I was late to the party. Supremely late. Woefully late. Luckily for me, a friend turned me onto a little series called Heaven Official’s Blessing recently, and I couldn’t be more grateful to her. If you’re like me and had no idea what that is, you’d better keep reading, because this is not a book you want to miss.
Heaven Official’s Blessing is a Chinese novel originally titled Tian Guan Ci Fu by author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. Its English translated publication is from Seven Seas Entertainment. It follows the story of a young prince and his journey to regain favor in the heavenly court. Of course, it’s much, much more than that, and far more complicated, too, but we’ll get there – I promise!
Keep reading for a primer on the worldwide sensation Heaven Official’s Blessing! I’ll also give you my own thoughts on the book, a deep dive into the romance tropes used, and the various inspirations I see in the novel.
Spoilers Ahead: Though I will do my very best not to spoil large plot points, it is impossible to give a review of this book without revealing the true nature of the character San Lang. Readers are clued into this plot point very early on in the novel, so you likely will not mind having it spoiled here.
What is Heaven Official’s Blessing about?
Heaven Official’s Blessing is a story about prince Xie Lian, who used to be a human but ascended to the heavenly realm to become a god. In the story, gods follow the Taoist interpretation. There are many of them, and they each have their own domains, although they fall into some similar categories like martial gods and civil gods.
Xie Lian’s journey to regain favor in the heavenly realm involves solving two mysteries with help from the ghost king Hua Cheung. In the first, he solves a case of kidnapped brides and is introduced to the enigma San Lang, who reveals his true nature after their adventure in the desert at Half Moon Pass.
The novel’s focus is on Xie Lian solving these two separate mysteries, but overarchingly, the San Lang and Hua Chung characters are the greater puzzle for Xie Lian to solve. Readers are given enough to figure it out for themselves very early on, making the greater pleasure watching Xie Lian figure it out!
Is Heaven Official’s Blessing a romance novel?
Please just imagine me jumping up and down and flailing my arms wildly over my head as I tell you, yes, Heaven Official’s Blessing is a romance novel.
Unlike many traditional, Western romances, Heaven Official’s Blessing derives its romance from the obsessive, tortured pining of the leading man and the sweetness and innocence of the main character. This is classic for danmei or yaoi romances, as any reader of male/male romance will tell you.
Western audiences (English speaking) are probably less familiar with the tropes of homosexual romance novels, but in Eastern media, this dynamic is a lot more prevalent. It’s the absence of sexual content that really charges up the passion and romance for readers. Watching one character be hopelessly in love with the other the entire time is a delightful fantasy for readers, who sympathize with and experience the emotional journey of the main character as he uncovers the truth of those feelings – and then returns them in the end!
What is danmei?
“Danmei” is a term that refers to homosexual romantic dynamics in literature and media. It’s the Chinese term for male/male romance. The Japanese equivalents “yaoi” and “shounen-ai” are more widely known among English-speaking audiences. The target demographic for danmei is largely females and straight women.
Is anyone really sure why heterosexual women love consuming romance content about homosexual men? It’s a tale as old as time, as anyone with an Archive of our Own account will tell you. Either way, it’s incredibly popular with many women, including this writer.
Romance tropes in Heaven Official’s Blessing
Because I love talking about the mechanics of romance novels and romance tropes, I want to touch on some of the powerful romance tropes in Heaven Official’s Blessing.
Power dynamics
Though Xie Lian and Hua Cheung are both powerful beings, there’s no question that Hua Cheung’s dominance is uncontested. The members of the heavenly realm are all terrified of him because he has beaten so many of them handily. He could easily beat Xie Lian if he wanted to, but instead, he protects him with his life.
Damsel in distress
The damsel in distress trope is alive and well in this series, with Hua Cheung being the most powerful being in the mortal realm. Though Xie Lian is capable of handling his problems, his full powers have been bound thanks to his banishment, meaning Hua Cheung has plenty of opportunities to show off his skills to protect his love.
Opposites Attract – Beauty and the Beast
Hua Cheung is a demon king, which puts him on the opposite end of the spectrum from the heavenly official Xie Lian. Because of this, the reader gets the sense that Hua Cheung is hesitant to reveal his true nature and horrify Xie Lian. Ultimately, Xie Lian’s acceptance of him in spite of his true nature fuels this trope, proving that opposites really do attract.
There are obviously more than just these three tropes, but I wanted to highlight them particularly. Are there more that you spot in the novels? Let us know in a comment if so!
Shows like Heaven Official’s Blessing
There are a few series that remind me very much of Heaven Official’s Blessing. While watching the anime, I was reminded greatly of more than a few episodes of InuYasha as well as Yu Yu Hakusho. The mysteries themselves, along with the dealings with demons, really let those influences shine through.
If you are looking for similar things to read or watch, it’s easy enough to run a search for those titles. However, when I did so, I received a lot of things back that I questioned. It’ll be hard to find a series with the same dynamic between the love interests as well as the same light-hearted tone. Black Butler is a popular recommendation because of the presence of a demon caretaker, but the relationship between Hua Cheung and Xie Lian is so far from the predatory one in Black Butler, they don’t even compare.
Let us know in a comment if you have a title you like that fans of Heaven Official’s Blessing would love!
Should I read Heaven Official’s Blessing?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes, yes, you absolutely should read Heaven Official’s Blessing. If you like fantasy, angels and demons, mysteries, and great characters with thoroughly researched and fleshed-out backstories, this is the book for you. If you love gray morality, discussions of right and wrong, political intrigue, and action sequences, you’ll love this title.
If you love a romantic dynamic between a wide-eyed idealist and the gritty, battle-hardened warrior who would do anything for him, you won’t be able to put down Heaven Official’s Blessing.
Where can I read Heaven Official’s Blessing?
I’m sure I’ve convinced you at this point, so you can head to wherever you get your reading materials for a copy of Heaven Official’s Blessing.
Heaven Official’s Blessing is available on Powell’s, Apple books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and pretty much everywhere else that sells books. The ebook is $9.99 on Apple books, which is where I’m reading them. Print copies are a bit more expensive, but the cover art is simply gorgeous.
Libraries with copies to borrow have long waiting lists at the time of my writing this, so I would highly recommend purchasing a copy if you want to read it sooner rather than later.
Is Heaven Official’s Blessing an anime?
If you don’t want to purchase the book and are stuck waiting for your library hold, the good news is you can watch the show while you wait!
Heaven’s Official Blessing was adapted into an anime by Funimation, and all of Season 1 is available on Netflix. Season 2 is currently airing and available on certain streaming websites. Season 1 follows the first book to the letter, making it a faithful adaptation of the original novel. God bless Funimation.
Funimation is known for high-quality adaptations of manga novels, and their animation of Heaven Official’s Blessing is up to their usual standards. Personally, I watched the show and read the first book together, which really helped me understand the full nuance of what was happening in the plot.
Book Review: Heaven Official’s Blessing – final thoughts
My final thought is this: you need to read this book!
If you’re the kind of person who tends not to read books by foreign authors, this is your chance to branch out. The writing in the English translation preserves the cadence of the original Mandarin, and the dialogue is absolutely delightful. The foreign names may trip you up a bit to start, but the author provides pronunciation guides in the footnotes to help non-native audiences understand.
If you read it, let me know what you think! Genuinely, I’m obsessed. I’m already on the second book, and I only started reading three days ago. Heaven Official’s Blessing is very, very worth your while.