Thrice Married to a Salted Fish Danmei Novel Review

This is a review for Thrice Married to a Salted Fish (official English license title) (三嫁咸鱼) by Bikabi (比卡比), otherwise known by the fan translation title of Married Thrice to Salted Fish.  This novel will be available fully licensed in English from SevenSeas, the first volume of which can be preordered (through the Danmei Dreams affiliate bookshop.org link or anywhere you can buy SevenSeas novels). However, I had the pleasure of reading the delightful book last year through a fan translation by sleepy.little.mushrooms on Chrysanthemum Garden.  Huge kudos to the fan translator for their work here in making this title accessible to an English-speaking audience before the official licensed translation.

The summary of the book from the publisher is:

Please note that all reviews (like this one) aim to be spoiler-free, while analyses often contain spoilers.

Summary

To my delight and surprise, this is one of my very favorite danmei novels. The title seems awfully silly, and I was a little skeptical of the premise going in, but all of that was washed away in the sheer joy of reading this book.  The experience was one of ample delight, some pretty exquisite anguish, and a strong connection to the characters.

I think the author does several things incredibly well in this story: creates a lovely romance, turns a well-trod trope around in interesting ways, and maybe most importantly invites the readers to develop affection for the main characters right alongside their developing affection for one another.

Romance and Main Characters

The beautiful romance is really what makes this book shine.  This is a true slow burn romance, in which the characters are placed together by unusual circumstances and slowly shift from initial skepticism, distaste, and indifference to curiosity, kindness, and gentle affection.  This isn’t an intense enemies-to-lovers romance, or one in which pining spans across time.  Instead, it’s the slow, sweet development of connection that transforms into love.

The main characters themselves also feel fully realized, although some of the reasons for the actions of one of the characters aren’t revealed until later in the story.  We see most of the story through the POV of Lin Qingyu, a brilliant and ambitious doctor whose morals are very much tied to his own personal treatment and success.  He’s a fun character to get to know, ruthless in some ways and deeply sweet in others.  Seeing his growth as he starts to care about Lu Wancheng is a slow-build delight, as is seeing the way he’s received as he reveals his innermost thoughts and feelings (many of which are morally gray to say the least).

Lu Wancheng is more of a mystery in the beginning of the story, seemingly caught in an inexorable web of ennui brought on by a fatal illness that will inevitably lead only to sorrow.  But as Lu Wancheng and Lin Qingyu warm to one another and the pieces of the puzzle start to be revealed, we similarly get to witness at arc in which Lu Wancheng’s peculiar blend of laziness and caring come into better balance.  This is truly a story in which the characters see one another, appreciate their true selves, and also bring out the best in one another.

Secondary Characters

The secondary characters in this book range from sometimes slightly flat plot devices to fully realized characters with their own arcs.  If I’m being generous, I could posit that this reflects the ways in which the main characters view others—some are there essentially to be used, while others become more complex, more well-rounded, more interesting as the main characters get to know them.  However, this isn’t a book in which you believe each side character is a fully cohesive person making decisions according to the complex interplay of their own beliefs and experiences.  While some characters become intriguing companions, others are no more than what they seem from the start.

Plot

I have a lot of appreciation for the way these two through lines intersect, though I would also add at the end of the day that the political plotting is definitely minor compared to some of the true masterpieces of that specific genre ((link to QJJ)).  It’s a fast-paced plot with high stakes that feel important and real, but it’s not a masterclass in empire-building either.

Worldbuilding

The worldbuilding of this book feels entirely sufficient to the plot, romance, and characters, but doesn’t rise above them either.  Sometimes a book can feel like it’s set in a true place that exists independently of the story, and I would not say that’s the case here.  This feels like a somewhat generic setting for a palace intrigue danmei novel.  That may be an intentional on the part of the author, and it does serve the story well.  So when it comes to worldbuilding I have no complaints, but it also doesn’t stand out as an exceptionally crafted setting.

Writing Style & Translation

The writing style was a little different than I’m used to, with the style of prose sometimes interjecting into the flow of the story to intentionally create a different kind of approach.  At times the writing was typically descriptive, and at other times took on a more casual, internet-ish kind of flow to it.  For example:

Lin Qingyu couldn’t help asking, “Do you really not care about your life or death?”

“There’s nothing to care about.” Lu Wancheng smiled, “My fate is not in my hands, it’s in Heaven’s. Don’t worry, my widow, you’re sure to be one.”

Lin Qingyu: “…”

While this did take me a minute to get used to, it also was a writing technique clearly utilized to create an intentional response in the reader, and it worked well for me for this story.  It created a kind of intimacy with the text and the characters that was less inhibited, and also possibly reflected the different styles of the main leads as well.  While it may not be my favorite style of writing, I think it worked really well for this story.

sleepy.little.mushrooms did a fantastic job with the translation.  Their translation notes made me feel like I was reading along with a friend.  While the fan translation is no longer available due to the forthcoming release of the officially licensed translation from Seven Seas, I’m incredibly grateful for sleepy.little.mushrooms’s hard work in making this available prior to the license.  It’s a beautiful story, and the translator did an amazing job making it accessible and creating the excitement for it to be officially licensed.

Spice Level

This story has no on-page sex scenes, but does have several fade-to-black scenes.  These seem positioned to be sweet intimacy, nothing particularly kinky or otherwise outré.  This fits well with the characters, their sexuality, and their romance.  There is a lovely scene following their first time in which they check in with one another about their experience in a way that feels healthy, sweet, and downright adorable.

Don’t forget to preorder this incredible book, the first volume of which is scheduled to be released on November 11, 2025. You can order from my affiliate bookshop.org link or anywhere you can buy SevenSeas novels.

A Note on the Title of this Book:

The fan translation title, Married Thrice to Salted Fish (MTSF), has been well-used in the danmei fan community. If you’re seeking older information about the book, consider searching by that title or tag! For this blog, I’ve decided to use the new title for two reasons: to help new readers more easily find information on the officially licensed books, and because it’s semantically closer to the original Chinese (三嫁咸鱼 translates literally as three marriage salt fish).

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