All Novels I've Read Sorted By Rating (3.7 Stars & Below)

CN (4)

302 Chapters Every 85.9 Day(s) 2956 Readers 68 Reviews 12-26-2021

Completed Action Adventure Fantasy Mecha Romance School Life Yaoi

3.7 StarsOverall... more>>

This felt like a long running shounen adventure kinda story in terms of what the characters encountered, only with yaoi too. And much less obsessed with individual fights all the time. It wasn't what I thought it would be, good or bad as it is. The story felt a little random, I admit, because I thought this would be a weak-to-strong mecha fighting story lol. But this wasn't that. At the first arc, I thought it would be a weak to strong mecha builder story but after some arcs, this wasn't the focus either ahaha. By the end ish, this kinda felt like a less depressing Gundam story lol. I love the variety in what the characters did and experienced but the story overall did not feel that perfectly planned out and very tight.

Writing/Translation: 3.5/5

The translation I read is from Exiled Rebels Scanlastions. The translation is definitely above average, especially with all the mecha and interstellar terms used. But, not sure if it's the writing or if it's a translation issue but there were quite a few times where the events didn't quite make sense, like they skipped a clarifying couple of sentences. After reading ⅓ of the way, I realise that sometimes the order of peoples reaction to something that just happened feels off. For example, a crowd followed the MC into the meeting room of his teacher, his older disciple and his teacher’s rival and their disciple. The scene after the MC entered the room, closed the door and sat down, some rival dissing was done. Then, kinda randomly, the older brother disciple noticed the crowd that followed behind the MC and strongly advised the MC to be careful. The reaction to the crowd was too delayed. I had already completely forgotten that a crowd was following after the MC by then. I was confused and immediately felt like I missed a paragraph because I kept thinking, what crowd?

Pacing: 3.5/5

Since this is so long, there are parts that feel too glossed over and short. The story also has a tendency to be weirdly blasé about supposedly big things that just happened and just gloss over them. Like the MC's first time fighting in a mecha against a minor villain. After such detailed and long training, the actual fight was super short and ended very fast compared to the detailed buildup. This happens a lot. Particularly the last arc. There was a lot of glossing over before the final mystery.

Plot: 3.7/5

It started out as a just-transmigrated guy with zero useful memories trying to survive who got forced into a s*ave contract with a hateful bully, the ML, and learned how to build mecha while going to mecha college. Then we have all kinds of adventures that don't involve school but the interstellar setting which adds to the world. While growing the romance. And also finding the mystery of his bloodline and other conspiracies.

However, there are some plotlines that seemed important but weren't. Like the whole mecha warrior and mecha maker partnership. It is a contract and seemed like a big deal but it wasn't really touched upon after it was made. Also, the whole sacred blood bond and s*ave contract. I wish they had told it more clearly. What is it? How is it done? Who can do it? Is it normal for everyone to do it or just the royal family? It seems like there are other weaker contracts but it wasn't explained. I'd also like to know what's up with the badass queen and his backstory. There was some mystery there but it wasn't explained. Same with the MC’s biological dad. What's his story lol. I also wanted a more satisfying fighting arc for the MC. We know he likes mecha and that he went into mecha manufacturing because he wants to fight in one eventually. And there was a whole arc about him training to fight in one. And another arc of him in a tournament. But then he never advanced anymore, even though his level was only okay.

Romance: 3.3/5

The romance is iffy for me. The ML got more likeable like 10+ chapters through but his self entitlement and born arrogance are still not exactly a pleasure to read about. However, despite his flaws, I can tell the ML really loves the MC and just has a tsundere way to show it most of the time. There was also lots of self-entitlement for s*x, regardless of how the MC thought about it. However, we can see that the MC finds the ML sexy and wants to do the dirty as well. So it's not too one sided towards the ML’s side.

Setting/Worldbuilding: 4/5

In terms of the interstellar environment, it is pretty good. It's long so there is a lot to display. Lots of variety and new events that happen to keep things fresh. All the concepts introduced are also cool, although I wish it fully focused on the mecha making the entire way haha. The mecha manufacturing was interesting with what it showed. It's only that the more he learned, the less detailed it got. The MC also had a stint of training to fight in a mecha for an arc. But after that, he doesn't focus on fighting anymore, which is a shame. There is a lot of travel to other planets, each with its own environment. Some are explored, some are just brushed through.

Characters: 4/5

The main characters are pretty interesting. The ML is a tsundere with personality hahaha. His type of character is new to me so it was interesting to read him. Although I don't like quite a bit about him, I do like his good points, which are that he really does love the MC and is very loyal to him. It was a tad predictable to figure out his background but it also added a lot of things to the story.

I also rather like the MC. He's skilled and hardworking. I also like reading his inner monologue hahaha. It immediately made him relatable and closer to being invested in. My only gripe is that he folded to the ML too easily and catered to him too fast.

There is a big cast of side characters in the story. All are quite distinct with their own personalities and backgrounds. I always wish we would get to know and bond more with the characters but this one is not too bad. We see them having some conflict and usually the MC can help them directly or indirectly. So they do add to the story.

Personal Enjoyment: 3.9/5

It was better than average, has lots of different situations to keep my interest, I found the interstellar setting interesting because I don't usually read something like this and liked all the gradual levelling up in mecha manufacturing. I also liked the MC. And the story is long which is very good haha. <<less

CN (4.5)

#2My Favorite Manly Husband

133 Chapters Every 24.2 Day(s) 6272 Readers 66 Reviews 12-07-2024

Fantasy Historical Romance Slice of Life Yaoi

3.7 Stars... more>>

Personal Enjoyment: 4/5

I rather liked it. The business management side which is what I usually come to these transmigrate to ancient china, poor to rich stories for, is not quite the focus. But what is there I did like to read about. The thing that carried me through were the characters, a bit rare in these types of stories. The dynamic of the relationship between the couple was nice and a bit sweet. The gong MC really respects the ML. I was a bit put off by his intro because he was rather combative, loud and a little reckless. But once he transmigrates, I love how he acts toward his husband. I also like the ML here. The character setting setup is similar to "The Only Favoutire Ugly Husband." But the MC here is far less forceful towards the ML than that one. I like their dynamic here more. The ML also has character development and isn't just a wallflower. The changes in the ML between the end and the beginning are different haha. Like it! Furthermore, the ML comes from a wealthy family and is a martial artist, whereas the MC comes from a low-income family and is a businessman and scholar. Their expertise is different and I also like that. The ML felt like a proper character in a story.

However, some of the things lacking are: one, the translation after C59 does not exist so you have to rely on MTL. The experience surprisingly, doesn't really suffer despite that. It would have been preferable, however, if I had read the entire translated version. Next, the drama and potential faceslapping situations aren't resolved by the main characters. The plot just happens to naturally face slap the villains by other higher-up characters instead. It's too bad but it didn't really bother me. Just a missed opportunity. Next, as usual for most poor to rich, transmigrate to ancient times, business management type stories, I wish there were more detail in all they do.

Writing/Translation: 3.5/5

The translation from C1 to C59 I read is from Yummy Yogurt. I wouldn't say it was great but it is at least quite readable. Common careless mistakes, but it doesn't interrupt the flow too much. I would rate it 3/5. The rest I read seems to be MTL at the readwn website. It's at MTL level, but it actually isn't bad. You still have to put in some effort to read it but anything you don't fully understand won't impact your understanding of what is happening. Since it's MTL, in one sentence, the order of its parts might be messed up. So you have to rearrange it in your head. There will also be some wrong nouns or weird names but you can either guess the correct person or it doesn't matter if you don't know who it is. The level of understanding the MTL is like trying to understand a little kid who doesn't quite grasp the language yet and has a habit of saying things too fast before his mind can arrange them properly. So the grammar and everything else are not correct at all but you can guess what the little kid is trying to tell you, more or less. Also, if you read this type of poor to rich, transmigration to ancient times type of novels, it's even easier to guess what is happening because of how familiar you are with the tropes. Like if the little kid is your own child, you can almost mind read the kid lol. I got pretty used to it by the end.

Pacing: 3.5/5

It was a little stuttering. There will be lots of parts where things are just going as normal, then suddenly, the characters just decide to go to the capital and within 3-4 sentences, they go from living a normal life to packing up and setting off immediately with no pondering or discussion. There are also not few parts that goes to the next event so quickly like that.

Plot: 3.7/5

Fyi, the parallel modern world plot line is chapter 44, 67, then the extras. Also, I am not sure if chapter 67 should be the start of the modern story instead of chapter 44, it isn't clear. Also, it definitely feels like it was unfinished. The MC is basically cast out of the family and at the end of the last extra chapter, he found a potential networking opportunity but we don't know why, what for, or how he's going to get it.

The main plot. It's story is a typical poor farmer, a big shot in the village, who passes exams, sets up restaurants, passes more important exams, sets up restaurants in more lucrative places, etc. There is a battle/war arc at the end which I surprisingly did not mind and kind of enjoyed. Normally, I don't like wars and fighting to interrupt my peaceful and calming farm life stories but the war arc really flowed well with the story and there were lots of instances where the MC doing modern knowledge in the war so that definitely helped. It was also quite short and the language was simple so the war didn't feel dark and grim. I only wish the MC was more direct with his faceslapping.

Romance: 4/5

The romance was rather nice actually. The MC is the gong but he is quite caring and has lots of respect for the ML’s silent wishes, thoughts and wellbeing. I also love this interesting dynamic of the MC Gong being the physically weaker scholar while the ML is this manly martial artist, Ger Shou. Unlike in The Only Favourite Ugly Husband, this ML really doesn't try to become feminine (in the Ugly Husband, while that ML is also a manly ger and actively trains to get stronger physically too, he still does small little things to improve his looks like shading from the sun, use creams etc. While I don't discriminate them doing that if they like it themselves, it just felt a bit conformist to the ideals in that story.). Also, the ML really takes into heart that his husband really loves him no matter what he looks like and gets more confident befitting his status. Nice character development to see there too.

Setting/Worldbuilding: 3.5/5

It's a typical ancient china setting. There isn't too much detail but I can get the farming vibe. I would like more detail about the surroundings though.

Characters: 3.9/5

The main characters are rather nice as said above. The MC is the gong but he isn't overbearing or anything. He runs around, working hard to provide a nice life for his husband and himself. He's confident and rather sweet to the ML. He likes to cook. The ML is insecure and lost his memories at the beginning. But after reassurance from the MC and getting back his memories, he slowly gets more confident and achieves his potential with support from the person he loves :)

We have some delightful side characters who are likeable but we don't really focus on them after a while. But I did like them. I just wish they were more present. The bad guys were villainous and all but I just wish the couple had confronted them head-on. <<less

CN (4.2)

#3Accompanied by a Fool To Do Farming

90 Chapters Every 89.1 Day(s) 5708 Readers 71 Reviews 11-15-2021

Completed Historical Romance Slice of Life Yaoi

3.7 Stars... more>>

Translation/Writing

I read using KnoxT. The translation is better than mtl but it's not really great. The sentences are a bit awkward and there are countless small grammar mistakes. It's readable and when you get used to it, it doesn't stop the flow of reading but it is noticeable. I believe it's because the translator is new? However, they do put in footnotes and even pictures of things like the food. There is one point that might bother some people. In the first half-ish, the footnotes are directly after the paragraph in the story instead of at the bottom. Some might prefer not having to scroll to the bottom to read them, some might find it annoying to scroll to skip them to the main story. The writing style, well, there are a few more idioms than I'm used to in these farming stories if that bothers anyone.

Plot

Its a typical food, business, poor to rich, countryside story but the peak of the cp lifestyle is only up to the landlord of their village and town which I am quite happy about. The farm/business/slice of life genre is there from start to finish, unlike other similar types of stories where the cp becomes country-level powerful which then involves action and politics which I dislike. I'm here for the slice of life yo not action.

Themes/What Story Tried to Achieve

It's a slice of life story and a food business trope. It is pretty typical, and the food is easy to believe and understand that the MC can make them. All the food are kinda normal modern day food, so it's not unbelievable that the MC can make them. I also liked that the MC and the Gong didn't have any golden fingers to be successful. It's all a bit more realistic than normal farming business stories like this. I do wish there were more details in the business of making money though, like stating the prices more in the latter half of the story. Once the money started getting bigger, the author didn't say what cost what, not as detailed as when the MC was selling the noodles at the beginning. As for any drama, there isn't much really, definitely much less than other similar stories.

I kinda wish the ML kept his childish personality for the romance part. After he got better, he became a confident person so the MC could do less work. I actually thought making the ML a fool was a good idea for slowing down the pace of the MC's business because then, only one person is the head and providing most of the effort instead of a doting ML with so much capability that takes care of everything. This way, the MC gets a lot of time to shine. As for the s*x, ugh. The s*x dynamics are the kinda typical uke gong in bed where the more the uke struggles and frowns, the more cute and excited the gong is =_=. Although the uke here is not the shy rabbit type but a confident type, I didn't like the language used. The ML will hug the Mc tight and no matter how the MC struggles or pushes away the arms, he isn't strong enough and just gives up. I reaaaally don't like it. I kinda just skim, ignore the s*x parts and almost imagine the cp as other people haha.

Pacing

This is slower than other similar stories. For one, there isn't much action or drama after halfway. On the other hand, the peak of the cp is only at the village/town level for less than 100 chapters. The MC is also very cautious about trouble from being too successful so if it takes awhile to move to the next step, it is fine. At the end ish, there will be lots of tiny timeskips and time will pass by quickly so it's a little bit rushed. Although I admit, nothing much happens by then because everything is already on the right track.

Characters

I like the MC. He's hardworking and has friends instead of being focused only on himself and the ML. It's just at the beginning when you first see him, there were too many exclamations in his thoughts and words that I had a slightly bad impression of him. That disappeared once he separated from the in-laws, haha.

The ML is fine. I think it would have been nicer to have the fool ML for the whole story though haha. Cultivate all the caring feels XD I just don't like how the s*x dynamics are portrayed when he forces the MC and it is all portrayed romantically.

The side characters are all quite important here! They basically appear often and never fade away due to the plot. I like them all. There are even side pairings! The cp all also have good feelings of family and close friends with them. I find in other similar stories, the cp will treat them well but don't really put them inside their hearts.

As for the villains, they appear but are easily defeated right at the beginning and never shown in detail again. There will usually be a couple of confrontations that are shown in detail but the rest are just told in one sentence after they happen. So no drama or faceslapping unfortunately. <<less

CN (4.2)

#4Reborn In The ’80s

148 Chapters Every 41.3 Day(s) 4685 Readers 60 Reviews 11-04-2023

Completed Fantasy Romance Shounen Ai Slice of Life Yaoi

3.7 Stars... more>>

Overall/Personal Enjoyment: 3.9/5

I quite enjoyed myself. I've been in a reading slump since Nov so I said F it and started reading all the poor to rich not Completed webnovels in my list that I had reeeeally wanted to read. Normally, I would ignore the incomplete webnovels because I don't like the quality to drop halfway because of MTL but I didn't care anymore because I have read all the Completed novels with this type of trope haha.

I think I only read two other good transmigrate to the 50s-90s type of stories that were completed and that I really liked, Back to the 60s, Getting Wealthy, Raising Cubs and Bai Shumei in the 70s. The rest were quite disappointing. So I am happy to read this one. The story itself is pretty solid and I love that the business management part played a big role in the story. I wish the story focused more on that with even more detail haha. It only reached the level of the village and maybe the town or city. I wanted a business empire hahaha. I also would have liked more explicit information during the making of the products being sold like the recipe of the popsicles and what fruits exactly were inside. Also, for the greenhouses, I wanted to know in more detail each plant's drawing and planting detail like in the Pastoral Life. And also, what exactly are the greenhouse techniques the Mc learned in the capital. Well, this is my most common complaint for all webnovels most likely. More detail lol.

Writing/Translation: 3.4/5

The translation I read is from Lazy Sakura Translations. The translation is okay, there are often some mistakes but they don't affect the reading experience for me. Some missing words, things like that. Also, the writing is pretty simple and straightforward so any translation mistakes are easily ignored. It isn't finished yet at chapters 85/148 so I continued with the MTL at the mtlnovel website. Like another reviewer said, it's quite readable. Far superior to most MTL and some terrible translations, such as a tea novel, which is simply too difficult to read.The MTL has frequent add-ons to the names, wrong substitutions to nouns and so on, but the grammar is surprisingly good. And yes, sometimes there are paragraphs or something happens but you can't understand because of the mtl but it doesn't really detract from the experience. The cuteness of the baby isn't as clear but it is still there. Basically, if someone wants to clean up the mtl, it really wouldn't take much effort.

Pacing: 4/5

I thought it was pretty good especially during all the money making bits. Nothing really felt rushed or slow.

Plot: 3.8/5

The plot is really simple which is good for what it is. The MC moved to the 1980s with a 2-year-old, broke ass poor, he has to use his brain and rely on himself to provide for this poor child. The money making from the beginning to about 3/4 is quite detailed, especially how much was made exactly, which I liked. Then, as it got bigger and bigger, more people noticed and when it looked like he could live a good life no matter what happens next, the characters' past came back to make some drama. I admit that the drama part was okay but I wished it was more satisfying to faceslap and that it would have concluded much faster so I could go back to the business management part haha.

Romance: 3.3/5

The romance is kinda lowkey haha. It really only happened in the latter half of the story because the MC is just too busy making a living for his family. But I didn't dislike it. It's fine for me.

Setting/Worldbuilding: 3.5/5

This is a typical olden days rural China setting. I wish it was more detailed but the focus was more on the running a business part.

Characters: 4/5

The main characters are pretty good. The MC is lowkey, smart, hardworking and serious. His son is arguably also a main character because he appears almost all the time haha. He's 2-3 years old but he's quite eloquent. Although he is so eloquent, you can tell he's still a little kid which is good. A lot of other stories I read with kids either show them briefly then throw them to other caretakers or show the kid as a mini adult which is too unbelievable that it broke me out of the immersion. This is just right. The kid is super cute and the MC is really involved in the kid's daily life. I admit, the repetition of the kid's unique characteristics, ie, the constant food obsession and how the other characters keep teasing him about being handsome and/or a little fatty, got a bit annoying by the end. But I still prefer this kid. He added a lot to the story. <<less

CN (4.5)

#5Investment Life

28 Chapters Every 125.5 Day(s) 2668 Readers 34 Reviews 06-22-2022

Adult Historical Mature Mystery Slice of Life Supernatural Yaoi

3.7 Stars... more>>

"2nd Chance, Poor to Rich, Business Management, all my favourite things!. It seems to really dive into investing which is novel considering how most web novels treat investments and picking stocks and choosing movies to invest in because of future knowledge and that's it. I've been eyeing Epiphanies of Rebirth becuse of the same tropes and this was one of the reccomendations"

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Writing/Translation: 2.2/5

The translated parts from Miss Lemon’s MTL I read were quite good. All the investment jargon was clear enough. There were no errors that I remember.

The rest I read in MTL using the default browser translation for Google and Safari. Reading only one version of MTL was kinda bad but if I read two at the same time, it's quite readable. I understood the gist of what was happening. All the investment stuff got more dry and maybe a good translation might have helped in that department but I don't think it would have had much effect.

Pacing: 3.5/5

Hmm, the investing were quite detailed. But after the first setup and establishment of initial funds, the start of the main big business and the rest got quite dry and had a lot of telling what was going on. Yes, there are also a lot of show-not-tell parts but still a lot of info dumps haha.

Plot: 4/5

I think people who love this kind of stuff would adore this story. This is a pure power fantasy for someone who has future knowledge and is ambitious enough to fight on the big stage for it. For me, I am not really interested in such things haha. So while objectively, this type of trope is good but I personally didn't enjoy it that much.

Romance: 4/5

The romance is pretty slow haha. Only in the last fourth of the story did it really gain traction. I didn't mind it. It's better than the normal seme uke teenaged fantasy BL romance lol. The two is a bit more realistic or mature?

Setting/Worldbuilding: 4.9/5

The world setting includes the US and various provinces of China. And in each there are different industries and businesses the MC is doing so the world is definitely bigger in this story. Also, lots of real-world history is being thrown around for that time period.

Characters: 4/5

The characters are pretty good. There are a lot of characters here.

Personal Enjoyment: 3.3/5

Not really a fan of these huge, mind-boggling amounts of money being thrown around. Not relatable anymore for me haha. <<less

CN (4.4)

#6Rebirth: Different Way

101 Chapters Every 74.9 Day(s) 5414 Readers 110 Reviews 05-31-2022

Completed Drama Psychological Romance Smut Yaoi

3.7 Stars... more>>

Overall

Hmmmm, while I admire and like the complexity of the emotions and what seems to be a commentary on the cycle of revenge and that the writing has quality, I rate stories based on how much I enjoyed it haha. So... I didn't really enjoy my time here. The people and the story were kind of miserable, which I suppose is expected since this is a revenge story. But all the secrets left behind in the past that caused the Mc’s revenge are also ugh. And now, at the end, who should be the target of the revenge actually? That part, I feel like the author could have done better to make a proper resolution for the MC’s feelings then. There wasn't really a conclusion to his feelings of revenge after he found out all the secrets. I think one big reason why I didn't like it is because I wanted a good rebirth revenge plot with satisfying face slapping against villains that are easy to hate. But this one, a major part of the story is finding layers of the past that put into question the target of the revenge. Here, it seems that the bad guys kinda have some reason to be so and the innocent wronged martyr may not be completely the paragon of goodness as remembered.

Writing/Translation

The translation I read is from Xiao YunYun Translations. The translation is quite good. No errors that I rmb. And the sentence structure feels like it was written in English instead of those awkward translated sentences.

Pacing

I felt the time skip abroad at the beginning was too sudden. And it feels unnecessary? 5 years time skip abroad right after he was reborn. It kinda felt like that was just there so the author could say this is why the MC has so much money to get his revenge. Because he did illegal betting that the author doesn't want to detail.

Plot

We start at age 18 as the day the MC was reborn, time skip 5 years abroad, then the MC launches his slow revenge on his family that lasts 6 months ish. Along the way, his cousin, the ML, starts falling for him. The climax is the real evil mastermind accomplishing his grand finale.

Themes/What Story Tried to Achieve

It does serve the revenge part well. The villains, everything really got torn down lol. But it wasn't really satisfying because there were so many doubts about who exactly was in the complete wrong. When it was like generational revenge lol.

The romance part was nice actually. I could really feel that the ML loves the MC. Not the MC side much though haha. Lots of kinda explicit smut fyi. And of course, the in*est tag.

Characters

The MC is surprisingly the shou lol. I didn't realise that because he was so full of hatred towards his family all the time haha. I think he was fine, a normal guy if someone else went through what he went through. One thing I found annoying though, is how many other characters have crushes on the MC. Because we don't really follow up on the crushes. They just seemed to be mentioned a lot but it doesn't add anything to the story so I don't get why the author added them in. The ML is a pretty nice person. He is the source of a lot of good feelings in this story because he is a good person and cares about his family, friends and the MC. Quite doting too.

The other fleshed-out characters are the bad guys, the Mc’s family. Most of the story is the drama about them and also between them. This part was not bad, I liked the exploration of their intentions, thoughts and feelings.

However, the rest of the side characters are kinda missing some parts. For example, the MC’s two friends. I don't know some things like who is Lao K exactly and when did they meet? There was no explanation for his existence or about him. Why does the MC treat him so warmly? I thought all the friends before were from the bad crowd and we don't know if he met LaoK abroad? And we should just assume this spiky, suspicious, revenge-oriented MC is just best friends with this random person abroad? We get so much info on the family but barely anything on this side kick. Next best friend from his past life. The author made him have feelings for the MC. I honestly don't understand what his purpose is in the story. As the best friend, the MC doesn't want to drag him into revenge so he alienated him that way, so there was no deep friendship that I could feel. Then, the author made him have feelings for the MC but the author doesn't do anything with it. There was no misunderstanding or conflict about it for the main CP so what was the point of it? I feel like there would be no difference in the story if you took him out. <<less

CN (4.1)

#7The Green Lotus Peasant Girl

20 Chapters Every 109.3 Day(s) 4920 Readers 61 Reviews 04-02-2021

Completed Drama Romance Slice of Life

3.7 Stars... more>>

Writing/Translation: 3.8/5

The translation I read is from Konila. Just small harmless errors like a couple of wrong pronouns and names but it only happened like twice or something. My only issue is that sometimes in the beginning, I didn't really understand a sentence. It got way better after awhile.

Pacing: 4/5

The pacing was chill and even the entire way really.

Plot: 3.7/5

It was good to provide this chill farmer lifestyle. The con is that there weren't really many ups and downs haha. Just two people working hard in their own lives to make up for not having a good life previously. This isn't perfect, though. As I can't quite get a solid handle on all their personalities, goals or motives. If you read it, you'll get it. The other characters kind of feel meandering. I can't really understand if they are bad, if they are good, what do they actually want and stuff. Ambiguous and a bit wavy. For example, the MC’s relationship with Mrs. Zhou. I can't get if she likes her, finds her meh or what. Mrs. Zhou too. Is she a weak-willed person to her four sons since they all keep going against her to marry? But then she was super cool when dealing with the separation and was so fair. And then, at the end, our couple kind of broke things off with her or at least wasn't as close as before. All the interactions between our couple and other people feel so up and down lol. But weirdly, I still get the chill slice of life vibe throughout the entire story.

For the money-making part, it isn't the best, despite what everyone is saying. This is because our MC didn't state any plans she has. So whenever they do something money-making-wise, it just feels like going with the flow. So there isn't that satisfying catharsis in buying more assets or making more money. Because there isn't any buildup. But this is still that poor-to-rich rural area type of story and the chill bibes are definitely there. The fact that it is fully translated definitely helps.

Romance: 3.5/5

The romance is sweet when it's there. At the beginning and first half, we don't really understand the ML’s personality. Is he the stoic type? Feeling inferior type? But he's unexpectedly a bit playful. The only con is that we don't get much romance since they kind of act like an old couple who likes to do things together in peace. Which I admit I do appreciate because normally, the couples in CN novels are very cringey to me.

Setting/Worldbuilding: 4/5

Live the vibe very mych.

Characters:3/5

I like that there are so many characters. But I don't like that they are so hard to pin down lol. An argument can be made to say that this is life and people are not static or whatever but I’m here to enjoy reading and it's hard to know if I should root for a character or not when they are so wishy-washy

Personal Enjoyment: 3.9/5 <<less

KR (4.2)

#8Become a Star

20 Chapters Every 86.9 Day(s) 3299 Readers 61 Reviews 12-09-2021

Completed Adventure Drama Fantasy Slice of Life

3.7 Stars... more>>

Writing/Translation

The translation I read is from Wuxiaworld. There were hardly any grammar or spelling errors so I would consider the translation to be pretty good. The only con is that, maybe due to it being a translation, the sentences can get a little bit awkward and there were some parts where I did not understand why something happened or why the character reacted that way. The translation felt a little describy, a bit stiff. But overall, it's better than most other translations.

Pacing

There were some parts that were a little slow and boring to read, basically some of the setup for the new arcs. Also a bit when the MC started, Idk, philosophising? About his feelings. It felt a bit off to me, not sure why. The prologue and the endish of the story were weak.

Plot

The beginning and the setup of the 999 lives chapter were truly bad. I almost dropped the story but I hung on because of some other reviewer's comments. It felt a little rambling, one movie after another and then, kinda stopped. I honestly didn't quite get the direction the story was going, is it a face-slapping thing? Slice-of-life? An underdog becoming a god? It felt like it could have been tighter. I also felt like the ending was a little rushed and had lots of dangling threads like the biological father and grandparents. From the buildup of them it felt weird that there was no resolution or interaction between the MC and them. I was truly just waiting in glee to see how they were going to be handled but nothing came of it. I also thought there would be more involvement from the Wish Baragi in the second half of the story after they took up so much space in the first half. I wanted it to continue.

Themes/What Story Tried to Achieve

I think my slight confusion/dissatisfaction about the plot above is because I wasn't sure what the main themes of the story were. Is this a face-slapping where the MC will ruthlessly beat down everyone in a satisfying way? A redemption arc based on the prologue? Family themed? Slice-of-life? To resolve things with his past life's descendants? To accept his past life as himself? It felt like a mixture of many things and in the end, didn't quite hit any of them as satisfactorily as it could. This is also mostly affected by the rushed ending. Maybe if we were shown more until the big finale ending or something, this area might have been higher.

Characters

The characters definitely feel more real, aren't cardboard cutouts, more three-dimensional than other Chinese celebrity-themed light novels for example. I like the relationships the MC has with his family and new friends. The MC himself is okay for me although I wish we could have delved into his head more. We really only get like one line about his thoughts until we get to the action/meat of the current arc where the story will then detail what is going on in a "this is what is happening" manner. So I don't feel as close to him as I would like to be.

Overall Comments

It was a nice time waster, I enjoyed most of it and do not regret reading it. Only wish the ending felt more satisfying. <<less

CN (4)

#9Sand Sculpture Demon King, Online Farming

304 Chapters Every 68.4 Day(s) 3031 Readers 25 Reviews 09-14-2022

Completed Comedy Fantasy Shounen Ai Supernatural

3.7 Stars - On Hold: C116... more>>

I enjoyed it enough as a time killer but I feel a bit like I'm losing interest now. So I'm putting it on hold for a little bit. Normally, there is faceslapping to pull me in but here there isn't. There are lots of heartwarming outings or banquets but they are too short and don't happen often enough. And I feel like the meaningful cultivation of feelings seemed to happen at the beginning ish and no more after that.

Translation/Writing

The translation I read is by A Wandering Potato. At the beginning, the translation was above average but had some typos. Maybe it was because I was still trying to wrap my head around the world, I couldn't understand some of the sentences. But whether I have learnt enough about the world, I got used to it or the translation just got much better, probably all of it, the errors don't appear anymore. The flow is good, and the humour was presented effectively.

Plot

Basically, the MC, as the newly transmigrated Demon King, develops his undeveloped demon realm and neutralises the humans who were the manpower that defeated his people by using human culture to turn them into his realm's fans. After the setup at the beginning, we get movie after movie, food after food, and entertainment after entertainment projects from the MC in between which he restructures and develops the demon world to align with his goals.

Pacing

The first few things he did felt impactful and novel but after that, it felt like the highs and lows felt the same intensity. So it felt a bit slow or like nothing much was really happening. Even though he was clearly very busy. Maybe it was a bit repetitive.

Themes/What Story Tried to Achieve

This is very much a kingdom building story but we mostly focus on the business side of creating and spreading Earth's greatest hits to the human realm. At least up to the part I've read. In between the MC is developing his realm too but he needs to raise money to pay off his debts.

at the same time haha. This part is very detailed and quite interesting. I had read/watched a lot of the things the MC was redoing so it was a nice nostalgia trip and also it felt super relatable to the MC's and the other humans' reactions to the entertainment. For the ones I haven't watched/read, it was interesting to read about something new that seems to be popular in real life too. And the level of detail the business endeavours have is quite satisfactory for me, quite detailed! I definitely loved that. The MC also has all kinds of different business endeavours going on, which is very interesting to read about. The kingdom building/business part is definitely the main point of the story.

This story is quite funny! There's basically no drama or faceslapping. Any faceslapping plot was easily defeated and turned into an opportunity for humour and it is actually funny haha Or just easily turned into a fan. Humour is subjective but it definitely landed for me. I laughed countless times at the interactions of the MC and his followers lolol.

Characters

The MC. My only problem with him is how quickly he accepted his role as the Demon King and accepted the burden/responsibility of the Demon Realm and its people into his heart. At the beginning, he was super scared of their appearances and how they were gonna sell his corpse to pay off the realm's debt. Then he has to find food that is palatable and not gross. And do this among strangers, in a foreign land with people who might kill him if he acts too ooc. This was kinda shown at the beginning. Then, a few chapters later, when there was no reason given for him to care so much for the demons because he didn't really spend much time with any of them except his servant, he basically throws himself into his role. There were some sentences that implied he was being busy so he didn't have time to miss his old world but this happened many, many chapters later. Also, we don't get much info on his specific circumstances in his old life which might have made me more invested in him. Aside from that, I find him to be a hard worker, a funny smartass (haha), and a pleasant person to read from.He's funny lol.

The supporting characters. They are all varied, quite unique and have so many different lives and circumstances. And they are all likeable and the followers are all adorable hahaha Cute. It's just that we don't follow the followers who eagerly support the MC in detail. The time they take up is rare compared to other business activities. They basically appear often but shallowly. They are my favourite interactions with the MC though because they are so funny with him haha.

The human collaborators appear more often and go through changes more frequently. We also get the POVs a lot more but they are a bit more serious and have their own thoughts on what they are doing. It's not for the MC really so it's not as much of an investment for me to read about it.

As for the ML..., the beginning was kinda interesting and he has a personality... We get his past and his beliefs and thoughts which I liked. Then, after he turns into a demon, he kinda appears rarely, and when he does, it's just some short banter and nothing really happens. Also, his cute naively serious side is gone and he kinda becomes a little boring. It's like we won't get any new development from him anymore since he alrd reached his peak of character development. <<less

CN (4.2)

#10Bringing Good Luck to your Husband in the ’70s

116 Chapters Every 32.3 Day(s) 4283 Readers 57 Reviews 03-25-2024

Completed Adult Drama Josei Romance Slice of Life Supernatural

3.69 Stars... more>>

CN (4.5)

#11Like Pearl and Jade

98 Chapters Every 86.5 Day(s) 7207 Readers 85 Reviews 03-21-2022

Completed Drama Josei Mature Romance

3.67 Stars... more>>

CN (4.6)

#12Epiphanies of Rebirth

217 Chapters Every 25.4 Day(s) 9137 Readers 96 Reviews 07-25-2024

Completed Comedy Drama Mature Romance School Life Slice of Life Yaoi

3.64 Stars... more>>

CN (4.4)

#13Live Broadcasting Raising Dragons in the Interstellar

118 Chapters Every 112.6 Day(s) 7663 Readers 88 Reviews 12-30-2020

Completed Romance Sci-fi Shounen Ai Slice of Life Yaoi

3.64 Stars... more>>

Writing/Translation: 3.6/5

The translation I read is from Flavourtown. The translation is okay. It has that edited MTL flavour haha. Some sentences were hard to understand, especially at the beginning when you are trying to get into the world. Like the words were slightly wrong. The writing at the setup was also too perfunctory. It felt like many things were missing to help me understand the world. Once the MC starts raising the cubs, it gets way better because you just have to enjoy the cuteness and don't worry about the world lol. The more you read, the easier it is to understand the translation.

Pacing: 3.7/5

The beginning was pretty good. The MC made lots of effort to establish himself in this new world while making sure this baby dragon that is dependent on him can eat. I love the discovery of new cubs and exploring their personalities and relationships. But after they went to the capital, I kinda felt a bit more bored because there were more characters and cubs, so the focus got divided. We lose some of the deep exploration and intimacy. After that, all the renovations happened a bit too quickly and perfunctorily. There and gone haha.

Plot: 3.7/5

This is very cute and heartwarming. Also, have lots of smiles and laughs. The babies also had different personalities that kept their uniqueness throughout the novel which I am happy about. They also appear quite prominently in the story, which is good since this is a story about raising baby dragons haha. It is just after Rhein, (also a character I didn't much like because he's kinda boring. He likes to be idle, so nothing interesting there.), I didn't much care for the other cubs at all. Particularly the Duke. I don't know, I just didn't feel connected to or interested in her. She felt too capable, lol. It doesn't help that the focus didn't really explore in as much detail each individual cub as in the beginning.

Romance: 3.3/5

The romance, when it appeared, felt a bit out of the blue lol. I cannot quite see the signs that the MC liked the ML. It was too well concealed, lollol. So while it took awhile for any progress on the romance front, when they got together, it felt too sudden haha. I do like the ML though. He isn't a lovable idiot, a domineering alpha, a shy maiden or all those tropes that I’m tired about but he's an alpha crown prince that freely adores the cubs, has normal brain circuits but still has no attachments to his face as a crown prince haha. A nice attitude.

Setting/Worldbuilding: 3.5/5

The world is interesting. I like all the different dragons there are. But it wasn't fleshed out as much as I wanted.

Characters: 3.9/5

The characters are cute, haha. I love the first three dragon cubs. They were interesting, adorable and funny. The MC is also a nice person to follow around. The ML, as mentioned above, is refreshing. There was no the alpha male is king and great while the other partner was weak and submissive, so that was a nice change.

Personal Enjoyment: 3.8/5

It was an engaging enough read that I made myself finish it. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, which was to slowly step by step, build up the centre and adopt a bunch of abandoned orphans without the convenience of having rich parents donate expensive stuff to the centre haha. <<less

CN (4)

#14I Want To Be a Good Person in This Life

0 Chapters Every 1359 Day(s) 1420 Readers 8 Reviews N/A

Romance School Life Slice of Life Yaoi

3.61 Stars... more>>

CN (4.4)

#15Little Ger, Slow Life in Another World

130 Chapters Every 21.9 Day(s) 3426 Readers 52 Reviews 07-31-2024

Completed Fantasy Historical Romance Slice of Life Yaoi

3.6 Stars... more>>

Writing/Translation: 3.5/5

I read all the existing translations up to C27 by Travis Translations and then moved to MTL with the default Google and Safari browser translations. The Google one was noticeably better than the Safari one, so I would only refer to the Safari one if something didn't make sense in the Google one. I still lost some details though.

Pacing: 3.8/5

The pacing was pretty smooth except at the end ish. When they started getting three-digit earnings, the detail and impact of any subsequent business idea weren't as powerful anymore. Mostly because for the main characters, they have already reached their peak lifestyle.

Plot: 3.5/5

A pretty standard plot only it stopped at the village level instead of going all the way to develop at the capital. It definitely fit the characters and their goals, though, so I'm quite happy about it. I always hated going to the capital to develop part because it always felt unnecessary and bloated. I enjoyed the beginning half more, though, because everything the characters did created a good ROI in improving their quality of life. Also, all the effort of the business-making can be read and felt. But after they started earning in three digits, meh, there wasn't much excitement left. So I do wish there was more detail in the business part.

Romance: 3.8/5

The romance is okay. There was a progression and the writing was also pretty good. No weird insta love or super typical uke and seme relationship. And the ML also had some development that doesn't usually appear in these types of stories. Also, no in your face disrespecting of the uke here. Not bad.

Setting/Worldbuilding: 3/5

Just the typical ancient china ish world. We don't get much outside their land lol.

Characters: 3.8/5

The main characters are okay haha. They are pretty refreshingly gentle, actually. This is quite a peaceful and relaxing type of story and the main characters are a good cause for it. They are just living thteir lives quietly and happily. They aren't calculative, sharp or cunning. But they aren't pushovers.

Personal Enjoyment: 3.8/5 <<less

CN (4.2)

#16Saving the Tragic Adonis

64 Chapters Every 72.1 Day(s) 5049 Readers 92 Reviews 08-08-2022

Completed Comedy Drama Romance School Life Shounen Ai Slice of Life Yaoi

3.6 Stars... more>>

Overall

I like most of it. It's just that some transitions are a little off like the timeskip from when the ML moved into high school when the book's plot finally starts. I wanted more family bonding before that happened to really cement the changes first. We skipped a year so quickly. Then, when the ML agreed to move to the Wei family and decided to bring the MC along, I wish there had been more discussion with the parts first. The author just made the MC think, huh, they really listened to the ML a lot these past few months and never showed the parents about the whole letting their son follow the ML across the country to live with another family who's super wealthy. It's like, too unrealistic. I also felt that the ML’s whole thing was a little inconsistent. After the injury, the text and the author and even the ML himself kept saying his emotions felt super dull and nonexistent after the injury. But when writing to him, he clearly has lots of emotions, like him being worried about how to make friends, how to talk to the MC, how to talk to people without ruining the mood, how to buy presents, etc. That definitely does not feel dull to me. Another thing is also that I don't like that the ML’s capability all came because of the head injury. Compared to if he just studied and got all these skills from his own hard work and natural talents, it would have been far more satisfying instead of getting a perfect memory after the injury. It feels cheap. I was looking forward to seeing how the MC would help the ML get success and have a good relationship with him because the ML really hated the guy before. In the end, the change in the ML’s heart came from the head injury changing his personality into a more rational, emotionless person. Because he's more rational after the injury, he is able to think through other people's actions properly. Too much of a shortcut and lazy writing.

But, I did enjoy myself. I finished the story after all. I also found the romance kinda cute eventually. The ML is kinda cute from the MC's point of view haha. My only issue is that the MC kept calling the ML Baby to his face before the romance and the ML didn't blink an eye. It is definitely weird for a 14-year-old kid to call a 15-year-old kid, both middle schoolers, "baby" in a slightly coquettish manner.

Writing/Translation

The translation I read is from Chrysanthemum Garden. The translation is pretty good.

Pacing

It was okay, just that the time skip after that part in middle school to high school when the book plot starts was unexpected. I do think we could have benefited more from more family bonding during that period of time. The way it switched to high school made it seem like the author didn't want to care about unnecessary stuff and wanted to move on to the book plot quickly. Then the high school plot happens. It was okay. But the ending was a little open-ended for my taste.

Plot

We follow our MC as he tries to win over the ML despite years of bullying him, helping the ML’s situation during middle school. We also follow the ML and what he thinks is going on and also how he earns money. Then, time skips to high school and we follow them as they enter the Wei family and deal with all the drama over there. Finally, the extra shows what they do at university. It's a bit open-ended though because that is the only extra about the future.

Themes

The execution of how the author handled the whole age thing is not smooth. MC is mentally older but he keeps acting like a normal middle school kid. Even his thinking. He doesn't seem that mature. It feels like a 14-year-old kid has got memories of his older self and then is worried about all the stuff and handles it as a kid. So, whenever he thinks that the ML is his Baby! His Baby has grown up! Let's buy his Baby cute animal pyjamas because he wants to see the Mal in them! This is really messing with me. It's a bit disturbing; either he's a 14-year-old kid calling his 15-year-old friend Baby, wanting to photograph and dress them in cutesy pyjamas, calling them Baby to his face, or it's a 20- or 30-year-old adult doing all that. Either way, it's too weird and a kiiinda pe*verted. I also don't understand why the ML didn't react in any way when the MC refered to him as "Baby" to his face. Before the injury, I would have thought he would be offended. After the injury, surely there would have been some questioning if the MC liked him or something. But nada.

As for how the ML slowly found positive things in life, well, I really love how he collected pictures that mean family and love for him on his laptop. That was just ngawww. I do wish he was more outspoken about the Shu family as his own family though. I would have liked some verbal confirmation, haha

The money-making was sadly unbelievable to me. I really wanted to enjoy it but learning programming in a week? Then learn to invest? The thing is, we don't get to see it grow from zero knowledge to tycoon in detail. It's just mentioned and it quickly grew so fast until he ML could afford a villa, no sweat. However, I do feel like the author used jargon effectively. <<less

CN (3.9)

#17Poisonous Peasant ‘Concubine’

62 Chapters Every 45.8 Day(s) 4300 Readers 39 Reviews 12-26-2024

Adult Adventure Drama Romance Slice of Life Supernatural Yaoi

3.59 Stars On-Hold: C822... more>>

"The first 150 chapters or so are really not convincing enough to say that it's a high quality BL. I was honestly annoyed most of the time. But once the royal arc starts, everything starts to go towards the right direction and suddenly everything becomes good. This story focuses on child care, farming, business, medicine, poison, economic development, palace drama, military training, war, weapons development, and so on. Writing is strong, although sometimes repetitive. Nevertheless, the novel is worth reading."

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Writing/Translation: 3.3/5

The translation I read is from Flying-Lines Guy Gone Bad. As expected of a Flying Lines TL, it isn't exactly good. I would say above MTL but way below good. There are wrong pronouns and wrong names that the translator keeps missing. So sometimes, especially when the author does this info dump in a dialogue by someone in the capital, I have no idea who's related to who or what their goals are until a good deal of chapters later when I get more familiar with the new people. I love farming, poor to rich, family-type stories, though, so this didn't faze me.

Pacing: 3.5/5

Most of the time, I thought it was fine. But sometimes, after some long events happen, the author will cram lots of stuff that the characters did in like a couple of paragraphs. It's a little jarring but it doesn't happen all that often. Also, some of the torture stuff the MC did felt a bit too fast to get results but eh.

Plot: 3.5/5

Hmm, how to say? I love the first half when the MC is just a villager and everything is purely about how to get rich for his family and close people. It was heartwarming and I love reading about all the stuff the MC does to get rich. I also liked reading how they designed a big home to live in, all that stuff. Then, well, they had to go to the capital and get thrown into all the political intrigue and all the face-slap scheming. There are still those setting up shops and stuff but it's like 10% of the story now. I still enjoyed it because the heartwarming stuff is still there. But I would still love more farming stuff than fighting lol.

Romance: 3.5/5

The romance is not bad for a BL novel haha. The main romance is surprisingly, the most “healthy”. The couple thinks about each other's views a lot when doing stuff and never force the other to do anything. The development of the romance is a bit iffy where it felt like for a while the MC was in wait-and-see mode and overnight, he suddenly decides that the ML is a good catch and he probably had long-developed feelings for the ML. Kinda out of the blue, I didn't see the building up of feelings but eh. Just roll with it. The other couples are kinda of weird, though. Like the two princes from the Xi kingdom and the MC’s disciple as well as the MC’s nephew and the shadow guard. Wow, kinda toxic relationships in there “side eyes” but eh, just roll with it “laughing face”.

Setting/Worldbuilding: 3.5/5

The setting is typical of ancient China, which I like. I learned a lot of new stuff, like medical things from the MC and stuff like salty land not growing anything XD. All that was fun haha. After we reach the capital, there is a lot less new knowledge and more about the different families and the other kingdom’s movements. Not much detailed world-building, I must say.

Characters: 3.7/5

The main character is definitely vibrant, has a strong personality, is smart and adores kids. So the adores kids part I really like because it adds a lot of family and heartwarmingness to the story. While I am not a fan of most of the Mc’s decisions in how to raise the kids logically (1000 eyes for an eye and ruling through fear than respect, and teaching this to the kids kind of just make them another arrogant bully, well, this isn't that type of fluffy rainbow of a story hahaha). The ML is a typical adoring strong male lead with a powerful background. The kiddos are all noiooce except the big brother when they were still at the village scale. Gosh, he was so annoying then. The whole nagging the MC thing about money got old pretty fast. Luckily, the author mostly stopped it at the capital part.

Personal Enjoyment: 4.1/5

I am enjoying myself quite a bit haha. Especially because it's so long. I completely forgot it wasn't completed after I started it, so now I have to wait hahaha <<less

CN (3.8)

#18The Glory After Rebirth

6 Chapters Every 98 Day(s) 3578 Readers 41 Reviews 11-12-2023

Action Adult Fantasy Historical Mature Yaoi

3.56 Stars Dropped: C473... more>>

"I like that MC didn’t just instantly get a gold finger & leveled up from 1 to 10, or knew every single plot or happening/ incident. He continued to better & grow himself, while slowly falling in love with ML keeping in mind love is not the be all n end all. ML also offered MC an equal partnership, helping him to improve his martial arts, political power, personal growth etc - things did not end at just the grand wedding.I love that both a loving family (Lìñg) and the atypical nasty relatives family (Yuwen) was both portrayed for contrast, and I actually cared about the side character of the family.The plot was not repetitive and each incident was carefully resolved through smarts not from just depending on knowledge of the plot, and the characters actually needed to do work to resolve it which makes the resolution so much more satisfying.Overall, I recommend giving it a go as it’s a BL that’s satisfying on plot, political intrigue, a lil smut later on & sweetness of a healthy relationship."~0angel0

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Writing/Translation: 4/5

The translation I read is from Flying Lines Translation, DragonRider. The translation is pretty good except the translator loves choosing super fancy words instead of normal ones. Sometimes, they are so fancy, I don't understand them, not even with context clues. Lol. Otherwise, there are some minor grammar mistakes, like singular instead of plural. But it doesn't affect anything.

Pacing: 3.6/5

Seems okay.

Plot: 3.6/5

The revenge part was interesting. Then, in the capital, it was tense. I stopped at the war with other countries after the climax of the capital and I have zero interest haha. Because there isn't a personal stake anymore to carry me through the story. And the fighting isn't interesting for me.

Romance: 3.5/5

The romance is okay for me. I dislike that the MC keeps being super thin skinned and shy and the ML goes on regardless, but it's not too bad because, as the reader, I can feel that if the MC really didn't want it, the Ml would stop. I just prefer enthusiastic consent from all parties in my stories

not this no, but with coaxing, it's a yes type of trope.

Setting/Worldbuilding: 3.7/5

The setting is actually not bad compared to a lot of other CN novels. I'm just not really interested in it haha.

Characters: 3.5/5

The main characters are okay. They are distinct and different, with their own personas and stuff. And also have some mysteries to them. It's just that we don't spend that much time on them to differentiate themselves. Or it is taking so long to get to the mystery that I kinda forgot them lol.

Personal Enjoyment: 3/5

It was okay at first, but our MC kinda becomes someone from a small town and is not as experienced as the ML when the ML comes in. So the story made it so that he always has to defer to the ML most of the time. When he's not doing that, he's just learning to be stronger. But that is boring and not detailed, so kinda meh. There are some exciting killings that happen but they were kind of interesting only in the moment. After it was solved, I didn't really care about what happened. Then most of the stuff from the beginning got solved so I don't feel any drive anymore haha. Left the mysteries to explore but I don't feel any interest in that so <<less

CN (4.5)

#19Ancient Foodie Survival Guide

113 Chapters Every 102.1 Day(s) 4873 Readers 92 Reviews 04-30-2021

Completed Comedy Historical Josei Romance Slice of Life

3.5 Stars... more>>

Writing/Translation

I read the translation by Pure Love Translations, Serena Love. The writing is a bit off, especially in the beginning. The setup chapters are very inadequate. It's all so confusing with the intro of all these characters, adding in the transmigration (which isn't explained at all, like how did she die, did she get the original's memories, sometimes it seems like yes, sometimes no), all the complicated family structure and who is who in this structure, what their impressions or personalities are etc, too confusing. Lots of the sentences when a character is thinking/talking about another character of the same gender, I get so confused. Like a female character talking about another female character and saying her son dislikes something... I get confused about whose son it is, the person talking or the subject being talked about. However, after a while, either the translation got better or I got used to it, the flow of reading got much better. The explanation of how to cook the food and how it tasted were all mouthwatering. Although after a long while, reading it all got a bit tiresome and a bit samey I skimmed it. I think this is just my food taste and not the translation's fault though. For people who love spicy Chinese food will probably have no issues. The translator also included pictures and YouTube videos embedded into the website for easy imagination of the food, so that was great.

Plot

Since this is slice of life, there aren't really any high conflict points or anything. I personally would have loved more conflict and active conflict resolution by the MC and using food but this is not the case because the MC is just an oblivious foodie haha.

Themes/What Story Tried to Achieve

Honestly, this is just a love letter to good food and what cosiness/closeness + happiness it can bring so in that sense, it achieved it. The flow is a bit rough and there was too much emphasis on the food taste descriptions compared to how food can heal a family but overall it was pretty good. The only missing point for me is that I wish there were more thought by the MC to help the healing or happy side effects that happened with her food. As it is, it is just the MC happily cooking food for herself and other people, chancing on eating delicious food and by chance creating happy side effects. There wasn't any planning or meaningful action except helping her mother feel joy again. I also wish there were more direct impact on how these revolutionary recipes are improving everyone's lives instead of just how delicious they are compared to normal food. I love the relationships made between everyone and the food, from her family to female friends that you think would follow the cat and dog fighting but bonded over food.

Pacing

Since this is slice of life, the pacing is a bit slow, with almost every chapter showcasing how to cook food and what it tastes like. There can be up to 5 or more short paragraphs on how the food tastes so it can get a bit samey. Because we know the formula by then, food is made, delicious smells are smelt and the food taste delicious. This doesn't change at all lol.

Characters

The main couple are both idiots lol. You wouldn't think the ML is in the first like 22+ chapters but yup. The MC is just a normal person who really loves food. She isn't smart or calm or anything like that. The East Palace group can get a little bit annoying in trying to always get her food from the husband but are overall likeable. The MC's family relationship, from hostile strangers to close-knit family, is a wonderful journey to read about. I do wish we had more development with the young twins though. They were heavily prominent at the beginning but were edged out by their mother, Zhou-shi and Zu-shi later on.

Overall Comments

It was an enjoyable enough time spent reading, although it was a bit too slow for a time when there were lots of back-to-back chapters of just the MC making food and eating delicious food. What I really liked the most were the relationship development or how we get to know more about the female characters in the MC's family. They were the most interesting. The romance part was eh, better than average for a CN light novel but not particularly gripping for me. I skipped most of it because cn romances are usually kinda cringy for my taste. But it wasn't bad. You can tell they have chemistry in food and that they really do like each other. I also liked how it was like one-sided enemies to lovers and it was a slow-ish burn lol All this alrd made it not bad. I wish there were more of a main goal for the MC to strive for but I liked it. <<less

CN (4)

#20After Transmigrating Into the Cultivation World, the School Topper Was Reborn

500 Chapters Every 113.3 Day(s) 4206 Readers 107 Reviews 10-30-2020

Completed Romance School Life Slice of Life Xuanhuan

3.5 Stars... more>>

Overall

Honestly, the extra point 5 star is purely for Kangyao, I think my favourite ML ever? By the end, I was sticking through just to read more of their love. Too bad there really isn't much. But what we do get is so very sweet. The guy is absolutely adorable and all his thoughts and actions are ridiculously cute. The use of emojis with him in the text is brilliant in bringing to life his cuteness.

Okay, for everything else. The beginning was actually not bad, the premise was interesting. I love how it gave a chance for the ML to show off his good traits to us. It was pretty good until the showbiz part where I was completely uninterested. Because the MC did not work hard at all (at least not shown to us), has zero interest in showbiz and has no plans to be in this industry, I also have zero interest in it. I don't understand why the author put so much detail into it. Not the MC’s hard work to be in it (because she's automatically amazing in everything) but the industry details and every single netizen comment which are repetitive and boring.

I enjoyed the studying part at the beginning, where she had to work hard to improve her scores in her first year and part way through her second year. But after she got into the maths quiz thing, all the school-related stuff got boring and dry because we don't get what she is studying really. The author just throws around all the titles of what she is doing but I don't understand so it's just a blur. It's also a bit stale with the netizens commenting on every exam and stuff.

The cultivation part, I thought was an interesting thing to add to a second chance modern world story. If used properly, it could spice things up. But this was really only prominent at the beginning when the MC was worrying about her livelihood and her goals and how she, as a minor, could achieve it. After that, it was only at the end where there was zero detail and only a third-party narration on her life and achievements.

Basically, I agree with all the previous reviews.

Writing/Translation

The translation I read is from wordrain69. The flow is sometimes not smooth. It can feel like I missed a connection from one part to another. And sometimes it almost feels like the chapters are messed up? But none of the commenters for each chapter complained so maybe I just didn't get the sequence of events properly. Like the character left the room and in the next chapter, the character is in the room, like did I miss this character coming back in? Or was the character that went out a different one and I confused them? There are a few parts like this for me. Also, later on, there are lots of quick POV changes that seem like a side tangent to the current scene which is unnecessary and long. But generally, the translation is pretty understandable and consistent.

Pacing

It felt like it was getting more summed up near the 2nd half of the story. And from the last 100 chapters, you don't read from the Mc’s pov anymore. You hardly get her in the scene except as a paragraph. Everything else is just other people's pov commenting on her actions or her family worrying about her actions and then the results come out and the tune changes. It feels like the author has alrd shown the various scenes in the MC and the ML’s pov previously, so there is no need to show them again. Instead, the author decides to show random people's pov on the MC when that is the most boring part.

Plot

We follow 3 years of the MC’s high school, then very quickly into her university life until her death. The first year is quite engaging and detailed, the 2nd is similar with less interesting conflict, then the third year was kinda dry about all the competitions and side characters of other students I don't care about and the university where she sets up her laboratory... but it wasn't detailed like in her first year X (.

Themes/What Story Tried to Achieve

There are 3 main things the author focuses on. Cultivation as the MC’s goal in life, school as her professional legit way to achieve her goal and showbiz as the capital to achieve her goal. The cultivation is there but not really detailed after the start. But it is the driving force of all the MC’s decision-making. The school art at the beginning was also interesting because we followed her from almost zero. She has to do lots of stuff to get good. Sure, it got dry at the maths competitions but it's still low key nice to see her succeed. I only dislike that we get ohhh she has a photographic memory and high cultivation, so she absorbs everything like a sponge no matter what. The showbiz is where I really didn't like it because she was good at it all without seeming to need to work for it. Everything in this part is contributed to "luck" *rolls eyes* That's the most boring reason for me as the reader to read about. We don't even get a target amount of money she needs to save for anything. If that was given, I could at least get that feeling of accomplishment whenever any of her showbiz stuff earns money because it would mean that she is getting closer to her goal. Sigh...

Characters

The MC was interesting and made me sympathetic towards her at the beginning. Then, she got so OP later on that it was kinda stale. After awhile, we don't get her personal feelings anymore because everything gets narrated by side characters.

The ML, Kangyao, is the best thing in this story! He's cute and ridiculously sincere in the most shy teenager way. This was one of the very few web novels where I could really feel and root for the love! The other one I felt so much for the ML’s love was in Bai Su Mei of the 70s.

The side characters are actually distinct and aren't just there as roles needed for the story. They all have their own circumstances, opinions and worries. They feel real even if they don't have much screentime as the main characters. I like the couple's friends haha. <<less

CN (4.6)

#21Those Years In Quest Of Honour Mine

1 Chapters Every 2313 Day(s) 7950 Readers 128 Reviews 01-25-2019

Comedy Drama Historical Romance Shounen Ai Yaoi

3.5 Stars: Dropped - C67... more>>

Personal Enjoyment/Overall: 3.5 Stars

Stopping at C67 because I am satisfied with where the story is at. The couple have admitted they really like each other to the other person and most of the important mysteries are solved. I'm not really interested in the rest haha.

Writing/Translation

The translation I read is from Perpetual Dreams. The translation is pretty good.

Plot

The plot is a mixture of the advancement of romance and political intrigue with lots of secrets. The first 30 ish chapters or so was kinda eh because there are so many hidden things. You read from a surface level perspective of what is happening right now. Then, we unravel the first few layers of the past for these 2 characters and start to get some interest in them. Then, from the 50th chapter onwards, oof, all the barriers break down and you completely understand their emotions, thoughts and feelings. I admit, it was so full of the feels and angst and love haha. From this point on, the view of the mad and reckless ML kinda changed completely. He's actually really doting and loves the MC like mad. I stopped at chapter 67 because I feel like the romance has reached its peak and I don't feel like it's needed to read to the end. It seems like the rest is political intrigue which I’m not really interested in since we kinda know the ML’s origins now and that was the main mystery. The couple is also together now, so no more suspense there haha. What's left are the Mc’s ongoing effects to get laid which isn't interesting.

Romance: 3.7/5

The romance is okay for me. I admit, the constant breaching of consent everywhere is finally getting to me at this point. At the beginning, I wasn't bothered because of the writing. It was humorous and kinda lighthearted and the definitely didn't not like it so I wasn't bothered. But there are so many throwaway and joking comments to give sleeping drugs wtc that it is starting to bother me. Consent is sexy.

Characters

The main characters are the most well developed. The side characters are kinda just there. <<less

CN (4.1)

#22Back to the Countryside

99 Chapters Every 83.6 Day(s) 4284 Readers 42 Reviews 02-09-2022

Completed Romance Slice of Life Yaoi

3.5 Stars... more>>

Overall

It was okay, not what I really wanted but I did manage to finish the story. The story kind of has like two parts. The first and longer part deals with the ger ML’s life while the other part deals with the MC’s life. It was actually okay separately but in one piece, the vibe of both felt too clashing. This is a personal preference though. Basically, I just don't like the addition of the Jiang Hu to the rural village countryside slice of life, farming life. The vibes of both just don't fit together for me. From the synopsis, I thought that the MC left that life and was just going to stay in the countryside for the entire story and that the golden finger of the MC is his martial arts skills or something. But in the latter part of the story there is his past and the Jiang Hu people who interfered with his life.

Anyway, I think it was just a difference in my expectations and reality for me. The ML part in the first part of the story was full of super annoying relatives being ridiculously s*upid and entitled. And the ML was too trusting until he finally learnt his lesson and grew some spunk. Before that, the relatives had free reign. I was so infuriated at them that I skipped a lot of the scenes attacking the ML because I knew the faceslapping wouldn't happen so fast so no need to suffer myself to be angry yet. I find, though, that faceslapping is only satisfying when the person being bullied is the one doing the faceslapping which the ML eventually did at the end XD. It took a while though.

Writing/Translation

The translation I read is from KnoxT. The translation was pretty good, not perfect but the translator really translated. Basically, if a sentence is weird when direct translate to English, they will change the sentence to something similar in English that makes sense to English audiences. They worked hard adding footnotes too.

Pacing

The pacing is okay.

Plot

The plot is that a new, unknown, mysterious rich MC comes to the village, encounters a Cinderella-like pitiful and beautiful ger, takes a liking to him, falls in love with him, marries him in 10+ chapters and then deals with the ML’s horrible relatives’ drama. Like a smiling yandere. Then, very obviously, after all the MC’s villains were dealt with, all kinds of people from the MC’s Jiang Hu past started coming to interfere with his quiet life when it felt like the story had finished its climax. Lol Then, the Jiang Hu portion of the story begins where there is some sect drama and hidden secrets are revealed.

Characters

The MC was interesting in that at the beginning, your first impression of the MC is really as some young master whose of a smiling, gracefully avoids issues type of person but over the course of the story, realise he's quite capable of killing enemies in cold premeditated mu*der lol. But the majority of the time, he's that smiley, graceful and very doting to his Fu Lang.

The ML is a typical downtrodden, bullied uke. But, over the course of his arc, he grows a spine and stands up and even does some literal faceslapping of his villains haha. Just by living with the MC, he also grows a taste for teasingly bullying other people into blushing states lol. But is still a cute and determined uke.

The other good side characters in the village are all nice, interesting and different from other rural farming stories I've read. They have personalities lol. Are likeable and feel mostly real and not just as props for that rural village life.

The bad guys are super infuriating :) <<less

CN (4.3)

#23Assassin Farmer

232 Chapters Every 70.7 Day(s) 10937 Readers 113 Reviews 08-31-2022

Completed Fantasy Martial Arts Romance Slice of Life

3.5 Stars - Dropped: C111... more>>

Overall

Well, the beginning when the MC was stuck in the forest and had to rely on herself to survive was a pretty good start. Even until they all started building their houses, it was nice because they were learning and developing their feelings for each other. And the whole embroidery was interesting too. Then, well, it got kinda boring because it felt like nothing was happening anymore. From some reviews, I thought there was a chance they would be selling some stuff because they said everything they did would succeed XP. The MC becomes someone who just lies in bed or goes to the room to embroider or casually read books. The ML will go and do everything else. But we don't really get the details of everything else. Usually, we just get a narrative that he does this and this and this daily. Even the bad guys don't get a satisfying faceslap on screen but off screen. We only know this after the fact. The main face-to-face isn't completely shown and concluded. Then, because the ML doesn't want the MC to do any kind of labour at all, the MC became the most useless character in the story. Sigh. She's no fun anymore. Her only skill, embroidery, doesn't get used anymore except as a hobby and so we don't get any interesting knowledge about embroidery anymore because it's just shown in summary that she embroiders for fun every day and that's it. Then, the MC’s body background is too OP. I find the mew characters kinda annoying because they are just pushing their own ideas without considering whether their presence is even wanted. I mean, since the body has run off to this quiet place and never went back, isn't it obvious she likes it there and doesn't want the complexity of these rich people? Gosh, when all those servants kept coming to their house, that was annoying. And then, I stopped at this part because I'm just not interested in this new direction of the story. Not interested in the new family at all, zero. I would be interested if there was some family drama but the faceslapping isn't really satisfying so even if there was some drama, I’m not really motivated to continue sigh. I wish they had worked harder for money to do things with the land instead of conveniently having a large amount of money to do all the things. Then, all these cool things being done would feel more earned and fulfilling.

Writing/Translation

The translation I read is from Pure Love Translation. I think it's pretty good. Very minor errors that I can see. Lots of enthusiasm in providing footnotes and links to images of culture.

Pacing

It's slice of life so it's a little slow. Lots of lovey-dovey in the middle scenes too.

Plot

The first 100 or so chapters are just their life in the village, plus lots of romance between the couple. Have some farming, normal villager relationships and some embroidery. Then, some drama with the assassin part of the ML’s life. After that was mostly solved, then there was the past of the MC’s body and her old relatives came to find her. After that, I stopped because it seems to be some country battles which I’m not interested.

Themes/What Story Tried to Achieve

One of the selling points of the story is the setting imagery right at the beginning! We follow our cheerful and innocent MC from the 1920s back to an ancient era. When I see all her reactions to the environment and how pretty it all is, I just can't help imagining beautiful oriental fantasy-like surroundings, something like from Okami haha. I think it's because the body she transmigrated to was in the middle of a large forest, then she lived in a cave for 3 months and finally travelled to the village to live. This gives me time to appreciate the beauty from afar. In other stories, the MC directly appears in a dilapidated house in the village and we are thrown into the setting right away. Sadly, after this, it just goes back to a normal web novel story. Not much pretty imagery happens after that. Maybe during the house renovation only. After that, nothing.

I was actually looking forward to how they were going to make an income because I find that the most satisfying part in these types of stories. Sadly, after an interesting start, it fizzled out to barely a mention to none at all :)

As for the village drama and relationships, ehh, kinda average for this level. Which means, not really good. Actually, since they live further out and are more isolated, there isn't much drama at all to spice things up. And since the MC doesn't farm and stays at home all day, it's kinda boring at her end. The farming part is all done by the ML and not much detail is there either. We just know he does it all, but we don't feel it being done if you know what I mean.

Characters

Sigh, they are all kinda meh for me. No one is particularly likeable. The ML had some potential because he blushes and is a little shy with his wife... but he uses martial arts to prevent blushing so most of the time the MC doesn't know so what's the point? Then, when the MC realises how he really is later on in the marriage, well, she's too weak to do anything about it. This novel follows the typical old-fashioned and outdated boy-girl dynamics. This is the other extreme of dote on the girl so much she doesn't have to do anything. And have s*x like bunnies! And show the next day how "injured" the girl is because of the activities! Or that the girl doesn't want the boy to "suffer" from not doing it, so how can she "help". Ugh.

The other point is the MC. She's supposedly 20 years old but she's so innocent, pampered and treated and also acts like a little girl with the MC. He doesn't allow her to do anything so it's like she doesn't do any adulting. It doesn't help that her attitude is to always yield to the ML because she doesn't want his "punishment" *blushes shyly*. Ugh. She had so much potential at the beginning too. Especially in regards to embroidery where she gained so much experience during that 3-day session. Too bad we never went anywhere with it. The ML treats her like a pet in a cage and she just goes along with it.

The side characters feel kinda flat, especially the villagers. Just like a normal village friend prop for the MC to propel the story. The rest are varied but they don't feel particularly real. No depth to them (at least I don't feel anything for them) either. I also have an issue with the disciple of the ML, they keep mentioning him as mentally 9 instead of 13 and all that jazz but I honestly thought he seemed like a perfectly normal kid. No idea what they're talking about. Then after the blood clot dissolved, he supposedly became mature and sensible but for me, it just felt like a complete personality change instead? It just seems like before he was that mischievous, witty kid and after, he's a mature, filial kid. No mental disability stuff that was there and fixed or anything. There was such huhaa about it too. <<less

CN (4.3)

#24After an Infinite Flow Player Retires

100 Chapters Every 67.7 Day(s) 8033 Readers 55 Reviews 12-08-2022

Completed Comedy Horror Romance Shounen Ai Supernatural

3.5 Stars - Dropped... more>>

CN (3.7)

#25Transmigration: The Farm Life of a “Fool”

19 Chapters Every 13.4 Day(s) 2217 Readers 26 Reviews 06-16-2025

Romance Slice of Life Yaoi

3.4 Stars... more>>

Overall

Farming, Business Management, Transmigrate to Ancient Era, Improve quality of life, Slice of Life. This is the same type of story as Transmigration of Mian, Lu’s Convenience, and Favorite Ugly Husband. But I feel it is a bit inferior. The level of depth in the business by the MC is pretty shallow, we don't really follow him in much detail. Instead, he dips his toes into many different business ideas. He sells off the ideas instead. The narration of the story, too, tells rather than shows what happened. The pros of this story are that it is longer than most similar stories, the MC has no golden finger, the cast of characters is kind of big and different even if we don't spend much meaningful time with them, it is not all smooth sailing and there is even death in the story, which is different.

Writing/Translation: 3.3/5

The translation I read is from Flying Lines, Alanese Fantasy. I read at the readwn aggregate website. I believe most other websites have the complete translation too. The translation is okay and readable. There are mostly no grammar or spelling mistakes. However, there are some weird translation choices that are kinda too weird. For like 70% of the story, the men who can get pregnant are just called "Daddy" :) So even adults and elderly people will call others Daddy [name] like Daddy is a title. So the characters will say, "My Dad and Daddy are... " First of all, I didn't realise Daddy refers to gers. I just kept thinking it was a typo because Dad is the short form of Daddy in the English language :) Not to mention I kept confusing the Dad and Daddy characters because I thought they were the same person. Other than that, it's too weird for normal adults who aren't the playful coquettish type, to call their parents Daddy to other people. Then, at the 70% mark where the characters travel to the north arc, the translation started using the word, "childe". And until now, after reading everything, I still don't know if childe means a child, some nobility term or is another word for Daddy or what :) Sometimes, the choices of sentences chosen as the final translation is kinda weird and too modern like the characters calling Bro instead of Brother. Still quite readable, better than MTL, but definitely not perfect.

Pacing: 3.3/5

Most of the execution of the events is even, sometimes to its own detriment. The climax of things is sometimes solved very evenly. However, some conclusions got solved too quickly too. Particularly the final chapter in the extras. There were so many one-sentence conclusions to hanging plot lines lol.

Plot: 3.7/5

There were surprisingly more things that happened other than just farming and business. There was a mystery, disappearances, a disease, some army fights, making a winter, poor province rich, exams, etc. It didn't feel too jarring as well. I could still feel the ancient China vibes from all of the events. However, the story didn't tie up everything satisfactorily at the end. The children's happy ending was only briefly mentioned after focusing on it for so long and the eldest one was kinda open-ended and left to our imagination.

Romance: 3/5

The romance is just, it exists for me. The couple were already married when the MC came over. So they just accept it. There are the usual insecurities, such as both thinking the other is too good for them, and so on. I don't really feel the love so I just went with the flow and assumed that they loved each other. The ML kind of has a weak presence after the first few chapters when he was the pillar of the family since the MC’s body was a fool and there are two toddlers to protect. After the MC came, the ML became more and more a typical female love interest lol.

Setting/Worldbuilding: 3.5/5

Very rural Ancient China setting. Quite typical. When they went to the north, that was slightly more interesting because I haven't read anything with a snowy setting before. And the barbarians' clash was new, although the execution of the arc was kinda shallow.

Characters: 3.3/5

The MC was nice to follow. He's a hardworking person who can sometimes be cute when he's in a daze thinking of new business ideas lol. This isn't used much, sadly. He is also lowkey and really sticks to just being a lowkey farmer and villager instead of haring off to the capital for who knows what. He leaves that for his kids haha. Surprisingly, he doesn't go to live in the town either.

I thought the ML would be stronger when I first read about him. But after the MC took over, the ML became more and more like a typical weak wife type, even though he worked super hard and was a hunter for 5+ years to protect his family. Kinda sad to see.

There is a large cast of characters which I liked. They all have their own personalities and some of them have their own relationships (only as love interests for each other, unfortunately). The unfortunate part is that we don't really get to know them much or develop with them beyond solving one problem for them.

Personal Enjoyment: 3.5/5

I love these tropes, poor to rich, business management, improving the family’s lives, etc so I might be a bit biased. But the execution was a bit too shallow, even compared to other similar stories. And the romance wasn't as investment-worthy. I did like the variety of situations that the MC encountered, even if the story didn't dive too deeply into them. <<less

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