This holiday season, snuggle up with a story about a fated meeting and blooming romance. Heaven Official’s Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu) is an original, beautiful Chinese fantasy novel series written by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. The comic adaptation, illustrated by STARember, adds to the captivating, striking, and emotional story that has become widely popular. The series features LGBTQ+ representation (danmei) between two males, an exiled crown prince and a powerful, supreme ghost king. But their romance hardly shadows Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s incredible story; it enhances it!
Follow the story of the twice-banished god, Xie Lian, as he uncovers the eerie, blood-soaked mystery of the missing brides of Mount Yujun. But Xie Lian soon realizes that he is only scratching the surface. Along his journey, he meets new faces, but are they friend or foe? Get entranced in the first three volumes with mysterious masked figures, a haunting disease, and powerful entities from the Ghost Realm.
The Prince Who Ascended Three Times
First published in 2017 as a web novel, readers quickly connected with the deep emotional character arcs, the devoted romance between the main characters, and the epic fantasy world-building. The manhua (comic) first appeared in China in 2019, then quickly expanded into an anime adaptation on Crunchyroll in 2020 and an English translation in 2021.
May Heavenly Officials give their blessings. No paths are bound. – Xie Lian (Volume 1, pg. 32)
Before the story kicks off, a Character Guide offers a quick, easy codex on the characters and Realms introduced so far. A Pronunciation Guide follows for the main cast, as well as the consonants and vowels. The art is stunning, with colors and tones emitting the atmosphere flawlessly across the page. It feels like someone painted each page, with some being true works of full-page art. Each hardback volume has stunning sprayed edges along the outside of the pages, forming a dark background with red butterflies and flowers.
Fated Meetings Between The Prince & Ghost
Heaven Official’s Blessing (The Comic), Volume 1 covers the prologue and episodes 1-14 of the original webcomic, called the Mount YuJun (Bride) Arc. The story begins in an ancient Chinese fantasy setting, introducing Xie Lian, a prince of the Xianle Kingdom, and briefly covering his rise and fall, and then his third ascension to become the Scrap-Collecting Immortal. He has two new junior heavenly officials, Nan Feng and Fu Yao, to help him uncover the mystery of the ghost groom of Mount Yujun. The trio stage a decoy plan to lure out the culprit behind the missing women and discover a shocking reveal. The final chapter, Nightmare from the Motherland, reveals that the human face disease is returning after 700+ years. By the look on Xie Lian’s face, it’s safe to say he is horrified to hear this.
Heaven Official’s Blessing (The Comic), Volume 2 covers episodes 15-27 of the original webcomic, concluding the Mount YuJun (Bride) Arc and stepping into the Ban Yue Arc. The heavenly court has finished its investigation of the missing ghost brides, leaving Xie Lian to look into the puzzling case of the plague, which infected thousands and led to the catastrophic fall of the Kingdom of Xianle in 1403, 800 years before the present events of the story. Forced to return to more pressing matters, Xie Lian begins establishing his shrine and attempting to gain worshippers. Along the way, he meets an interesting young man who goes by San Lang and has extensive knowledge of the gods and ghosts. During a quiet respite, a stranger bursts through the shrine doors and declares that he has escaped from Banyue Pass. Confused, Xie Lian asks the heavenly officials in the communication array about it, but Ling Wen-Zhenjun quickly urges him not to look into it further. If he does, he shouldn’t go through the heavenly court or let other officials know. The final chapter of volume 2 is Tales of Ghosts at Banyue Pass, and as Xie Lian gains another ally, he prepares for the journey to Banyue Pass.
Heaven Official’s Blessing (The Comic), Volume 3 covers episodes 28-38 of the original webcomic and dives deeper into the Ban Yue Arc. With a solid foundation dedicated to the Crown Prince Who Pleased the Gods, Xie Lian and San Lang make their way to Banyue Pass. Accompanied by his junior heavenly officials Fu Yao and Nan Feng, the group encounters harsh sand and wind. Further into their journey, the heavenly officials realize their powers are suppressed, and they cannot tap into their communication array with the heavenly court. In the final chapter, Black-Clothed, White-Robbed, conditions become dire. The group is tasked with finding the ancient Kingdom of Banyue. But what they discover when they reach it is nothing short of horrific.
Image credit is courtesy of Inklore
To Be Continued…
Crimson Rain Sought Flower” is an impressive name. Do you know how he got it? – (Volume 2, pg. 99)
Across 8 novels, the Heaven Official’s Blessing comic is being published at a steady pace, with love and care on every page. The series is perfect for loved ones who enjoy an enchanting love story with a satisfying slow burn, surrounded by beautiful illustrations. As a big Heaven Official’s Blessing fan, I was happy to showcase just how beautiful these hardback volumes are, from stunning illustrations to the beautiful dust jacket.
Heaven Official’s Blessing (The Comic), Volumes 1-3 are available now in hardcover and eBook, and Volumes 4-6 are available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and other retailers.
Thank you, Inklore, for providing Heaven Official’s Blessing, Volume 3 for this review!
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