Made my own since most novels can’t be found on Goodreads/ NovelUpdates… Sorted by pinyin of the chinese titles.
Update 06/01/2020: this list is no longer being updated.
♥
personal favourites
★
must-read angst novels
暗欲（圣妖）
Dark Desires | an yu
• Modern-Day, HE
• Rating: 4.5 ~ Angst: 1.5
– Nan Yejue and Rong En, my favourite couple from Sheng Yao’s modern-day romance novels.
百界歌（九鹭非香）
Song of Baijie
• Xuanhuan, Sub-Stories; HE + Tragedy
• Rating: 2
– Average.
百里长安/ 浮生梦·三生约（叶笑）
Hundred Miles of Chang’an
Floating Dreams, The Promises of Three Lifetimes
• Xuanhuan, Reincarnation, HE
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 3
– In her first life, she jumped 九鼎 for him; in her second life, he mistook another for her, and killed her with his hands; in her third life, he lost his immortality, and died for her… Still, I love Baili Junhua with Ye Xiao.
白日衣衫尽（锦竹）
Bai Ri Yi Shan Jin
• Historical, Second Chances, HE
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 1
– From the comments at jjwxc, it seems most readers dislike the idea of Bai Zhi going back to Mu Tusu in her second chance at life, but this novel makes a good change from the usual (also, my most hated) trope of reincarnation & revenge on the ML.
半妖怜（花花了）
Half-Demon Sympathies | ban yao lian
• Historical, Mythology, HE
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 2
– Guyue Xi is a half-demon who took over Zuoyan Xi’s body after the latter wasted away and died as the unfavoured & unremembered consort of Lin Yizhi… I don’t understand how Lin Yizhi fell out of love so quickly with Qin Lan, but ok… The most memorable scene would be when, during Lin Yizhi’s coronation as the new Emperor & his marriage to Qin Lan, Guyue Xi was sentenced to death by poison wine… but things were never as they seemed.
抱歉你只是妓女（宝妻）
Sorry, You’re Just A Prostitute
•
Modern-Day, Prostitution, Tragedy
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 2.5
– Despite the rather provocative title, this book is anything but that; the author was probably going for the “don’t just a book by its cover [in this case, title]” effect, which worked. Rather than all the sleazy/ glitzy melodrama you would expect with the title, instead, you’re in for a bittersweet novel that leaves your heart empty after you’ve finished it. It ends badly – there are no winners, certainly not Xia Ou. What’s heartbreaking is that, I’m sure, out there in the world, there still exists girls like Xia Ou…
步步惊心（桐华）
Scarlet Heart | bu bu jing xin
• Historical (Qing), Politics, Tragedy
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 3
– The novel which started it all, and will always have a special place in my heart.
不悟（则慕）
Unrepentant | bu wu
• Historical, Flashbacks, Spirits, Tragedy
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 1.5
– From the synopsis I thought this would be like 废后将军, but they are worlds apart. If Murong Yan treated Zuo Canglang just
a fraction
the way Lin Si’ze treated Gu Hongjian, I wouldn’t have had my heart broken so badly there. This novel is a lot kinder on your heart.
★
残音（稻芽）
Cruel Music | can yin
• Historical, Xuanhuan, Fake Death, HE
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 2
– The first few chapters were the most heart-wrenching. Ye Canxin and Hanyin may have taken a longer route, but I’m glad their second chance did not go to waste.
侧妃不承欢（月出云）
Unfavoured Side Consort
• Historical, Love Triangle, Politics, HE
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 2
– Read this because some people said it was similar to MGT, but not really.
♥
★
曾有一个人，爱我如生命（舒仪）
There Was Once a Person, Who Loved Me With His Life
• Modern-Day, Mafia, Tragedy
• Rating: 5++ ~ Angst: 3.5
– Sun Jiayu & Zhao Mei… I wished the two of you never walked out of the snowstorm, rather than what was to happen. When I saw what a reviewer said, ‘世间再无孙嘉遇, Sun Jiayu no longer exists in this world……’ my tears started falling again.
长门怨（乔夕）
Lament at Changmen Palace
• Historical (Han), Angst, Tragedy
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 2.5
– Chen Jiao, this story made me realise that perhaps, you too had a story that was untold in history books.
长生府 （叶笑）
Longevity Manor
• Xuanhuan, Short Story, Tragedy
• Rating: 3.5 ~ Angst: 1.5
– ‘I like you,’ he said. Yet the woman he loved would never know.
痴恋冷相国（茶不二）
Foolishly Loving the Cold Minister
• Historical, Angst, Politics, HE
• Rating: 2
– Downtrodden, viewed-as-a-jinx female lead who never gave up on the male lead, a man who shone amongst the common people. This novel came recommended, but I didn’t quite connect with the characters.
重紫（蜀客）
Chongzi
• Xianxia, Master-Disciple, HE
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 2
– Luo Yinfan, you were part of the reason why Chongzi fell into demonhood. Youu wondered why Chongzi refused to turn back, but you have forgotten that each time she trusted you, she was greeted with imprisonment and death.
丑妃一慕雪（雪魔）
Unattractive Consort 一 Mu Xue
• Historical, Reincarnation, HE
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 2.5
– Been wanting to read this for some time since a lot of people said it was similar to MGT. It has more focus on the harem and the characters are less relatable than MGT, but overall, it’s a good historical+angst romance. Everyone thought the woman Yu Haoxuan loved was Ru Yue, the deposed consort, to the extent that he sacrificed Ming Yue for her, but things are never as they seem…
♥
传奇（墨舞碧歌）
The Legend | chuan qi
• Historical, Politics, Dual Identities, HE
• Rating: 5++ ~ Angst: 5++
– By far the most emotionally-exhausting story I’ve ever read. Multiple identities, blood-feud between their families, revival of a dead lover… Although my heart was ripped to shreds once Gu Xiluo revives, still, on hindsight, I’m glad she did. Like Li Huaisu, I wondered if Lian Yu truly forgot his dead first love. Rather than have this question weighing upon your minds the whole time, at least now, we get an answer.
春花厌（黑颜）
Hatred of Spring Flowers
•
Historical, Fake Death, Assassins, HE
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 2
– Fortunately, all is not lost.
春娇入眼千金郎 （羽仟仟）
Chun Jiao Ru Yan Qian Jin Lang
•
Historical, Short Story, Tragedy
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 2
– A short but touching story.
篡心皇后（素子花殇）
Usurping Empress | cuan xin huanghou
• Historical, Politics, HE
• Rating: 3.5 ~ Angst: 1.5
– Suzi’s books are realllllly long. The first half of her books are usually pretty interesting, but then they start to slow and your curiosity kind of vanishes. Still, Cuan Xin Huanghou is probably one of her better books.
错爱之亏欠篇（惜之）
Mistaken Love: A Debt to You
•
Historical, Love Triangle, Tragedy
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 3.5
– To watch as the man you loved marry a princess in a political marriage, then come to love that princess… Ying’er, when Zhongli Yuyuan let go of your hand by the cliff-side to save Princess Yuning, my heart hurt for you. Years of companionship, all given up in a split-second.
错爱之偿还篇（惜之）
Mistaken Love: Amendments (sequel)
• Historical, Love Triangle, HE
• Rating: 2.5 ~ Angst: 2
– Sequel to A Debt to You, where Ying’er somehow survives. Zhongli Yuyuan, even until the end, I don’t know if a second chance was truly the right path for you and Ying’er.
大漠谣（桐华）
Ballad of the Desert
• Historical (Han Dynasty), Politics, HE
• Rating: 4.5 ~ Angst: 2
– It’s incredible how Tong Hua is able to weave a story to give us a glimpse into the lives of people who truly existed in history.
代罪囚妃（坏妃晚晚）
Imprisoned Consort | dai zui qiu fei
• Historical, Romance, HE
• Rating: 3.5 ~ Angst: 1.5
– Classic 虎头蛇尾，the beginning was quite tragic (reminiscent of MGT), but the rest of the book was mild in comparison. The author avoids a lot of melodramatic plot developments & devices, but this just means that the suspense she builds isn’t properly dissipated, leaving a rather anti-climatic feel. Eg: I thought Gong Qingyue and An Qiyang would have greater roles (given how much “hints” the author dropped), but it didn’t turn out to be anything. The romance between Gong Wuxin and Yuan Chenghao was ok I guess – a relaxing read. I guess the most dramatic part of the book, sans the beginning, would be the fall of Empress Ye Manzhen.
★
东宫（匪我思存）
Eastern Palace
• Historical, Betrayal, Amnesia, Tragedy
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 3
– The River of Forgetfulness, to forget a love… A very memorable story. Gu Xiaowu, your story with Xiaofeng was never destined to have a happy ending. Still, I wish things could have turned out differently.
★
废后将军（一度君华）
Deposed Empress General
• Historical, Torture, Betrayal, Tragedy
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 4
– Murong Yan, Zuo Canglang made the choice for you. You no longer have to waver between her and Jiang Bilan. Because Zuo Canglang no longer exists in this world. This is a novel where I cannot even conceive a happy ending.
♥
★
非我倾城：王爷要休妃（墨舞碧歌）
Fei Wo Qing Cheng
• Historical, Mistaken Identity, Kind of HE
• Rating: 5++ ~ Angst: 5
– My Gentle Tyrant on drugs. Very brutal on my heart, from beginning to the end. A lot of books weave a story involving three lives, but this was one of the few where I truly felt the impact of all three lives. Shangguan Jinghong and Qiao Chu; Qin Ge and Qiao Hailan; Fei Tian and Ruo Lan – after three lives and countless heartbreaks, I’m glad for the few years you both had in Dongling, and the many more years in the modern world.
辅佐相公夺帝位：妾身六儿（如果囧）
Helping My Husband Seize the Throne
•
Historical, HE
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 1
– The 3rd book by RGJ I’ve read and also the last complete book she wrote (养女小四是坑). While I loved Qiqi and Jiu’er’s stories, I think this book was slower paced and less heartwrenching than the other two. It also features a love triangle between Zhao Xiangsi (Liu’er aka FL), Long Shangxue (ML) and Long Shangyang (2nd ML). Also, despite the title, there’s not much seizing the throne involved because the story takes place more on the battlefield rather than within court.
★
憾生（绕梁三日）
Hansheng
• Modern-Day, Reunion, Prison, Tragedy
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 4
– Sometimes, we need second chances. Even though the outcome of our story will not change, at least, we can leave with fewer regrets. For Hansheng and Tong Yehui, this was especially true.
黑白（朝小诚）
Black and White
•
Modern-Day, Mafia, Possessive-ML, HE
• Rating: 4
– Good read if you’re in the mood for a possessive ML who dabbles in the grey side of law. Decent writing and characters.
何以笙箫默（顾漫）
Heyi Shengxiao Mo
•
Modern-Day, Reunion, Devoted-ML, HE
• Rating: 4
– He Yichen, the dream ML.
红袖为谋 （叶笑）
The Female Strategist
• Historical, Short Story, Tragedy
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 1.5
– She let him down, not he let her down.
★
花千骨（fresh 果果）
Journey of the Flower | hua qian’gu
• Xianxia, Master-Disciple, HE
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 3
– Bai Zihua, a fairytale within a fairytale. Hua Qian’gu, his disciple who managed to walk into his life. Memorable characters. Love Bai Zihua.
♥
★
华胥引（唐七公子）
Hua Xu Yin
• Xuanhuan, Sub-Stories, Tragedy (x5)
• Rating: 5++ ~ Angst: 4.5
– One of the most beautifully written and heart-wrenching stories I’ve read. Song Ning, Ying Ge, Qing Jiujiu, Murong An, Jun Fu… I wished so much for at least one of you to have a happier ending. My heart hurts just thinking about Song Ning and Qing Jiujiu’s stories even now.
假爱真做（圣妖）
False Love | jia ai zhen zuo
•
Modern-Day, HE
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 3
– My third modern-day romance by Sheng Yao. Ming Chengyou is a less extreme ML than Yu Zun and Nan Yejue. Love him with Fu Ran. Though I think You Yingrui didn’t deserve such a bad ending..
★
佳期如梦（匪我思存）
Cinderella’s Dream | jia qi ru meng
• Modern-Day, Illness, Tragedy
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 3
– A classic tragedy that I’ve been wanting to read for the longest time. Ruan Zhengdong, Meng Heping, You Jiaqi… three lives and a simple story narrated in this novel. Even knowing the ending, your heart still clenches at the end. Ruan Zhengdong and Meng Heping – do such men really exist in our world?
★
佳期如梦之海上繁花 （匪我思存）
Tears in Heaven | hai shang fan hua
• Modern-Day, Illness, OE
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 3
– The first novel of Fei Wo Si Cun that I read. Boarded the wrong ship, had my heart broken.
将军令（七宸）
The General’s Command
•
Historical, War, Short Story, Tragedy
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 2.5
– A short story which captured my attention right from the first sentence:
On t
he day Shangguan Ling died, it was also the eve of the new Emperor’s wedding. She had locked herself into the city tower, then set the place ablaze.
♥
江南外传（老千）
Stories of Jiangnan
• Historical, Master-Disciple, OE
• Rating: 5++ ~ Angst: 2
– Beautifully written. Reminiscent of Hua Xu Yin, but less tragic and with greater emphasis on the main storyline. Came for the heartbreak, stayed for Lou Xiyue and Qixiang, two characters who I fell in love with beyond my expectations.
结缘（雪灵之）
Destiny Formed | jie yuan
• Historical, Politics, HE
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 3
– Same author as 殇璃 Shattered Glass, but the last third of the novel nosedived. I agree with those who said that the novel should have ended with chapter 37. It would be a tragedy, but that is preferable to the ??? [insane things] which happened thereafter.
锦成灰（云狐不喜）
Turning to Ashes | jin cheng hui
• Historical, Short Story, Tragedy
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 3
– The ending completely blindsided me, and my first reaction was to close the browser, while my mind struggled to comprehend what just happened. That acute feeling of regret which suddenly slammed into you, the reader, is the reason why I still remember this short story till today.
锦云遮，陌上霜（梅子黄时雨）
Jin Yun Zhe, Mo Shang Shuang
•
Historical, Politics, Second Chances, HE
• Rating: 2 ~ Angst: 1.5
– Don’t know if I read this book on a bad day or otherwise, but I wasn’t able to connect with the characters, so I felt quite detached reading this.
泪倾城：冷君独宠（七夏浅秋）
Tears in the City: Cold Ruler’s Only Love
• Historical, Love Triangle, HE
• Rating: 3.5 ~ Angst: 2.5
– A less intense version of My Gentle Tyrant. Probably inspired by it too, given how similar some scenes were. Still, the audiobook is one of the best out there, so this is worth a listen.
冷情上神，请休妻！ （南觅）
Unfeeling High Immortal, Please Divorce Your Wife!
• Historical, Reincarnation, HE
• Rating: 3.5 ~ Angst: 2
– An okay read when you’re bored. Easy to follow. Two parts to the novel; the first on the characters’ lives as immortals, and the second, when they reincarnate to ancient China.
★
良仙难求（月落紫珊）
The Kind Immortal’s Impossible Wish
• Xuanhuan, Misunderstanding, Tragedy
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 3
– The xuanhuan version of 殇璃 (Shattered Glass). Tianyin, one of the most ill-fated characters I’ve ever met.
♥
路从今夜白 1 & 2（墨舞碧歌）
The Journey From Tonight is White
• Modern-Day, Reunion, Illness, HE
• Rating: 5++ ~ Angst: 3
– He Yichen is everyone’s dream ML, but Gu Yebai is mine.
美人在侧花满堂（花清晨）
Mei Ren Zai Ce Hua Man Tang
•
Historical, Politics, HE
• Rating: 2
– A little too slow for my liking. Good audiobook though, by the same narrator as MGT.
美人殇（梦三生）
Death of a Beauty
• Historical (Han), Time-Travel, HE
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 2
– Dong Zhuo, a villain in history, who I came to love in this novel. A different take on history, an untold perspective.
魅骨/ 百魅生（玉蝉）
Enchanting Bones | mei gu
• Historical, Xuanhuan, HE
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 2.5
– Fate plays a cruel game but fortunately, there are second chances. The arc in the beginning where Yu Heng died was the saddest but the rest of the book has minimal angst.
迷性（圣妖）
Mi Xing
•
Romance, HE
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 2
– Yu Zun & Mo Shengxiao is the most extreme couple in Sheng Yao’s modern-day novels. The beginning was a cliffhanger; in a way, Yu Zun reminds me of Toreth from Manna Francis’s The Administration. Stayed up all night to finish this book.
木玉成约（叶迷）
The Promise Between Mu and Yu
• Historical, Reunion, Amnesia, HE
• Rating: 3.5 ~ Angst: 2
– Even without his memories, Yin Sang continues to love Qian Cuiyu.
奴儿七七（如果囧）
The Slave: Qi Qi
• Historical, Master-Slave, Torture, OE
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 3
– Some people may wonder why Qi Qi is so devoted to Xiahou Ling, but I like her devotion. In a way, she reminds me of a younger or more naive version of Wen Heng.
★
七月七日晴（楼雨晴）
Seventh July: Qing | qiyue qiri qing
• Modern-Day, Incest, Tragedy
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 4
– Shen Tianqing and Shen Hanyu, I have never once felt that your love was impure.
倾君侧·等皇的女人（素子花殇）
The Woman Waiting for the Emperor
• Historical, Love Triangle, HE
• Rating: 3.5 ~ Angst: 2
– Similar to Mo Wu Bi Ge’s novels, but less intense. A very long book, so once the conflict gets resolved, the last one-third of the book is a little draggy.
卿须怜我（七宸）
Qing Xu Lian Wo
• Historical, Short Story, Tragedy
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 3
– By the end of the story, my tears were flowing.
情殇尸妖（一度君华）
Qing Shang Shi Yao
• Historical, Corpse-FL, OE
• Rating: 1.5 ~ Angst: 2
– This was a really, really weird story. I can only recoil in horror. Yi Du Jun Hua has outdone herself in this book…
情在，不能醒（墨舞碧歌）
Love is Here, Never to Awaken
• Modern-Day, Hidden Identity, HE
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 2.5
– The novel by Mo Wu Bi Ge none of her fans really talk about. Worth reading, but is less memorable than her other novels.
惹爱成性（圣妖）
re ai cheng xing
• Modern-Day, Betrayal, Mafia, HE
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 2.5
– Wish more was elaborated on the arc where Zhan Dongqin set Su Liangmo up and led to her imprisonment. That was the highlight of the book.
三生三世彼岸花（女巫的猫）
Three Lives: Resurrection Lily
• Historical, Reincarnation, Amnesia, HE
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 2
– Roller-coaster ride. FL kept wavering between ML & 2nd ML though.
三生三世，十里桃花（唐七公子）
Three Lives, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms
• Xuanhuan, Devoted-ML, HE
• Rating: 4
– Dare I say it? The drama was better than the book. Ye Hua & Bai Qian were perfectly brought to life in Eternal Love.
三世守护 1：一世莫爱（惜之）
Silently Loving You in our First Lives
• Historical, Love Triangle, Tragedy
• Rating: 3.5 ~ Angst: 3
– Qu Weixu, why is your love inhibited by your responsibilities?
三世守护 2：二世哑情（惜之）
An Unutterable Love in our Second Lives
• Historical, Misunderstandings, Tragedy
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 3
– Zi’er, even after reincarnating, the only thing which changed was that you could no longer vocalise your love.
三世守护 3 ：三世泣恋（惜之）
A Sorrowful Love in our Third Lives
• Historical, Misunderstandings, HE
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 3
– Finally, a turn for the better after three lives.
三世寻觅 1：错过前世（惜之）
Letting our First Lives Slip Pass
• Historical, Misunderstandings, Tragedy
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 4
– Xi Zhi, the queen of melodramatic tearjerkers. My swollen eyes. Gao Yuchen, why? My favourite series from Xi Zhi.
三世寻觅 2：期待来世（惜之）
Longing for our Next Lives
• Historical, Wuxia, Love Triangle, Tragedy
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 4
– Gao Yuchen and Caiqing, even two lifetimes wasn’t enough for the both of you to find your happy ending.
三世寻觅 3：执着今生（惜之）
Treasuring This Life
• Historical, Love Triangle, Tragedy + HE
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 2.5
– Gao Yuchen and Caiqing, two lovers who were never meant to have a happy ending. After three lives, I am not sure if they even ought to be together…
桑歌（九鹭非香）
Mulberry Song
• Historical, Xuanhuan, Tragedy-to-HE
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 1.5
– I like the author’s approach in narrating the story, though the existence of spirits in the world transformed the novel into one of a happy-ending-in-the-making masquerading as a tragedy. After all, in the afterlife, Sang Ge would be reunited with An Ziwu.
♥
★
殇璃（雪灵之）
Shattered Glass | shang li
• Historical, Double Suicide, Tragedy
• Rating: 5++ ~ Angst: 4.5
– A story which I cannot bear to re-read. One of the most depressing & despairing stories I’ve ever come across. An acute sense of helplessness seizes you as you watch everything spiral towards a tragedy…
盛开（长着翅膀的大灰狼）
Blooming | sheng kai
• Modern-Day, Smut, HE
• Rating: 2
– PWP. But I’ve read better PWP fanfics so this novel was a miss for me.
失宠弃妃（浅眸）
Unfavoured Abandoned Consort
• Historical, Torture, HE
• Rating: 2 ~ Angst: 2
– Through this novel, I was introduced to some very creative ways of torture. Ow.
十二魂（叶笑）
Twelve Spirits | shi’er hun
• Historical, Sub-Stories, Tragedy (x11)
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 3.5
– Similar feel to Hua Xu Yin. Eleven interconnected stories, each telling a different love story, all of which strike your heart.
♥
★
十年一品温如言（书海苍生）
To Our Ten Years
• Modern-Day, Military Families, HE
• Rating: 5++ ~ Angst: 3.5
– Yan Xi and Wen Heng, my
all-time favourite characters
in c-novels. Ten years of their lives, narrated in one novel. It took me 4 attempts to read it, having dropped it thrice, but I’m grateful to everyone who told me to persist. You’re right. This novel was something different, the way it just fills your heart up. It feels like I’ve lived ten years just reading this book.
太子弃妃：青楼季九儿（如果囧）
Abandoned Crown Princess: Ji Jiu’er
• Historical, Politics, Love Square, HE
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 4
– Gongzi Ce and Ji Jiu’er, a love that does not have to be vocalised.
万蛊瑶（叶笑）
Ballad of Ten Thousand Gu
• Historical, Master-Disciple, OE
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 2
– A simple story, with a different approach in narration. Like all of Ye Xiao’s stories, she writes in a way that is able to capture your attention right from the beginning.
♥
挽不回的旧时光/ 独宠旧爱：陆少的秘密恋人（云檀）
The Days We Can Never Return To
• Modern-Day, Reunion, Insanity, HE
• Rating: 5++ ~ Angst: 3
– In a world of c-novels with super 雷 titles, this novel was a hidden gem. It’s 独宠, but the tone of the book is heavy; by the end of the novel, so many bodies have piled up… Chang Jing; Han Yongxin; Gu Qinghuan; Liu Yiyi; Lu Qingqing; Han Yu… 人生若只如初见：陆子初 & 顾笙……
玩宠（雨革月）
Fling | wan chong
•
Modern-Day, University, HE
• Rating: 1.5 ~ Angst: 1
– Don’t really like Pei Ran or An Chenyu. A little bit similar to Sheng Yao’s 迷性 and 暗欲 but less well written. DNF’ed.
挽香月（黑颜）
wan xiang yue
• Modern-Day, Fluff, University, HE
• Rating: 2.5 ~ Angst: 1.5
– Another of Hei Yan’s books. I don’t think I’m a huge fan because it’s really difficult to feel connected with her characters, like with 春花厌. Which is sad because she writes a lot of historical+angst novels.
微微一笑很倾城（顾漫）
Weiwei’s Smile is Very Alluring
• Modern-Day, Fluff, University, HE
• Rating: 3
– Not bad, but I prefer Heyi Shengxiao Mo.
★
温暖的弦（安宁）
Wennuan’s Xian
• Modern-Day, Reunion, HE
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 4
– Zhan Nanxian, the most hard-hearted ML I’ve seen in a while. At some point in time, I wonder, why does he still persist with his revenge?
无言的哀愁（均均）
A Sorrow Without Words
• Modern-Day, Insanity, Abuse, HE
• Rating: 2 ~ Angst: 2
– Was in the mood for a novel with an insane MC, but I may have gotten more than I bargained for in this novel… Featuring abuse, rape (gang rape), humiliation… basically, everything to force the MC down the path of insanity. Can.
★
夏有乔木，雅望天堂 I（籽月）
Xia You Qiao Mu, Ya Wang Tian Tang (I)
• Modern-Day, Tragedy
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 2.5
– I read somewhere the author wrote this book after a break-up and wanted the world to cry the way she did… She succeeded. I don’t know if I dare to read the next book, since Qu Weiran’s story is supposed to be even sadder than Xia Mu and Shu Yawang’s.
写意书（叶笑）
Xieyi’s Letter | xieyi shu
• Historical, Short Story, Tragedy
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 2
– Somehow, the last line of the novel stayed with me till today:
Shu Xieyi, I like you.
新婚夜未眠（惜之）
Sleepless on our Wedding Night
• Modern-Day, Marriage, HE
• Rating: 2 ~ Angst: 2
– Should have ended with a tragedy.
血薇（沧月）
Blood Rose | xuewei
• Historical, Wuxia, Tragedy
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 2
– Shu Jingrong and Xiao Yiqing, two incredibly brilliant and overachieving characters whose lives were cut-short because of this brilliance.
夜欢凉，湿身为后（素子花殇）
Ye Huan Liang: Shi Shen Wei Hou
• Historical, Love Triangle, HE
• Rating: 3.5 ~ Angst: 2
– Su Zi’s novels are basically a less-heartwrenching version of Mo Wu Bi Ge’s novels, and worth a read if you like this genre.
★
叶落无痕（简暗）
Falling Leaves Without Trace
• Modern Day, Second Chances, Tragedy
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 3.5
– Better late than never, but why does it still hurt? I like the original title more though: 我心盈盈.
★
夜凝夕（飞烟）
Ye Ningxi
•
Modern-Day, Mafia, Incest, Rape, Tragedy
• Rating: 4 ~ Angst: 3
– The title is a play on the characters’ names: Xuan Siye (ML) and Xuanyuan Ningxi (FL). The ending was a surprise: it turns out, Xuanyuan Ningyu was not truly the harmless, doting half-brother he appeared to be. It made sense: Ningxi is the product of incest between their father & his sister, Xuanyuan Minghui, and the reason why Ningyu and his mother had such a difficult time. But because of him, Ruo Bing was murdered; Chuan Zhi forced to his death; Xuan Siye betrayed by Ningxi once more… and there can never be a happy ending between Ningxi and Xuan Siye. Sometimes, I wonder just how Xuan Siye can let Ningxi know that he had never betrayed her… it was the case with Chengzhen, and it continues to be so with Ruo Bing…
夜妖娆（莫言殇）
Enchanting Night | ye yao rao
• Historical, Politics, HE
• Rating: 1.5 ~ Angst: 1.5
– When a “cold” & “rational” FL becomes too Mary Sue for even me, a reader of Mary Sue novels, to endure.
♥
★
一夜一日一年一世（扶苏绿）
One Night, One Day, One Year, One Lifetime
• Modern Day, Forced Marriage, Tragedy
• Rating: 5++ ~ Angst: 2.5 (HYJ), 3.5 (GF)
– Gao Fei and He Yujin, I believe in your love.
犹记惊鸿照影（风凝雪舞）
Memories of Your Beautiful Shadow
• Historical, Hidden Identity, Politics, HE
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 3.5
– One of the better historical & angst novels I’ve read. A mysterious beginning and heartwrenching middle.
幽兰（典心）
Youlan
• Historical, Misunderstandings, HE
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 2
– Was it fate which loves to play tricks, or meddling third parties?
御繁华（无处可逃）
Yu Fan Hua
• Historical, Politics, War, HE
• Rating: 3
– Loved the audiobook.
★
云中歌（桐华）
Song in the Clouds
•
Historical (Han), Politics, Tragedy
• Rating: 5 ~ Angst: 3
– Liu Fuling, for you, I read three volumes of Yun Zhong Ge.
♥
★
再生缘：我的温柔暴君（墨舞碧歌）
Love in Another Life: My Gentle Tyrant
• Historical, Xuanhuan, Love Triangle, HE
• Rating: 5++ ~ Angst: 4.5
– Scarlet Heart (Bu Bu Jing Xin) was the book which got me into the world of c-novels, but this was the one which made me stay. Haven’t looked back since, and probably never will. Break my heart, then put it back together. Ah Li and Xiaoqi – two characters who fit so perfectly. 阿离 ＋ 小七 ＝ 一生一世一双人.
折翼天使之失宠天使（惜之）
An Angel Who Lost Favour
• Modern-Day, Unrelated Siblings, HE
• Rating: 3 ~ Angst: 2
– As always, with Xi Zhi, the angst starts at the halfway mark. Shuangshuang is, after all, Lu Yinshuang, and not truly Yingchuan’s blood sister.
折翼天使之遗弃天使（惜之）
Abandoned Angel
• Modern Day, Deaf FL, HE
• Rating: 2.5 ~ Angst: 1
– Here, we get to see Gongteng Jinyi and Liangjun’s story, but I think I preferred the other stories in the series.
致命婚姻（紫恋凡尘）
A Marriage That Kills
• Modern-Day, Betrayal, HE
• Rating: 2 ~ Angst: 2.5
– Speed read this to get to the scene mentioned in the summary, but dropped it after it devolved into the FL-leaves-ML-but-reunites-because-of-a-son-the-ML-does-not-know-about trope. I have an irrational dislike for stories placing an emphasis on the characters’ children.
