A Heart Divided

I really did miss not having an audiobook for this one but I was also very glad for finally getting to the conclusion of the Legend of the Condor Heroes.

This was definitely a lot more action packed and enjoyable than I found the third book and I read it pretty quickly. However, I did find that I enjoyed the action sequences and the descriptions of the various martial arts moves on audio more than reading. Coming to the plot and characters, I guess there were points which weren't as satisfactory as I hoped they would be, especially the character arcs of Yang Kang or Mercy Mu. I grew to like Guo Jing a lot more in this book - seeing him fight so much for his love even if he can't articulate it in words, never lose his devotion for Lotus despite challenging circumstances , trying to find a path and purpose in his life which would be more than just killing people using his superior martial arts skills - it was all very heartening to read and I felt happy that I followed him on this journey throughout. I still have conflicting feelings about Lotus and I can only say that she'll always keep Guo Jing on his toes. I enjoyed the addition of King Duan and his four generals, their backstories and our couple's interactions with them were all very interesting. Count Seven Hong also grew in my regard and the one monologue he has towards the end was just spectacular.

I have truly come to appreciate how seamlessly the author integrates historical figures into this action and adventure story and all scenes with Genghis Khan in this book were quite impactful. I guess I was expecting more explosive scenes towards the end and because it didn't feel that way despite some cool fight scenes, I'm not feeling that high which comes with the end of a beloved series. But I'm still very glad to have gotten to know these characters and this world, and it's also made me more excited for The Return of the Condor Heroes, whose translation I hope we will get soon. Until then, it's gonna be a wait and I'm yet unsure if I wanna watch the adaptations in the meantime.

Although I did love this book, it felt a bit less epic than the previous two books. However, it resolved many of the conflicts and misunderstandings of the plot, and that was a good thing to see. I'm glad this will continue with The Return of the Condor Heroes, because I'd like to see more of the characters and their adventures.