Mara's novel review blog/archive. main @arytha [Icon ID: Official art of Nelo from Ciel Nosurge. Header ID: Official art of Nemo and Oliver from Stray, reaching towards each other. End ID]
Idk if anyone will be looking at this blog besides me and my mutuals but hello! This blog is to archive novel summaries/reviews to help myself remember what happens in the copious amounts of novels I read. So I can recommend novels to my friends with more confidence that I'm not forgetting anything!
Reviews will state: Novel name, Author name, chapters, genre type, potential trigger warnings, and Might have an arc summary below a readmore for my general use. Arc summaries may have spoilers. Thanks!
I remember reading this one rather early on- I've always been fond of the "oops I got the wrong person" trope in these transmigration novels so its nice to get back to it~ Also, this novel is currently licensed and the last volume of the novel is expected to be published in October this year. I got an epub of the CG translation that got taken down from a wonderful friend of mine 🥰 But please consider supporting the author! I definitely will!
Song Qingshi has died young. Of natural causes- he had a degenerative disease he spent his whole life studying medicine for. Upon death he is faced with a System- a thing that sputters for a bit but asks him if he's an experienced novel reader. Song Qingshi assures the broken system that he knows everything about novels, he's read them all! He can take on any task the system gives!
But.... Song Qingshi has never read a novel in his life. He never had time to- he was too busy with research. What tortured and abused Protagonist Shou? The information the system gave him doesn't even name this protagonist... Is this a test?
Comparing the two beauties he's presented with upon entering the world- an enchanting red bird at the end of its flight and a cute, gentle young man who's yet to see the terrors that unfold in this mansion, Song Qingshi decisively chooses the former. He's supposed to save him from the hardship, right? The latter hasn't had anything done to him yet.
And this patient he picked up is obedient and sweet. He's a little angel! Surely he should score perfectly with the System when his mission is completed.
Yue Wuhuan, hiding all his thorns behind a sweet smile: Yes.
This novel is! Heavy! And very good! The entire cultivation world in this novel is dark and predatory- rape, killing, and slavery is seen as normal. Yue Wuhuan is taken away from being a sex slave by Song Qingshi and the plot revolves around his recovery and defiance against a fate that wants to further push Yue Wuhuan into the mud.
Song Qingshi is pure but open-minded. He approaches things from a scientific and medical standpoint and has no prejudices.. He's also a bit airheaded and can only truly focus on one thing at a time. He's really cute and I love him- he's very sincere in everything he does even if he ends up being a little misguided on things he doesn't know (like what Gong and Shou actually mean, lol). His thoughts are fun to follow and there's never really a dull moment with him. And while he can be airheaded when it comes to emotions, he's also very sharp when he needs to be. He's very sincere towards everything he does, which includes being good to Yue Wuhuan. He accepts everything about Wuhuan, including his murderous urges and Wuhuan's lust and passion towards himself. If Wuhuan truly endangers innocent people, he'd just go into seclusion with him for a lifetime.
Yue Wuhuan issss. A character. He's very paranoid and defensive, and his mysophobia tends towards the extreme. He takes a while to realize Song Qingshi really doesn't want to hurt him or rape him like everyone he's met before, and his trauma runs deep. For a while its hard to Song Qingshi to even keep him alive- and his suicidal tendencies don't ever fully go away until the ending. He's petty, vindictive, and eager to torture and kill everyone who's ever even thought about touching him. Yue Wuhuan also is deeply disgusted with himself, viewing his entire self as dirty and unworthy of Song Qingshi's careful attention. He falls in love with the only person who's ever cared for him, but is terrified of getting Song Qingshi dirty by proximity, or losing control and submitting to his base urges that arise around him. The author even jokes about how most yanderes want to drag their beloved to bed, while Wuhuan pushes his beloved away from it.. I really like Wuhuan's character. He's not saved by love, and his road to recovery isn't smooth. He's a complex character that tends to go overboard when facing anyone besides Song Qingshi. But he also learns the hard way that Song Qingshi is, and always will be, sincere towards him.
The side characters are varied and nice, though the real pool of recurring characters is limited. Qing Luan has to be my favourite- she's trying very hard to protect her little friends from Yue Wuhuan's wrath while also striving forwards as a doctor in Song Qingshi's Medicine Valley. Kong Muhua towards the end was fun too. All the physical villains are canon fodder, but there's reason behind their shallow views and the world's overwhelming madness when faced with Yue Wuhuan. That's the real villain... The ending of this novel stayed with me when I first read it.. Can I also say I'm weak to plots including a phoenix? Because I am. 👍
How was the translation? Good. Typos, some wrong negatives, some pronoun issues. I'm sure the official release will be fine too.
Would I recommend this novel? Yes, if you're ok with repeated mentions and some descriptions of rape and sexual abuse that come with the entirety that is Yue Wuhuan and Bai Zihuan. I believe the content is handled well in the full context of the novel.
Would I reread this novel? Yes!
Trigger Warnings: Torture (mention, actual), Animal death (brief mention, actual), Human trafficking (sex trafficking etc), Rape (as part of the human trafficking, illusion), Sexual harassment, Suicide (offscreen, attempt, onscreen), Grooming (as part of human trafficking, described), Slavery (sex slaves), Drugs (past), Gore (mild), Slut shaming, Animal testing, Suicidal ideation, Self harm, Child abuse (past), Gore (mention, mild), Domestic violence (mentions), Homphobia (mention), Child death (mention)
*Detailed descriptions here because I had no real indication of where volumes ended.
Not sure why I'm reading this one other than I haven't found another novel I want to read.. And its been a while since I've read a pure xianxia-ey novel...
Zhao Zhao was accepted as a disciple of the War God Chang Yuan because of his face. In fact, because of his slight resemblance to the War God's first disciple (who has been in a coma for a few hundred years), Zhao Zhao entered the Fourteen States with precisely this as his goal. He doesn't care if Chang Yuan doesn't see him as a real disciple- he tricked the War God into taking him, after all. Zhao Zhao just needs a roof over his head as he works on his cultivation, gaining strength so he can go out into the world to find the one he's really looking for.
And the familiar face of his cheap shizun, one that looks 70% similar to the man he was waiting for.... That's a bonus. Who says substitution only goes one way?
To gain power as fast as possible, he initially steps onto the Ruthless path- the hardest path of the heavens because it requires the cultivator to discard all emotions and desires to ascend to godhood. With no one to watch out for him or give him the love he's looking for, he's desperate. He needs to find the one who promised him he'd be with him forever, looking at no one else.
I did quite enjoy this novel! Zhao Zhao is such a character- I really like how scheming he is and how he tries to hide all his multitude of insecurities under a sharp exterior. I sincerely cried over some of the things early on in the novel.. He's simultaneously a little shit and also the most trampled upon person in the world. His motivations and self soothing bundle into a weird back and forth in his head that makes him unstable emotionally, especially when he finds out certain things about his previous Shifu.
The overarching plot is nothing much to speak of. Its a pretty normal xianxia plot. The appeal is getting attached to Zhao Zhao and watching him ultimately get utterly destroyed. I was incredibly worried about him before the end of the third arc, and I really had all right to be. I love how the first part of the novel played out.
My only gripe is this: During the fifth arc, Zhao Zhao is basically reset emotionally because his memories are sealed away for him. While these memories are traumatic, they are also what shapes his personality and cunning, and he loses both in this arc. He becomes a silly little embarrassing thing and its annoying to look at. I do understand looking back at this arc that there's absolutely no way the plot points achieved in this arc would have happened if Zhao Zhao was fully there.. But its annoying. My clever little guy turned into a pampered idiot, which is exactly the kind of character Zhao Zhao dislikes. There's no other way he'd accept the love that's shown to him without losing his memories, though... But I wanted to see more of him navigating the shock that is gaining a noble family he didn't think he'd ever have. You do get some of that when he regains his memories, and ultimately the period of amnesia is short, but man.
Zhao Zhao is really good. I also like Chang Yuan- he doesn't accept Zhao Zhao because he looks like Mo Yu. He accepts him because of other circumstances and uses his appearance as a screen to keep others from also looking into Zhao Zhao. But he's cold and distant from his new little disciple, and he gets to regret this decision forever. I won't go into much of their relationship, its best experienced in the novel itself. They do get married towards the very end, don't worry too much about the tragedy tag. This novel has a happy ending.. And considering I end up feeling like a concerned mother over Zhao Zhao, its a feat that the author made me accept Chang Yuan's eventual relationship with him.
That is to mention- yes, this is a master-disciple relationship. And Chang Yuan knew Zhao Zhao from when he was a child, but that was also 400 years ago. This is one of those xianxias where everyone in the heavens are absolutely ancient, and Zhao Zhao is around a thousand years old. Chang Yuan is like, 30,000 years old. I personally don't care about age gaps when they get this ridiculous honestly. Zhao Zhao is emotionally mature enough to figure his own things out, and he's genuinely happy at the end of the novel and that's all I want to see.
The side characters are fine. I like the East China sea dragon couple, and that they have an affinity for Zhao Zhao from the second they see him. Both of his older brothers are very good, and I think Huaibi is my favourite side character. Zhao Zhao's little friends he gains later are also nice. After so long of knowing Mo Yu would be an obstacle, I was delighted to see he likes Zhao Zhao a lot. There's a good amount of villains scattered through the novel, but they all lack substance and are pretty one dimensional. Again, we aren't here for the actual plot!
Overall, the official summary of this novel is pretty misleading. If you want a novel that can take you through a bunch of emotions, this is definitely a good pick. I'll probably read this one again in a few years.
How was the translation? Good! A few typos, some odd grammar, a few missed pronoun swaps. Nothing bad.
Would I recommend this novel? Sure~
Would I reread this novel? Yes!
Trigger Warnings: Incest*, Gore, Suicide, Suicidal ideation**, Child abuse, Child abandonment, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Master-disciple relationship, Infant death, Human sacrifice, Torture, Age gap
*Brief mentions, mostly a royalty "keeping bloodlines pure" thing. One mention is a brief play.
**Zhao Zhao goes off the deep end for a bit. Actually if he didn't have his memories wiped he'd probably have actually killed himself after the arc was done so I guess it was necessary.
Arc names and detailed triggers under the cut:
1) Apprenticeship
2) Jade Carving
Incest (Cousins, this is a royalty type thing and its just a marriage contract, won't tag this again), Gore
3) The Ruthless Path
Suicide (attempt)
4) Rising High
Suicidal ideation
5) Dragon's Roar
Child abuse (mention), Child abandonment (mention), Sexual harassment (offscreen, minor character)
Had this one on my list for a while! Considering every review on the first page of the NovelUpdates page is absolutely glowing, I'm excited to read it~
An Extra takes the stage at the beginning of the world, with no personal lines- he's only here to toss a flower onto the deceased hero's coffin at his funeral. After that? With no other plot relevance, he'll scatter into ashes with the rest of irrelevant.
The only thing that can save his life is entrenching himself in the plot- an Extra can be discarded, but a Minor or Supporting role has multiple scenes and won't leave the stage easily. And this plot rotates around the protagonist, the man currently lying in the coffin with his soul inhabiting the body of a minor noble in the alleyway nearby.
He'll need to approach him and make sure he has an excuse to journey with him to extend his short life a little more. In other words-
If he doesn't become a main character, he'll die.
This novel is. Wow. I really absolutely love it. Its crazy how much it gripped me from the very beginning- the literal world building around him as the protagonist slowly becomes more cognisant. The horror of being an Extra on a stage ready to discard you. The fact that the main character doesn't even have a name for a good while- its a narrative on the creative process from the inside of the world created. I'm weak to this topic as a creative myself, and I definitely cried a few times towards the end of the novel. I can't even say much of why its so good because a good portion of it is best encountered as you read it, blind. This author loves the story. This author loves everything within it.
The main character gets to experience a lot of horrors with little knowledge of the future- hurriedly scanning through the script of the next scene while feeling out the mechanics of the budding world around him. The first act and area Sinistra is the most outwardly horrifying- streets twisting to life under the gaze of Leovald the protagonist, Extra characters with a single line of repeated dialogue populating an inn which didn't exist before our main character told Leovald it did. The slow realization that this story is not a normal western fantasy like it presents itself, with a slow corruption that churns underneath the existing narrative- erroding it.
On top of the anxiety of trying to get ahead of the unfolding narrative and twist it in his favor, he also has to keep an eye on his plot relevance and raise it. If Leovald decides to leave without him once this act is over, he will quickly lose relevance in a city the Hero will not return to. He must follow Leovald out. He can't die here.
I can't say too much about our little protagonist Leo- he's very good too. A beast in human clothing, tamed by a mysterious man who refuses to tell him his name... I pretty much cheered every time we got Leo's perspective in a chapter- he's not normal. The main character is too deep into his love vision of Leo to really notice and its funny.
I adore the main character and Leo's relationship. The main character has an incredible chemistry with Leo, and their relationship slowly becoming more and more entwined as they spend time together is done in a comfortable and realistic way. I love how they slowly build up a solid trust between each other- Leo's embrace is the MC's only safe harbor, and the MC's secrets fascinate Leo in a way no other person or thing does.
The plot! The other characters! Holy shit I love Godric and everything around him (not elaborating bc spoilers) and the horrors he brings to the narrative by simply existing within it! I love the corrupted enemies that I cannot elaborate on either! I love the two behind the scenes working hard to give this play a happy ending. I love how gently created all the original characters within the play are. There is care placed in every major character (even if they aren't necessarily a Supporting character).
The Ertinez family is great- Celestina is probably my favourite out of all of them. Vittorio follows the main leads around like a little tail and has a satisfying character arc that ends with a bang. The Field Army characters that originally followed Leovald- Raul, Natalie, Paulo- are all funny and competent and I love their dynamic with each other. The original Leonardo is a rouge and I was happy every time he showed up- and his reluctance to explain things to his family is very him. I wish we had seen the outcome of that... Duke Marchez with his monster research obssession... There's just so many good characters.
This is a novel that plays with but ultimately celebrates the 'Story' and everything within it. The pure love and appreciation of creation that this author displays throughout the novel kills me. I don't usually like comparing things in these reviews, but if you were moved by O/R/V's epilogue you'll definitely like this novel as well. I can't wait to see if this author has more novels. Please read this one!
How was the translation? Great! Maple's translation had a few bumps in the middle (mostly a few sentences ommitting the subject) but there were no typos and only a few 'tense' mixups. Maple seems to have left all the honorifics (i.e. 'noonim') out but it still flows well. Shirubame was wonderful but the translation for the IF side story had some bumps (Shirubame didn't like it so didn't put as much effort into it. I don't blame them).
*Don't read the IF side story (last 10 chapters) if you don't like coercive relationships and explicit rape- this is a bad ending for our poor protag. Rape is not part of the main story and the normal extras are very good.
Detailed triggers (which are few honestly) and arc names under the cut- I went by chapter title for the arcs before I realized there were bigger arc cuts and just kept going 😅
1) The Afterlife of the Good Person
2) Sub-Quest
Human sacrifice (mention)
A little awkward phrasing.
3) Searching in the Dark
Self harm (mild)
4) Fun Dungeon Exploration!
Child death (mention)
5) Escape
Gore, Self harm (mild)
6) How to Catch a Big Fish
Gore, Torture (mention), Body horror
7) Hooked!
Animal death (mention)
8) Turmoil
Gore, Body horror, Cannibalism (ish)
9) Ashes
Body horror, Gore
10) Intermission
Gore, Animal death (?)
11) Nameless Ones
Gore, Body horror
12) Promise
13) Reunion
14) The Return of the Prodigal Son
15) Renovation
16) No Secrets
17) Home Visit
Self harm (mild)
18) Rumours
Gore, Body horror, Suicide (mention)
19) Turning Point
20) The Opportunist in Crisis
21) The Visitor
22) Capgras Syndrome
23) Treasure Hunt
Body horror, Gore (mild)
24) Farewell
25) Second Intermission
Gore, Body horror
26) Reconnaissance
Some sentences feel a bit awkward, eg "The fake Duke hoped to let slip more information" should be more like "I hoped the fake Duke would let slip more information".
27) Reunion
28) Chasing Tails
29) Persuasion
Body horror
30) Diversionary Tactic
Gore
31) Frame Out
Body horror
32) Wise Imprisonment Life
33) Reunion
Gore (mild)
34) Festival of the Gods
Gore
35) Final Intermission
36) Patching Up
Suicide, Gore
37) Confession
Vehicle accident
38) Turning Point
39) Another Beast Emerges from the Earth
Body horror
40) The Conspiracy
Body horror
41) The Heroic Chronicles of Leovald
Gore
42) Full Stop
Body horror
43) If I Don’t Become the Main Character, I’ll Die
Gore
44) Extra: Curtain Call
Cannibalism (fantasy)
45) Extra: If (If MC had failed)
Rape (wow...), Body horror, Cannibalism (real), Self harm, Gore, Suicide
Tags: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, School life, Supernatural, Yaoi
Chapters: 139
Read on: 05/23/2026 to 05/25/2026
I read this one a while ago and remember liking it? Another novel from Wang Ya, who also wrote Working Records in a Weird World and Thriller Trainee~
Zong Yan has a secret: he can pull cards from the void. When he crushes these cards, he gains the superpower inscribed on the card. Low ranking cards let him summon a cup of water or learn a new language fluently- but the high ranking cards change him completely, a Daily Disposable Persona.
Eventually he gets caught by the government- they assume he's a rare Awakener: a subset of the human race that awakens to find themselves able to control certain elements. The more elements you control, the stronger you are.
Fake Awakener Zong Yan who has the cards to control over ten elements: ... Haha.
So this shining new prospect is enrolled in Miskatonic University and exposed to the hidden world of aliens and gods, and personally comes in contact with many of them. This itself was fine, but... Could someone tell him why the Lord of the Gate was pretending to be his senior brother??
Yay! I remembered correctly- I do really like this novel. Its a step away from the last one; Unlike most novels which borrow settings from the Lovecraftian myths, this one gives humans a bit of a chance to fight back. It changes how the novel feels and emphasises a bit less on the body horror/gore/despair unless facing one of the gods directly. That isn't to say there's none- there's still plenty blood and despair- but it feels more like an action-adventure novel than horror. And thats fine! The author explicitly states that they have a lot of personal settings mixed in and this effect is completely intentional.
The plot is pretty good- it centers on Zong Yan himself and how he slowly figures out who he is and reacts to the world around him. Every new threat is something he has to figure out, while every move he makes is under the slightly curious eyes of Yog-Sothoth.
Zong Yan is a cute, lonely teenager who tries to keep to himself but secretly wishes for friends and warmth. He's weak to people who are nice to him and thus finds himself with a few friends as he moves forward. His relationship with Yog-Sothoth is pretty cold until Yog really starts trying to win him over, but he does have partiality towards him beforehand (as opposed to his blatant dislike of Nyarlathotep and Shub-Niggurath, who hang around too because of things). I like how their relationship develops and the mystery behind who Zong Yan is and why he is the only one with the power he has. I really like the mobius strip Wang Ya weaves- the reasons why all the Evil Gods feel partial to Zong Yan is deserved. Just wait for the plot~
Yog-Sothoth is an evil god, and thus cannot truly love someone. But he does figure out that Zong Yan, who he was only slightly interested in before because He can't see his timeline- is important enough to him that he must watch him always. I think Wang Ya really sold the thoughts and actions of all the evil gods, its emphasised how they aren't human and never will be. Yog-Sothoth havung to simulate human emotions to try to figure out just what the heck his little human is thinking is always really funny to me. Somehow this cosmic horror entity ends up being the funniest character here 🙂↕️ Though I think if you had to choose from those three, Yog-Sothoth is the better choice. If I had a nickel for every time someone fell in love with him in a danmei....
Side characters are there but mainly supplement the plot. While Wang KeMing and Edward are given a bit of spotlight and plot, its far less than the evil gods surrounding Zong Yan. I don't think this was a detriment really, but Zong Yan needs some time with humans too lol. They are enough to help dispell some of his gloominess and keep his attention on the MU crew. I just think that the Dragon group should have had more screen time- every time he turns around He Yuan is on another trip and can't help out. I was expecting a little more from the guy appointed to be his mentor.
This novel also deals with a lot of non-chinese countries and some of the depictions are a little... Shallow. I wouldn't say its egregious, just a bit misinformed. I've seen worse honestly, and Confectioner is really good at pointing some of the author's misconceptions out. Its easily overlooked.
Overall this novel is a lighter read with funny interactions and an interesting mystery to unfold. I personally like "group pet" (where everyone loves the MC) novels that are done well and have definitive reasons as to why everyone loves the main character and this novel certainly delivers. I think Zong Yan is charming, and I really love Yog-Sothoth. Converting now-
How was the translation? Perfect! I think there was only a single typo in the whole text. Confectioner is really thorough on tl notes about the different phrases and transliterations they make.
*From a brief look into Yog-Sothoth's thoughts if Zong Yan ended up rejecting him. He's an evil god, you can't really say no to him. I shrug. Zong Yan obviously doesn't go down this route.
**I'll also mention that Harry Potter is mentioned a few times as a comparison in the text, but this novel is older so 😗
Arc names and detailed triggers under the cut:
1) Child of the Wind
Gore (brief, mild)
2) The Night Watchman
Suicide (brief mention), Cults, Human sacrifice, Gore (mild), Self harm
Mild crossdressing joke..
3) The King of Clouds
Gore
4) The Astrologer
Gore (mild)
5) The Sun God
Racism (sinophobia), Gore, Human sacrifice
6) R'lyeh
Gore
7) High School Student
Body horror (mild), Gore
8) Little Majesty
Gore (mild), Rape* (fantasy?)
*Yog-Sothoth is not a normal person and briefly thinks about what normal conventions of an evil god would do with Zong Yan if he refused (little black room), but obviously he doesn't do this and instead has coaxed Zong Yan into reciprocating.
9) Extras
Gore (mild), Slavery (brief mention- ancient Egypt)
Thanks for reading my review! See you in the next one 💜💜💜
A shorter novel this time! I don't think I've read anything by this author before, so its exciting~ This novel leans heavily into Cthulian mythos for its setting.
Guan Zhongliu is a waiter at the Huai'an Inn, tasked with receiving and helping guests. His beautiful boss runs a brokerage business on the side, but Zhongliu hasn't seen the craftsman Boss Zhu works with. The brokerage business attracts people from vastly different social classes and even different cities- all clamoring for his Inkeeper to help fix their problems.
After accidentally getting involved in something he shouldn't have, Zhongliu realizes.. This is an entirely different world.
And his curiosity won't let him retreat to safety.
I think this novel is quite neat! Most cthulian mythos danmei are set in either hyper-futuristic settings or in modern day, so this is my first time seeing it in an ancient chinese setting! The way it is all integrated together while retaining other normal ancient chinese settings like the Dao, sects, etc is done very well. Hui is just another part of the universe, and Hui just happens to be what the unknown thrives through.
Zhongliu is a good protagonist with a lot of secrets hidden within him. Some, he doesn't even know himself. But as he continues to interact and be affected by Hui, his secrets slowly come to light and you realize he's much more than just a small waiter. I really like him and his character arc, I really like his struggling with his affection for Zhu Helan and his fascination towards all things secret. He has a running thread throughout him that is an observer- a record. I quite like it.
Zhu Helan is really captivating as a character. From his initial small interest in Zhongliu, to him quickly realizing his feelings for this guy are getting to strong- his conflict between his duty and his wants, vs his immortality and how lonely it is... Its very good. I eat this up every time. I love how he reacts every time Zhongliu is in danger, its fun to see his convictions crack when the person he clearly likes is involved~ Their romantic progression was quite satisfying.
Side characters! Everyone who works at the Inn is great, Zhongliu's initial hostility towards Song Mingzi is funny, Spoiler Character Z is really good. Its a little unfortunate that die to how short the novel is (and each chapter is) the villains and some shorter lived (figurative) side characters get less time to shine but the main draw of the novel is all the interactions between the Hui and Tainted Gods anyways, alongside the mystery behind who Zhongliu actually is.
Speaking of! This novel goes out to all the body horror enthusiasts, which makes sense considering the subject matter. Body horror and gore go hand in hand in this novel, so if you're weak to that kind of stuff maybe skip this one.
In all, I could hardly put this novel down once I started reading it. I like the ending- kind of wish there were some extras- and I like how Zhongliu ended up quite a lot. I'll definitely revisit these two in the future.
How was the translation? Great! A few typos here and there, but the edited MTL is very easy to read and doesn't have many flaws at all (besides the one chapter where 'Zhongliu' was left in as 'Chong Six' a few times). I'll definitely peruse some of the other translations Moonlight River has done.
Would I recommend this novel? Yes! As long as you're good with copious amounts of body horror and fleshy things.
*Reminder that a lot of these triggers are actually just mentions in the story itself- see the detailed triggers for further info.
Arc names and detailed triggers under the cut:
1) Wedding Dress
Body horror, Parasites (insects), Gore, Infant death (mention), Human sacrifice
2) Brass Chopsticks
Eye horror, Body horror, Gore, Infant death (mention)
3) Su Rong's Fan
Body horror
4) Yellow Robe
Gore, Body horror, Rape (mention), Domestic violence (mention), Child abuse, Infant death (brief mention), Parasites
5) Compass Fish
Gore, Body horror, Self harm
6) Human Fungus
Gore, Body horror
7) Begonia Wood Chest
Child abuse (mention), Cannibalism (mention), Slavery (mention), Body horror, Gore
8) Thousand Man Drum
Human sacrifice (mention), Child death (mention), Body horror, Gore, Child abandonment (mention), Suicide (mention), Cannibalism (mention), Torture (mention)
9) Island of the End
Body horror, Gore, Torture
Zhongliu is translated as "Chong Six" a few times.
If I had a nickel for the amount of times someone has fallen in love with Yog-Sothoth in one of these danmei I'd have two nickels. And the second nickel I'll probably be rereading next.
Here's a novel that has! Crazy good reviews (299 5* out of 365 total on NovelUpdates) and one I've seen around before. Sang Wo is the same author who did Born to Be Rebellious which I really loved and reviewed in 2024! Translated by 98Novels, who translate via edited MTL which can be hit or miss, but is usually readable. Here's to another really long novel to review~
Wen Jianyan is a professional scammer, lying as easily as he breathes. Focused entirely on his own pleasure and hedonism, he forges no bonds and has no one to miss him.
Right after he finished a scam with his biggest payout yet, he wakes up in Nightmare-A streaming system that forces Anchors through Instances for an unknown audience. Great. He was about to retire, and now he's forced to risk his life here??? Go to hell.
Deceiving both humans and NPCs alike, focused on digging the bloody truth out of the dark, Wen Jianyan completely flips the table on its head while also targetting Nightmare itself. How dare it bind him?
And as unrestrained and intelligent as Wen Jianyan is, he still runs into a bit of a hiccup... Why has this 'Father God' he woke up (and then immediately lied to) keep following him?!
This novel is so well structured. Its very long, sure, but it needs to be- the main plotline is dense and very well executed. Both danger and rest are balanced delicately in a way that keeps the reader engaged. I wouldn't even say it starts slow- the pace of information is slowly unvealed in an almost artful way. I cried reading the author's note on the final chapter. Sang Wo really poured their soul into this novel and it shows!
I kept having little realizations about things in the novel as I read it- figuring out some of what was going on as Yanyan did. Some of Hugo's reactions in particular that were never explicitly explained are crystal clear to me. That blows me away.
Wen Jianyan is a little liar who is also prone to being scared shitless and while that cowardly part of him is best showcased in the first few instances, you can see it in the way he grows as an Anchor too. If he can't talk his way out of something, he runs. He's sensitive as hell to the rules of instances and how things interact with each other, relying on his brain more than his items and Talent. I really love how all of this built up, a steady progression of competence that feels realistic. Wen Jianyan is still incredibly fragile even in the final arc- but his bonds with everyone and his quick thinking serve him well to directly face Nightmare.
A huge part of his character arc is him slowly learning to let others take risks with him. He's inclined to make friends- incredibly good at it, actually- but since he ends up being targetted by Nightmare he tries to keep them out of it. He may keep everyone at bay, but cherishes each and every one of them. Even the ones that he loses. Somehow, most of his team is someone he's deceived, but all of them love him and look up to his leadership. And have a victim's club open to the next person he scams, lol.
And above all else, remember this: Yanyan is a professional hole digger. He's continuously leaving pitfalls for himself, especially when facing Wu Zhu lol.
Wu Zhu I can say less of just because of how important he is to the plot, but know that I love him. His character arc is entirely focused around Wen Jianyan. Without Wen Jianyan, he wouldn't even be awake. From a tyrannical and fierce god who could kill this lying Bishop of his that defies him at every turn to realizing what he has in his hands is a lively spark that consumes him whole- that he gladly gives himself to. Folding away the claws and fangs to anxiously seek out Yanyan's love- he goes from a beast relying on instinct to being obedient and being sensitive to Yanyan's thoughts and wishes. From hatred to overwhelming love. I really like it. Its a slow change and towards the beginning he's pretty forceful with Wen Jianyan- who then manipulates him in kind- and he has no real sense of shame (which Wen Jianyam has a lot of-) so the interactions between them are really interesting and I look forward to their next meeting every time.
The romance is very slow, in fact before about about a third of the way in its impossible. But after evening the playing field both of them slowly start to realize both the importance of the other to them. I like it a lot- enemies/antagonists to somewhat working together to unable to let the other go in this lifetime. Is good. Give me more God/Mortal interactions I crave it-
The side characters arreee so good I liked pretty much every character introduced. Sang Wo says that its harder for them to write larger casts, so they worked extremely hard to make sure every character introduced had their time to shine and was integrated into the plot seamlessly. I love all of Wen Jianyan's eventual friends, I love Dan Zhu for reasons that are spoilers, I even really like the characters we didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with like Chen Cheng. Orange Candy may be my favourite side character, but Bai Xue is also a real contender for first and I enjoyed the reveal of his Talent. Ma Qi is adorable and I wish she had been introduced sooner so I had more of her. Everyone has their spot, and even the split POV of the last arc when we got long chapters that didn't include Wen Jianyan at all were chapters I couldn't stop reading. Its very good and I think Sang Wo accomplished their goal beautifully.
And Nightmare itself! I got chills from some of the final reveals- just how Nightmare works, what its trying to do, everything is seamlessly foreshadowed and absolutely crazy I love it. I want more novels where the System controlling the Infinite Flow is somehow Something Else.
The instances!! The way they all link together!!! The core function for each one are definitely after my own heart. I always favor IFs that have their instances have ties to each other and this one does it really well! The ensemble reveal in the final chapters is. whew. I really enjoyed both how Yanyan tore down each one and then how he used his knowledge to his advantage later. Some arcs are over 100 chapters long, and I never felt like I was looking at how many chapters were left till we were done with a particular instance. And that is incredibly rare in this genre~
Anyways I have nothing but praise for this novel. Its well worth the over 700 chapters to read! Please do! I will be revisiting this one in the future for sure.
How was the translation? Good. It is edited MTL, so has some missed stuff. Some typos, some mild disjointed sentences, translating "En" (sound of agreement) as "Well" once, mild typos, some wrong names, some swapped genders and negatives (not/no etc), anchors/streamers used interchangibly, Overzealous use of bold, full uppercase, and italics in some parts (😐), hanzi left in, inconsistent terms. A lot of the weirder ones I documented in the detailed triggers, but overall its much better than the last novel I read translated by them.
Would I recommend this novel? Absolutely!
Would I reread this novel? Yes.
Trigger Warnings: Gore, Body horror, Animal abuse, Animal death, Self harm, Infant death, Child death, Medical abuse, Medical malpractice, Cannibalism, Torture, Parasites, Gender dysphoria as a mental illness*, Homophobia, Psychiatric abuse, Genre-typical demonizing of mental illnesses*, Hydrotherapy, Electroshock therapy, Human experimentaton, Sexual harrassment**, Lobotomy, Self harm, Suicide, Dubious consent***, Human sacrifice, Eye horror, Huamn trafficking, Humans as furniture, Calling a child a slut, Vehicle accident
*Defining being gay as gender dysphoria, specifically.
**An instance gets mutated with Wu Zhu's fragment, causing them to be really focused on Yanyan and the "hunger" caused by the fragment gets interpreted by the human NPCs uh... a little more than carnally. Wen Jianyan is a little shit who immediately capitalizes on this.
***Considering Yanyan is the one who dug this pit and is just embarrassed the dubious is on the lighter side. He immediately contemplates asking for it afterwards 🙂↕️
Detailed trigger warnings and arc names under the cut:
1) Decai Middle School (D)
Gore (mild), Body horror, Animal abuse, Animal death, Self harm
This setup... I'm mildly reminded of Playing the Prophet and I am quite intrigued 👀 Hell yeah provoke the final boss 👍
2) Fukang Private General Hospital (C)
Body horror, Infant/child death, Medical abuse, Gore, Animal death (corpses), Medical malpractice
Hahaha Yanyan the hole you're digging is about to breach the usa from china
3) Antai Community (B-)
Child death (mention), Infant death, Gore, Cannibalism (maybe), Torture
YEAHHHHHH YEAH! Ough this is so good
4) Fantasy Amusement Park (A)
Body horror, Self harm, Parasites (frog, ghost baby), Gore, Torture
Yanyan's special ability is digging holes for himself, obviously.
5) Ping An Asylum (A-)
Gender dysphoria as a mental illness, Homophobia, Psychiatric abuse, Gore, Genre-typical demonization of mental illnesses (schizophrenia, DID), Hydrotherapy (mention), Electroshock therapy, Medical abuse, Human experimentation, Sexual harrassment**, Lobotomy (mention), Body horror, Self harm, Suicide
**Wu Zhu's big big hungry for Yanyan is making the NPCs unwell *watches excitedly * And while Wu Zhu's hunger is a more Eat Him For Real situation the NPCs are human and interpreting the urge as they will.
Man I love this instance. Shaking Sang Wo's hand. Author who knows my heart.
6) Chansheng Building (A+)
Gore, Infant death (ghost baby), Dubious consent*
Some jokes from the barrage about Yanyan dressing up as a girl in this instance and "You didn't expect it, the beauty's a guy" stuff. Also yay An Xin a guy is fine too!
Some inconsistent terms, mainly the Chansheng building's name. Not hard to follow.
*Its Yanyan's fault that he's teaching Wu Zhu these things. the hole. Yanyan the hole you're digging!
7) Xingwang Hotel (S)
Gore, Body horror, Child death, Human sacrifice, Self harm (brief), Suicide
Nightmare system = Meng Tong, Some hanzi left in, Xingwang Hotel = Flourishing Hotel
8) Yuying Comprehensive University (A)
Gore, Suicide, Self harm, Body horror, Cannibalism (adjacent), Eye horror
Yanyan is forced to dress as a girl for part of this instance without using his appearance change. Some mild jokes about that.
A bunch of the same typo. Brother Hu and A-bao= Tiger and Panther/Leopard, Fortune Beckoning Boy=Lucky Cat, Society=Clubs, Admission=Matriculation,
AHHH THIS IS SO GOOD what the hell this is so good. Fuck, yanyan.
8.5) Vacation
Dubious consent*
*Wu Zhu is more enthusiastic than Yanyan is prepared for fhdhdks. its fine
9) Lucky Cruise Ship (SS)
Gore, Body horror, Torture, Human trafficking, Suicide (ish), Self harm, Humans made into furniture
Bricklayer=Mason
10) Infinite Train + Beyond
Bullying, Child death, Torture, Child abuse, Child neglect, Calling a child a slut (Instance NPC to instance NPC), Gore, Suicide, Self harm, Humans made into furniture, Body horror, Cannibalism, Eye horror, Infant death (ghost babies)
I really love all of this. So many things come together here, and its ending up to be my favourite thing of every instance is linked together some way.
11) Extras
Vehicle accident, Self harm (mention), Infant death (ghost babies),
Lol the ghost baby diaries. They hate Wu Zhu 👍
Thank you for reading my review 💜💜💜💜 Its so nice to have a good one after the last disaster.
The long awaited! Paintings of Terror is here! I remember running into this novel around 2021 and I have been following the translation progress off and on since then. Getting the completion notification from the CG discord a week ago was a surprise~ <- written before reading.
No summary this time. I had to drop the novel on chapter 356 out of 382 simply because I could not find it in me to read it anymore.
I will go over the good things first.
First off, the translation is very solid, pretty good. I am grateful to all the translators that have picked this novel up over the years and their dedication to bringing this novel over to english even as the raws got deleted. I didn't see anyone point out why (though I think a translator mentioned the author may have said something in jest that got them censored) but I have to wonder if the author took the novel down voluntarily. This is their only novel credited on NovelUpdates, and when I went on JJWXC I couldn't find their author page (tho I didn't look too hard besides confirming the deleted raws).
The beginning of the novel is fine. Each painting is varied and interesting, and in most cases the new main characters are interesting or at least have something to bring to the table (be that conflict or knowledge). Ke Xun's growth as a person is natural and nice to see, and the main group we assemble in the first half of the novel is good. I think my favourite side character is Zhu Haowen, and I like his quiet epiphanies to himself on how much he likes Ke Xun. He's never up front about it, but quietly likening Ke Xun to a little sun or a husky... Its cute. Unfortunately I liked Ke Xun's interactions with Mu Yiran more before they got together but that's just because it was more interesting then.
And here comes the bad: This author is an amateur writer, and most of the frustration I felt while reading this novel is because of this (though some things may be the author's biases). Amateur writing is not bad in and of itself, we all have to start somewhere. But I in particular have little tolerance for some of the things the author fumbles here and everything together made it feel like a chore to read instead of just finishing a mid novel.
A thing you will quickly notice while reading this novel is that women suck and don't live through paintings. Every arc has a small handful of women introduced, and each one dies way too quickly or in ignorance to what is happening around them even as worse male characters live. How many times do I have to read about the scared girlfriend?? Not even one of the trio of fujoshi girls lived? Hello? The cute tour guide girlie and nice but odd middle aged woman couldn't become main party members?
The fact that a mainstay female character that lives through more than two paintings doesn't show up until THE NINTH ARC 188 CHAPTERS INTO THE NOVEL is insane. And while I love Fang Fei and think she's neat, she should Not have been the first one Or she should have been introduced way earlier which brings me to my second major grievance:
The overarching plot is tacked on way too late, in an ugly fashion. After the twelfth painting (almost 300 chapters in btw) suddenly everyone starts really brainstorming what is going on- helped by Wu You, who's grandmother is a shaman and can see their gu-xiang. I want to remind you that after previous paintings, the most we get between paintings is a Single Chapter where the characters relax, so this is kind of shocking.
This plot line should have started as early as the ninth arc, if not further behind. It should have been a call and response of the group slowly figuring out the connections between the paintings and challenging their views with the next painting they enter, which simply cannot happen when you only have two more paintings left to get into. This crash course of discussion on the character's part ends up in a 9 to 10 chapter long multiple wikipedia page exposition dump that sounds like baseless conjecture because there is no solid evidence for their wildly spinning out of control assumptions about the "painting instigator".
In these ten chapters you get exposition dumps about gu-xiang, ancient chinese shamanism, Qin ShiHuang's Nine Cauldrons and where they were lost, Earth Cords, and the origins of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, among other things I skimmed over. Yes, I actually ended up skimming the later chapters and guess what, I didn't miss anything because they summarize it all in another 400-600 words like there's a writing stretch goal they have.
These chapters actively killed not only my momentum in wanting to keep reading (I started avoiding the novel about 5 chapters in to the info dump) but also actively killed my interest in the painting instigator and overarching plot. Its fine to write just to write, which is what I think happened in the beginning, but don't try to forcibly shove together clues that aren't there. Don't try to call upon foreshadowing that doesn't exist. And having the group be completed (all of them survive a painting) in the very next arc (after an epiphany that all of them need to survive) with not one, but three newcomers in the easiest painting the author could have possibly come up with after everything is just. Lazy. Lazy lazy lazy writing that doesn't feel good and killed my momentum further. I do like the newcomers added in the He-He painting. I like the concept of the He-He painting. It was too easy after literally every other painting and the split pov through the arc made the painting feel like it should have been a much, much earlier arc. And even the mystery of what Mu Yiran went through because he was sorted alone is not enough for me to keep reading.
It really sucks because I think that the plot introduced has potential. The real Classic of Mountains and Seas and its origin being something shamanistic or the gateway to a seperate world is really interesting! But not implemented in this way. Even the final arc, the few chapters that I read, are confusing and not engaging, and I really don't care about what's going on anymore. Its a shame.
And even besides all of that, a lot of paintings have weird plot holes that aren't addressed and even the comments were with me on the confusion. Why didn't they use the corpses of their fellow painting goers in the Faith arc? Its not like they're alive, so why go kill people in the painting? Ke Xun buys a ton of phones but doesn't seem to remember he can use them (not even thinking about it) until its convenient a few arcs later. Ke Xun literally physically can't write in a painting that requires him to write to answer a question and not die. An arc where certain characters were ignored had an extra character that was only ignored when it seemed convenient to let her try to kill everyone else, while interacting with her just fine before that. The fact that the voting mechanic is never actually used outside the first painting. The fact that random acts of death don't happen in the later paintings like the author wants to lessen the shock they were going for earlier in the novel. Little things like that that just feel.. Out of place. An oversight.
Overall this novel is mediocre at best and infuriating at worst and I have many, many better novels to read that are much better. I think this novel needs the light novel treatment- let the author rewrite this novel knowing what their end plot is and fix the incredibly bad pacing. Its not the worst novel I've ever read, but I'm definitely not coming back to this one. Ke Xun's canonical above-butt tattoo be damned.
How was the translation? Good. Some typos, doubled paragraphs, and name swaps, but they were all minor.
Would I recommend this novel? No. Go read something better, like Survivor 01.
Would I reread this novel? Absolutely not.
Trigger Warnings (Ch1-356): Vehicle accident, Gore, Body horror, Incest, Discrimination of those with birth defects, Torture, Self harm, Suicide, Slavery, Cults, Child death, Bullying, Fatphobia, Humans as livestock, Eating disorders, Breeding of humans, Force feeding, Cockfighting, Animal abuse, Animal death, Age gap, Human experimentation, Infant testing, Sensory deprivation, Electroshock therapy, Lobotomy, Conversion therapy, Homophobia, Mysoginy, Domestic violence, Rape, Biphobia, Drug abuse, Medical abuse, Human trafficking, Insects, Parasites, Suicidal thoughts, Usage of the term "mentally retarded"*, Slut shaming
*Used by a cannon fodder before she died quickly.
Arc names and detailed trigger warnings up to chapter 356, along with some of my commentary per arc under the cut:
1) The First Painting: The Funeral
Vehicle accident (brief mention), Gore, Body horror, Incest (past), Discrimination of those with birth defects, Torture
I really liked the twist of the instance in this one, and Ke Xun's sensitivity to the painting style itself~ Don't understand why the main team didn't even try considering the remains of those who died as offerings.
3) The Third Painting: Breaking Through the Ground
Suicide (implied, direct), Child death (implied), Bullying (mention), Gore
Ahhhh the ones left behind :c
4) The Fourth Painting: Animal World
Fatphobia (mild), Humans as livestock, Eating disorders (anorexia mention), Gore, Breeding of humans, Force feeding, Cockfighting (mention, with humans instead of roosters), Animal abuse, Animal death
Oh nooo Wei Dong you have to see a fat guy naked. Who cares. Also not super happy that the entire female side got wiped out in this one. Not even a fighting chance.
5) The Fifth Painting: Shadow
Age gap (side characters), Gore (mild), Body horror
Not super enthused about Hime's negative after chapter comments about the new participants, Xida picks it up halfway through the arc. At least Guo Lixia is interesting, I like her. I also like Yening Chenyi.
AUTHOR CAN YOU LET A GIRL LIVE?? We really aren't getting any new mainstayers besides Haowen'er huh.
Also tbh with how many new people are added every painting I have a bit of a hard time remembering who is who. What happened to obvious cannon fodder names...
Chi Lei.... :c Don't understand why they didn't guard against a certain character when it was clear they were suspicious. I guess they got ignored like Luo Wei. The painting mechanics in this one are insidious.. Aw Luo Wei :c
Ke Xun finally remembered his arsenal of phones....
10) The Tenth Painting: Inn
Gore (mild), Self harm, Suicide
This particular painting is quite ambitious.... Unsure if it really hit the mark. I quite liked the world building though.
11) The Eleventh Painting: Schrodinger's Cat
Suicide (mention), Animal death (mention, see arc name), Usage of the term "Mentally retarded" (newcomer who's saying what comes to mind), Body horror, Mysoginy (brief), Suicidal thoughts
12) The Twelfth Painting: Restart
Gore (ebola), Suicide (mention), Torture (implied, past), Body horror, Vehicle accident (graphic)
Uhhh. Graphic. Really graphic. Also the 10 chapters of pure brainstorming turned me off of the novel real quick. This is a little too late to be going over all the paintings like this, and the spitballing of multiple ideas that are dismissed is really annoying. I feel like it really showcases that the author is newer to writing. I actively started skimming the chapters to get to the end of it, and it still feels like a net zero informatiom post. The pacing for this is horrible.
13) The Thirteenth Painting: He-He
Gore, Humans as livestock (brief), Force feeding (mention), Torture (mention), Slut shaming, Self harm (brief)
Ke Xun tries to keep Yue Cen, a woman in a wheelchair, from entering the exhibition hall (and thus the painting) by wheeling her wheelchair away initially. She ends up with them anyways 🙂↕️ I like her. Its too late.
I liked the setup for this one, but it would have been better if I hadn't been reading-fatigued by the end of the last arc 😐 I couldn't appreciate it fully.
14) The Fourteenth Painting: Mountains and Seas
Animal death
Ke Xun with the rare confirmed boyfriend butt tattoo.... Wow. It feels like the author is throwing funny stuff out trying to rectify the pacing and its not working.
Thanks for reading my reviewww 💜💜💜 its been a while since I've written a really long one. Woops 😅
I'm back to reread this one! This is also the author of Working Records in a Weird World, which I reviewed last year and loved. I do have fond memories of this novel, and it was one of the first novels I MTL'd most of my way through~ I feel! A little rusty writing this review so bear with me.
Zong Jiu wakes up and realizes that he's transmigrated into Thriller Trainee, a novel about a show contained within an Infinite Loop setting. The side character with his name died miserably on the first night of the instance, and Zong Jiu had decided he didn't need to read any further... He should have read a few more chapters...
Unlike many transmigrators who would have lamented their luck, Zong Jiu is secretly thrilled. Here he may be able to cure his disabled hands and climb the heights of the stage again. Each brush with death brings a chill that delights him. The curtains rise on the renewed performance of the Magician!
But who can tell him where this perverted "destined rival" of his came from?
This novel has a unique setting for Infinite Flows, incorporating a "show" within an already established Infinite Flow setting like some kind of matryoshka doll. The audience for Thriller Trainee are survivors already contained within the brutal Infinite Loop, and most of the participants have signed up to Thriller Trainee in anticipation of some benefits if they survive. To facilitate the first few rounds, the system brought in a bunch of newcomers including Zong Jiu.
The plot really is an exploration of Zong Jiu and the Devil's personalities, how they tick and how they oppose yet attract each other. With the final goal of the Thriller Trainee competition being getting a "Universal Wish Ticket", making sure the right person gets the ticket (and doesn't go to the Devil's hands) is the focus of most of the political maneuvering. While simple, I think the amount of information given to the readers at a time makes everything quite engaging.
Zong Jiu is an interesting creature. He's aloof, cold to others and has little emotion. He has his pride, and while he hides a destructive nature inside him he has restraints to hold him back. These restraints make him particularly interesting, because while he may do things that seem benevolent or good to others in most cases its either him getting back at something, or responding to obligations. I like characters like these, and I really like that true emotions bleed through only when relating to the Devil.
The Devil is! A pervert and doesn't have restraints for the malice that he holds towards the world. He wants enjoyable things, though everything was a little dull until a certain Magician caught his eye. His power being puppet strings makes a lot of the exchanges between him and Zong Jiu interesting, with the added thought always of wondering just who around him is controlled.
The side characters in this novel are great, even if a lot of them don't get names. Xu Su is probably my favourite of the bunch (and he gets the most character development), but I love the entire Class 09 and their dynamic with Zong Jiu makes the First High School arc my favourite out of all of them. My least favourite arc would be Crazy Circus.....
The gore in this novel is! A lot! Its pretty vividly described especially in the first few arcs. The later arcs don't deal with slow deaths as much and ends up being lighter on the horror than the first half. I am actually kind of sad the Punishment Instance arc doesn't live up to the hype, but it was specific for Zong Jiu so I guess I can reluctantly leave it. I find it funny that the nsfw gore of the first 3/4ths of the novel gives way to the nsfw enemies with benefits -> lovers of the last part. Nods sagely. I am not mad about this 🙂↕️
Anyways I do love this novel and I'll definitely reread it again in the far off future, it was worth coming back to. Enemies with a deadly attraction to each other is always super good 🥰🥰 Another banger by Wang Ya. I need to read more from them.
How was the translation? Good. There were some odd word choices between translators, some translator's notes are broken/show up in the main text, only a few typos. Xu Su is written as Xu Shu once. Inconsistent terms: S+ and super S rank, instructor and mentor. In one chapter cola is the direct translation "happy fat water". The memes from Ashen early on are great! Overall not bad at all.
Would I recommend this novel? Yes. Especially if you like another novel I've reviewed, This Damned Thirst for Survival. Very similar dynamic between the two main characters~
Would I reread this novel? Yes~ Of course I would.
Trigger Warnings: Vehicle accident, Gore, Drugs, Psychiatric abuse, Lobotomy, Medical malpractice, Electroshock therapy, Sexual harrassment, Human trafficking, Mysoginy, Domestic violence, Cannibalism, Rape, Torture, Self harm, Suicide, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Humans as livestock*, Breeding of humans*, Human modification*, Infant death*, Eaten alive*, Cults, Human sacrifice, Aphrodisiac curse**
*Crazy Circus has a setting where humans and animals are reversed, so humans are the main livestock...
**Which ends up being Zong Jiu's excuse to finally hatefuck the Devil 🫡 Consent is there, Zong Jiu's just too prideful to ask for it 🙂↕️
Arc names and trigger details under the cut, along with some commentary from me:
Human trafficking (?), Humans as livestock, Breeding of humans (as livestock), Human modification (mention), Infant death (mention), Gore, Torture, Eaten alive, Sexual harrassment (dubious, not dubious), Cults, Human sacrifice, Body horror, Self harm
Basically humans are treated as animals in this instance by animals pretending to be humans, which ends up having a lot of offhand mentions of inhumane treatment 😗 A lot of the breeding and food stuff is really gruesome.
10) Punishment Instance
Aphrodisiac curse (yay zong jiu...), Gore
The consensual hatefuck woooo. These two can't admit they've grown fond of each other. Kind of wish the punishment instance had actually been like, a punishment instance but eh.
11) The Final Battle
Gore (mild)
12) Faust
Self harm (brief), Dubious consent (mild)
13) Extras: After The End
Self harm (brief)
They really do remind me of Jiang Luo and Chi You 🙂↕️ Which is a good thing!! Gimme more o_o
Read all chapters of The S-Classes That I Raised by Geunseo (근서1) from 03/08/2026 to 04/03/2026. The MTL to read the rest of what isn't translated is surprisingly readable. No real review because most of my friends are already reading this and I still kind of need a break. Also I didn't think I would read the MTL when I started. 💜
Would I recommend this novel? Absolutely
Would I reread this novel? Yes.
Han Yoojin is a really special character to me in more ways than one. I was very happy with his entire character arc throughout the novel 🥺
Read up to chapter 370 of Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work by 백덕수 from 03/01/2026 to 03/08/2026.
Holyyyy shit its really good. No review because its in progress, as usual. As of right now it stops at the end of Part 2, so its a good time to get into it! I will be waiting for Part 3 to conclude before rereading. 💜
Dropped My House of Horrors by I Can Fix Air Conditioners at chapter ~180/1211 from 02/02/2026 to 02/28/2026. I've read this novel in the past and quite liked it, but due to personal circumstances I can no longer continue reading it.
This review's destined to be a short one as I ran out of hyperfixation juice due to a certain base building game coming out as I was towards the end of the novel- despite that, I did really enjoy this novel and I love this author's writing style!
Zhou Qi'an has three problems: His mother is trying to marry him off to anything that moves, his boss keeps giving him overtime, and his night school teacher has been oddly possessive of him lately. Every day has been wearing down his nerves, and along with the unrest outside about the age of water approaching, he wants to set sail- run away from his problems.
When he gets pulled into the game on the day of his wedding, he's secretly delighted- no more marriage proposals, no more overtime, no more night school!
Though his elation is short lived- his mother follows him into the first instance, and is somehow scarier than the ghosts who live there...? With his boss following him into his second instance (catching his employees working for others off the clock) Zhou Qi'an has to face the facts...
He couldn't set sail today.
This author's writing style is definitely unique, and I find it really fun. The instances are interesting (and bloody), and Zhou Qi'an's way of dealing with them is equally "interesting". He's constantly leaving almost everyone around him speechless as he decides and executes his next move. I really enjoy that Zhou Qi'an ends up dealing with the NPCs in a much kinder way than even the game expects players to, and I don't think it would be easy for others to imitate him. He's got the unique advantages enabling him to solve instances the way he does. Even if he does blow every single one of them up.
Shen Zhiyi is nice- I don't think he's as exaggerated as the ML of the last novel I read by this author, but the peeks into his perspective were interesting and I liked seeing him follow Zhou Qi'an around. The mystery as to why he and Qi'an are tied to each other the way they are was fun to think about as the instances progressed.
Not too many reoccuring side characters this time- though Qi'an has a reason for it. I did like that several characrers do show up for the final instance simply because they're useful to Zhou Qi'an and not really a threat. The only character always around Zhou Qi'an is Shen Zhiyi, though the College Student is a close second. Ying Yu the weirdo scientist was my favourite of the human side characters, and Miss Qi my fav of the instance NPCs. I do find it weird that Zhou Qi'an never asks Shen Zhiyi about Xun Er.... I guess it wasn't as important.
I looove the unique setting for the game this time. The age of water is coming, and humans need to evolve! Once you're completely evolved into a human-sea creature, you can enter the "New World". But only those strong enough to survive instances are allowed to enter the game and evolve, so it becomes an issue of leaving your loved ones behind and evolving by yourself if you don't do anything about it. Ying Yu and Zhou Qi'an are searching for ways to 'strengthen' and introduce a wider population to being able to evolve as well- to enter the game. And the game lets this happen because more customers means greater returns for its evolutionary system. Its neat.
How was the translation? Readable. Its very clearly edited (sometimes to excess) for the first hundred chapters or so, but after that it becomes poorly edited and maintained MTL. My only gripe for the edited stuff is that they use italics and bold too often- you don't need to add that to your editing if the author didn't use it, please. Afterwards its inconsistent terminology (sometimes in the same chapter), clear references to stuff that's already been defined is not cleaned up, stuff that was translated to english is suddenly left in pinyin, some muddy sentences due to MTL being unclear, leaving Completely untranslated hanzi in for no apparent reason, etc. Most things were still clear enough to be read, but at one point I wasn't sure whether Zhou Qi'an was using his holy trident or the cane he got later. More details under the cut (until I ran out of steam to document them).
Would I recommend this novel? Sure! I'd say go read Matryoshka Off-Limits first though, I prefer it more.
Would I reread this novel? Maybe?
Trigger Warnings: Body horror, Gore, Child death, Torture, Medical malpractice, Cannibalism, Animal death, Sexual assault*, Infant death, Human experimentation, Parasites, Animal death, Rape attempt*, Self harm, Autocannibalism
*Both were either a very brief mention or was part of an Instance introduction.
Arc names + detailed triggers under the cut:
1) The Best Heir
Body horror, Gore, Child death (past), Torture (past anaesthesia awareness), Medical malpractice (procedures done by an amateur), Cannibalism (attempt), Eaten alive, Animal death (mention)
2) Jinxiang Tower
Torture, Gore, Cannibalism (almost), Sexual assault (mention)
3) Boundless Blood Sea
Gore, Self harm, Torture, Medical malpractice,
The gore is really a lot in this one. Lots of decapitation while still conscious. Autovivisection.... sort of.
4) Fengshui Village
Gore, Human sacrifice, Torture (past), Body horror, Child death (mention), Infant death (mention)
5) Provincial Highway 417- Huagu Bus Station
Body horror, Human experimentation (mention), Gore, Cannibalism (inferred), Parasites (snakes), Animal death
Self harm, Gore, Body horror (plague), Medical malpractice, Autocannibalism, Animal death (maybe?)
8) Silent Museum
Animal death, Gore, Body horror, Self harm (mention), Torture (mention)
9) Extra: Best Undercover/Strawberry Hairpin
Gore (mild)
10) Misc Extras
Body horror, Gore
Some awkward sentences. Italics for literally no reason, excessively in Ch 22. Similarly, odd choices for italics and bolded words that aren't consistent at all. "Xun the Wealthy" is written as "Xun Fuweng" a few times. His boss is called "supervisor" in a few chapters with odd continuity around it. The Cangwu project is also called "Hidden House". Not sure if its cane or trident that gets called a staff in one chapter. Some scattered hanzi are not translated at all. Starts to call the trident a "fishing fork" at some point. Sixth Master is called Liu Ye after a certain point. Xiankelai = Cyclamen. I gave up documenting all the inconsistencies at some point, it just became poorly edited MTL.
Thanks for reading my review 🥰🥰 I will probably be slow on the next one because I have a trip coming up and I've been playing that gacha game in most of my freetime. I read mainly at work to keep myself from dying of boredom 👍 💜
I've been keeping an eye on this novel for a year or so now! I was a little disappointed that Lazy Girl TL stopped at the end of the main text, but it looks like Zia did all of the extras which I am grateful for~
Wen Shi doesn't trust anyone anymore-only himself. When he gets pulled into the game, its the same- no trust, no initial friendliness, just a wariness engrained deep into his spirit.
His initial skill, [I Am Who I Am], allows Wen Shi to spend a hundred points to summon another "me" from a parallel world once. This new "me" will be his unwavering external support- who is more trustworthy than yourself? You may as well be family.
Ohhhhh I really liked this one. The plot, the instances, the cast of characters- its all really good. It feels like its been forever since I read a novel where the main character pairs off with and likes NPCs more than Players and these are the novels I like the most in the genre. I am definitely giving this novel a gold star recommendation.
Wen Shi is great. From the very beginning you're left wondering who this guy is and why he looks so well adjusted when he trusts no one. Later, all you can do is shake your head and laugh as new people find out about Wen Shi's quirks. He looks innocent, and somehow manages to manipulate every faction around him into believing that he's sacrificing himself for them. He leaves a scene with a soft word and literally everyone there goes "Those other guys are silly, obviously he did that for me" from Players to NPCs, and its 100% believable. Master manipulator... And its hard to say he's not being genuine when his thoughts 90% of the time align exactly with what's going on. Master manipulator that's also manipulating the reader (positive).
I do really like that for 7 out of 8 instance scenarios, he sticks with the Doctor tag and Aaron character- its rare for an IF to have a consistent identity for a Player if not already set up that way. I also like that the world is connected- instances can be accessed from outside, you just have to conform to the game already going on. I actually just really like the Game system in general- their gradual humanization over the course of the novel and getting a personality from them (to the point that Wen Shi can threaten and "help" it) is done well and I feel slightly bad that it has to put up with Wen Shi possibly forever now if its not careful 👍
I can't talk too much about the ML because I'd like you to be just as confused as I am over his identity- His arcs are all very good. He's somewhat of a background element, but is present in pretty much every scenario after he's introduced. I very much enjoy his identity and how he has to actively learn to care for himself to keep Wen Shi from getting mad at him. I'm just sad we don't get to see them actually start doing stuff like holding hands and kissing..... And usually I'd be ok with that but in this case I'm a bit bummed we don't get to see Wen Shi confronting the unknown path that is Intimate Relationships. I want him to hyperventilate after his first kiss damnit.
Wen Shi's parallel world "family members" are all gems. Its really fun trying to figure out what genre they came from and seeing their abilities in action. I think my favourite of the bunch has to be A'Yu, but Xie Tangyan and A'Sang are also very good. Wen Shi's abilities mainly come from these family members upon completion of the instance he summons them to... His sword skill from his first family member cuts heads off of women and castrates men in two stages. This is his main attack skill.... The castration jokes are ever present. Its not that bad but towards the end of the novel I was starting to wonder if the author had a thing for this. Or just finds it particularly funny.
Anyways I definitely recommend this novel to anyone wanting an interesting Infinite Flow! I'm super glad I waited until someone translated the Extras as they're pretty important.
How was the translation? Good. Ginevre does a good job, with only a few things to nitpick. Mild typos, some odd descriptions (i.e Ch 12's "I'm floating" exchange- a little confusing) but it gets better later, Ch 25 and 26 are swapped (chapter 24 directs to 26) in pagination, for some reason Ch 119.2 has no capitalization at all, Ch 160 has a weird font. The second translator did not go with the terms used by the first group at all, see the differences under the cut.
Would I recommend this novel? Yes!
Would I reread this novel? Absolutely.
Trigger Warnings: Gore, Body horror, Medical malpractice, Castration, Child molestation*, Suicide, Cannibalism, Torture, Human experimentation, Human trafficking, Human sacrifice, Child death, Self harm, Child abuse, Voodoo dolls, Rape attempt, Rape, Dubious consent**, Victim blaming, Bullying
*Very brief mention in a list of things a Player was confessing he did.
**Only dubious because the guy couldn't eat Wen Shi's family member afterwards as per his species' mating rituals and finds the entire encounter shameful when he was the one who wanted the mate 🙂↕️ Also it wasn't physical but spiritual according to Wen Shi's family member so. Dubious. Its only really briefly mentioned.
Arc names, family member designations, and detailed trigger warnings under the cut:
1) Night of the Horror Ancient Castle (Older Sister Xie Tangyan)
Gore, Body horror (mild), Medical malpractice, Castration (attempted)
1.5) Virtual World
2) Big Factory (Younger Brother "???")
Gore, Child molestation (brief mention)*, Cannibalism, Suicide (mention), Body horror, Torture, Human experimentation, Medical malpractice, Child abuse, Suicide (attempt), Castration (brief mention)
*Among a list of bad things a player did.
2.5) Real World
3) Crazy Love Season (Son A'Sang)
Human trafficking (mention), Gore, Human sacrifice (mention), Child death (mention), Self harm, Child abuse, Torture
3.5) Virtual World
4) Crimson Sunset Expedition (Grandma)
Self harm, Child death, Torture (mention), Cannibalism (sorta), Gore, Voodoo doll (mention), Castration, Human experimentation, Rape attempt (mention), Medical malpractice
What is the author's obssession with castration... Some mild gender definition confusion because several players were castrated.
4.5) Real World
5) Merfolk Shore (Big Brother Arlon)
Suicide (mention), Rape (fabrication o_o, in relation to mating cycles), Dubious consent (possibly. Arlon says it was a spiritual union and the NPC isn't happy about not being able to eat him after), Cannibalism (mentions), Victim blaming (in regards to the fabricated assault attempt), Gore
5.5) Virtual World
6) The Horror Club (Mom A'Yu)
Child death (technicality), Animal death, Gore, Self harm, Suicide (mention)
7) Frank Hospital (No family u_u)
Gore, Suicide (attempts), Medical malpractice, Torture, Cannibalism, Self harm, Castration, Child abuse, Human experimentation
8) Extras
Gore, Castration (past... and present), Bullying (past), Gore, Body horror
*This translator is calling the Sanatorium a nursing home. The Earl = the Count. That sword technique for Xie Tangyan = the Mahayana sword technique. Arlon =Yarlon/Arlin. The Horror Club = Fear Club. Aaron = Yaron. Wusa Kingdom = Usa/Ussa Country/Kingdom. Asa = Yassa. Lord of Terror = God of Fear?
Thank you for reading my review!! 💜💜💜 The first book completely read in 2026~
A novel done by the same author as TDTfS! A promising one too~
Lou Yan wakes up the night of the Anomaly resurgence, still feeling the lingering agony of being burned alive. For his past three lifetimes, this night signified the beginning of the end- anomalies, monsters and ghosts that few had means to deal with, start appearing tonight. Humans have few choices when faced with an Anomaly- most just die. Some can rely on their awakened talent to save their own life. Some, like Fu Xuezhou, are rumored to have fused with an Anomaly to gain their powers.
Fu Xuezhou, the savior, the leader Lou Yan once admired more than he feared. Fu Xuezhou, the one who set the world ablaze with a smile that chilled Lou Yan to the bone, even as he burned to death. Lou Yan now has memories of three lifetimes, and Fu Xuezhou destroying the world never changed.
He couldn't let that happen this time. He couldn't let the world go up in flames again.
He had to kill Fu Xuezhou.
I like this novel! The plot is interesting, the setting (while a little cliche) is done well and the cast of characters is really good. The mystery of what exactly is going on and why is fun because despite Lou Yan having memories of three lifetimes, he missed a lot and doesn't know everything. He can only dig deeper into the cause and effect of the anomaly resurgence and why Fu Xuezhou seems to always destroy the world. And why does he suddenly have his memories?
Lou Yan and Fu Xuezhou's relationship is really messy.. Fu Xuezhou wouldn't have even thought of Lou Yan romantically if they hadn't been literally forced to fuck each other or die, and while Lou Yan wants to kill him so, so bad it also affects him as well. He just doesn't realize it. Both are too prideful to admit to anything without major upheavals in their situation and constantly probing the other, and it doesn't help that Lou Yan hides his thoughts behind the facade of "Getting Fu Xuezhou to fall for me so I can kill him easier". This goes on until much later in the novel when Lou Yan finally wakes up and learns more about Fu Xuezhou.
The uhhhh. The sex is something! I feel like its been forever since I ran into a novel that succsssfully skirted around censorship so well and for so long. Technically it starts out with sexual harrassment from Fu Xuezhou (who wants the 'fuck or die' curse to go away because he doesn't want to die) and Lou Yan doesn't actually not want to do it (he doesn't want to die either) but hates being ordered around. Yay arrogant guy vs arrogant guy who are completely incompatible with each other. Consent is dubious on multiple occasions but I personally didn't mind it. When Lou Yan feels like he's been wronged he retaliates and really he doesn't often despite what his mouth says.
At some point during the novel I started feeling feeling really bad for Fu Xuezhou, I ended up liking him more than Lou Yan.. Lou Yan is so calculating and mean towards him while pretending to like him and Fu Xuezhou doesn't deserve it 🫠 I really liked his character arc of being possessive of Lou Yan simply because the ghost marriage contract marks Lou Yan as his- to fumbling with feelings he hasn't experienced in hundreds of years, to restraining himself because he doesn't want Lou Yan to hate him and leave. Because his love is genuine and Lpu Yan is afraid it isn't. Because even incompatible people should be allowed to love each other.
The novel is very tit for tat, Lou Yan and Fu Xuezhou going back and forth trying to dominate and control the other until they realize that's a shit way of going about things and start allowing the other to really be in their life. Lou Yan has a strong sense of responsibility and awareness towards the safety of the world, Fu Xuezhou has little to no emotions and simply wants one thing that happens to be the way to save the world.
And finally, I really liked the cast of characters!! Fu Xuezhou has no one by his side, but Lou Yan's little family group is great and I am mostly happy on how they turned out. Xiao Yu was my favourite..... I also actually really like Wen Yian and was happy whenever she showed up. And of course Li Sanxin and Duan Zege are the best.
Anyways, read if you want to! I'll definitely come back and read this again. Enemies to lovers arrogant and possessive guy vs arrogant and murderous guy 🙂↕️ And the first time I get to trigger tag a largely fanfic trope, "Fuck or die".
How was the translation? Great! Lazy Girl TL does a good job. Some mild typos, a few swaps between using "anomalous" and "eerie" in a chapter, some "me" vs "you" statements are backwards, and a few paragraphs are in twice.
Would I recommend this novel? Yes, if you're like me 🙂↕️
Would I reread this novel? Absolutely~ I want to go through it again knowing the things I know now...
Trigger Warnings: Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Human sacrifice, Cults, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Cannibalism, Human experimentation, Child death, Fuck or die clause, Rape threat, Sexual harrassment, Aphrodisiac, Dubious consent, Human pets, Autocannibalism
Some specifics on consent stuff is added to the detailed triggers and arc names below the cut. I had to label the arcs myself as there wasn't a real guide on it, so I added the chapter I considered each "arc" to start on:
1) Beginning/Red Coffin (Liushu Village)
Gore, Self harm, Suicide (mention), Human sacrifice (mention), Cults, Suicidal thoughts (low SAN), Body horror, Cannibalism
2) Peace Boxing Club (Ch 57+)
Human experimentation (mention), Child death (mention), Fuck Or Die Clause (start), Rape threat (fuck or die clause related)
3) The Lord of Anomalies (66+)
Gore, Sexual harrassment*, Cannibalism (mention), Aphrodisiac (Fuck or die clause), Child death
*How do you even. Lou Yan is fine with fucking Fu Xuezhou but not fine with Fu Xuezhou calling the shots. Fu Xuezhou and Lou Yan go back and forth on fighting/entangling with each other while increasingly under the influence of their ghost marriage contract and ends with Lou Yan retaliating against the still-hard Fu Xuezhou and then getting excited that Fu Xuezhou still wants him. lol. He then thinks he won't be as reluctant to do it when they actually do fuck for the ghost marriage contract and warns Fu Xuezhou that if they actually fuck its on Lou Yan's terms.
4) The Plastic Man (112+)
Fuck or die clause*, Gore
*Basically done on consensual terms, Lou Yan pretends to be asleep and Fu Xuezhou knows he's pretending. Probably the only way they could have gotten it done without tearing each other apart...
5) Water Ghost (124+)
Gore, Suicide (mention), Child death
6) Count Grey, Rongcheng (146+)
Self harm, Body horror, Dubious consent*
Fishtail 👍
*Horror monster Fu Xuezhou form that Lou Yan isn't a fan of.
7) Paradise of the North Pole (170+)
Human pets, Cannibalism (assumed), Human experimentation, Body horror, Gore
8) Regret (196+)
Autocannibalism (past), Dubious consent
We're finally harmonious~
9) Attack (215+)
Gore, Rape threat (? Anomaly Lord wtf), Child death
10) Anomaly Lord (230+)
Gore, Cannibalism
11) Extras
First review of 2026! Thanks for reading it~ 💜💜💜💜 Again I want to focus on novels that I want to read regardless of potential content this year, and this one definitely kicks it off. 🙂↕️ I half wanted to add a smut tag to this with the amount of detail that goes into Lou Yan and Fu Xuezhou rolling around... Its not quite there but almost.
First read this novel back in 2022! It was the novel that opened the doors to me MTLing chinese novels regularly.... And now I'm back to reread it!
Jiang Luo has transmigrated into a novel, and into the body of a character with the same name as himself. This Jiang Luo, unfortunately, kicked the hornet's nest by killing the main protagonist Chi You. Chi You's ghost in turn tortures him to death. But Chi You is Jiang Luo's favourite character, so as long as Jiang Luo doesn't kill Chi You, everything would be fine.....
When he opens his eyes, he's already at Chi You's funeral. Oh fuck. To save himself and gain sympathy from the living, he walks over to Chi You's coffin, kneels, and bursts into tears. He weeps with more emotion than the Chi family members nearby and asks why Chi You had killed himself after Jiang Luo rejected his confession!
Later, the ghost strangling him chuckles darkly and asks, "When did I.... have a deep love for you?"
Jiang Luo answers back with a malicious smile, "Chi You. Everyone knows that you love me so much."
Augh I want to cry I really did not want this novel to be over. The writing was a bit heavy on emphasizing how perfect Jiang Luo looks but otherwise is really good and envokes an interesting excitement in the reader as things progress. The author is really good at capturing the reader's emotions and guiding the reader to think how Jiang Luo is and (at least for me) it feels very immersive. The setup to this novel is really unique and interesting and this feeling doesn't go away at all. Its exciting and is definitely another top contender on the ever-growing list of "Novels Mara would translate to english herself if she could".
Jiang Luo is a contradictory character. He initially feels disconnected from his surroundings- his only thoughts are on how he can calculate Chi You's movements and prevent himself from being harmed. His main goals are to decieve the students around him and use them as a shield against Chi You's wrath. He is arrogant and self absorbed, gentle and considerate, and his character cracks and becomes more contradictory as time moves on. His pride doesn't allow him to voice his feelings or even acknowledge them consciously, and yet he softens around his friends and even starts protecting then fiercely. He truly integrates into the world around him and genuinely cares deeply about the students he's become friends with.
His personality when involved with Chi You is quite interesting to compare alongside how he behaves when not around Chi You. Jiang Luo's mask of civility comes completely off when facing Chi You, mocking him and flaunting his real nature just as Chi You reciprocates back. This tit-for-tat behavior, calculating each other and severely stepping on each other's limits to gain higher ground or to see the other's reaction is a cornerstone of their relationship even when they get together and both of them tacitly acknowledge this.
Chi You is handsome, charming. He is humble and mild tempered, with a outstanding upbringing and slow to anger. Or at least, this was what he used to mask the utterly distorted personality hidden underneath. Used and humiliated throughout his entire life, Chi You's main goal is to get back at the world who let him down and bring the entirety of the metaphysical world to its knees. The meticulous planning he had set up behind the scenes in life only increased in urgency with his death, and Jiang Luo constantly getting in his way not only makes him furious, but intrigued.
Jiang Luo is the one who killed him, that is true. But he's also the only opponent who seems to know exactly who he is. He wants to kill the other, and knows Jiang Luo wants to kill him even more, but he also doesn't want to lose this rare spark in his life. The only person who could obtain his interest is Jiang Luo, and the only person who could feasibly kill him is Jiang Luo. This vortex of different desires actually create some restraints, with an unknown emotion holding him back from completely tearing down their mutual hatred and appreciation of the other.
I feel like this novel really leans into the toxic part of 'enemies to lovers' (<- said with restraint). These two are horrible to each other, but both of them are perverts who like the feeling of completely messing the other up and getting messed with in return. Its also what makes the love that grows between them so good, it really takes a hold of both of them. Without each other, they wouldn't deign to love anyone else. They wouldn't decend from their high thrones to give their heart to anyone other than someone who matched themself completely. I especially love the detailed look into how both of them individually realise that they can't imagine living without the other. I once again emphasise that its really good.
And despite me gushing about Jiang Luo and Chi You for. Six paragraphs. The side characrers in this novel are really good, too! Jiang Luo's fellow college students all have their own unique personalities, and they all play a heavy role in the novel. They all individually make their connections with Jiang Luo, and you as the reader also grow attached to them as Jiang Luo does! Sometimes in novels with such a huge draw to their main couple make the side characters feel irrelevant, but that's definitely not the case here.
Chi You's subordinates, and the Heavenly Mansion people, and specifically Feng Li and Ji Yaozi, they're all really good. I liked the glimpses we had of Feng Li's thoughts and the care Ji Yaozi is shown towards the end of the novel.
The introduction of the overall opponent is quite a contrast to Chi You. His demeanor and hypocrisy towards his own self alongside his ambitions is really unique? I tend to gravitate towards these kinds of characters (surprise) and I definitely wish we knew more about his life experiences. I do really like that he's genuinely a threat to both Chi You and Jiang Luo and gets them to take him seriously. He's also unintentionally the reason Jiang Luo and Chi You finally admit their feelings to each other hahaha.
Overall, this novel is super good and I wish it had been truly translated to english. The entries in NovelUpdates link to a horribly done MTL edit that makes it actually harder to read than the raw MTL hosted on MTLNovel. If you're brave enough to go through with reading this I'd advise you to just relax your brain a bit and keep DeepL and Google Translate at the ready. Its worth it though.
How is the MTL? Its readable. I'd say its probably at a medium difficulty. Some dialogue towards the beginning gets oddly blocked off in the early chapters so you'll need to make sure you can see the raws to notice that. Some names are translated roughly (tho generally recognizeable), and even I have no idea what Hua Li (花狸) is supposed to be (some sort of cat? civet? not sure). Chi You is sometimes "pool", sometimes "jilou". Seliao (塞廖) is never consistent in naming but he's also the only one with an 'se' name in the main cast so you can tell its him. The destined/fatalist/fate man has no real translation that I've been able to find, but he's also easy to pick out when mentioned.
Would I recommend this novel? If you love fucked up somewhat mutual relationships between two absolute perverts, absolutely.
Would I reread this novel? Yes! A thousand times yes. I miss this novel already.
*Questionable consent tagged because when they first fuck Chi You doesn't stop after the first session when told to, but Jiang Luo expects this and even looks back on it fondly a bit afterwards (and then continues to be a little contrarian who likes not having to say anything to get Chi You riled up) so. Also overall Jiang Luo gets a high off of Chi You wanting him carnally. I say don't worry about it tbh.
**Someone in Jiang Luo's past who had intentions about him when he was younger.
***While this was only an attempt, this is a flashback for one of the side characters that vagiely details their stepfather grooming him and trying to get him in the bath. The stepfather is immediately killed and nothing happens.
****Chi You and Jiang Luo go overseas for a month and Jiang Luo gets called an 'Oriental doll'.
Detailed triggers and general arcs under the cut, no spoilers:
A side character introduced in this arc is mtl'd as a few different names. "Beaver", "Colibri", "flower cat/racoon", they're actually called HuaLi (花狸), which is like. A cat breed. I think they're some sort of yao?
There's a servant called "god-[insert word]", just remember that this is the priest-ish figure, as I'm not sure what he's supposed to actually be called.
4) Hot Springs/Fengdu Ghost City
Gore
5) Next Stop, Idol
Infant death, Self harm, Gore
6) Weakness
Self harm, Questionable consent (hate-almost-fuck version), Animal death
woo they finally hatefuck each other here!! jiang luo despite the medication still has a clear head through the whole thing. Chi You doesn't stop when told to (surprise), but Jiang Luo expects it.
8) Inside the Mirror
Gore, Domestic violence, Pedophilia (a mention, someone with intentions from Jiang Luo's past towards his young self), Rape (mention), Necrophilia (unknowingly), Autocannibalism
This is the second time someone unknowingly fucks a corpse. 🤔
9) Wu Su Nian
Brainwashing (literal), Self harm
get into the spiritual pool to experience a sensation called Smooth Thoughts
Reread This Damned Thirst for Survival from 12/24/2025 to 12/29/2025! This time I come bearing great news!!
This Damned Thirst for Survival has been Completely Translated!
Here's the link to Lazy Girl Translation's TL: Link.
The first of my many MTL novels to ascend to godhood~ And there couldn't have been a better choice than this one. I read the new translation and highly approve of it, so here's a little updated mini-review of the translation portion!
How was the translation? Great. There were a few things to nitpick but overall this is way better than going through MTL or the other "translation". My gratitude will forever be overflowing for Lazy Girl. Nitpicks: Wenren Lian is written as Wenren Lianlian in one chapter, Ge Zhu is written Gao Zhu, Ge Wuchen is written as Gao Wuchen in a chapter. Some minor typos. A single slipup on the pronouns used for Wenren Lian and Zhuo Zhongqiu. Inconsistent pronouns for Little Pink in one chapter. Possible editing note left in chapter 129. Nothing major.
