How much you love this show is going to depend a bit on: what writing style you prefer, and on how much you expected it to be like the novel.

Is it like the novel? While some key points were kept, the novel has a different set up to a degree and a different plot, so I treated them like different things. That said, the main characters were portrayed in a lot of ways like the novel, the romance felt similar, the lead actors did a phenomenal job portraying their roles, and I definitely connected emotionally and it hit me hard. I saw the drama first, and on its own I actually really liked the plot because its very sci-fi/fantasy used as allegory sort of like x-men to comment on society and prejudices and justice. I always love those kind of stories. And a ton of the episode-cases tended to be parallels to the main story/romance between Zhao Yunlan/Shen Wei, and I love when storytelling uses side plots to comment further on the main plot or contrast to it. For people who do not like this writing style - cases, parallels, allegory - they might get bored/annoyed. For people who love this style, a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer kind of shows, if they're like me they'll love it. And... if you go in expecting the novel story, this is not really it - more like an AU. That said, the main characters are really solidly portrayed as is the main relationship.

A last note about the plot/setup of the show: the sci-fi/fantasy premise is easier to just treat as a flimsy thing used as allegory, because the show does not bother trying to make their sci-fi explanations sound legit (which makes sense, since in the novel all this stuff is more ghosts/demons/magic tools, and the show just shifts it to 'mutants' and 'science-blah-to-replace-ghost-word' or 'science-blah-to-explain-magic-item' which works fine as allegory but I imagine is annoying if you expect the original fantasy setup or a more seriously-attempted sci fi setup. Its just using the fantasy/sci-fi mesh setup as needed in this show to pursue its themes... its not trying to make it solid. I didn't mind it, but it's probably annoying if you go in trying to treat it like a serious science-based sci fi setup then see ghosts and magic tools and wonder why they're explaining everything so weird/inconsistently.

What might people not like: the cgi lol. The cgi. I am used to some old old Xena Warrior Princess 1990s cgi and Star Trek TOS special effects, so I didn't mind this shows cgi and actually thought it was kind of funny to watch tbh. But if you come in expecting GOOD cgi you will cry. Either treat it like a fun joke, or you will be offended at how yikes some special effects look. Expect cheap 1990s looking effects, at best...

I loved this show so much I started learning chinese so I could eventually read the book by Priest, and Priest's other books, because I loved the characters and some story points portrayed in this show so much. It's been great, so I'm immensely grateful to this show. This show also introduced me to Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu who are both absolutely fantastic actors, and everything I've checked them out in since they've done pretty cool stuff with their characters even when they get weaker writing then they ought to have lol. With the writing in THIS show, they do wonderful work, and Shen Wei is a character now fixed in my head as intense and full of presence as like Xena or Buffy or Spock. Side actors actually stood out to me besides the leads - namely Lao Chu and Zhu Hong's actors, who I'd likely check out other dramas of. This is very much a kind of campy, sci-fi found family and romance sort of show that mixes real life allegory with ridiculous sci-fi/fantasy premises, and that's either going to be your thing or its not. The romance is fantastic either way - but the rest will be love or dislike depending on what you like in your stories.

Actual story wise, I loved the soulmates through ages, the starcrossed lovers from different groups, the found family pushing for a better system, the time travel, how Zhao Yunlan is so flirty with Shen Wei so immediately and that their relationship is a heavy solid presence throughout, and I actually loved the end (although some people won't). Their relationship felt intensely akin to Xena/Gabrielle to me, like soulmates that always find each other, choose each other, and affect the world together. This show is technically... technically a bromance, based on a romance novel, and so clearly implied as a romance as much as literally possible (hence coming off a TON like how Xena/Gabrielle danced just barely in subtext as lovers in the 90s). Because of a lot of things that combined in this show - the solid characters (amazing Acting from the leads), the storytelling style and tropes I love, the lovely music and very unique feel of the show (despite its ridiculous cgi lol) - this show easily became one of my favorite shows of all time. And the romance... wow this romance really is timeless... its up there on soulmate stories like Xena and Gabrielle for me...