Card Room

Description

Links are NOT allowed. Format your description nicely so people can easily read them. Please use proper spacing and paragraphs.

Xiao Lou was killed in an accident and reborn in the Card World.

Each card here represents a secret room and clearing the instance will give a reward. Xiao Lou draws a card and thinks he could draw all types of equipment and weapons. As a result: Su Shi, Li Bai, Tao Yuanming*… character cards keep coming one after another.

Xiao Lou, “???”

What was this escape game? What type of fate made him keep drawing character cards?

*famous poets of ancient China

Associated Names
One entry per line
Mật Thất Thẻ Bài
The Secret Chamber of the Card Game
โลกแห่งไพ่
卡牌密室(重生)
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
The Earth is Online (26)
The Trial Game of Life (15)
Game Loading (11)
Global Examination (11)
Supernatural Movie Actor App (7)
I Wasn’t Born Lucky (6)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Late Romance, I LOVE
  2. The consequence of my BL binge
  3. Unlimited Flow BL
  4. BL Novels: Unlimited Flow/Infinite Flow
  5. Liz's Collection : BL { Unlimited Flow / Horror / ...

Latest Release

Date Group Release
05/12/22 Rainbow Mushroom... extra 10 part8
05/12/22 Rainbow Mushroom... extra 10 part7
05/12/22 Rainbow Mushroom... extra 10 part6
05/12/22 Rainbow Mushroom... extra 10 part5
05/11/22 Rainbow Mushroom... extra 10 part4
05/11/22 Rainbow Mushroom... extra 10 part3
05/11/22 Rainbow Mushroom... extra 10 part2
05/11/22 Rainbow Mushroom... extra 10 part1
05/09/22 Rainbow Mushroom... extra 9 part8
05/09/22 Rainbow Mushroom... extra 9 part7
05/09/22 Rainbow Mushroom... extra 9 part6
05/09/22 Rainbow Mushroom... extra 9 part5
05/09/22 Rainbow Mushroom... extra 9 part4
05/09/22 Rainbow Mushroom... extra 9 part3
05/09/22 Rainbow Mushroom... extra 9 part2
Go to Page...
Go to Page...
Write a Review
137 Reviews sorted by


XieJyun
XieJyun rated it
February 11, 2021
Status: Completed
This book deserve our five stars. And I don't know why it has 1 star ratings.

The author is done writing this book. And I have to say. This is so good. I am done reading this but I'll be back later again. I won't forget you Xiao Lou, Team Leader Yu, Chief Shao (the golden master, lol), Ye Qi, Luo Quiao, Old Mo, Qu Wangyue, Long Sen, Cousin Lu, Spider Goddess Jing, and Old Gu. The description of their cards are also unforgettable especially Xiao Lou's card. Ahh. That's... more>> all I can say. I'm still relishing the fact that it's done. The extras are also goooood. So fluffy. My mind is all over the place. My review isn't so good. Hahaha. <<less
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
xiaoliyang
xiaoliyang rated it
September 21, 2020
Status: c238
You don't understand, this is one of those that got me hooked with mystery and infinite flow genre.

The story is so good, the world-building is superb, and the characters are quite likeable. This isn't like other stories were, with the main character and main love interest as the focus, the others are forgotten. No, in this story, they all have a role, which I find quite great.

You also don't forget to root for other characters, whether they are part of the main gang or not. You hope all of them... more>> survive.

Spoiler

I love each and everyone of the gang. In the latest arc alone, I love how salted fish Chief Shao aka Gold Daddy becomes the key in getting them their S-clearance. Wow. Look at that, even the littlest characters aren't forgotten.

[collapse]

The mystery is great. I love the Hearts and Spades Room for this reason alone. And the whole storyline about going home to reality and that there's a goal to every action... damn!! This is really top-tier.

This story is probably why I get scared of starting Earth is Online even though its written by one of my favourite writers. I heard good things about it, but I'm scared that it will not live up to it (especially when I read some spoilers about its characters). <<less
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
WanderingReader
WanderingReader rated it
May 25, 2020
Status: c175
I'm amazed by this novel, the world building is planned so well and the plot is revealed naturally as each chapter progressed.

The MC and ML are both main characters that have great quality, they're OP but not unreasonable, because other side characters and their friends also have skills that balanced it.

Every character is meticulously planned and didn't feel like just a passerby or unimportant, I'm curious for the further chapter.

I'd definitely recommend this novel highly if you like mystery, puzzle, adventure, the romance is cherry on top for this novel... more>> which made it more appealing because the romance between MC and ML feel so natural

The only downside is because this is a translated novel and the original probably consisted of difficult words, it sometimes feel hard for me to understand some bit and I just skipped those parts, which honestly didn't impact things that much

Also the writing style of author like to repeat things that we reader can know ourselves by reading the story, but the author probably worried the reader will not understand and repeatedly sending out hints, explaining things again and again which is a bit boring, but again it can be skipped

Oh and I love how MC and ML interact with others, because there's actually real relationships between the main and side characters, not everyone is their enemy and it's honestly relieving. It's realistic as well.

I just hope this novel will have a good satisfying ending, it will be a novel I'll remember for a long time and might even re-read <<less
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Emphyteuta
Emphyteuta rated it
April 18, 2020
Status: c6
Honestly this novel is really infuriating and I wouldn’t recommend it.

1. Every other sentence is about how great and super smart and soo calm our protagonist is which I found really excruciating after the third sentence like this. I did understand from the action and thinking of the protagonist that it was a smart move, the author didn’t need to emphatise this fact all the time. And the thing is, many times what the protagonist is doing is just common sense (which won’t be a problem if it’s not presented... more>> as the smartest thing ever).

I don’t really like novels in general when the protagonist presented in this way and I don’t think I can read more chapters from this fiction.

2. Every fact is explained over and over like the reader is some amobe whom needs consant supervision or it will dissolve in the plot of the novel (maybe the author is paid by the number of pages or something).

All in all the reader got a “calm and super smart” did I mention smart? MC who is exceedingly smart and sentences without end about the IQ of the MC and about the “complex” system of the novel. <<less
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Seashore-Seesaw
Seashore-Seesaw
August 9, 2022
Status: Completed
Mr Rating - 4.9/5

The longest survival themed story I've read to date (and I initially doubted if I would be able to finish it), yet every arc has been a page turner. The survival rooms gets increasingly challenging (as opposed to a mere change in theme), and so there is a constant build up to the end of the story. There is also a good mix of survival, crime solving, problem solving and strategy type chapters which prevents fatigue of any of type.

Characters, whether main or supporting, are also distinct,... more>> contributing, lovable and memorable as individuals. Despite their different personalities, they all have an upright and ethical character. The deepening of their relationships and improvement in how well they work together as a group is also evident with each passing chapter. Those who enjoyed "The Earth is Online", "Silent Reading", "Escape the infinite chamber" should enjoy this, which feels a little like a mix of all four.

There are 4 couples within the group (1 BG, 3 BL), each bringing a different flavour and none overshadowing the survival theme or the interest of the group. Each are also healthy relationships, whereby the parties are respectful, not over-bearing, and driven more by the desire to protect than to truly start a relationship. <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Hadhira
Hadhira rated it
July 31, 2022
Status: Completed
THIS IS THE ONE OF THE BEST NOVELS IN THE WORLD IN MY OPINION.

YOU MUST READ!!!

Alright, let me explain why I say this. The characters have emotions, personality and their own character. I love every single one of them. There's so much diversity in the group.

... more>>
Spoiler

There are 12 main characters, you'll see only 8 of them at the first. But, I'm telling you the characters are so cute and funny. I love TC and LJ, they're so cute together. I, of course love love loveeee the main couple Xiou Lou and Hanjiang

[collapse]

Anyway, the plot is so interesting and it just grabs you in from the first 30 chapters. This is also the longest novel I've read and I enjoyed every second of it.

Spoiler

The arc I love the most is definitely the ancient china one and the clone world one

[collapse]

I love how compatible the MC is with ML!!! UGH, I JUST LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS NOVEL!!!!

JUST READ IT, TRUST ME, YOU'LL LOVE IT!!

(READ IT AT RAINBOW MUSHROOM) <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Devrai
Devrai rated it
May 29, 2022
Status: extra 10 part8
Please bear with me and listen to my rant about how overrated this novel is.

In my opinion, the most important factor to an infinity flow novel is the world building. The whole building of rules and premises set up that anchor the whole story. With a novel as high rated as “Earth is online”, “Little Mushroom” and “Quickly Wear the Face of the Devil” I made the mistake to think that this novel would also follow this ironclad rule.

This novel basically annoyed me to a screaming point.

Here the bullet points... more>> that I am about to rant about:

· World building... the most boring worlds ever to happen... if they actually happen.

· Check your Facts... so much plot holes

· The CP and Romance Tag

First let me explain the basic Card World.

After dying in an accident our MC/ML and a lot of other people get to enter the card world. Once there you have two choices. A – die and end your life. B – fight the Card World to go back to your life. If you chose B you will enter a personal white space with a wall of cards. It’s the normal 54 cards package ranging from 2 to A including 2 Joker cards. Every Card represents a secret room you have to challenge and clear before going back. Every suite stands for a special kind of room and has their own keeper.

Hearts – Suspense / mu*der solving. (sexy female keeper)

Diamonds – Labyrinths and mechanisms. (loli keeper)

Spades – Survival (male soldier type keeper)

Clubs – Challenge (young face paralyzed keeper)

The first 4 rooms (H2, D2, S2, C2) have to be done solo but after that you are eligible to enter a team of 2 to clear the next 8 (row 3 + 4) rooms. If you clear an survive to here, you are eligible to enter the Card Worlds two main cities and build up a larger team up to 15 people. You can live in this world, work, earn money, and do whatever you like but you will be forced to enter every Saturday the “World Weekly” event which is a randomly set up room and has a kill rate of 20%.

The Rooms of row 2 to 7 are set rooms with more or less identical plots for all the challengers. From row 8 on the rooms will be “personalized” and there will be no guides.

Up to room 10 your “data” will be cleared as soon as you leave a room. Meaning if you were wounded or got sick, it will disappear but from the J-row on whatever happens to you in the room will follow you to the world outside.

If you die in any of the rooms, you will enter the “Nightmare Room” which is basically the same room you died in, just harder and most likely you alone. If you die there you are really dead.

There are 3 fractions in the Card World: Challengers (like MC/ML), Free Residents of the Card World and Hunter. The Challenger want to clear the rooms, the Hunter want to kill the Challenger and the Residents are soy sauce.

After this soul sucking introduction, let me start the rant:

WORLD BUILDING... it sucks so much! Since I just introduced the world, let’s start with the whole card world in itself. I read 600 chapters and you might think “why the heck did you read it if you dislike it?” Cause I was waiting for the “bang”. You know that moment when all of it makes sense and the writer reverses all your senses a 180 degree but this never happened. After 600 chapters, I still do not know why this world exists, what this world is, why MC/ML etc. were s**ked in the world, if the world chose them because they had an accident or if they had an accident because of the Card World? How did they enter that world? I do not know what happened after the team left the Card World. It was hyped in the last chapters that whoever won the last room might change the whole Card World but nothing happened? What happened to the other 80 Million people in that Card World? What about the keepers and the jokers? SO MUCH PLOT HOLES!

Also the individual worlds... at first I thought “OK they have to do 52 or 54 rooms, its ok if the rooms are starting boring. Writer-san might keep the good ones for the higher parts”... But they didn’t! They skipped rooms and then merged them.

In my opinion the Hearts rooms were the worst ever. The whole “reasoning” was more like reading a script while over and over praising MC+ML for their over the top on point reasoning. Unfortunately sometimes that reasoning made zero sense... There were jumps in that reasoning that weren’t actually to “reason”. It was simply guessing and being “right”. I hate it! And it isn’t enough to reason in their mind, no first go through it in your mind, then with your favorite team member, then the whole team and then maybe make the “James-Bond-Villain-Mistake” and tell it all to the bad guy too to show how bright you are. To be honest, if you would just scratch the n-times repeating parts you could actually delete about 200 chapters.

The Diamond Rooms were... done in seconds. Didn’t even take up to 5 chapters. MC is so good that he already solved the problems before ML even read the problem... You will hear that multiple times in the book.

The Spades rooms... to be honest I kind of liked them the best because there actually happened something and was not only “reasoning”. I just can’t get over it that while the writer had the chance to invent awesome rooms with different backgrounds and could do like everything here... they went with the standard “Zombie Town”, “Interstellar Zerg” and so on. The total basics.

The Clubs rooms are more like leisure time... cards playing and games. Usually to earn money or lose it.

But rather early on you will realize that the keepers do rooms in tandem. As early as Spades3 the spades and clubs keepers set up the room together.

Later from row 10 on the keepers merge their rooms because MC/ML are toooooooo good in solving their rooms. So instead of 4 rooms they only have to do that one which is allegedly harder but also gives better (more) rewards. That just became some strange rooms that were bored down due to the “reasoning” while running from hunters and sometimes getting pitted by the diamonds labyrinths.

Now I have to rant about the PLOT HOLES (although I am already tired of ranting)... There are just too much of them. I do not where to start, so I will pick some.

At one point during a short in one of the main cities MC states, that he can not use his cards in the main city cause they are “ancient themed” (the famous guys of ancient times summoning cards) and they can not be used in the modern city... forgotten were those hundreds of chapters where he used them in the city. He damn used his cards all the time! Then there is the “prohibition of weapons cards” in the city, so that you can not use weapons in the city but once a team member just took out a dagger to “operate” on someone’s wound.

Back to the rooms... In one Room there was a mu*der in a toilett and one of the important clues was that there was also sperm mixed in. So they “reasoned” to the mu*der and so on... but when they cleared the room and got the story card (like watching the video what really happened) the mu*derer had NO s*x with the victim and there was zero sexy time or sperm.

In another room they were chasing a mu*derer which was trying to muddy the time of death of his victim. While the mu*derer didn’t know that the body was already found, he sent massages to other people with the victims mobile phone. ML was a police detective in that room and I swear I was like going nuts why the f*ck he didn’t just check the mobile phones whereabouts!? You know you can determine where the phone was when it sent massages?

Also the body was “submerged” under ice cubes and since it was cold, the heater was off and so on, the body was found in the tub still under the ice cubes... Where did the ice cubes come from? Later they found that the mu*derer went there in disguise and had the icecube molder in his disguise... Uhm still HOW did they make a tub worth of ice cubes in the time of 2-4 hours? It simply doesn’t work this way!

Also while ML was a police officer in that case he didn’t keep the scene but touched everything, didn’t take pictures or somehow protected or professionally processed the room.

Then there are the cards... I swear, is it so hard to remember your own written cards? Can a writer not just take notes of what kind of card they invented? They changed from room to room... Some skills were just forgotten! I mean in one room they got the “Bug King” card which was basically to make you invincible and a healer BUT this card had another skill to transform someone into a bug... so when they were in another room on a bug planet... you would think that they did disguise as bugs... nooooooo... just run and almost die. That skill was never used.

Then there was the Foodpack Card... it is only allowed to use once in a room. Then in another room it was once a day.... and later it was once per room again.

Then there were the card times... Some could be leveled up but one skill said maximum 7 hours but 100 chapters later its 24 hours. The cards are a total mess.

In another room MC was cloned... That clone was engaged, had a banquet and the original never heard of this? I know he was restricted in his “palace” but there were servants, teachers, guards... anyone should sometimes mention something about this? Even if it is only Smalltalk? Also he got clothes made for his birthday banquet but then the clone went there and he was left in his room on his own birthday banquet while he NEVER got the official info from his father? What was the reasoning here?

I also wondered... All the challengers have card packs with their cards and they already know that the hunters take the cards if they kill a challenger but WHY did they never take the cards of the hunters they killed? That were really good cards? Oh sorry... they took it once and then never again.

After the Q-rooms the team reasoned that they do not want to enter the city cause the hunters might already know about their villa and it would be more secure to jump directly to the next room... but after the K-rooms they decide to go to their villa to relax for some days before the next room ?!

Also the whole f*cking hunter story makes so no sense.

About the CP and Romance-tag... there was no romance. First I thought it would be a slow burn and there were red faces and burning ears. Then there was a confession and a kiss somewhere around 360-380 and after 3 to 4 kisses all the romance was gone until the extras. So please do not read this for any kind of fluff or romance.

I feel like I ranted too much but I simply had to rant cause those 600 chapters were just f*cking wasted time. <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
auraizen
auraizen rated it
May 13, 2022
Status: c521
Spoiler tag just in case there's anything

... more>>
Spoiler

My old review while reading the first half of the book, 5 stars atm:

Love love love!

If you want romance don't read this though. It's a HUGE slow burn. They realize they like eachother ~150 chapters in. The confession happens 200 more chapters after that happens, and tbh it's not the best.

Keep in mind that it's the type of novel you read for the plot ^^

Updated review after the novel was completed, but I couldn't get myself to finish:

idk if it's just me but I could not read anymore. I skimmed the K arc to get through it and then dropped this. I get that the author has to make each arc even harder and more complex to solve than the previous one because it's a higher level, since that's the whole premise but there is a limit to how many things you can add it. Unfortunately it started feeling very much like the novel "I became a god in a horror game" for me, where the first arcs were amazing but later it drags on and just becomes unbearable to read. The author was trying to end the novel by that point I think (giving them special 4 in 1 rooms and level skips just because, even after they didn't perfectly clear the level anymore despite that being the reason why they could do) I adored so many arcs but at chapter 490 it just doesn't have the spark anymore. I think it's partially because this novel appears to have strong and smart main characters and that's what it has at first so the readers looking for that are satisfied but closer to the end they act super nerfed because the enemies have all these special powers and appear anywhere and can do anything. The later chapters seem to be about like: they nearly avoided death from enemy #1 who was disguised and is a pro killer, then repeat the same thing with enemy #2 to #10 who could kill anyone (except the protagonists just barely). The enemy organization also knows every single thing about the protagonists through hacking powers and kill themselves when they fail because they're some type of immortal. (Didn't finish so idk exactly but thats what the main characters think right now) It's so annoying now.

Once again romance is very cliche. The romance interactions (between both of the two main ships) feel very much like im reading an old school shoujo or something written. After confession there were a few kiss scenes because ML was jealous that MC was assigned an arranged fiance (which is so out of character) and then for dozens of chapters after (maybe even over 100) there was nothing. It's a very small subplot but with the characters being the two main ones it feels like it's not a real relationship.
Also the author has to have us know who is the shou by having both of them dress up as a women in the secret rooms and they don't like it but the gong loves it.
MC and ML are almost 30 but their romance is written childishly like they were 14, but still decent.
The second couple, Ye Qi and Chief Shao's relationship felt weird too because Ye Qi is 18 (dont remember sqg age but he's a prestigious boss of a company, late 20s at the minimum) which feels heavily like he is taking advantage and their interactions give off that vague creepy feeling too—like if it was irl it would not fly. Just left a bad taste in my mouth

also, the author also keeps changing their rules for what cards can be used in the main city or others rooms. I get it's a long novel and forgetting things you've written is normal but you'd think the author would atleast make notes about corr worldbuilding and what the fundamental universe laws are. There were inconsistencies once so I was like huh oh well, and then it happened again. And once again.

Now that im writing this review I noticed how many complaints I actually had that I just brushed off omg

I was solely reading this for the mysteries (although those have issues too which are further mentioned in other reviews) but now that those suck I cant find anything good about the novel oof

[collapse]

The author has some other novels that I also dropped but a few that I loved and had great romance. It's a hit or miss. This one seems great but then fizzles out and the downsides become more apparent <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
piroshilove
piroshilove rated it
February 27, 2021
Status: c123
I wanted to like this novel, I really did. The plot and setting is simply amazing. I loved the idea of rooms at each level and having them set up as card levels. Each room and mystery was also very unique and enjoyable, especially the spades and hearts room. It’s just it didn’t feel intriguing enough. I didn’t feel any emotion from the writing or sense of survival from the characters.

Pros:

  • Amazing setting
  • The mysteries in the hearts room was very interesting
  • i actually really liked the relationship btwn the 2 main charas. I just wish the ML was developed a bit more.
Cons:

... more>>
  • Too many analyzing going on. I understand it’s a mystery and that they’re detectives/forensic but it’s just repetitive and kind of boring. It’s kind of like I’m just reading an after report of a crime.
  • The writing is very mechanical, I didn’t feel a lot of emotion while I was reading. Not even during the spades room, or at least not after the MC joined up with the ml. It just felt like I was being told everything, like rather than describing the emotion, it was just telling me. Instead of he trembled because of..., it was more like, he was scared of. Not sure how to describe it.
  • characters are too OP. There was no struggle or anything. It was like a literal vacation for the main characters.
  • also it’s been mentioned before by other, but lots of praising going on with the main charas. Especially within the first few chapters when hearts I think was like, “you’re the first to be like this” or “she looked at him with surprise” when the MC said their was other levels or something like that. I was like really, I’m pretty sure there’s got to be at least a few more people who’s realized this.
  • also tags said horror, but their was no horror?? At least for me, their wasn’t horror
Ratings: 3.5

Overall, it’s an ok read for this type of genre. I was hoping it would be up to par with The Earth is online, but it’s def not. I think I went in thinking it might be more action and survival, and it ended up being more mystery, which is def my fault for not reading the tags. However the mysteries are super interesting and the first 50-70 chapters were actually very good and I managed to breeze right through until I reached the moon city arc. I just couldn’t stand the writing style or tone any longer. If you’re just looking for a mystery novel, then do give this a try. But if you’re looking for The Earth is Online type survival and action quality, then this isn’t it. <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Latirachu
Latirachu rated it
October 30, 2019
Status: c71
Haven't completely finished it yet, since there are only 71 chapters up right now, but I like what I've read so far. The translations are good and so is the grammar, so for those who can't stand bad translations this isn't something to worry about for this one.

As for the plot, I'm not usually into the mystery and problem solving genre and read it on a whim since there were a ton of chapters, but I ended up really liking it so I'll definitely keep reading. It gives me a... more>> similar vibe to The World Is Online in that it is based around a death game-like premise. The games can be considered as required to be cleared and records can be made, and the "NPC" characters are not set in their ways and can be considered much like actual people with their own ideas and opinions and such. The relationship between the MC and ML can also be considered a bit similar.

In Card Room the games are more often known as Worlds, and each card suit specializes in a particular kind or world. This is noted in the beginning of the story, literally chapter two has a better explanation of everything, and this has a big enough role in the rest of the story that you literally cannot miss it so I'll only tell the basic idea for those who are reluctant to jump into it.

Everything takes place in the Card World. We don't know a lot about this world yet but basically each playing card is it's own small parallel world and after playing out their card's storylines the people connected to those mini worlds may move about freely within the main world (?). The four suits are the same as those of a typical card game, Hearts, Diamonds, Spades, and Clubs/Clovers. As I mentioned before each suit is focused around a particular kind of world, I will give a basic rundown but I recommend making it easy on yourselves and checking out chapter two as that is where all the rules are.

Basically, each suit has it's own specialty:
Spoiler
  • Hearts represent problem solving puzzles (like solving mu*der mysteries)
  • Diamonds represent a secret room with different mechanisms (escape rooms and mazes and the like)
  • Spades are survival rooms (the trend seems to be surviving for a certain period of time or completing a task while surviving some kind of event)
  • Lastly Clubs are challenge rooms (card games and possibly duels and similar activities between Challengers later down the line).
    [collapse]
This much is simple and easy enough to understand. It's an interesting premise and each room has it's own plot and there are tasks that can be considered as mission objectives that must be checked off before one can successfully leave the card's world. Failure to complete the tasks in a certain time frame will get you sent to the punishment room, which appears to be similar in nature to whatever card world you just failed but with a harsher or more difficult criteria for success. Cannot be sure since MC hasn't gone through one personally and has so far only heard of one from a new acquaintance. Contrarily, by fulfilling certain benchmarks one can upgrade the extent of completion and have a chance at a bigger or otherwise better reward at the end.

Spoiler

Similar to the Props in TWIO, challenger's recieve Cards after completing a world, even getting more than one in some cases. These cards usually have something to do with the world they were just in and most if not all have powers like the props, and can be anything from tools like weapons to summoning cards that can bring in some kind of assistance like a hound or historical figure. This is mentioned in the story summary too actually, how MC gets several summoning cards. They aren't all consecutive or particularly op though, and most of the ones he has already need to be leveled before they're of much use.

[collapse]

Overall I love the story so far and look forward to following its progression. <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Bleyheart
Bleyheart
August 2, 2022
Status: Completed
Absolutely a classic and every BL novel reader should read. Yes there might be sliiiiight inconsistencies but tbh if you write something for 600 chapters would you still remember all the details. But the character growth, plot journey, relationship growth, and world building are all solid. Simply one of the classics.
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
timma
timma rated it
May 15, 2022
Status: Completed
It's good, but I have issues with infinite flow settings. Too much side character death, which I sympathize with because I'm pretty sure I would be a side character in this kind of setting, so far that seems off screen, but yeah still not a thing I like. I do like plot point videos with hearts.

Review of 2s:

  • Heart - Okay intro, interesting enough.
  • Diamond - felt really fast
  • Spades - interesting card use.
  • Clubs - complete different from expectation. Interested to see further of this type.
  • Overall - Feeling hyped.
    Spoiler

    they are a team now, I think I squealed.

    [collapse]
Review of 3s:

  • Heart -
    Spoiler

    really feel bad for girl who died. Very sad.

    [collapse]
  • Diamond - way too quick, author must hate writing these rooms, lol
  • Spades - interesting setting I think we see future team members/side pairing?
  • Clubs - was kind of fun. Short.
Review of 4s:

  • Hearts -
    Spoiler

    two train mu*der mysteries. A son plans a vacation for his father and invites all his enemies. Who killed his father?we find out. Second is a man who gets killed because he's a scum. Which of his girls did it? The why will have you surprised and feeling he got off too easily.

    [collapse]
  • Diamond - another quick one, I doubt we can expect much from these.
  • Spades - weirdish setting but was interesting
  • Clubs - quick game
Moon city:

  • Interesting area. Weekend activity is interesting + team dynamics.
First weekend event:

  • Spoiler

    casual cruise. Everything you would expect from Spades expeditions, lol. We get some cool info about top team, hunters, etc.

    [collapse]
Review of 5s, 6s, 7s:

  • Spoiler

    Walking in these ones because of strategy guides.

    [collapse]
Review of 8s:

  • Hearts -
    Spoiler

    I find this one a little dull. I guess killing majority of the cards for ancient times kills the card game fun. Okay I take that back, the buildup took some time but there were like 4 twists and it was pretty captivating. Even with A Heart helping their relationship this is such a slow burn. I guess it's like walking on eggshells, not wanting to spoil team dynamics.

    [collapse]
  • Diamond - most interesting of them so far (outside of the first one), but diamond rooms are still super short.
  • Spades -
    Spoiler

    parasite world. Very interesting. Really cool solve.

    [collapse]
  • Clubs - card game I couldn't follow, but I was happy reading it I guess. So far first club room seems like it was the hardest.
Review of 9s:

  • Hearts - pretty good. Showbiz? setting
  • Diamond - 1 hour time limit ruined this challenge.
    Spoiler

    Like with 5+ rooms, the amount of logical leaps is really impossible. Like every running through after knowing the solution would put them against the clock. So this artificial limit made this seem too fake.

    [collapse]
    On top of that the whole story made me sad.
  • Spades - different from usual spades, it's werewolf game.
    Spoiler

    honestly if any team lost this it would be my least favorite, as it's heavy RNG.

    [collapse]
  • Clubs - Texas Hold'em. Okay I guess.
Review of 10s:

  • 1/5 stars. Consider skipping to 357 if you don't like it. Mini arc right after it is more interesting.
  • Integrated room - reminds me of House M.D. a fair amount. Honestly hope they don't continue this direction.. this setting is mostly a hearts. None of the fun you normally get with survival. Easily worst of all suits combined into a boring pseudo suspese setting. So boring nearly giving up at this one.. docking an entire star for this room. So much going on that it's not fun.
Sun city:

  • Fun side thing. Almost made me forget how sucky last arc was
Weekend event #2

  • Starts off with all things going wrong, but at least it's not a combo world.
    Spoiler

    ancient tomb labyrinth. feel a little sad for sacrifices in backstory, but was interesting.

    [collapse]
Review of Js:

  • Spoiler

    They got a card and skipped the Js.. so cheap.

    [collapse]
Review of Q's:

  • Spoiler

    looks like combined rooms going forward. Author must have lost steam.. I hope this one is more interesting than last one.

    [collapse]
    Thankfully this setting is better than last grouped one. Very interesting. Has some of the best reversals of the series. Genuinely fun. I think combo setting with decent backgrounds aren't going to be as bad as first one.
Review of Ks:

  • Not sure on direction this one will take, but setting isn't modern
    Spoiler

    has some type of undead and possibly ghosts or illusions. + time dynamics

    [collapse]
    pretty similar to weekend #2 in some aspects and 4 Spades in others. Was very interesting throughout.
Review of jokers:

Spoiler

Team is split again. Relay Race. I think four parts, but 1&2 may have been just one.

  • First part is interesting.
  • second less so.
  • Third is like a hearts, how to prove you didn't mu*der mystery.
  • Last is a 1 hour collect 52 cards from labyrinth
  • Then after relay race is try to survive desert for 3 days. Probably one of the worst ones because they made cards all one time use, so regardless of how they win it will feel fake.
  • Now a SS level nightmare room? Very hard to suspend disbelief. Changing cards to one time use was a poor decision on authors part
    [collapse]
This one felt a bit weak ...

Review at end of main text:

  • Worth reading I guess, I think if I reread it'll be way down the line. Ending was a:
    Spoiler

    happy ending

    [collapse]
    . I think this stays at 4 stars.
Extras

  • Hard to track by number, but mostly okay. Basically a group of extras per (slash) pairing. Would have liked more the other members.
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Solarsaur
Solarsaur rated it
April 11, 2022
Status: c151
I think this story is really interesting and while there are times where it sort of drags, I enjoy the plot! Although the main 2 are idolized, everyone on the team has their role and without everyone there it wouldn't work out. The translation work is also really well done and I haven't found any major errors!

I mainly wrote this review because of the comment by pephem regarding the Financial Crisis arc. I'm going to put in spoilers but I don't explain the spoiler bits.

... more>>
Spoiler

The Financial Crisis room's difficulty doesn't come from the food part, in fact the characters themselves say that it wouldn't be hard to survive a week with the money given and the initial calm day. It's specifically mentioned the hard part comes from the chaos.

This means riots, thefts, mu*ders, etc. There are hunters and the group of 'NPCs' at the end that are there to get rid of a lot of the challengers. There's also the internal strife between challengers, which is talked about by Spades at the end.

Not wanting people who steal or hurt others in these rooms is very reasonable. If you bring someone like that onto the team, who say's there won't be a point where they decide to betray you? In bringing people who stick to their morals even in intense situations your able to create a trusting environment and work together. There's also the fact that Xiao Lou mentions he didn't like the stealing because taking that food from other challengers meant certain death, not just because of morals.

Ye Qi, the singer, is also not a minor, he's 20 years old. They brought him onto the team because he showed resourcefulness and was able to create his own strategies to avoid detection. His musical talent is shown with cards that are effective in crowd control and are helpful later on multiple times.

[collapse]

Anyways! I just wrote this because the review had a lot of likes and I didn't want people who read it to get the wrong impression. This novel isn't for everyone, but I've been enjoying it so I hope others can as well :) <<less
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
nazgul8126
nazgul8126 rated it
July 30, 2020
Status: c209
Overall: So, this is the correct way to do psychological and mystery (take notes, “Earth is Online”). Entertaining high-stakes scenarios? Of course. Logical methods to solve the scenarios? YES. Showing rather than telling MC and company’s deductive reasoning? Please accept this standing ovation!

Story: The recently deceased enter a card game-themed alternate universe, where they challenge progressively more difficult scenarios from level two to King. There are four types of scenarios. In Heart scenarios, challengers must solve mu*der cases. Diamonds feature math and language puzzles. Spades are brutal survival... more>> games. And Clubs showcase card/gambling games with the chance of winning big or losing it all. Beat the Kings of Hearts, Diamonds, Spades, and Clubs to (presumably) return to reality. Thus far, not a single of the 800 million challengers have succeeded.

The challenges in the early stages feature logic games that some puzzle-loving readers may already be familiar with. MC acknowledges that he actually encountered variations of these while living and thus solves them easily. Still, the author does an excellent job at presenting a puzzle, showing how MC solves it in a way that highlights his cleverness, and then wrapping up the scenario in a clear and tidy way. The difficulty of the scenarios rises as MC progresses, and MC applies his established abilities to these new challenges. MC signs a contract with ML and other like-minded/skilled challengers to form a team.

MC: The shou. A doctor and associate professor of forensics at Jiangzhou Medical University. MC’s mathematical and language skills complement ML’s physical prowess and fearlessness. He is the think-tank of their motley group.

ML: The gong. The captain of the Jiangzhou’s Major Crimes Unit. He fits the bill of the stoic and powerful ML that is protective towards MC but also ensures the safety of their other team members (of course, in a less gentle way). ML is the attack power of the group.

Relationship development: Slow burn and fluffy. MC and ML develop an affinity towards one another early on as skilled challengers, with non-platonic feelings soon to follow, but it’s a totally different story to get them to actually voice their feelings to each other. I’m getting a huge kick out of a secondary character (who is hopefully in his own budding relationship with another supporting character *fingers crossed*) trying to get MC/ML to realize their feelings or otherwise help them along at confessing. Hell, even the Ace of Hearts seems to be trying to push MC and ML together.

Commentary: Psychological/thriller/mind games is a difficult genre to do well. Common pitfalls include retroactive explanations in order to achieve the desired outcome rather than clever scheming occurring and thus resulting in the outcome, a dump of exposition after the scene’s climax for the purpose of enlightening you as the reader the logic behind MC’s actions, and just plain poor logic/reasoning. This novel does the opposite. The story (maaaaybe just slightly formulaic) is just very clean and well-planned.

MC and ML are unnaturally skilled individuals, but the author also does an excellent job at showing how one complements the other. Likewise, even as a power couple, they acknowledge that they still lack in certain areas and secondary characters demonstrate their worth in ways that are meaningful rather than acting as token side characters only present to show how awesome MC and ML are. MC and ML do most of the heavy lifting, but the secondary characters still contribute during planning/conversation and action/fighting. <<less
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
AprilMayJune
AprilMayJune
February 13, 2020
Status: c300
Literally one of my favorite novels to date. In fact, I'm pretty sure it is my favorite. Even though it's filled with situations my five IQ points can barely understand - especially when reading mtl - it still manages to keep me coming back over and over for the newest update.

(Well, not recently. The mtl has a habit of skipping random chapters which leaves the readers absolutely confused as to what's happening in the story, so I'm waiting for them to fix that before continuing. It hurts to wait,... more>> though ?)

The romance is veeeeeeeeerrry slow. In fact, you don't get much of even a blush (in the shy, romantic way) until, like, chapter 200 or so. Probably a little farther ahead lol.

Even still, the plots are freaking awesome and intense. Everyone's so freaking smart and watching them slowly get stronger and closer as a team is very satisfying. The side characters in the team don't feel like side characters, which is great. They aren't there just to push how great our ML and MC are, even though they are lol. They all have their strengths and are all able to help in some way.

Reading the mtl is a little difficult, but worth the effort for the amazing plot.

My only complaint so far was a missing sentence in one of the plots which left me a little disappointed.

Spoiler

it was during the train to hell plot card. In the mtl, whilst Xiao Lou and ML are checking for clues and looking at the dead body, they come across some s**en.

Lmao, ML has seen a lot of sh*t as a cop and was immediately just like "oh probably s&m play, " whilst Xiao Lou was like "People do this kind of weird stuff?". It's been a while since I read that part, so what I wrote in quotation is just a lose summary of how they reacted. What I found adorable was how ML went silent for a second and was just like "i feel like I've corrupted him.." in his head. He didn't say it exactly like that, but it was freaking hilarious and adorable lmfao.

[collapse]

I was disappointed not to see this scene in the fully translated version because it was sooooo cute.

But, yes. Now it's just a waiting game. Waiting for new chapters and the messed up ones to be fixed. ??? <<less
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Dragon_Reader
Dragon_Reader rated it
November 4, 2019
Status: c290
If you like puzzles, mysteries and some action along with highly intelligent MC/ ML along with extremely useful/ talented side characters, then this book is for you.

Translation - 10/10
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Sapphire-Saph
Sapphire-Saph rated it
August 22, 2019
Status: c8
This is So GOOD!!!! LIKE I CAN'T EVEN!!! Askdjfhl I think its better than the earth is online tbh because it's really riveting and even though rn it's really short, you get drawn in. I legit growled when I came to the end of the translations ?

Btw can we just show our appreciation for the translator like damn, they always pick the best stories to translate and they ROCK AT IT!!
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
lykire
lykire rated it
July 15, 2023
Status: Completed
World Setting:

Card World is basically where people go after they die. When they arrive in the card world, they are prompted to choose between option A, or option B. Option A allows them to die peacefully, and option B allows them a chance to live again, but with a catch, of course. They'll have to clear a set of card rooms (woah! title drop!), with increasing difficulty, before they can go back to their original world. Excluding the A of Hearts, Clubs, Spades, and Diamonds, (who are card keepers,... more>> or "administrators"), there are a total of 50 card rooms to clear (2~K of every card suit, and the two jokers).

Each card suit represents a different type of secret room. Hearts represents "solving puzzles" (solving mu*der cases), diamonds represent "a secret room with different mechanisms" (basically an escape room, maze, word games, labyrinths, etc), spades represents "survival rooms" (pretty self explanatory), and clubs represents "challenge rooms" (basically card games and gambling). These rooms have to be cleared in order, though rooms can be skipped. Once a room is cleared, you cannot go back in the room. You cannot enter skipped rooms. These rooms are ranked from D~SS difficulties, and there will be a significant difficulty strike when the letter grade rises.

BUT DON'T WORRY!! you won't have to read through 50 rooms (if that's what you're worried about). A large number of rooms are skipped (they're not that important so it doesn't really matter), and there will be joint rooms later on. Joint rooms are basically a 4 in 1. The team can clear one room instead of four rooms (so instead of clearing the 8 of hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades, they can just clear a joint card room). These joint rooms are much more difficult, but they do save a ton of time and also give special team rewards.

When the "challenger" clears a secret (card) room, they will get "cards" as rewards. If it is a perfect clearance, they will get bonus rewards, as well as a plot replay card (for perfect clearance in a hearts room). These cards are matched to the person and have a general theme special to each specific challenger, related to their personal experiences. For example, Xiao Luo, our main character, have cards that are specifically prominent figures in the past, all related to literacy and poetry (because he studied them for fun in the past). Each have a special skill and most times, there's a cooldown. Some cards can have more than one ability.

If a player dies, they will not die immediately. They will enter a "Nightmare Instance", where they repeat the room they died in (alone, or with any other teammates that died), but with heightened difficulty. If they clear it, they will live again. If they don't, hehe, spoiler!

>> Review

What I liked:

The rooms were really really interesting. THE AMOUNT. OF PLOT TWISTS OH M YGOD. The second to last arc was the only not so interesting arc (plot wise) but the last arc really made up for that. Nothing feels dragged out and there's no unnecessary filler content. It's just one room after another, which makes sense, cause they don't have time to leisurely rest. It felt really short honestly, despite it being a whole 600 chapters. Most of the rooms later are joint rooms (meaning that the main plot is always related to an unsolved mu*der case), and its real fun trying to figure out and guess what happens next. I was never right but you can try. You can also always take a break from reading after each card room arc. The romance is also a subplot and adds to the main couple's tacit understanding. Their romance doesn't affect their decision making, though they are so cheesy sometimes it makes me want to cry. It feels like a teenager's first love instead of love between men in their late twenties. They're just a lil embarrassing sometimes !!

What I disliked:

To start, I have a ton more criticism compared to praise. But honestly, card room is worth the read cause the rooms in itself are really fun imo. If you're used to looking into things just turn of your brain sometimes !!

> Problem no. 1: Overpraising

The author tends to state the obvious and overpraise the characters a lot. In the "Xiao Luo knows this because he has studied forensic science for many years" kind of way. Like of course he knows..? We kinda expect him to know...? They also repeatedly praise how good some of the characters are and really hone down the fact that they excel at what they do. It's kind of cringey sometimes but !! oh well

> Problem no. 2: Plot Holes // Forgetting some of the plot

The author seems to forget that some parts of the plot exist sometimes. Not that I can blame the author cause it was written over the span of three years, but its just that they seem to forget about certain minor things that they foreshadowed, or about certain cards that the team has acquired. It causes a previously simple situation to become overly complicated !! There are also minor inconsistencies and loopholes in certain cards (and some cards are simply overpowered? but rooms typically aren't a 1v1/groupfight so I guess it's okay), and some logic just doesn't make sense (I probably missed something /gen and am overthinking things just cause I don't remember). I'm also really curious about this whole time flow adjustment and how everything works in a card keeper's perspective. And what the card world is in general? (one of the things that are hinted at but the author forgot to explain)

> Problem no. 3: Main Character + Male Lead being overpowered

First off, forensic doctor and criminal investigation leader (i forgot his job title). That pair alone is so overpowered in the card world. Xiao luo is also freakishly smart?? Hes like. Hes like a whole NPC. He knows so much about everything and is abnormally fast at puzzles and logic problems. He can accurately explain historic events and can also reason and sort clues so damned fast. Even faster than Tang Ci, who literally develops AI. And the way Yu Hanjiang is so accustomed and good at every single weapon? Holy f*ck. Xiao luo also REALLY depends on Hanjiang but I won't say hanjiang's carrying bc xiao luo lowk is due to his intelligence....

> Problem no. 4: Side characters being overshadowed

The side characters rarely get their own chance to shine. Only one or two of them are consistently needed in each room, but the others are kind of just.. there for the rest of the team to use as puppets (kind of a harsh way to describe it but..). And there's also not much prominent character development despite all they've gone through. It's mostly the main two characters doing everything and the others don't get to develop as their own character, and are always just "Xiao Luo's teammate". Kind of disappointing ngl they were really likeable.

Most of the problems can be attributed to the author's writing style but it can be ignored most of the time. I'd treat card room as a side read. Just read an arc or two of card room whenever something you're currently reading gets boring. It was fun while it lasted but I would not read it again. <<less
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Miao Meow Liz
Miao Meow Liz rated it
January 27, 2023
Status: Completed
Unexpectedly great. There is a lot of subtle hints and relationship building. I liked the Hearts rooms the best. Then Clubs.

Diamonds and Spades rooms were not my forte. 😑 The couples were also cute and were all different yet balanced. The main team was memorable because they all had their own specialties. Some card skills were never used or forgotten, which was a little weird, but that's how it is with the way these novels are produced.

Spoiler

I didn't mind that the team went almost unbeaten, since it was still challenging. The last arc was scary and it felt really unfair that the Hunters could have so much advantage. But the prize of returning to life with your memories intact was a big one, so I suppose the balance comes there.

[collapse]
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Ploppy
Ploppy
September 26, 2022
Status: Completed
(3.5 stars actually, but no half stars, so i'll settle for overpraising)

The novel was good. Worth reading 500+ chapters? Maybe not. Depends on your taste, I suppose.

My first impression of this story was, "Give more chapters." The novel starts with our main character, Xiao Lou (abbreviated to XL here), playing a game of Fight the Landlord and decimating. Flash forward a few hours: he's standing by the window, and a bloody vortex sucks in the playing cards still on the table. Then he gets hit by a truck... more>> and dies (that turned dark quick). After dying, he has a choice to either let his soul be obliterated or enter the Card World, his only chance at living again. He, being the model protagonist, chooses not to give up on life and starts a series of instances, which, as a professor of forensic science, he's extremely good at. He soon meets up with the male lead, Yu Hanjiang (YHJ), who's a police officer. They solve puzzles together, are mature and reliable, and begin a steady romance. They also collect a cast of teammates who shine in their own ways.

Enter Moon City. Here is where it takes a turn for the worse. Their teammates become akin to cannon fodder in their roles, only there to bring the two mains into the spotlight. Although their importance and intellect are not forgotten in any way, YHJ and XL's importance and intellect are hyped up so much that everything else is wiped from our minds. While I was reading this novel, I noticed all boasts towards the main couple are said twice, but in different ways. Although, I'm not sure if that's the translator or the author's doing. Also, "This is not something ordinary people can do!" I saw this line at least fifty times.... No. Please.

#2: The crimes and plots of the instances get simpler. At the beginning, I can't stop reading. All of the mystery-solving and sleuthing (in hearts I meant) keeps me on my toes, but after the Beacon in Troubled Times arc, everything changes (btw that's when they get to the 5's I think). Basically, completing the rooms starts relying more heavily on ability to get information, rather than piecing all the information together to get the whole picture. It becomes more like Spades than the OG Hearts rooms. (these aren't spoilers, are they?)

Now, the romance. Hehe. It made me cringe. Second-hand embarrassment galore. Like I mentioned, at the beginning, the characters are portrayed as mature and reliable, with the occasional flushed ears/cheeks. But as we get to the Beacon in Troubled Times arc, it becomes clear that this romance is a slow-burn. Like, really slow-burn. I'm all up for that usually, but this slow-burn set off indignation. I couldn't believe that the stable characters from the beginning would suddenly turn irrational, shy, obsessive, even. It reminded me of kids, grade-school kids who don't know that love is a relationship, who bully their crushes to get them to notice (no bullying happened tho). First, XL looked at YHJ, found out YHJ wasn't looking, so XL looked away, and then YHJ looked at XL, found out XL wasn't looking, so YHJ looked away, and then it repeats. (still no spoilers, right? idk the scope of a spoiler yet) Additionally, XL is suddenly portrayed as a more feminine character. Like in one arc, he gains the identity of a woman and has to act the part fully. It was funny at first, but then it got weirdly distant from his usual, stable, mature, reliable, character. I could go on and on about the romance, but let me finish with this: the confession was subpar. You would think that after a slow-burn, a gorgeous confession is what matters most to the author, but it was tinged with forcefulness, and YHJ... I've never seen him so obsessive before. All the side couples are also the same. None of them have an equal dynamic between the two lovers.
Spoiler

(they're also all bl, which doesn't reflect real life at all, but... okay, ig)

[collapse]

After all that, let me talk about the part I dislike most: the ending. First, just to drop this in, there's a big reveal at the end that's never elaborated on, but it was the only thing that kept me going in the second half of the novel... Also, the full structure of the Card World is never explained. Okay.

Spoiler

The major characters of this story are neither heroes nor heroines. They are the first to clear the Card World, after denying and denying and denying offers from the Keepers to stop them. But what we find at the end, is that they go home. They survive, and leave behind the 80 million other people vying for a second chance at life. Nothing changes. So it begs the question, why were the Keepers so anxious to have them stay? Nothing changes, so why care? And let's not forget that from the very first chapter, it's clear that the Card World is not a gracious savior, but rather a mu*dering puppeteer. Because, well, there's a bloody vortex that sucks the playing cards in before XL even dies. That means that death is not the cause of the Card World, but that the Card World is the cause of death. It is the villain, but it's left to reign eternal. And the main characters live happily ever after, oblivious to what their oh so great intelligence should have led them to perceive, oblivious to the fact that they are also villains in millions of hearts because they had the power to save everyone, but didn't. The fact that author wrote 500+ chapters of content only to reach this conclusion saddens me.

[collapse]

3.5/5 for an amazing first half and making me stay for the entire novel. Don't take my review as fact. Try it out for yourself. <<less
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Leave a Review (Guidelines)
You must be logged in to rate and post a review. Register an account to get started.