of plagiarism is towards Tang Qi's Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms book aka To the Sky Kingdom NOT The Pillow Books! Seriously, people, get your facts straight and stop sprouting nonsense! If you want to bash the book/author, do it at the proper place/book. Stop posting your nonsense where it's not true in any way! So annoying!
Sorry to those who are innocent and had to read this ^ but it is truly sooooo annoying to see them bashing The Pillow Books when they're not plagiarisms. I can understand people's doubts & accusations towards the TMOPB book, but not here, that's just them going too far and simply ranting their anger where it's not due, sigh
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The Pillow Book Part 2 review: Part 2
Love story that spanned 3 lives and 3 worlds - like the theme of series - while BaiQian and YeHua's story is still my favorite, this book definitely gave me the fix I have been craving for.
The writing itself is still relatively simple, and quality of her proses definitely fluctuates. However, there are some very beautiful imagery and the author definitely put a lot more work into building up the setting for the story this time around as compared to "Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms".
The story is less tightly-crafted as "Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms", but it was still an enjoyable read. The love and sacrifice from both sides, while very apparent, leave the readers yearning for more. I also wish there were more character growth from both Feng Jiu and Dong Hua, since Ye Hua and Bai Qian really did grow a lot during their story. I think my addiction to this series also left me wishing for more chapter after their painful reunion, even when Feng Jiu is still unconscious.
The comic relief in this book is very very well-done. The rapport built between characters were relatable, believable and very entertaining. It is honestly the highlight of the book - so cute! I think that what makes this installment so heart-warming. The story as a whole also a lot less heart-wrenching than that of "Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms" so I didn't have to fall asleep in tears this time around (lol). Overall, a very good entertaining read and I would want to read again since i am a fan of the series
I love pillow book more than ten thousand miles of peach. This book is more hilarious and make me laughing, especially dong hua's behaviour. He's the BEST
I watched the chinese drama of ten thounsand miles of peach, and it's sad to see dong hua and feng jiu separate in there. I hope they will make the 2nd season of drama about Feng Jiu and Dong Hua, i love this couple the best of all Tang Qi's book
A must read for Xianxia fans. You are going to fall in love with these characters, especially Donghua Dijun and Bai Fengjiu. And then, once you have had your fill of the books, you could probably watch the adaptation. I loved Vengo Gao and Dilraba Dilmurat in the series. Their chemistry was simply amazing. I think that was what prompted me to read these books (2 volumes, btw, and no less, ha) in the first place. Strongly recommended to my GR family. Love xx
Absolutely amazing.. The story was so romantic and inspiring. It showed how much fate matters less than the heart. It doesn't matter if it was meant or supposed to happen, what mattered was that it SHOULD happen. In my opinion, loving because you WANT to is better than loving because you HAVE to. That really captivated me when I read this story. It was the complete opposite to TMOPB where the main leads were constantly forced to be together through fate and constantly met each other even when they didn't want to. But Fengjiu and Donghua were so in love with each other that they fought against what was meant to happen and created their own destiny. Their love shows how much being with the person you love can make you into the best version of yourself. In Donghua's example he had everything in his hands and gave it away so easily. But Fengjiu was the only thing he couldn't live without. His love for Fengjiu taught him that it's not so bad to want someone around you and this slowly became a need for him. But a good, healthy and more importantly HUMAN need. In Fengjiu's case, she though her love for Donghua was selfish and useless love. She thought she couldn't do anything for Donghua and more importantly as a queen, she couldn't nothing for her people. But Fengjiu's love for Donghua was the exact thing that made her a brave and stronger queen. This is a beautiful story of how love can always fight destiny!
Because of Eternal Love series, I came to love Dijun and Fengjiu better than the Main Couple (Ye Hua and Bai Qian). When I read 3Lives 3Worlds or Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, I expected to find Dijun x Fengjiu again and again. But boy, was I very wrong :-( That book was written in the first person's point of view (Bai Qian's) and my favorite couple was mentioned in a passing. So sad...
But then I read the pillow book 1 and found out that the story of these two is very different from the series.
Reading this makes me smile. It's a light read and my heart went giddy-up every time I read Dijun (the serious) teasing Fengjiu and how she ended up being his victim. What an idiot! Hahahaha!
I know that book 2 is somehow on a serious note, so I just hope that this couple would make it through the end. Geez....
Volume 2 is spicier than volume 1! There are two prodigious moments in the novel to watch out for. One is the moment when Donghua unhesitatingly blocks his fairy energy--- disregarding everything---in order to rescue his Fengjiu from Aranya's dream. The other one is where Fengjiu chooses to make light of her life as she breaks into the starlight force field ---to help and reunite with Donghua.
The plot development in Aranya's dream (in the former half of the novel), and the disclosure of Fengjiu's story in the mortal world (in the latter half of the novel) drags with its slow pace. Yet, there are a number of adventures, events, scenes, and moments charming enough to rivet readers. By the time, the story draws to a close, the author makes the innermost thoughts, feelings of the main leads crystal clear.
Readers get to see flashes of trivial aspects of the main leads' childhood which, in a way---acts as a lens to read the multidimensional main leads placed in a multidimensional book.
This is the story of an oldest deity in heaven and the youngest fox queen who view themselves above destiny and, therefore, loves to circumvent it, if required...
After I have watched TMOPB, I wanted to know the real story of Dong Hua and Feng Jiu as in the novel. And thus, I read both volume 1 & 2. Well.. guess what happened after that! I had totally.. completely got obsessed with the novel!!!! Yeah, I admit it. I have never ever ever liked a novel, this much. This one is a true epic for those who like romance love stories. It’s also very funny at the same time because of Dong Hua’s character. I have fallen in love with his arrogance and face-thickness. Even though, he did truly love and worry about this little red fox. Yeah.. it’s a truly lovely love story. OMG! I can’t help going crazy till now whenever I think about this novel!! I really recommend this one!! If you guys haven’t read it yet, you should try it!! For those who can’t speak Chinese like me, you can read in English version on novelupdates.com.
Thank you, Hamster428 for the fans translation and the footnotes that helped me understand the context better.
Pillow Book is definitely better than The Sky Kingdom, but still it's slow-paced and drags at several points of the story. TBH, if I haven't seen the TV shows, I would probably have DNF'd this.
This book does provide more insight to the story than The Sky Kingdom. And since I love Donghua Dijun, the tidbits about his history and his POV, plus the beautiful arts provided in this book are a huge plus.
I haven't made my mind up yet whether I'll continue to the next book or not. I'm reluctant to suffer the boring part, but on the other hand, things are just getting interesting. I dunno. We'll see.
It's great to see Hamster 428 recognized as the translator on GR. I remember her angst when she discovered the undeniable similarities of 3L3W TMOPB to bl novel Peach Blossom Debt and reached the difficult decision of taking down her translations of that work. Hamster 428 was also instrumental in illustrating the extent of Tang Qi's blatant plagiarism by comparing the two works side by side on her website.
The Pillow Book concentrates on the love story of Fengjiu the nine-tailed fox and Donghua Dijun the war celestial. Several familiar characters such as Siming and Bai Qian from TMOPB reprise their roles. Luckily I read this before the drama aired before having the image of Dilriba and Vengo etched indelibly in my mind. I was relatively new to xianxia when I came to Pillow Book so it was fresh and exciting. Nowadays a lot of the elements are standard fare such as the banishment of celestials from heaven down to earth for their test to experience human suffering love, loss, illness and death.
There's a fair bit of criticism of Fengjiu's character too in that for most of the novel, she was lovestruck and just kept on following Donghua. She is poised to be the next monarch of her powerful fox clan but in some ways it shows her being a juvenile fox still. Donghua is really your black-bellied cold CEO heavenly edition. Aranya's Dream arc was interesting of love and thwarting by destiny.
I am a great fan of the drama and i purchased both books after watching the drama series. This book picks up on Feng jiu and Dihua Dijun and continues. It is worth reading as i expect the book will be more detailed than the upcoming drama series. I love Dihua teasing of Feng jiu and Feng Jiu mischievousness. I feel her character here is way better than the three miles peach blossom drama as she is less depressed and more action in place.
GROS coup de coeur pour la suite de To the sky Kingdom mais avec un nouveau point de vue, celui de Fengjiu (Phoenix Nine et la nièce de Bai Qian) et de Donghua Dijun ! J'ai adoré Fengjiu et sa nonchalance... j'ai hâte de voir Donghua succomber
For those disappointed with the ending, there are epilogue chapters in Chinese written by the author...the chapters talk about what happens after Feng Jiu wakes up...
This is my favorite novel out in the Chinese Fantasy genre.
If you're an avid reader of Chinese historical fantasy romance, tired of long-winded webnovels, or want an introduction to this subgenre, this novel is you.
The first half focuses on the growth of our immature female lead. She learns that the world outside Qingiu is really tough yet never loses the reason why I love her character so much. While she's immature, she really loves wholeheartedly and even though she's royalty, she still treats those lesser than her like an equal.
What I read is the translated version of this novel and the translator did justice in translating both volume 1 and volume 2.
Dopo tante ricerche sono riuscita a trovarlo in inglese!! Adoro Feng Jiu e Dong Hua, e dopo aver visto la serie ho cercato a lungo questo libro. Sono stati molto fedeli al libro gli autori della serie, Credevo di trovare anche tutta la vicenda estesa di lei in Regno mortale e di lei volpe ma forse questa parte è in The Sky Kingdom. Mi è piaciuto davvero molto il primo libro!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I liked this book on its own, honestly. I liked the story, the a-linear timeline, the notion of fate's role in relationships, and it's based on Taoist/Buddhist mythology. Plus a good helping of angst. What's not to love?
I wouldn't read the second volume, though. I'd unread that thing if I could.
I absolutely adored this book. Thanks to the Chinese drama ‘ Eternal love of dream’ I was able to find this book. According to the book and the drama there are some changes in it , but the rest of it seems to be up to my liking. I feel like the book has more detail than the drama in terms of expression of feelings of bai fengjiu and donghua dijun . Otherwise everything seems to be wonderful ❤️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Recuerdo está saga. la Leí hace ya unos años. La encontré traducida en un blog y simplemente me encantó y es una pena que la autora haya enfrentado cargos por plagio. Sin embargo si pueden leerla es una gran novela. Fue mi primer acercamiento a las novelas tipo Wuxia y de dioses chinos. Espero que si se topan con está novela le den una oportunidad. Realmente vale la pena.
I looked everywhere for an English translation but no luck . Finally found one on Wattpad and it was good . The series was a bit different then the book but not in a bad way . I still would like to own it but still no luck ....
Una excelente conclusión para el primer libro, los que quedamos llorando por Xiobai y DongHua hemos tenido la oportunidad de disfrutar una vez más de la frescura y singularidad de esos grandes personaje. Muy recomendado.
Read the English version of it. Unlike the first book from Tang Qi Gong that I read, this isn't so monotonous and is actually quite a nice read. Though in comparison to the series, they still changed quite a few numerous parts, I still love the book and the love between 凤九 and 东华。