List 1- BL Collection: Personally Reviewed and Rated

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List 1- BL Collection: Personally Reviewed and Rated

Link to List 2: https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/35232/

First list…

These are the BL novels I’ve chosen to read and complete and then personally rate between 1 and 5. 5 almost always being an absolute read again! (Order of books are from best to worst). I tried not to give away plot details (keep an eye out for the SPOILER ALERT! to avoid any plot points when reading reviews). My reviews are based on personal satisfaction and opinion, once completed.

This list contains a mixture of plots and character types in the BL genre.

Note: This list contains completed translations as I try to avoid reading ongoing translations as I lack the patience.

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48 Followers

Reyleisha

Created: Sep 29th, 2020, Updated: Jul 14th, 2021

Created Sep 29th, 2020

Updated Jul 14th, 2021

CN (4.1)

#76Forced Estrus

30 Chapters Every 0.9 Day(s) 3678 Readers 33 Reviews 01-22-2020

Completed Adult Drama Romance Sci-fi Smut Yaoi

Rating: 3.5/5- Not too complicated and a simple read with very two dimensional characters, but it’s not a bad read.... more>>

CN (4.6)

#77Copper Coins

178 Chapters Every 62.5 Day(s) 7706 Readers 112 Reviews 07-19-2023

Completed Action Adventure Fantasy Mystery Supernatural Xuanhuan Yaoi

Rating: 3.5/5- A good mystery, but the rushed and nonsensical romance at the end prevented this book from being a good read for me. Beware of my rant below (usually rare for me to rant as much as I did for this book)... more>>

The novel is well written and well paced and the characters are kinda likeable and interesting but very 2D for being lead characters. When I read this it felt like I was reading shadows of Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan, but really weak, poorly constructed 1D versions of them. They aren’t memorable at all, but the side characters were cool.

SPOILER ALERT!

For the first time in my history of reading BL, I felt that this book was not suited to be a BL. The chemistry and relationship was not slowburn, it was honestly non-existent and rather nonsensical. For them to suddenly end up together felt really forced and unnatural. When you talk about slowburn romance you think Golden Stage, HOB, Tattoo, MDZS and even quite frankly Little Mushroom (this is one of my all-time favorite slow burns) There’s substance, subtlety, chemistry, underlying hints of awareness in one another for one another- but the pairing and romance grows with each page and you can see how the couple is forming. But this! I was left scratching my head as to how they went from dragon paper man and monk with mysophobia to together for eternity in 90 chapters, when they hadn’t even so much as had a natural, chemistry fuelled kiss let alone chemistry fuelled interaction not affected by dragon spit.

Like just stop right there.

My opinion is probably rare, but this story was strong on its own as a mystery novel with good friendship between the leads. The friendships between all the characters was beautiful and the mission to uncover the truth flowed wonderfully. And that’s where the good review for this novel starts and ends.

Throughout the course of the book, it’s never EVER depicted, let alone NATURALLY occurring that the main leads are genuinely starting to fall in love. The author then suddenly threw a random jerk off session induced by dragon spit before they even kissed- just how on earth would a monk be the one to initiate such a thing in the first place? Also they had never met each other before, how can this strong “I want to be with you for eternity” type of love suddenly bear an existence after all they did was uncover some bones and a few mysteries. The guy has amnesia for crying out loud and he’s a MONK!!!! He has the s*xual awakening of a 5ml teaspoon!

What nonsense! What utter rubbish!

The actions need to suit the character and BL suited neither. To suddenly have the last 10 chapters rush through a relationship of 30 years that became “to live and die together” was a joke. It needed at least another 100 chapters of significant material between the leads to have such a poetic ending really make sense and feel satisfying. I found myself laughing when I saw the ending. This book ended for me when the mystery was tied up. Like stop reading after there if you’re not interested in comedy. That silly ending of happily ever with sacrificial love was such a mood killer when nothing contributed to it? Like who? Where? HOW!!!!

And it’s not like you’ll be missing anything if you skip the last 10 or so chapters because the book before that is not BL, it’s just a normal mystery novel! (Don’t even include that s*upid jerk off session coz that was ludicrous and so cringey that it doesn’t even count)

It almost felt like the author tried to create some fairytale epic love but it just flopped, because it was just notions of a relationship built up in the sky but no substance to support it in the novel. Even with that connection from the copper coins, you can’t just magically enforce feelings onto a person using magic and aphrodisiacs. Especially if it’s Shounen Ai- there’s no basis for such a poetic love story. Poetic endings need just that- POETRY! Not mystery, mystery, catch the bad guy- die for one without telling the other- oh really, he loves me- we love each other- monk has sudden s*xual awakening of a gigolo- the end.

Also this is a novel not a comic. *rolls eyes so hard*

Perhaps if the novel was longer and the dynamics between the characters were explored more and worked on delicately, it would have worked out. It would have been more believable for Xue Xian to end up with Jiang Shi Ning than Xuan Min in all honesty.

I get that many BL pairings are not always the most realistic, but usually the elements of romance almost always hit the mark. This disappointed me on that front and I’m usually not one to avoid BL pairings. (I mean isn’t that the point of BL. We read about these beautiful romances with wonderfully characteristic and wholesome men that show the wonders of falling in love with the same sex! Or is that not why there are fujoshi?) But don’t pair people together for the hell of it. Relationships with no substance are no relationship at all and this book has left me feeling sour- so just let me vent!

It’s a good read overall, but expect a major disappointment in the relationship if you’re like me and like substantial well developed romance in a slow-burn. <<less

CN (4.3)

#78Contract Marriage

27 Chapters Every 136.9 Day(s) 4024 Readers 45 Reviews 06-12-2019

Completed Drama Romance Slice of Life Yaoi

Rating: 3.5/5- Very simple plot with no angst. ... more>>

CN (3.9)

#79Lawless Gangster

98 Chapters Every 147 Day(s) 2268 Readers 18 Reviews 04-12-2019

Completed Drama Mature Romance Yaoi

Rating: 3.5/5, nothing too spectacular but I still enjoyed the flow and characters.

CN (4.3)

#80Your Husband’s Leg is Broken

61 Chapters Every 47.5 Day(s) 2984 Readers 29 Reviews 05-25-2022

Completed Drama Romance Yaoi

Rating: 3.5/5- Quick and simple read with satisfying silly characters. ... more>>

CN (3.8)

#81The Whole Tribe Wants To Have Baby With Me

44 Chapters Every 1.9 Day(s) 1603 Readers 9 Reviews 03-27-2020

Completed Fantasy Romance Yaoi

Rating: 3/5- Very simple and rather underwhelming but enjoyable.... more>>

CN (4.2)

#82Xia Niangniang

29 Chapters Every 241.3 Day(s) 4733 Readers 100 Reviews 07-19-2014

Completed Drama Psychological Romance Tragedy Yaoi

Rating: 3/5- I dunno how to feel about this story. ... more>>

CN (4.2)

#83Rebirth to Become the President’s Omega Wife

93 Chapters Every 79.1 Day(s) 10538 Readers 166 Reviews 03-13-2021

Completed Drama Fantasy Romance Yaoi

Rating: 3/5- This was not terrible, but it was not great either. ... more>>

CN (4.4)

#84Transmigration of Mian [Reluctantly] Becomes His Man [Wife]

223 Chapters Every 74.1 Day(s) 7093 Readers 121 Reviews 05-25-2021

Completed Historical Romance Slice of Life Supernatural Yaoi

Rating: 3/5- I kinda enjoyed this read although from a sense perspective… it's pretty surreal. ... more>>

CN (4.3)

#85After Our Divorce, I Still Wore Your Jacket

54 Chapters Every 7.1 Day(s) 3937 Readers 62 Reviews 04-22-2024

Drama Romance Slice of Life Yaoi

Rating: 3/5- I dropped this around chapter 50. I usually love angst, but this was not angst- it really was not my type of book but I commend the skilful writing and passably likeable characters. Also excellent translation, CG is truly my favorite set of translators!... more>>

CN (3.6)

#86My Wife Always Thought I Did Not Love Him

70 Chapters Every 126.1 Day(s) 5632 Readers 77 Reviews 03-27-2019

Completed Drama Romance School Life Yaoi

Rating: 3/5- This novel is angsty and it had so much potential but I found it so frustratingly annoying when I finished it. I felt so empty when I finished this novel, and not the good empty. ... more>>

CN (4.1)

#87The Perfect Destiny

160 Chapters Every 96.2 Day(s) 9828 Readers 185 Reviews 07-18-2020

Completed Adult Comedy Drama Fantasy Mature Smut Tragedy Yaoi

Rating: 3/5- A very messy average read that you will feel is frustrating to get through, pretty repetitive almost the whole way through and perhaps even anti-climactic at the end. ... more>>

I actually don’t even know where to begin explaining how much I struggled through this. At first, I enjoyed the first two arcs and then it just grew repetitive and I had to keep pushing myself to read on. I liked some arcs but the repetition was so annoying and the ending was really not satisfying enough after suffering through the monotony of the same type of story in every arc.

I honestly felt that it was a matter of poor execution. Coz you can see the ideas are good but I felt the author struggled a lot with things like character dynamics and integrating all the points in a smooth way that could have really made the story better and less flat. The story feels very disjointed. Like you’re reading about two different stories instead of one main story with supporting arcs.

I completely skipped through the Pandora’s Box arc. In my honest opinion you could read the first two arcs and then the last two chapters of the main story and that is basically the entire book. Sadly the rest of the arcs are just copy paste and I say sadly, coz a lot of the arcs had so much potential.

Like this could have been great, but the author didn’t even try to make things flow logically and have more unique and substantial interactions in the romance. I felt like she never developed the main characters and it felt like they regressed. It was so boring reading the EXACT same relationship in every arc with the exact same interaction, action and behaviours. Then the ending was really just pah, rushed to tie things up. The extras did give a little more context but I honestly skipped all the system related ones coz I personally didn’t like the system as much as others did.

I really liked this MC because it looked like his behaviour was supported by some event or life choices and his loyalty to who he loved is admirable, just the execution of his character starts with a lot of potential but never really takes off. I wanted to like the ML but sometimes he really was 2D so his Yandere became very flat after a few arcs.

I was kinda disappointed with this which I hate. I had that horrible feeling of ‘I wasted my time’ when I ended this which is not a feeling I have often. I wanted to drop this at almost every arc after arc 5 but I truly persisted and even kept revisiting reviews to find motivation to finish it.

I eventually did, even with some major skimming towards the end. I was definitely not satisfied but the translation is great and I think the author had a good idea- in fact many good ideas but just really bad execution.

It’s just sad that I was so disappointed at the end. <<less

CN (4.2)

#88Fei Pin Ying Qiang

0 Chapters Every 1771 Day(s) 4028 Readers 72 Reviews N/A

Completed Drama Historical Mature Romance Yaoi

Rating: 3/5- This was a nice story, but the harem drama was a bit too much for me. ... more>>

CN (4.4)

#89Outside the Law

0 Chapters Every 111.5 Day(s) 3751 Readers 45 Reviews N/A

Action Adult Drama Mature Psychological Romance Smut Yaoi

Rating: 3/5- really had potential but let me down at the end. ... more>>

CN (4)

#90Guardian (Bu Hui Xia Qi)

0 Chapters Every 77.5 Day(s) 3270 Readers 45 Reviews N/A

Romance School Life Shounen Ai Slice of Life

Rating: 3/5- This started off strong but really went cold around halfway.... more>>

CN (4)

#91War Prisoner

90 Chapters Every 234.2 Day(s) 4398 Readers 61 Reviews 11-04-2014

Completed Drama Romance Smut Yaoi

Rating: 3/5- It had great potential, and I definitely enjoyed it- but the ML was pretty much a douche bag and the MC was nothing... more>>

CN (4.2)

#92Delicious Food Got Me Famous Across the Galaxy

28 Chapters Every 106.6 Day(s) 5371 Readers 88 Reviews 12-25-2019

Completed Comedy Mecha Romance Sci-fi Shounen Ai Slice of Life

Rating: 3/5- If you’re looking for a quick, uncomplicated read, this is suitable. ... more>>

CN (3.8)

#93Yesterday

38 Chapters Every 229.9 Day(s) 1668 Readers 30 Reviews 01-14-2015

Completed Drama Psychological Romance Tragedy Yaoi

Rating: 3/5- very disappointing. A beautifully created MC just becomes a worthless dim wit by the end.... more>>

CN (4.3)

#94Ageless Seducer

10 Chapters Every 161.8 Day(s) 2053 Readers 23 Reviews 12-04-2019

Completed Drama Mature Romance Yaoi

Rating: 3/5, this started off so great- then I don’t know what happened. At the end I just felt cheated.

CN (4.1)

#95How Many Tomorrows There Are

91 Chapters Every 96.5 Day(s) 3871 Readers 41 Reviews 05-27-2020

Completed Action Adult Fantasy Mature Psychological Sci-fi Smut Yaoi

Rating: 3/5- I went in expecting a vengeful, cleverly written and satisfying read... and got something that missed the mark completely. ... more>>

CN (3.9)

#96Exile

102 Chapters Every 108.5 Day(s) 5530 Readers 72 Reviews 11-19-2019

Completed Drama Historical Romance Slice of Life Yaoi

Rating: 3/5- This book’s high points are the babies! So cute and chubby and sweet! Otherwise it’s mediocre at best. ... more>>

CN (3.7)

#97The Long Chase for the President’s Spouse

30 Chapters Every 152.7 Day(s) 2369 Readers 16 Reviews 02-23-2018

Completed Romance Shounen Ai

Rating: 3/5- Quite the letdown. ... more>>

CN (3.7)

#98The A in the Opposite Dorm Always Thinks I’m Pretending to be a B

62 Chapters Every 94.2 Day(s) 4078 Readers 48 Reviews 10-03-2020

Completed Comedy Romance School Life Sci-fi Shounen Ai

Rating: 2.5/5- What a deceptive novel- like what even...? ... more>>

CN (4.1)

#99The Film Emperor’s Daily Live Cooking Broadcast

0 Chapters Every 1688 Day(s) 6285 Readers 115 Reviews 09-16-2019

Completed Romance Sci-fi Shounen Ai Slice of Life

Rating: 2.5/5- Uhm... this story took brain holes to a whole different level. Like read this if your common sense needs to take a break because this story is so far fetched and weird that you may find yourself scratching your head when you’re done. ... more>>

Firstly, I don’t know if the author intended to convey that Chinese people eat everything that moves except cats, because this book literally did that. It became really upsetting when they started eating Zergs and then a black bear, frogs and snakes. I really felt that the author stopped thinking properly at this point. I enjoy food novels and I understand that all sorts of things can be eaten- however novels usually express preference. Like there are clearly people who like and dislike certain things that allows for variety and tolerance.

Secondly, it appears that the whole interstellar human race is Chinese, not another type of race at all as everything they eat is Chinese and no one can have differing tastes, because every single thing the MC cooks is seen is the most obscenely amazing meal that not a single person can dispute. Anyone who disputes taste or opinion is an idiot. I thought this was quite offensive because many Chinese novels do seem to be quite open minded- just not this one. I mean no such thing as preference exists and a single foodie can conquer wars, create pesticides and overtake millennia of scientific research because of some food knowledge.

The entire book made civilisation and science seem so s*upid. This book is simply a joke when it comes to making any actual sense.

Thirdly it reads for most of the part as a recipe book. You’re literally going to read ingredients and directions for making food at least 70% of this book where you may actually start skimping over chapters.

There’s really nothing good about this book because it becomes so far fetched and unrealistic and I really felt creeped out by the fact that the author pretty much wrote it as eat everything to solve your problems.

There’s only some romance in the last 20 chapters of the book and it’s not even that great. Both characters are very bland but I liked the side characters. They had potential.

Read at your own risk or if you want something to shut off your thinking capacity. <<less