While I absolutely loved this series - it was a tough one for me to rate. The story is fantastic and the fantasy element was the linchpin of its success. The reincarnation element allowed me to see a story of palace intrigue and political machinations from a new and fresh creative perspective.

The performances by all leads and most supporting actors were outstanding - in particular Zhang Ling He. He delivered a very nuanced performance of a complex character that was mysterious, alluring, intimidating, frightening - and in the end sympathetic. Every important character was able to live more brightly in the shadow of his performance.

The soundtrack delivered. As soon as you would hear some background tracks the on-screen tension was immediately elevated.

However, I’m not sure reading the novel was a good idea. The additional background added a lot to my understanding of the characters, but as (almost) always - the novel is better than the movie. This became particularly apparent the deeper i got into the series. The novel is very long and so the compressed series version felt choppy towards the end and comedic elements in the later half of the series felt very out of place. As a result, the last several episodes felt equally satisfying and weak.

Overall, the cinematography was good, but there were directing and creative choices (lighting, camera movements and editing) that took me out of the story.

Finally, I must applaud the insightful examination of moral dilemmas from many different perspectives. It made this drama one that lingers in the mind - and that credit goes to the author of the novel - it was brilliant in its character analysis.