If you enjoy tortured and angsty love/hate stories then this is the drama for you. Before and whilst watching this drama, I read a lot of blog posts, reviews and comments about it and fully expected to hate it because the common consensus was that it was distastefully rapey with an incredibly unsatisfying ending. I actually concede both points with the exception that although the ending is unsatisfying (who doesn't want to see a happily ever after all tied up with a huge cheerful bow?) it was entirely suitable for the story, it was a logical conclusion to the trajectory of the drama.
The story of Shao Qian and Tong Xue is very complicated and quite uncomfortable to watch especially in the first half. It's quite easy to find Shao Qian repulsive ( as much as Hawick Lau can appear repulsive) at first, but in my opinion as the story unfolded I understood him better and was able to see his motivation and where he was coming from; this in no way excuses his methods of avenging his father but illustrates how he coped with the grief in his personal capacity. I believe that dramas tell us a story and we should't really try to translate such scenarios into real life situations because clearly there's an element of fantasy, make believe, entertainment and general "acting" in a drama; we should rather learn the lessons or take away any useful nuggets of wisdom that are highlighted. In this regard I took away the following life lessons:
1. Don't hurt another person in order to assuage your own pain, this will inevitably backfire
2. You can't make a person love you merely by willing it so
3. You can't manipulate someone into loving you, if they're not inclined to do so
4. You can't really decide who to fall in love with, it just happens
5. Revenge is ultimately a cold and unappetising dish period.

The acting was very good. Hawick Lau as Mo Shao Qian was sublime, he embodied the role being fierce yet vulnerable, unfeeling yet yearning, ruthless yet compassionate; he was such a complicated paradox, a very well written and very well acted role.
Ying Er as Tong Xue was suitably naive, vulnerable and a bit dim at times; flailing helplessly in the fiery pit which is Shao Qian's world; in the end though she became braver as she realised that she actually loves Shao Qian, it was special to observe the little nuances of her burgeoning love for him, all the more significant because in this drama the main couple never actually openly profess their love for each other, it's all done with subtle gestures and actions, this made it so poignant for me.
Mu Yong Fei was diabolical, the very definition of an obsessed lover, except her love story with Mo Shao Qian was one sided from day one, she is the saddest character as she exhibits no growth throughout the drama.
Her brother Zhen Fei was such a darling, so rational and fair it was mind boggling to see the family he came from. he is the peacemaker the one person who actually saw the situation from everybody's point of view and attributed accurate rationale for everyone's actions.

The music was wonderfully evocative, Hawick Lau's "a thousand mountains" is beautiful and there's some great piano pieces which were employed at just the right moments. Although there aren't a lot of musical pieces in this drama, the ones which are there are used very well; so music is a 10.

Overall rating 8.5. I think the criticism of this drama is in my opinion exaggerated, the scriptwriter achieved a well balanced story, it's definitely not a fairy tale so the ending is appropriate. There's an analogy that Shao Qian' mother tells him about hyacinths, that in order for them to come up with new blooms you have to cut off the old bloom. this explains the relationship between Shao Qian and Tong Xue perfectly; in order for them to have any hope for a future together, they first have to cut off their connection because it was founded on anger and hatred, they have to reboot and hopefully come together in the future to start afresh; this is a very hopeful ending indeed.