So, finally finished watching it and it was better than what I expected, but less than what I wanted.

My perspective is from someone who has read the novel:

They changed quite a few things between the novel and the drama, and I can understand some changes as things need to be changed sometimes for live-action, but I didn't like the changes they made to DFQC. I can stand changes to plot lines and events as long as the spirit is present, but changes to characterization should never be accepted. They made the foundation of the character interaction, and if you change that, you change the story in essence, and that what I think happened in this show. It was the story of Fairy and Devil, but not the story that was told in the novel. It felt like the watered down version of it. DFQC was pretty evil in the novel, very conniving, and I honestly LOVED that about him. Every other story I read is either about a really good guy, or a black-lotus who only treats the FL well, this is one of the few novels where we actually get a black-lotus as a ML, who is selfish and motivated by purely his own interests and they completely watered him down in the show. In the novel, Orchid is very charming but also persevering, and totally lives up to being a weed in her tenacity in trying to outwit DFQC and second guessing him all the time while trying to stay alive. I loved that dynamic between them in the novel. DFQC tried his hardest but still lost out to a flower, which made for a delightful read as it made you really root for Orchid. In the drama, I didn't have that feeling of being on edge because DFQC wasn't that mean towards her. He kind of facilitated her in everything and Orchid didn't face the immense hurdles and didn't fight tooth and nail for her life against DFCQ.

The body-switching /feelings plot was also completely abandoned by the middle of the show, whereas in the novel, Orchid uses it quite a few more times to get back at DFQC and later actually gets better at playing DFQC LOL! However, I think in the context of the drama, it made sense for them to focus more on other plots after they initially used the body switching as a means to keep the leads together. So, overall, I don't find that too much a negative.

As for the visuals in the drama, they were superb! I really have to thank the team for keeping the spirit of the world alive from the novel to the drama. I loved the effects they used and the sets were amazing. The only thing I wish they could've done better was the costuming. There were some really really good ones, like the ones for DFQC and the God of War, but I think they made Orchid into the same old white fairy like all the other Xianxia dramas. They could have played around with her flower background and given her flamboyant and colourful costumes. I would have really liked to see her in yellows, fuscia's, some bright red colours or even a dark black when she's trapped in the Moon territory and not just pasty pastels all the time. Also, can I just say that the costume for Jieli was atrociously ugly? Why? She had that costume on the entire show! I think the hairstyle was even uglier than the clothes.

Anywho, I wish I could have watched the show without comparing it to the novel as I think it was pretty good and leaps and bounds better than the garbage being pumped out these days. I just wish they had stuck to the source material a bit more to make this show even better.