4.7/5!!! [Time Travel, Rebirth, Zombie Apocalypse, Fantasy (Western)] UPDATE: 11/27/2022) I decided to reread! Last time I read up to 185, but this time I... more>> read it all the way till the end. The reason I gave up last time was because I read horrible MTL and I was really shocked about where the novel was going lmao. It starts off as a zombie apocalypse novel, but it's not really about surviving against the apocalypse. At first it's all about psychology. The MC (Qi Jingchen) had been tortured and left to die as the last person on earth in his previous lifewhere there seemed to be no hope of the earth ever improving. As such, when he came to, all way back to the first day of the apocalypse, he decides to just ignore it all and die early. His psychology is not great, but fortunately! He has the ML to back him up. The ML was the person he was closest to in his last life, and after dying before the MC, his greatest regret was they never got together. So now that he has this chance, he ain't giving up~ALL IN ALL, it's quite deep. Some may say dark, but it's actually not as depressing as it seems, and the characters grow, so by the end of things, it feels very lighthearted. Of course, as I mentioned, don't expect this to be a simple apocalypse novel! There's a lot more to it~ I was against the twists at first, but I think the author handled it well altogether. I even wanted more at the end T.T so many characters were forgotten *sigh*For this read, my opinion of the novel jumped quite a bit! I give it a 4.70/5 for being able to make me read till the end for my second reread (it was initially 4.5/5 — which is probably more suitable, but I gave it plus points for being reread-able). IN SHORT — Well worth the five out of five stars! (Though, if you want to read MTL, I recommend plugging the raw into Google translate, that's the only way it becomes remotely readable). <<less

4.69/5!!! [Transmigration, Historical: Ancient China, Romance, Royal Intrigue] I now fully understand why this deserves its rating — and then some! When it comes to... more>> complex characters, this novel has definitely got it. Even the plot is so unique OML despite the common historical setting. Ack. IDK what to say outside of its very worth reading.Summary: As stated in the summary, the MC (Gong, first introduced as Lu Wancheng) transmigrates into a novel as a sickly cannon fodder that didn't have much to do with the plot. He drops into the role on the night of his marriage with the ML (Shou, Lin Qingyu), who really despises the fact that he was forced to marry him. The two start off as adversaries, of a sort. The ML refused to like him, while the MC is just so likeable it's almost painful T_T.Ahhh this novel is hard to describe. It's filled with ups and downs. Even though you're told of the ending of each version of the MC early, after getting to know the characters, you still can't help but care about everything. It's just … really really good at making you care. And well, that's what novels are supposed to do! (BTW, the translation was still unfinished when I read this, but the MTL was 80% readable, so I wasn’t left hanging!) <<less

4.65/5!!! [Second Chance, Apocalypse: Natural Disasters, Mature, Slice of Life] Very different from a lot of the CN Apocalypse Novels out there, but I ended up liking it a lot! Admittedly, it gets a bit boring sometimes. The author has a tendency to dump information, making me tempted to drop the novel several times. BUT, I'm glad I persisted until the end (EXTRAS included, even!) I'm the type of reader that enjoys details, and there's no denying that this author is really good at delivering that. Furthermore, the survival aspect in this novel is really entertaining. The MC and ML have a space, so one can say that they're a bit passive (the cheat is... more>> used more of a convenience rather than tool, which makes the novel less thrilling than it could have been if the space never existed or if the space was revealed). However, looking at it from another perspective, the magical space and the rebirth aspect ensured that the story was not too dark. Without it, the story would have been incredibly tragic and sad. XD

__________

SUMMARY: The MC, Mu Nan, lived over a year on an Earth suffering from severe natural disasters. Despite having a magical space for hoarding goods, his life during the apocalypse was not very good. And, because of his kind-heartedness, he even ended up getting stabbed, resulting in his life ending early. When he awakens two months before the first natural disaster official hit China, his first thought is to hoard goods and make contact with his non-biological older brother (the ML, Qin Huai), who had been separated from him five years before everything began due to family issues. When the two meet again, not long after the onslaught of the first natural disasters, they hold on tightly to each other and do their best to survive.

_________

THOUGHTS: As mentioned, this novel can be considered very tragic if the main characters did not have the magical space and rebirth cheats. It's not like the popular Zombie CN Apocalypse novels that are commonly seen in danmei -- where the MCs have special abilities and a direct enemy to fight against. After all, there's no real way of fighting against natural disasters -- no matter how prepared you are, accidents will happen, and there's the element of human nature as well. ANYWAY, despite this rather glum plot, the story is actually pretty lighthearted. You get to see the daily life of the two main characters, who are a bit more selfish than your usual protagonists (they share when necessary, but they keep their secrets hidden tightly till the end.) You also get to see them make friends along the way, some of whom will stay, others will leave.

The author, despite their tendency to info-dump everywhere xD, is pretty good at keeping things interesting. Even the most mundane things are pretty fascinating in my opinion (though that may be because I enjoy novels with survival, infrastructure-building, farming, hoarding, etc. LOL). I also like the fact that the author doesn't forget character development throughout all this. Authors who write in this genre tend to overfocus on the plot and forget about the characters. And, while the character plot here is nothing too impressive or complex, it's still pretty satisfying and realistic. At the very least, the author does a good job establing the characters -- enough that you can stay interested in their future indefinitely.

ALL in all, a good read! The TL is currently incomplete but the MTL is highly comprehensible -- even the names are uniquely good. The author's writing style is very straightforward, so despite the long text, everything is very readable (at least 85-90%).

____________

RATING: 4.65/5

Worth the read! Highly Recommended! Especially if you enjoy survival stories! I was really hesitant about reading this because it's kind of different XD. I enjoy Zombie Apocalypse novels a lot and got kind of used to them. So, this natural disaster-type apocalypse was really uncomfortable at first. In end, however, I ended up wanting more T.T AHHHH (I vaguely remember a novel that has a similar premise to this, but it was one where there were multiple survival instances to clear, so it wasn't as comprehensive as this novel. Pfft! Let's hope I can find it again later for a reread.) <<less

4.06/5!!! [Slice of Life, Drama, Psychological] Not your typical face-slapping revenge story! It's a lot more mature than the usual, at least. The MC (Shen... more>> Xi) had been imprisoned for most of his adult life after he had grown up as the "invisible" person in the Shen family. Upon dying during a prison riot, he finds himself ten years back in the past, on his eighteenth birthday, just in time to change things up. His goal is to successfully bring down the Shen family and get what he rightfully deserves, even if it takes years of work to do so… As for the ML, he's a very responsible boy~ Super self-aware but a bit blind when it comes to the people he cares about. And oh, he's also the MC's first cousin! So the in*est tags are very real!Read this if you're looking for something more mature and psychological. The characters are all very complex, each having their own motivations and not designated to "good" and "bad" arbitrarily. The romance aspect is not bad either, though it's not necessarily the focus. As for the TL, it's of great quality, so there's no reason to go looking elsewhere to read it! <<less

4.05/5!!! [Slice of Life, Growing Up Story, School Life, Fluff] Cute and fluffy slice of life novel set in Modern Day China. The MC (Tang Jinyu) transmigrates into the body of a sickly 5yo boy with very loving parents after reading a book on his male god (the ML, Xia Ye). At first, he remembers things very clearly -- he knows that he was a lot older, that he had a grandfather that loved him very much, and that Xia Ye was his male god and idol --- but after a while, the memory faded. This made it so that the focus of the novel was less on the MC, and more on the dynamics... more>> between his family and the ML's family as he grows up.

In this way, it really is best described as a slice of life novel~ Highly character-driven, as most modern day novels are. I recommend reading it if you're looking for a sweet and simple story to read on the side. It's pretty rare for me to have been able to finish it, since it's so long, so my view on the novel is quite high, and I feel no burden at all when recommending it to others to read. <<less

4/5!!! [Rebirth, Cultivation, Poor-to-Rich] This is quite a fun level-up/poor-to-rich novel! I didn't know it existed until now so I was pretty surprised. It kind of has the vibe of "I Have Medicine" and "Legendary Master's Wife" but mainly in that the characters constantly work their way up the cultivation ladder with golden fingers that shock the world. The unique aspect here is that the MC and ML start off in the human world -- Modern Day China -- where the resources couldn't be any more baren. I think that the story was best during this arc but that could be because my comprehension dropped a bit after the TL was dropped.... more>>

The tone of the novel is very humorous, and you have a very snarky and narcissistic genius for an MC and a cold but warm-hearted ML. Things to get repetitive after a while (the pattern of making money and improving is very repetitive) but if you enjoy that kind of development and you're just looking for a casual read to spend time on, then this is definitely worth a try!

I didn't finish it mainly because of the MTL quality. As more and more terms and names are introduced, it got a bit difficult to understand T.T Arc 2 (cultivation-world) is still pretty understandable if you're used to MTL. However, Arc 3 (immortal-cultivation world) is not as good. I can only hope that another TL-er will pick up the novel one day ;-; <<less

4/5!!! [Second Chance, Slice of Life, Gardening, Poor-to-Rich] Great read! Kind of a mish-mash, but main theme is Slice of Life, ig? MC (Lu Lingxi)... more>> dies after being used as a lifelong donor for his elder brother. He gets a second chance at life though, and ends up waking up in the body of a 18yo boy with the same name who had died at the same time. When he wakes up, it's to see a mother that honestly cares for him and oh- a mysterious floating panel (a SYSTEM!) that allows him to scan the condition of plants and boosts his own gardening abilities. Another bonus of this snazzy golden finger is that it gives him a sort of "calming buff" that basically attracts and brings to the people and animals around him. Key among them is the ML (Yue Yan), who has deep psychological shadows that only the MC is able to bring him out of.As mentioned, in terms of central theme, there is none? It's a mix of… wholesome family interactions, yandere courting, poor-to-rich with a gardening system, environmental propaganda, and so on LOLOL! It sounds bad, but I ended up loving it, even if some parts did drag a bit. The TL is great as well, though currently unfinished (the MTL is 78% readable if you're looking to brave it out)! So, anyway! I highly recommend you give it a shot, especially if you're looking for a relatively chill rebirth story without the usual face-slapping, just good ol' cold revenge — where the satisfaction comes from living better than the other guy lolololEdit Delete <<less

4/5!!! [Second Chance, Zombie Apocalypse, Cultivation] I decided to reread the first CN novels I read, just for the fun of it~ The memory of this novel had faded enough that I was able to read it almost till the end (ch. 250). It's about the same as I said in my old review. Not bad at all, and one of the better CN Apocalypse Novels. Though one can say that that description is a bit iffy. It's more like a mix of cultivation and apocalypse. Zombies end up not featuring all that much in the end. Much of the plot is taken up by intrigue between bases, drama with the other 'abnormal characters', and... more>> the slow burn romance that doesn't get handled until near the end lolol~

Summary of the novel: The plot in the beginning is very similar to many other apocalypse BL web novels. The main character, Xiao Ziling, died and regressed ten years into the past, a couple of months before the apocalypse began. This apocalypse has the usual zombies and super powered human beings. With Xiao Zilling having been a cannon fodder in his previous life, and thus, eager to find a powerful backer to hug the thigh of. This backer is ML (Chu Zhitian), the one that was said to be the strongest at the end of days!) Note, this web novel starts off uniquely in that there are several other regressors/transmigrators/etc. that know of what's going to happen in the future. But that plot point is only shallowly explored in the beginning. The focus in Arc 1 is survival!

My rating for this novel changed from the original 3.5/5. Seeing as it survived the reread test, I decided to bump it up directly to 3.85/5! [As an extra note, although the translation is a mess and far from finished, the MTL is pretty easy to read. It's about 75-80% comprehensible. The names aren't all a mess either --which is a rare!] <<less

3.94/5!!! [Second Chance, Zombie Apocalypse, Survival, Clan-Building/Infrastructure-Building] !!! If you like infrastructure/clan-building novels, then you're probably going to like this novel! I happen to like both things, and ended up binge-ing the entire novel directly (the MTL is readable when plugged into Google Translate -- like 85-90%, just make sure that it's on "Chinese (Simplified) to English"~... more>>

Summary: The MC (Wei Xuan) goes back in time after living in a world overrun by zombies for three years. In that life, he had been persecuted and chased by researchers who wanted to study the special ability that made him 'invisible' to zombies. In this life, he awakens on the day the apocalypse began, and he had only one goal in mind: To live in the zombie-infested city with the half-zombie ML (Du Hang).

The story is very slow-paced and it goes into detail on the various activities that the MC performs in order to live a relatable stable life in the apocalypse. With his special physique, things are of course a lot easier on him, especially with his toolman zombie boyfriend LMFAO. If you don't like slow-paced stories, this novel may be a bit boring to you after a while, but there's no issue whatsoever with skimming the parts the filler parts, since most of those are excessive details anyway. All in all, I highly recommend this novel! The TL at CG is good and the MTL is also quite good, so there's no reason to hesitate on reading it! <<less

3.85/5!!! [Zombie Apocalypse, Hoarding, Survival, Intrigue] (2nd reread, 03/13/2022): If this novel hadn't been one of the first Zombie Apocalypse Danmei novels that I read, I might not like it as much as I do. It has quite a few flaws (let's not talk about the rushed ending), both in terms of characterization and plot development. HOWEVER, there's no denying that it's very entertaining. Just for the sole fact that the novel starts of as 100% hoarding satisfies my inner hoarder quite a bit LMFAO (no, seriously, 25% of the written text is spent before the apocalypse begins -- which makes sense, as the MC is reborn a year beforehand.) Anyway, I think the novel... more>> is definitely worth the read, though I have to warn you that you shouldn't expect too much in terms of quality or complexity.

________

SUMMARY: The MC, Bai Jing, is the arrogant and reckless illegitimate son of the country's State Councillor. He had been raised by his stepmother and overly doting father with very obvious cannon fodder characteristics, leading him to suffer a lot in the apocalypse despite the support he was given by the ML (Xiao Sa), who was inexplicably obsessed with him and even gave up his life for him. After toughing out a couple of years as an experiment subject, Bai Jing dies and finds himself reborn one year before the apocalypse fully begins.

His goal in this life is to save Xiao Sa, the object of his obsession (the only one who treated him with genuine affection). In their previous life, the MC's spoiled and reckless behavior had caused Xiao Sa to die before they could really settle themselves down. In this life, the MC wishes to protect him in turn and repay his grace of life.

________

CHARACTERS: As a whole, I think that the characters are a bit inconsistent and overly chaotic. I mean, they're not good guys, and that's made very obvious from the very beginning. One can even say that the MC is especially reprehensible. A lot of his choices were really over the top. But there's a lot more focus on character development here than in most novels in the same genre, both for the main characters and the side characters. ALSO, I admit that the MC's character (which, as mentioned, is very similar to how most cannon fodder villains are portrayed) is quite novel. Without a doubt, he's very different from your typical protagonist.

Bai Jing (MC): After having suffered in his previous life, Bai Jing had no intention of getting entangled with anything unnecessary in this new life. He only cared about two things: surviving and Xiao Sa. Xiao Sa was his savior from his last life. Someone who willingly died for him. He wanted to be the one to protect Xiao Sa this time. And with his space ability and the year of pre-apocalypse planning he has been given, he manages.

Xiao Sa (ML): Cold and possessive. He was saved by Bai Jing and was enthralled by his looks. He really likes the MC's tr*shy young master act (which isn't an act at all, as Bai Jing is very over the top a lot of the time.) Anyway, Xiao Sa is wholly devoted to Bai Jing!

_________

THOUGHTS: Great read! Despite my more negative remarks. I really enjoyed this read and reading it till the end made me want more. I got attached to the characters by the end, even if they were very unlikable at times. I was also hoping for a little bit more resolution T.T (the ending is definitely a bit too abrupt). But these are just mindless complaints. I enjoyed the setting a lot, and will definitely not hesitate to reread it in the future. The final rating would be around 3.85/5. Which is why I gave it four stars. This may be a bit high when you consider the quality of the novel, but I'm taking into account personal enjoyment (the hoarding at the very beginning was really fun XD) and bias (that's right, I'm very biased lmfao! This is one of the first CN Zombie Apocalypse novels that I read, and it's part of why I'm so obsessed with CN novels today. So my filter for it is pretty strong.) <<less

3.85/5!!! [Romance, Modern Day, Drama] To be honest, IDK why I read this. I'm usually not fond of modern-day romance novels. Wait, no. I remember, it's because I read one of the author's other works and was curious about how a person who wrote such deep worldbuilding fics would deal with a book for ordinary romance. Turns out, it's still pretty good! Definitely far from my favorite, though that's more a matter of taste. This novel is a lot better than some I've read before for things like character development and plot. Each character felt very real to me, even if their main characteristics were sometimes overexaggerated. The plot too, despite being somewhat unbelievable, was... more>> interesting to read. 

ALL IN ALL, This is a novel with a lot of problems. But most of those problems become not so problematic because of the good points. Like, it's not meant to be perfect, so don't take it too seriously. Just enjoy the character angst and drama, as well as the face-slapping against the typical white lotus character.

__________

SUMMARY: The MC of this novel is called Shen Zhen. He's the oldest son of the current master of the Shen family. However, when he was 5, he was sent to the Qin Family -- the most powerful and most wealthy household in China -- as a "hostage" for benefits. Ever since then, he grew up in the Qin family and was raised with Qin Yue (the ML of the original story). He thought that the two of them would live happily ever after and was content with life, for the most part. At least, he was comfortable enough that he felt it was okay to save others from suffering. This 'other' is called Su Shiqing (the MC of the original story). Su Shiqing was your typical white lotus. When he cries, everyone feels sorry for him. Also, as the protagonist of this world, he was born with luck and the ability to attract the strong and powerful around him.

Overtime, Qin Yue, who had always loved the MC, began to distance himself from him. A rift was formed between them time and time again. Until, finally, the MC accidentally slept with someone and was forced away from the Qin family. Just like that, his life was over. He had no future, and before long, he died. The story officially starts at the moment of his rebirth. It's the day he had accidentally slept with someone. But this time, he chose not to leave the Qin family voluntarily. He stuck around, wanting to find a way to officially break off with everyone and establish himself. It's a surprise that he catches the interest of the master of the Qin Family, Qin Xing (the ML of the novel). From then on, his destiny completely changed.

_________

RATING: 3.85/5

Since contemporary romance is not really my thing, I didn't give it too high of a rating. However, I still enjoyed this novel very much, and would probably read it again. Though it will be a while before I do. <<less

3.81/5!!! [Second Chance, Slice of Life, Poor-to-Rich, Modern Day] This novel surprisingly (or unsurprisingly, if you consider my usual addiction towards poor-to-rich stories) kept my... more>> interest for so long! It should be said that, not only are there almost 300 chapters in this novel, but most of them are much longer than the average chapter-length for Danmei novels, so when I say "long" I meant long! But, well, back to the main point. The premise of this novel is similar to most rebirth/second-chance novels. The MC (Tao Mu) ends his first life in complete misery after being brought down by the people he thought were on his side. As such, he welcomes his new life with every intention to live better. Unlike some novels though, his main focus is not on revenge. It's to stay away from the bad elements in his previous life — especially after discovering that he wasn't the protagonist of the story, and that even fate seemed to be working against him.The MC of this novel is the perfect-Gary-Stue type. He starts off very strong in terms of skills, and only continues to make himself stronger by taking advantage of his foreknowledge. The ML (Li Xiaoheng) is equally powerful, though not in the usual overbearing president way. This CP takes a more mature route in romance, especially since most of the novel is focused on the MC's growth. If you enjoy novels where the main character levels up constantly in terms of reputation, wealth, abilities, etc. Then this is definitely a novel to check out! It's a bit long-winded, and there are many characters and things that are kind of put aside and forgotten over time (a shame), but it's still pretty good in keeping the more important things consistent.All in all, though the novel is a bit clumsy in some areas, I definitely would recommend it to my friends~ To add to this, the TL is pretty good (and although it's currently unfinished, the MTL is 85-90% readable — which is surprising!! But yeah, the MTL is better than most, so you don't have to worry about missing out.) <<less

3.75/5!!! [Second Chance, Historical: Ancient Times, Poor-to-Rich, Business Management, Slice-of-Life] Although it is definitely not as exciting as other farming/slice-of-life novels set in Ancient times, this novel is still quite good! In fact, I think it's a nice read for when you're getting a bit tired from the usual 'golden finger = quick success' and 'unrealistic cannon fodder = face-slapping.' This novel does indeed have both of these things, but it's done in a relatively mild manner. So things feel a lot more chill, and there's less of a reason for suspension of disbelief.... more>>

SUMMARY:

The MC (Gong, Zhang Fangyuan) had lived his first life as a waste that died old and alone inside of a home long-abandoned in the village. After dying, he woke up to find out that he had gone back several decades in time. Specifically, when he was young and hearty still, his reputation was a little ruined, but if he worked hard, the world was his oyster. Of course, as someone who had died alone previously, his first move is to get a wife/husband for himself. It's just that he ran into some bumps in the road.

Fortunately, there's the ML (Shou, Xu He), a promising Ger who was unappreciated in his family. The two of them begin their slow but steady development; having children, developing businesses, making connections, etc. They're not the most ambitious people, but wanting to make sure that their family remains prosperous, they continue to work hard until the very end -- all the while, making sure that they do not forget their roots.

THOUGHTS:

Because what I read was mostly in MTL (readable MTL, mind! It was at least 75-80% comprehensible), I won't be doing a full review. But, I can still share some of my thoughts. For example, I thought that the characters of this novel are really interesting. There are lots of layers to them. The person you think would remain cannon fodder till the very end manages to climb up out of the pit through hard work (rather than being buried there forever because of the MC and ML's aura lol). In this way, the novel can be seen as a lot higher in quality when compared to other novels of the same kind.

The romance development was also quite good. And the setting was very realistic (at least, based on what I've read from other CN novels, and researched along the way) and well-established. I guess, if there's anything to complain about, it is honestly a bit dull sometimes. There were several points were I was tempted to stop reading, but I continued because I figured it was close enough to finishing XD. And this is me, who loves these kinds of slow, poor-to-rich, slice-of-life novels. So, IDK how it might be for those who lack the same interest.

RATING: 3.75/5

If I were to rate this novel based on my usual criteria it would be ... Characters - 9.5/10; Romance - 7.5/10; Setting - 8/10; Plot = 5/10. Hence, why I gave the following rating! It really is pretty good, and I think it deserves a read. I will definitely come back to it when the TL is completed one day, else, IDK what I might have missed with the MTL. <<less

3.6/5!!! [Second Chance, Slice of Life, Zombie Apocalypse, Magical Space] Gave up just before the end! It's not as bad as I was expecting, perhaps the reviews I read before lessened the blow a bit and made it seem less annoying XD but yeah! I consider it an okay read overall (oh, and the MTL, when the raw is plugged into Google Translate, is incredibly comprehensible = 85-90%, so there are no issues caused by the incomplete translation.)... more>>

Summary: The premise of the novel is that the MC (Tang Miao) died and woke up back in time. At least, that what it appears like at first. He goes back to the age of 16 and wanted to improve his relationship with his father, who had sacrificed for him in his previous life. Only, things keep going wrong after his rebirth. First, he discovered that he had a large magical space where one can plant and store living things. Second, he began to have dreams of an upcoming apocalypse -- a zombie apocalypse. He stubbornly tried to deal with things himself at first, but soon enough, he had to borrow the strength of his father (who is the ML, BTW! Called, Tang Sihuang) to start preparing for the upcoming calamity.

The rest of the story that follows is survival-based. There isn't really any over-arching goal here, so it reads more like a slice of life novel. You know, the day to day life of a father-and-son pair in the apocalypse. That kind of thing. Their style is powerful but low-key, so their movements are very restrained most of the time, which makes the focus of the story sometimes stray from survival to cooking and hoarding materials lol. <<less

3.5/5!!! [Zombie Apocalypse, Slice of Life, Cultivation] For this reread, I didn't end up getting very far. Partly because I read it not so long ago,... more>> but also because the fast-pacing and the show vs tell approach at writing makes it very boring to read when you're not multitasking. It's hard to fully sink in when things are always on full throttle! My opinion on the novel is generally the same though! This Novel has strong Slice of Life in the apocalypse vibes in the beginning! The MC (He Zhizhong) is a regressor with a magical space accessory that allowed him to survive in his previous life by way of growing plants. However, it was also due to this magical space that he ended up dying in the past. More specifically, his rotten lover had stolen it away as collateral to hug the thighs of another man. In his second chance at life, with a month to go before the apocalypse and an early meaning with the sweetheart (the ML, Fang Hao) who had stuck to him (and even died for him!) in his past life, he begins preparing for the apocalypse early and fills up his magical space with everything he could possible need. Along the way, he discovers some secrets hidden within his space that he had no chance of exploring before. The main focus of this novel is definitely on hoarding materials and getting stronger. The main characters are a lot more selfish than your average protagonists. So they act primarily for their own sakes, and don't really consider others outside of holding out a hand for the occasional help. I would recommend this novel to those who like poor-to-rich novels like me~ It's not the most detailed because of the fast-pacing, but it's still pretty good in that regard.  <<less

3.5/5!!! [Rebirth, Drama, Romance] Revenge-oriented rebirth novel where the MC has been suppressed by his older white lotus sister all his life — who everyone... more>> loves and cares for to an unrealistic degree. After dying in a mental hospital and being forced to undergo torture, the Reborn MC has blackened to the extreme. All he cares for In the beginning is getting revenge. Which leads to lots of face slapping! As for the ML, he’s a passerby character in the original novel that ends up being the MC’s backer in this life~ When you read this, read it knowing that the MC’s family and the people around the original female protagonist are brain dead! Forget about them and just have fun when they get what they deserve LOL. I recommend this novel for people looking for that kind of feel-good, revenge novel and for some sugar (in the form of the sappy sweetness of the main CP~) <<less

3.5/5!!! [Second Chance, Zombie Apocalypse, Infrastructure, Hoarding] This is a short and straightforward infrastructure/zombie-apocalypse-survival novel that just so happened to hit all the right spots for me. I admit that it's very flawed, especially in terms of character development. But as a plot-driven work, it worked out just fine. All I can say is ... don't expect too much from the characters XD. This is best described as a novel for those who enjoy farming/hoarding/management. Even the zombies and abilities are secondary. They're there mostly to give the MC a platform to build infrastructure freely LMFAO.... more>>

________

SUMMARY: The initial premise of this novel is similar to "Back to the Apocalypse". The MC is reborn a couple of months prior to the apocalypse to collect supplies and partner up with the ML. After which, there's a bit of adventuring as they gather comrades and move towards their chosen safe base. Then, it's all infrastructure! As for detailed plot, although the MC does suffer quite a lot in his first life, outside of mentioning it a couple of times, there's no real progress there. It's just there. So, don't expect any face-slapping or revenge plots XD. No healing either.

________

THOUGHTS: I would be lying if I said that this is a good work lolol. The reason why I have a high impression on it is purely based on personal preferences. That is ... if I were to rate this with my usual criteria (characters, romance, setting, and plot-development), it wouldn't be able to measure up at all XD. That being the case, I decided to avoid doing a detailed review for the time being. All I can say for now is that if you like infrastructure novels, then you'll like it. If you don't, then you won't. XD The MC of this novel can be said to be very Gary Stue, whilst the ML is non-existent (I had high expectations based on his first few appearances, but ..... he slowly began to be more and more superfluous. I mean, if he and the MC actually, I dunno, communicated, maybe there would be no reason for me to rate it so lowly XD. All they do in the story is cuddle. I don't think they have chemistry at all. And it really doesn't make sense that the ML is the leader when most of the time, all he does is act as the MC's vehicle (you'll know what I mean when you read it XD).

ANYWAY ... so yeah, my impression of the characters and romantic plot is definitely not high. I'm saying it now so that you don't have any high expectations hehh. As for the MTL (I read this after translating the raws through Google Translate), it's pretty good! Some names are messed up (most prominently: Han Ya, who is translated as Hana or Asiana XD There's also Wen Le, who is referred to as Young Master or Wen Shao), gender pronouns are also messed up (as per usual), but altogether not bad. The author's writing style is relatively straightforward. So the readability is high (around 80-85%, which is very good for MTL). For the time being, I've decided to give this novel a 3.5/5 rating. Again, if it were based on my usual criteria, this would be A LOT lower. But, adding 'personal enjoyment' to my score, this is what I got hehe.  <<less

3.5/5!!! [Rebirth, Second Chance, Poor-to-Rich, Historical: China - 1990s] Not bad! Got kind of boring in the end, so I didn't complete it. But the... more>> overall premise was very inspiring and I liked the details. It's pretty easy to read in MTL too, so if you want to give it a try, there's no problem with the unfinished translation.__________SUMMARY: The MC, (Gong, Shi Zen), had lived a somewhat fulfilling life as a big boss during the economic boom during the 1990s. From a young man who knew nothing and came from a rural mountain village, he built himself up, going through countless ups and downs to reach the pinnacle of life. Unfortunately, he lost a lot of important things along the way. Including his true love, the ML (Shou, Guan Baiyu). When he gets a second chance at life, coming back to his 18yo self, just fresh out into the outside world, he decides to things differently. This time, he's very careful about what he does and builds his success little by little. Of course, in the meantime, he has to dote on his beloved, who picks up early._________THOUGHTS: You don't usually get a lot of novels of this time. Wait no, BL novels tend to be more popular during the 1980-2000, opposite to BG novels, which seemed to be mostly popular with the 1960-1970s era XD. So this novel falls in the expected range, and is similar to a lot of the same-era stories out there. That is, it's pretty serious! The Gong is the main character, and he drives most of the story as the reborn person, so things are very buttoned up in terms of development. In fact, it's pretty satisfying this way too, but it does mean that things are also a little less romantic (just some silly and cute side romance, you know, nothing too complicated). If you enjoy poor-to-rich development and business management novels, I don't think you can go wrong with this one. It's not the best, but it's still interesting to read. Mainly because most of the Gong rebirth novels usually start with the Gong having very big advantages. Whereas, here, the Gong starts off very very small at first. So small it's almost inconceivable how big he gets. In this way though, things are a lot more satisfying!ANYWAY, as for the rating, I'm giving the novel a 3.5/5!!! Not bad. Could be better. It's enough to round up to stars, but just barely. I was very tempted to give this a 3.45/5 LOL. But I decided to be nice this time, and adjust it as needed the second time I read it. <<less

3.5/5!!! [Second Chance, Zombie Apocalypse, Animal Characteristics] (2nd Reread Update: 03/20/2023) This is a fun, cracky read. The first time around, I refused to read it for a while because it was unfinished and I was worried that i would be left hanging lolol. Good thing I waited since the ending is really rushed!!! Anyway, this novel is a lot of frustrating kind of fun XD. By that I mean ... While the tone of the novel can be said to be very light, it's actually not the easy-progress type of novel. From the very beginning, the MC and ML make a lot of mistakes (it can be said that every choice they made was... more>> the wrong one xD). However, these mistakes led them to a surprisingly smoother path forward. It's just that they have to suffer a bit to get there. ALL in all! I enjoyed it quite a bit, the feeling is very different from your typical novel.

__________

SUMMARY: The MC, Fang He, had faced the apocalypse as an 8yo with a regenerative ability. Such an eye-catching power ... of course he was inevitably sent to be experimented T.T And he stayed in the laboratories for a full 13 years before finally escaping. Only, the escape was fruitless. In the end, he died and was reborn several dies before the start of the apocalypse. Well, it should be said that his soul had transmigrated over to a parallel universe. And, as for the original owner of his body, it's a newly weaned-off kitten!!

Said kitting was picked up by the ML, Li Zhen, who has a cold exterior but soft heart that just so happened to love little animals xD. From then on, their fate is tied, and, after hitting several roadblocks, one zombie and one cat fight against the apocalypse together.

________________

RATING: 3.5/5

I recommend it if you're looking for something fun and silly to read. It does have its dark moments, but it's mostly self-indulgent -- playing with the familiar tropes of novels of this type. It took itself seriously in the first half but gradually loses stability in the latter half. Still, the first part is worth reading! Even if it is a bit weird because the MC is a kitty for most of the story. And not just any kitty, but a kitty with a fairly young mind, no matter how old he was when he was reborn. <<less

3.44/5!!! [Second Chance, Fantasy, Game Elements, Apocalypse: Zombies] This novel is quite good if you like apocalypse novels and infrastructure novels. This focuses more on the latter, you know, slowly building up a city that can fight against the apocalypse. BUT!!! Not in the usual way. It’s truly a mysterious, black-box system that works very similarly to those popular infrastructure games XD. The quality of the story itself can only be said to be subpar, the characters aren’t all that interesting and the drama is petty at best. However, if the infrastructure is to your taste, this should be pretty normal for you!... more>>

_________

SUMMARY: The MC of this story, Song Xingcheng, wakes up on the day of the apocalypse with a head full of novel content. According to this novel content, he was bound to be used and abandoned by the guy that he had a crush on. Of course, he wants nothing to do with any of it. He decides to adjust himself based on the mistakes he made in his dream. Which starts with exploring his cheat first (a game panel that enables him to slowly build and upgrade a city) and then teams up with the ML (He Qiashen), who incidentally also woke up with a cheat and novel content on the first day of the apocalypse. Working together, the two slowly build a city that can act as a reprieve for the people of their country.

_________

THOUGHTS: Although fun, the story is quite flawed. The MC’s cheat was too cheat-y. To the point that it restricted the future of humans rather than helped it. I thought it was cool at first, but more and more, it became evident that it blocked the progress of humans. (Actually, this reminds me of another novel, a BG one called “Apocalypse Lord”, that one had the MC as a City Lord as well. I prefer that one though because the setting made more sense. It was an actual game in the end, so the city that was built without sustainability in mind was logical. As for here, I had to work hard to ignore it so that I can enjoy infrastructure T.T.) My recommendation, if you’re going to read this, try to not to have expectations XD. Just go into it believing it’s all a game. That way, the process may be a little smoother.

BUT OK. Enough about the cheat, there are the characters as well. TBH, I don’t like the MC that much. The ML was fine, but he was also a bit boring. Their romance was also a bit bland since the ML was pretty much all in from the beginning. So yah. Don’t read this thinking that the characters or the romance will make up for the world settings being flawed LOLOL. By saying all this, I make the story sound like it’s very bad. But the truth of the matter is, I enjoyed it quite a bit! I looooove infrastructure stories. And no matter how flawed they get, I can’t help but feel satisfied reading them. If you’re the same, then there should be no problem with trying out this story. If not, then I suggest you stay far away pfft! As for my rating, the TL is currently unfinished and I read it mostly in MTL. Usually, I won’t give a rating but this time, the MTL was surprisingly readable (80-85%). So my official rating is …. 3.44/5!!! Looks low. That’s because, content-wise, this is really a problematic story XD. Most of the points are based on personal enjoyment. <<less

3.43/5!!! [Infrastructure, Farming, Zombie Apocalypse] This novel is packed with infrastructure! The MC gets another chance at life and is reborn ten years into the past, which was a couple of months before the Zombie Apocalypse began. He took this chance to prepare a place for him to live within the boundaries of one of the safest City Zones during the End Times, hoping to create a sustainable living environment for himself and the people around him (this includes the self-aware pe*vert that is the ML, whose obsession over the MC demands that he be around him at all times.)... more>>

The story starts off slow and steady. The focus isn't really on surviving the Zombie Apocalypse. At least, not in the usual sense -- with all the zombie killing and human conflicts. Here, the main issue to take care of is how to make sure that everyone is living well within the walls while zombies are roaming around outside. This is partly made possible because the zombies here don't have abilities like the zombies in most CN Zombie Apocalypse Novels. There are mutations in humans, animals, and plants, but they're rare and not highlighted.

I actually like these kinds of novels~ Some people might dislike, or even find infrastructure novels boring, but I really like them! If you're the same, then I highly recommend checking out this novel!

NOTES: By the way, the TL, which is currently incomplete, is pretty good! But, the MTL is not bad either (at least 80-85% readable, which is wayyy better than most), so there's no reason not to give it a try! Also, this novel contains some spicy scenes that are pretty explicit! So, keep that in mind. <<less

3.4/5!!! [Rebirth, Second Chance, Revenge] Rebirth novel where the MC travels back in time and beats down the people that betrayed and or hurt him and his family. Classic revenge plot, basically! The MC was the overweight and without spiritual energy for most of his life and was miserable as a result. Though a large chunk of his misery was caused by his ‘friends’ and ‘family’, who have taken advantage of him and his parents and siblings for all his life. As for the ML, he was the MC’s husband in the previous life but they didn’t have much to do with each other cause the MC disliked the fact that he was forced to... more>> marry a man as a man. In this life, they have another opportunity to grow closer~

This was surprisingly good. Knoxt’s TL is great and the FL TL was not as bad as I thought it would be (o^-') b Characters had some life to them, though I wasn’t overly invested in them. Expect lots of dogblooded family drama and satisfying faceslapping! Setting is fantasy Ancient China, with some cultivation (but it’s all background stuff). The main focus is really on the MC’s revenge! <<less

3.15/5!!! [Second Chance, Zombie Apocalypse, Whimsical, Survival] (2nd Reread Update: 03/12/2023): Second time rereading this novel! I admit that the novel is a bit too whimsical, and is in fact quite flawed, but I have some fondness for it because it's the first CN Zombie Apocalypse novel that I read LMFAO. As I'll mention again later on, this novel is more plot-driven than character driven. The main characters become more and more meaningless as the time goes on XD, and the plot just takes over after a while (which is what led me to stop this time around -- I only read up to the 80th chapter).... more>>

________

SUMMARY: The MC of this novel, Su Ruize, is your typical reborn protagonist -- he has a magical space and with the foreknowledge of the upcoming apocalypse, he's given the opportunity to hoard materials and gather a team before everything went to shit. What's extra about him is that he also has wood abilities. These wood abilities will require that you subvert your disbelief quite a bit, since it enables him to weaponize plants lolol. In any case, with such a cheat, he pretty much powers his way through the apocalypse along with the ML, Zhan Yun, who was an almost-lover in his first life that he had regretted leaving behind.

________

CHARACTERS: The characters in this story are a bit boring. They had potential, but because the story is more plot-focused, they’re really mostly there for effect and to look cool.

Su Ruizhe (MC) is a typical Gary Stue. He has a power space ability as well as a wood ability that allows him to turn plants into weapons. His personality is usually a mix of shy and timid. But, there are odd key moments where he becomes OOC.

Zhan Yan (ML) is your typical possessive ML. He has a strong oppressive ability and is the leader of their group. His personality is pretty consistent but lacks depth.

___________

THOUGHTS: As a plot-driven story, it shines most in this regard.. I found the worldbuilding here quite amusing (especially the first time I read it.) The MC's abilities are definitely of broken, but well, it's quite fun regardless. Of course, as is common with other zombie apocalypse novels, the zombies and humans both are able to mutate and evolve here. Outside of that, I really love the survival elements. Those are definitely my fav parts of the story. The novel starts a month before the apocalypse and prepping for the end was fun. I think the story shined most in the beginning actually, because of these survival elements. Later on, the story grew more grand scale, and all the fun little things explored early on kind of became unnecessary. The pacing of the story is just a bit too fast, I suppose. Not much romance here btw. The main characters get together pretty quickly, tho that’s mostly background stuff. ALL IN ALL, I think it's worth reading for the fun of it. It's definitely the best in quality, which is why I'm only giving it a 3.2/5 rating, but its uniqueness makes it quite a novelty.  <<less

3.08/5!!! [Transmigration, Supernatural, Romance, Zombie Apocalypse] Ahhh this story was pretty good! But I couldn't get myself to keep reading it. Might just be a mood thing. The novel is pretty long after all (kind of dragged a bit ig??) I'll try and reread it again later though. For now, the tentative rating for me is 3-4 stars.... more>>

(Updated: 2nd Reread - 03/22/2023) Reread it, and can now confirm that it is not a mood thing. The reason why I can't get myself to continue reading this novel is that it's a bit of a mess. The world is set in the zombie apocalypse but the zombies are not really zombies (most of the ones we see on screen are conscious) and there are plotholes everywhere. Anyway, no amount of ranting will truly get my point across, so let me just say this --- it's an okay novel, but the plot was clumsily executed and the MC and ML were not strong enough as protagonists to hold up the failing plot (I hope that makes sense XD).

_____________

SUMMARY: The MC, Mu Yifan, is an author that transmigrates into his own zombie apocalypse novel. He takes on the role of Mu Yifan, the Zombie King that was directly at odds with the protagonist (AKA, the ML Zhan Betia). He fully expects that the protagonist will kill him after he regains his memories of the previous timeline (wherein the protagonist dies at the hand of OG!MYF). MC thus decides it would be best to kill the protagonist off so that he could go back to his own world. Unfortunately, he's trumped again and again by the fact that the protagonist looks like his best friend in real life (also named Zhan Beitian). So, instead of successfully finishing off the protagonist, he ends up magically pregnant with the ML's baby lolol.

_________

RATING: 3.08/5

I enjoyed what I read. But I really couldn't get myself to continue reading it after a while. Part of it may just be because certain parts felt like they were dragging along and going nowhere. And it could also because the author fails so hard when it comes to setting up the world. IDK. It's not for me, but I'm glad I picked it up anyway, since it was a good way to waste time for a while. Oh, btw, the first time I read this, I only read up to 117 and my rating was vaguely 3 stars. This time, I made it a little further (C163) and the final rating is 3.08! (As a final note, the TLs for this novel are all over the place. I recommend reading the first few from the original translator and going straight to MTL-ing it on Google Translate.) <<less

2.75/5!!! [Zombies, Cultivation, Survival] This novel shares some elements with most Zombie Apocalypse Danmei but also has some unique elements I don't usually see. For... more>> the former, you have an MC that has been given a chance to start over after regressing a year before the Apocalypse began. He also has a golden finger in the form of a magical space that enables him to both store supplies and farm. The difference lies in the focus in cultivation and the style of cultivation. Here the MC relies on arrays and talismans. There's also only a small number of people with special abilities — when usually that's the focus of most Zombie Apocalypse Danmei.In any case, I ended up not finishing the novel again, but I didn't dislike it as much as the first read. The characterizations and relationship developments are definitely a bit perfunctory, but if you're interested in the cultivation aspect — which remains the central driving force of the plot, you probably will like it more than I did! The translation at ShenHua is really good, so I recommend giving it a try even just for that reason *thumbs up!* My updated overall rating is 2.75/5. It's not bad, but not my type of story. <<less