The past life backstory is bleak. Shen Qi married into the Fang family only to be treated like a servant, with Fang Yi refusing to consummate the marriage, her in-laws always criticizing her, and then Shen Baozhu marrying the older brother and living in her face. The prison sentence for a crime she didn't commit is the ultimate betrayal. The author doesn't sugarcoat any of it. It makes you root for Shen Qi even harder. You want her to burn everything down. The way she walks away from the ice rink after smashing the bottle, knowing she's done with all of them, sets the perfect tone for the story.
I found myself wondering about the god who sent her here. The protagonist mentions a "frivolous, flippant god" multiple times. That god didn't set her up for success; he literally dropped her in a goblin den tied to a log. It feels like there's a bigger story about divine negligence or even malice waiting to be revealed. I want to know more.
The pacing feels a bit uneven. The first chapter moves at a nice clip—we get the meeting, the contract, and the deal all in one go. But then the journey to the Yun mansion drags a little with the ghost-destroying scene and the conversation with Yun Ruosheng. It’s important worldbuilding, but I found myself wanting to get to the Yun manor faster. Once they are there, things pick up again. So it’s a bit of a rollercoaster.
The world-building is minimal but effective. We don’t need a long exposition about goblin society. The birthing room, the shaman, the general, and the captive women tell you everything you need to know. It’s a brutal, hierarchical, matriarchally oppressive system. The sins accumulating on the starry sky hints at a larger cosmic order or doom. That’s intriguing.
I love the atmosphere created around the Nine Dragon Coffin. The description of the interior, the star map, the small coffin. It all feels very big. The author captures the scale of the Covering the Heavens universe really well. The line about "How can there be a thirtieth person?" leading to the investigation of the small coffin is a great way to build tension in a small space.