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Kaleidoscope of Death #6
Kaleidoscope of Death Vol. 6
Open the wrong door… and you may never return.
One ordinary day, Lin Qiushi discovers a black door in the corridor outside his flat—a door that shouldn’t exist. When he steps through, he finds himself in a world governed by a deadly set of rules, where cryptic villagers speak in riddles, and the only way out is to take their obscure “tests”. The reward for passing: a key. The penalty for failure: death.
From haunted villages to blood-soaked puzzles, Lin Qiushi must solve increasingly strange and grotesque mysteries just to live another day. But he’s not alone. Enter Ruan Nanzhu—gorgeous, enigmatic, and unexpectedly lethal—who shows up in his room one night and whisks him into a secretive organisation of seasoned door-crossers.
With each door they pass through, the truth behind the world grows darker, and the line between ally and monster begins to blur.
Grim, gripping, and laced with razor-sharp banter, Kaleidoscope of Death is a danmei survival thriller where logic is your only weapon, trust is your greatest gamble—and laughter might be your last defense.
One ordinary day, Lin Qiushi discovers a black door in the corridor outside his flat—a door that shouldn’t exist. When he steps through, he finds himself in a world governed by a deadly set of rules, where cryptic villagers speak in riddles, and the only way out is to take their obscure “tests”. The reward for passing: a key. The penalty for failure: death.
From haunted villages to blood-soaked puzzles, Lin Qiushi must solve increasingly strange and grotesque mysteries just to live another day. But he’s not alone. Enter Ruan Nanzhu—gorgeous, enigmatic, and unexpectedly lethal—who shows up in his room one night and whisks him into a secretive organisation of seasoned door-crossers.
With each door they pass through, the truth behind the world grows darker, and the line between ally and monster begins to blur.
Grim, gripping, and laced with razor-sharp banter, Kaleidoscope of Death is a danmei survival thriller where logic is your only weapon, trust is your greatest gamble—and laughter might be your last defense.
Paperback
Published June 1, 2026
About the author
Xi Zi Xu
67 books61 followersAssociated Names:
* Xi Zi Xu (English)
* 西子绪 (Simplified Chinese)
* 西子緒 (Traditional Chinese)
* ซีจื่อซวี่ (Thai)
* Xi Zi Xu (English)
* 西子绪 (Simplified Chinese)
* 西子緒 (Traditional Chinese)
* ซีจื่อซวี่ (Thai)
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 10, 2026
5/5! This last volume is my favorite! Can't wait to reread this! Can't wait to purchase the physicals of vol 5 and 6!🥰🥰 please don't give up on reading this! The ending is well worth it!
Happy Reading!
Happy Reading!
Review of advance copy
5/5 🌟
"Ruan Nanzhu. Is it okay if I come find you?"
But Ruan Nanzhu’s answer came quickly. There was only a single word on it: "Yes."
Seeing this reply, Lin Qiushi’s exhausted expression broke open into a brilliant smile. He began to laugh, laughing so hard that tears fell from the corners of his eyes.
♡(˃͈ ˂͈ )
I apologize in advanced for this longass review.
( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)𐔌՞. .՞𐦯
The amount of tears I shed the last two days is insane. The psychological thrill and mental gymnastics that I experienced is unbelievable. This volume was brutal for me but also one of the BEST volumes in a novel I've ever read. It gives me those feels I felt with my favorite novel: TGCF vol 6 and 8.
I love it so much when two people who love each other so much, have an adversary too powerful for them to beat, but their fear of losing the other is greater.
It's them against the world.
Their love is much more powerful. (っ˶ ˘ ᵕ˘)ˆᵕ ˆ˶ς)
This was, since Lin Qiushi first entered
the eleventh door, the best sleep he'd gotten. Because he knew that Ruan Nanzhu was right by his side, and when the night came in, they would be able to see each other.
And come ghosts or monsters or death, nothing could separate the two apart. He was no longer scared. The giant cavity inside his heart had been filled with another's gentle soul.
What ought to have been terrifying evenings, because of Ruan Nanzhu's very existence, became something to look forward to.
It baffles me when I read reviews that say that there is no romance in this novel. Did these people not read the entirety of the last 3 volumes? Did they not read the entirety of the last door? The extras? (,,•᷄ࡇ•᷅ ,,)?
I was literally left in awe and I felt emotionally drained, in a good way. The last door had my mouth drop! The twist at the end tho!
I had already known that there was going to be a crazy plot twist at the end, but I never expected to be mindblown!
Not to mention, the side characters never ceased to amaze me. Though I wish we got to see more of some other side characters from previous volumes. Then again, I don't think such scenes would have been vital to adding to the plot. So I guess it's a good thing. (˶˃𐃷˂˶)
But some other side characters... Dear lord... I wept and wept. I wish it shown how our protagonist feel with what happens in the 11th door when others they know decide to stay in the realm.
⚠️ Spoiler ⚠️
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Ge... Don't be sad."
(I'm not okay!!)
My baby boy... You will be missed. And I hope that your soul is really living at peace in the illusionary realm with your brother. Cheng Qianli, you were never dumb, but a ray of sunshine. Your loss hurt me too!
(Great! Now I'm crying again! Goddammit! (ˊᵒ̴̶̷̤ ꇴ ᵒ̴̶̷̤ˋ) )
I knew of the death involving the twins, but I never imagined it was only Qianli that died. When Yixie wailed holding his diseased brother that died in his arms, and when Toast barked at his dead human trying to wake him up... Oh man, I lost it!
(╯;´ - `;)╯︵ ┻━┻
(which, whatever happened to Toast and Chestnut?)
Qiushi weeping was so heartbreaking, too!
It was like Cheng Qianli’s death had broken a mirage of tranquility in the mansion, and a particular heaviness began to spread throughout the house.... As for Lin Qiushi, he’d kept up a sense of unreality about the twins’ departure. It was as if any minute now, he could go back to the living room and see Cheng Qianli watching TV and giggling on the sofa. That illusion took until one night to break." (kill me pls)
"It wasn’t until Lin Qiushi got back to his room that he discovered he was crying. When Cheng Qianli passed, he hadn’t cried. He hadn’t expected losing control now.
He sat at the side of his bed and realized all of a sudden why Cheng Yixie left. Because in the mansion, the traces of Cheng Qianli’s life was everywhere, and all these traces were like a dull knife, slicing again and again at the flesh without drawing visible blood."
But when Qianli appeared in the realm and Qiushi got to spend one final time with him and said goodbye... It gave me hope that Yixie would be able to meet him again in the eleventh door and live with him ever after.
The chapter title is “雙生” which means twins, born together, dual lives, etc. It’s unintentional but the double meaning of Twin Lives (noun) and Twin Lives (verb) is literal. (I'm weeping again!)
Okay, enough with the tears! (╯˙ᵕ˙ )╯︵ ┻━┻
Let's talk about this mind blowing twist!
Ruan Nanzhu was the 12th's door god?? GUAT!!!! My eyes buldged from their sockets! I kid you not... I had to go on reddit to understand. But the final extra (that is only found in the Chinese print) explains it SO WELL.
"Gods were gods because gods had no
desires.
When the gardener began to play
favorites, it was as if a god had developed
desires--perhaps he was no longer suited
to this job.
Ruan Nanzhu was not careful and cut his palm on the rose's thorns. He looked at the blood in his palm and discovered just how similar the color of his blood was to the color of the rose.
If that was so, then could he also become a rose? This absurd thought suddenly surfaced in the gardener's mind.
As the time Ruan Nanzhu spent with the little rose grew, the love he had for the little rose too grew stronger. At last this exceedingly fervent love led the gardener to make a decision.
He relinquished his identity as a gardener and sought to become a rose, in order to go with his beloved little rose into the final challenge.
The name of that challenge was the Twelfth Door.
Ruan Nanzhu smiled gently. He molded a shape for himself and forgot that he was a gardener." ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!
So pretty much Ruan Nanzhu is the NPC for the twelfth door. In his lifetime, he watched Qiushi's life through a TV that looked at Qiushi's journey in doors 1-11, as well as Qiushi outside in the real world. Ruan Nanzhu fell in love with Qiushi and wished to become human, too.
So he stripped himself of his knowledge and memories he had, and when Qiushi walked into the Twelfth door, he fanfic-ed everything WE read in volumes 1-6 by inserting himself in the picture from doors 1-11.
Within door twelve, Qiushi fell in love with Ruan Nanzhu, he was later seperated by the illusionary realm, but kept his promise that he will never forget about him.
The eleventh door was terrifying... What made it even more terrifying was the fact that their time spent together every day was getting shorter and shorter... Will they ever see each other again? The world seperated the two, no matter how hard they tried to stay awake, they couldn't. The adversary of this realm was too powerful
But Qiushi found the key behind the clock, escaped the illusionary realm, and found out that as he left the twelfth door, no one knew Ruan Nanzhu.
Everything wasn't real.
He waited a year... Waited and waited, nearing insanity. Until one day, Ruan Nanzhu shows up because he too, found the key behind the clock in Qiushi's room in the twelfth door. They reunite and live happily ever after— the twelfth door never to be opened again. Others will never have to experience the twelfth door because Ruan Nanzhu... The twelfth door god, is gone from there, forever.
,; (ง 🔥 ﾛ 🔥 )ง ;,
GUAT!!!!
UGH!!!!!
My romance freak heart!!!
This is what true love looks like!
I'm exhausted!
That was amazing!
My review and explanation cannot fully describe how fucking amazing and beautiful this volume was. 𐔌՞ ܸ.ˬ.ܸ՞𐦯
Also, I love that the ghouls were nice to Nanzhu when Qiushi left.
Sachiko literally is cupid ghoul! The ultimate number one matchmaker! We. Would. Not. Have. This. Story. Without. Her!
(つ｡˃ ᵕ ˂)つ ⸝♡ (っ˶ ˘ ᵕ˘)ˆᵕ ˆ˶ς)
Also, can we talk about Hako Onna hiding in Nanzhu's suit case! Hahahaha!
Though, I wish we knew how the doors came into existance.
How did they know their doors or plan their doors? Furthermore, how do they randomly assign themselves a door when looking for clues, i.e when the twins would jump into doors to train or gather clues.
What about the bracelets.... It felt like it had a deeper meaning.
I'm sad I didn't have answers to these questions, but that's okay! I loved it regardless!
Read 02/01/26
"Ruan Nanzhu. Is it okay if I come find you?"
But Ruan Nanzhu’s answer came quickly. There was only a single word on it: "Yes."
Seeing this reply, Lin Qiushi’s exhausted expression broke open into a brilliant smile. He began to laugh, laughing so hard that tears fell from the corners of his eyes.
♡(˃͈ ˂͈ )
I apologize in advanced for this longass review.
( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)𐔌՞. .՞𐦯
The amount of tears I shed the last two days is insane. The psychological thrill and mental gymnastics that I experienced is unbelievable. This volume was brutal for me but also one of the BEST volumes in a novel I've ever read. It gives me those feels I felt with my favorite novel: TGCF vol 6 and 8.
I love it so much when two people who love each other so much, have an adversary too powerful for them to beat, but their fear of losing the other is greater.
It's them against the world.
Their love is much more powerful. (っ˶ ˘ ᵕ˘)ˆᵕ ˆ˶ς)
This was, since Lin Qiushi first entered
the eleventh door, the best sleep he'd gotten. Because he knew that Ruan Nanzhu was right by his side, and when the night came in, they would be able to see each other.
And come ghosts or monsters or death, nothing could separate the two apart. He was no longer scared. The giant cavity inside his heart had been filled with another's gentle soul.
What ought to have been terrifying evenings, because of Ruan Nanzhu's very existence, became something to look forward to.
It baffles me when I read reviews that say that there is no romance in this novel. Did these people not read the entirety of the last 3 volumes? Did they not read the entirety of the last door? The extras? (,,•᷄ࡇ•᷅ ,,)?
I was literally left in awe and I felt emotionally drained, in a good way. The last door had my mouth drop! The twist at the end tho!
I had already known that there was going to be a crazy plot twist at the end, but I never expected to be mindblown!
Not to mention, the side characters never ceased to amaze me. Though I wish we got to see more of some other side characters from previous volumes. Then again, I don't think such scenes would have been vital to adding to the plot. So I guess it's a good thing. (˶˃𐃷˂˶)
But some other side characters... Dear lord... I wept and wept. I wish it shown how our protagonist feel with what happens in the 11th door when others they know decide to stay in the realm.
⚠️ Spoiler ⚠️
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Ge... Don't be sad."
(I'm not okay!!)
My baby boy... You will be missed. And I hope that your soul is really living at peace in the illusionary realm with your brother. Cheng Qianli, you were never dumb, but a ray of sunshine. Your loss hurt me too!
(Great! Now I'm crying again! Goddammit! (ˊᵒ̴̶̷̤ ꇴ ᵒ̴̶̷̤ˋ) )
I knew of the death involving the twins, but I never imagined it was only Qianli that died. When Yixie wailed holding his diseased brother that died in his arms, and when Toast barked at his dead human trying to wake him up... Oh man, I lost it!
(╯;´ - `;)╯︵ ┻━┻
(which, whatever happened to Toast and Chestnut?)
Qiushi weeping was so heartbreaking, too!
It was like Cheng Qianli’s death had broken a mirage of tranquility in the mansion, and a particular heaviness began to spread throughout the house.... As for Lin Qiushi, he’d kept up a sense of unreality about the twins’ departure. It was as if any minute now, he could go back to the living room and see Cheng Qianli watching TV and giggling on the sofa. That illusion took until one night to break." (kill me pls)
"It wasn’t until Lin Qiushi got back to his room that he discovered he was crying. When Cheng Qianli passed, he hadn’t cried. He hadn’t expected losing control now.
He sat at the side of his bed and realized all of a sudden why Cheng Yixie left. Because in the mansion, the traces of Cheng Qianli’s life was everywhere, and all these traces were like a dull knife, slicing again and again at the flesh without drawing visible blood."
But when Qianli appeared in the realm and Qiushi got to spend one final time with him and said goodbye... It gave me hope that Yixie would be able to meet him again in the eleventh door and live with him ever after.
The chapter title is “雙生” which means twins, born together, dual lives, etc. It’s unintentional but the double meaning of Twin Lives (noun) and Twin Lives (verb) is literal. (I'm weeping again!)
Okay, enough with the tears! (╯˙ᵕ˙ )╯︵ ┻━┻
Let's talk about this mind blowing twist!
Ruan Nanzhu was the 12th's door god?? GUAT!!!! My eyes buldged from their sockets! I kid you not... I had to go on reddit to understand. But the final extra (that is only found in the Chinese print) explains it SO WELL.
"Gods were gods because gods had no
desires.
When the gardener began to play
favorites, it was as if a god had developed
desires--perhaps he was no longer suited
to this job.
Ruan Nanzhu was not careful and cut his palm on the rose's thorns. He looked at the blood in his palm and discovered just how similar the color of his blood was to the color of the rose.
If that was so, then could he also become a rose? This absurd thought suddenly surfaced in the gardener's mind.
As the time Ruan Nanzhu spent with the little rose grew, the love he had for the little rose too grew stronger. At last this exceedingly fervent love led the gardener to make a decision.
He relinquished his identity as a gardener and sought to become a rose, in order to go with his beloved little rose into the final challenge.
The name of that challenge was the Twelfth Door.
Ruan Nanzhu smiled gently. He molded a shape for himself and forgot that he was a gardener." ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!
So pretty much Ruan Nanzhu is the NPC for the twelfth door. In his lifetime, he watched Qiushi's life through a TV that looked at Qiushi's journey in doors 1-11, as well as Qiushi outside in the real world. Ruan Nanzhu fell in love with Qiushi and wished to become human, too.
So he stripped himself of his knowledge and memories he had, and when Qiushi walked into the Twelfth door, he fanfic-ed everything WE read in volumes 1-6 by inserting himself in the picture from doors 1-11.
Within door twelve, Qiushi fell in love with Ruan Nanzhu, he was later seperated by the illusionary realm, but kept his promise that he will never forget about him.
The eleventh door was terrifying... What made it even more terrifying was the fact that their time spent together every day was getting shorter and shorter... Will they ever see each other again? The world seperated the two, no matter how hard they tried to stay awake, they couldn't. The adversary of this realm was too powerful
But Qiushi found the key behind the clock, escaped the illusionary realm, and found out that as he left the twelfth door, no one knew Ruan Nanzhu.
Everything wasn't real.
He waited a year... Waited and waited, nearing insanity. Until one day, Ruan Nanzhu shows up because he too, found the key behind the clock in Qiushi's room in the twelfth door. They reunite and live happily ever after— the twelfth door never to be opened again. Others will never have to experience the twelfth door because Ruan Nanzhu... The twelfth door god, is gone from there, forever.
,; (ง 🔥 ﾛ 🔥 )ง ;,
GUAT!!!!
UGH!!!!!
My romance freak heart!!!
This is what true love looks like!
I'm exhausted!
That was amazing!
My review and explanation cannot fully describe how fucking amazing and beautiful this volume was. 𐔌՞ ܸ.ˬ.ܸ՞𐦯
Also, I love that the ghouls were nice to Nanzhu when Qiushi left.
Sachiko literally is cupid ghoul! The ultimate number one matchmaker! We. Would. Not. Have. This. Story. Without. Her!
(つ｡˃ ᵕ ˂)つ ⸝♡ (っ˶ ˘ ᵕ˘)ˆᵕ ˆ˶ς)
Also, can we talk about Hako Onna hiding in Nanzhu's suit case! Hahahaha!
Though, I wish we knew how the doors came into existance.
How did they know their doors or plan their doors? Furthermore, how do they randomly assign themselves a door when looking for clues, i.e when the twins would jump into doors to train or gather clues.
What about the bracelets.... It felt like it had a deeper meaning.
I'm sad I didn't have answers to these questions, but that's okay! I loved it regardless!
Read 02/01/26
March 29, 2026
Another 5 ⭐️
After the death of Cheng Qianli, all of Obsidian is grieving, but Qiushi takes it especially hard. He and Nanzhu go on a long vacation for Qiushi’s mental health because he start to zone out often. Honestly, I just loved how supportive Nanzhu was. Their dynamic felt so soft and domestic. Even when they come back they live their lives to the fullest.
Then comes their 11th door, everything feels… wrong. It’s the exact day he started his door journey. Wu Qi is alive, his girlfriend is doing great, Tan Zaozao is alive too. There’s no trace of Obsidian, no trace of Nanzhu. It’s unsettling, and even Qiushi starts questioning whether he’s truly inside a door. The only thing grounding him is his backpack, still filled with items from his past doors.
But at night, everything changes. The ghosts and people from his previous doors return, and when Li Dongyuan appears and saves him, I completely lost it. I genuinely had to pause because I started crying? I didn’t realize how much I missed him until that moment. The second night hits just as hard. When Qiushi feels completely trapped, Tan Zaozao appears and saves him. Again, I had to stop reading for a moment 😭 On the third day, he travels to Cheng Qianli’s city and meets him. Qianli doesn’t recognize him, but still lets him in without hesitation. That moment hurt in the a kind of good way, because it proves that Chen Qianli never really changed 😭 Quote from Qianli: “But I don’t think you’re a bad guy. You haven’t stolen anything…” I just can’t 😭 Then things escalate again, his flight back gets canceled, forcing him to survive in an unfamiliar city. He survives because Satchan comes to help him. And the next day he gets back to his city. From that point on, Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu meet every night… until one day, the night simply stops existing.
The realization of Qiushi that the doors and the clock are connected is such a powerful turning point. Qiushi retrieves the keys, and chooses his own path through the 12th door. After a year, Ruan Nanzhu returns. They get their happy ending even if they both know something about Nanzhu is different, but they choose to let it be. Quote: “My dear, what in the world are you?”
I also absolutely loved the twins’ backstory. I’ve always adored them, and seeing how much Toast supported Qianli just made everything more emotional. Their bond was so deep, and Qianli’s death truly took a part of him with it. That’s why it meant so much that Cheng Yixie got to see him again in his 11th door and chose to stay with him 🥰
In the end, everyone gets a somewhat happy ending, which feels fitting for a story that carries so much pain and love at the same time.
Overall, this was an amazing book. It was just the perfect combination of humor, emotional gut-wrenching moments, action, incredible worldbuilding, and genuine care between the characters. That balance is what made this story so great! It’s one of those stories that will stay with me for a long after I finish it. I honestly wish I could experience it for the first time again! I don’t know if anything will ever come close to this.
Didn’t read the Rosmei translation yet because I couldn’t wait.
After the death of Cheng Qianli, all of Obsidian is grieving, but Qiushi takes it especially hard. He and Nanzhu go on a long vacation for Qiushi’s mental health because he start to zone out often. Honestly, I just loved how supportive Nanzhu was. Their dynamic felt so soft and domestic. Even when they come back they live their lives to the fullest.
Then comes their 11th door, everything feels… wrong. It’s the exact day he started his door journey. Wu Qi is alive, his girlfriend is doing great, Tan Zaozao is alive too. There’s no trace of Obsidian, no trace of Nanzhu. It’s unsettling, and even Qiushi starts questioning whether he’s truly inside a door. The only thing grounding him is his backpack, still filled with items from his past doors.
But at night, everything changes. The ghosts and people from his previous doors return, and when Li Dongyuan appears and saves him, I completely lost it. I genuinely had to pause because I started crying? I didn’t realize how much I missed him until that moment. The second night hits just as hard. When Qiushi feels completely trapped, Tan Zaozao appears and saves him. Again, I had to stop reading for a moment 😭 On the third day, he travels to Cheng Qianli’s city and meets him. Qianli doesn’t recognize him, but still lets him in without hesitation. That moment hurt in the a kind of good way, because it proves that Chen Qianli never really changed 😭 Quote from Qianli: “But I don’t think you’re a bad guy. You haven’t stolen anything…” I just can’t 😭 Then things escalate again, his flight back gets canceled, forcing him to survive in an unfamiliar city. He survives because Satchan comes to help him. And the next day he gets back to his city. From that point on, Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu meet every night… until one day, the night simply stops existing.
The realization of Qiushi that the doors and the clock are connected is such a powerful turning point. Qiushi retrieves the keys, and chooses his own path through the 12th door. After a year, Ruan Nanzhu returns. They get their happy ending even if they both know something about Nanzhu is different, but they choose to let it be. Quote: “My dear, what in the world are you?”
I also absolutely loved the twins’ backstory. I’ve always adored them, and seeing how much Toast supported Qianli just made everything more emotional. Their bond was so deep, and Qianli’s death truly took a part of him with it. That’s why it meant so much that Cheng Yixie got to see him again in his 11th door and chose to stay with him 🥰
In the end, everyone gets a somewhat happy ending, which feels fitting for a story that carries so much pain and love at the same time.
Overall, this was an amazing book. It was just the perfect combination of humor, emotional gut-wrenching moments, action, incredible worldbuilding, and genuine care between the characters. That balance is what made this story so great! It’s one of those stories that will stay with me for a long after I finish it. I honestly wish I could experience it for the first time again! I don’t know if anything will ever come close to this.
Didn’t read the Rosmei translation yet because I couldn’t wait.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2025
I have so many thoughts and I don’t even know where to start. This danmei is SO WORTH THE READ. I also read it right after Panguan and it felt so perfectly timed. I know so many don’t love Modern Danmei’s but if you give one a chance, I totally recommend KOD. I went through so many emotions throughout this series and I feel like with every Danmei, I just connect SO deeply to the characters. This series was EERILY personal. I do think the modern setting helped, but just the depth and the level of balance of humor, connection, love, loss and so much more, really gets under your skin in the best way. It honestly surprised me in so many ways. I’m still reeling over the twist. I honestly don’t know how to feel. I love that it was thought provoking in why characters did what they did. Trying to understand the world of the doors, all of it. I honestly LOVED the concept of the doors and the tie in of the urban legends. It was perfectly spooky and made my heart race. Danmei is amazing at it, but the connection to the side characters was also incredible and I can’t tell you how many times I bawled reading this. I will be thinking of this one for a long time. I just finished and I miss them already. Nanzhu is SO funny and shameless. I love them.
November 12, 2025
That final chapter was actually diabolical. I will now proceed to think about CYX and CQL for all of eternity.
May 22, 2026
I have never, ever, finished a series and immediately wanted to reread it again. I didn’t not expect this ending and it was a masterpiece. I was surprised as my theory was something completely different.
I will think about this forever.
My rating 6/5 stars. I have never given a book this rating. I feel like the story is complete. My heart is in pieces because it is over and i want to cry. I almost cried at the end. I usually don’t cry in books either. Not that i am cold or unemotional. It just takes a lot to get me to feel that deeply.
Fyi, to those that read the extra before they read the story to see if they like couple interactions, do not do that with this. IT WILL RUIN THE ENDING FOR YOU DONT DO IT.
SPOILERS SERIOUSLY DONT READ PAST THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOKS I AM SERIOUS IT WILL RUIN THE ENTIRE STORY
SERIOUSLY STOP READING
GIRL I SAID STOP 🛑 THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE
My heart broke because I knew the book was almost over and i truly thought they wouldn’t be together. I was so close to crying. The pain lin felt and the absolute heartache. My god. The psychological horror of potentially never seeing someone you loved ever again.
But they ended up being together in the end ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Seriously tho did anyone else expect Ruan to be the 12th door???? The god of the door world????? The last npc?????? Because i sure fucking didn’t
I thought the 11th door was the final door and the twelve just appeared after and once you walked through you forgot everything and then they would have to start their relationship all over again.
BUT RUAN BEING THE GOD OF THE DOOR. I told my husband everything about the ending of the book because i could not girl I COULD NOT
I had to talk about it.
This type of ending is the shit i eat up. The complete circle. The stories that are infinite but also have an ending are the best.
This kind of reminded me of the anime My future diary. Also one of the few stories i couldn’t figure out the ending to. Almost every book, show, anime, podcast, and movie that i have ever seen did not surprise me. Horror? I knew who would die and what would happen. Mystery? I know who the killer is. But this? I was wrong. Maybe others got it and i didn’t, but it surprised me all the same.
6/5 stars. I will reread this again. I need this to become an anime. I need this to be a show that didn’t change anything about the story. This story isn’t perfect, but it is to me.
If the author ever reads this, thank you. You have made something that i will remember for the rest of my life and cherish till i am gone. I am tearing up writing this as i know it is over. What a masterpiece. ☺️ thank you.
I will think about this forever.
My rating 6/5 stars. I have never given a book this rating. I feel like the story is complete. My heart is in pieces because it is over and i want to cry. I almost cried at the end. I usually don’t cry in books either. Not that i am cold or unemotional. It just takes a lot to get me to feel that deeply.
Fyi, to those that read the extra before they read the story to see if they like couple interactions, do not do that with this. IT WILL RUIN THE ENDING FOR YOU DONT DO IT.
SPOILERS SERIOUSLY DONT READ PAST THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOKS I AM SERIOUS IT WILL RUIN THE ENTIRE STORY
SERIOUSLY STOP READING
GIRL I SAID STOP 🛑 THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE
My heart broke because I knew the book was almost over and i truly thought they wouldn’t be together. I was so close to crying. The pain lin felt and the absolute heartache. My god. The psychological horror of potentially never seeing someone you loved ever again.
But they ended up being together in the end ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Seriously tho did anyone else expect Ruan to be the 12th door???? The god of the door world????? The last npc?????? Because i sure fucking didn’t
I thought the 11th door was the final door and the twelve just appeared after and once you walked through you forgot everything and then they would have to start their relationship all over again.
BUT RUAN BEING THE GOD OF THE DOOR. I told my husband everything about the ending of the book because i could not girl I COULD NOT
I had to talk about it.
This type of ending is the shit i eat up. The complete circle. The stories that are infinite but also have an ending are the best.
This kind of reminded me of the anime My future diary. Also one of the few stories i couldn’t figure out the ending to. Almost every book, show, anime, podcast, and movie that i have ever seen did not surprise me. Horror? I knew who would die and what would happen. Mystery? I know who the killer is. But this? I was wrong. Maybe others got it and i didn’t, but it surprised me all the same.
6/5 stars. I will reread this again. I need this to become an anime. I need this to be a show that didn’t change anything about the story. This story isn’t perfect, but it is to me.
If the author ever reads this, thank you. You have made something that i will remember for the rest of my life and cherish till i am gone. I am tearing up writing this as i know it is over. What a masterpiece. ☺️ thank you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2025
door 14: reality
extras
extras
October 30, 2025
I read the webnovel of this series~ I hope for everyone this volume will include the 8 extras along with the 2 special extras that were released for the physical / print copies only, as it gives the readers a better understanding of everything and everyone should read them if they haven't!
rating: I went back and forth on whether it deserves a 3 or 4 star but settled on 3 star~ while I really enjoy the overall plot, I didn't care for and won't overlook the authors way of describing others which lowers my rating. I noticed the author would tend to talk badly about other women and even had odd remarks about anyone when they didn't meet certain beauty or "typical" standards.
review: I enjoyed lin qiushi and ruan nanzhu dynamic~ they both had their own strengths, not being weaker than the other(ish), but able to protect one another.
I really liked how each door was based on different folklore (with some changes of course) and the horror aspects of everything kept me at the edge of my seat always wanting to read more! All the characters and their bond with one another was well written~ I won't lie that I will miss them~
The ending came to no surprise to me as I had been previously spoiled (of my own choosing after watching the drama it was adapted from) but it was wrapped up nicely and as I said earlier, the extras give more details that help explain things. I do wish we got a bit more... but regardless I'm happy with the overall ending~
rating: I went back and forth on whether it deserves a 3 or 4 star but settled on 3 star~ while I really enjoy the overall plot, I didn't care for and won't overlook the authors way of describing others which lowers my rating. I noticed the author would tend to talk badly about other women and even had odd remarks about anyone when they didn't meet certain beauty or "typical" standards.
review: I enjoyed lin qiushi and ruan nanzhu dynamic~ they both had their own strengths, not being weaker than the other(ish), but able to protect one another.
I really liked how each door was based on different folklore (with some changes of course) and the horror aspects of everything kept me at the edge of my seat always wanting to read more! All the characters and their bond with one another was well written~ I won't lie that I will miss them~
The ending came to no surprise to me as I had been previously spoiled (of my own choosing after watching the drama it was adapted from) but it was wrapped up nicely and as I said earlier, the extras give more details that help explain things. I do wish we got a bit more... but regardless I'm happy with the overall ending~
Review of advance copy
What an amazing journey this was! OMG I can't even realize it's over, just want more and don't want to part with these characters, they'll live in my head rent free. Or, at the very least, I want to read another thematically similar novel soon!
I enjoyed horror, life-and-death situations, love that seems only stronger because lives are hanging on the line and almost all characters. I want to watch drama so badly now, this will give me an opportunity to stay in the world of Kaleidoscope longer.
So, this is a horror novel about a world where certain people who are on the brink of death can go through twelve doors to survive. Main protagonist, Lin Qiushi, finds himself behind the first door and meets beautiful tall woman Ruan Baijie, now he has to find the exit. This marks the start of his completely new life.
Each door has a creepy scary quest behind it. Players must find the key and the door to return to the real world. Every next door difficulty increases, almost no one got out of the 11th and 12th ones. In the end of the book we get to know why, and it's huge and amazing plot twist, I was shocked.
I love how each door is based on folklore and urban legends. Also I love how openly scary, creepy and ugly everything was. Pools of blood, severed limbs and other organs, ghosts, ghouls and terrible terrible people. Everything is crazy, fueled by adrenaline and awesome, I felt like I'm in Asian horror movie and to some extent that's what it was. Human connections in such circumstances are very precious and dear and my heart broke when important characters died. Also I loved how, despite the cold exterior and calm demeanor of Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu, they are not unfeeling. Quite the opposite, they are hardened by everything they went through but still care deeply about friends and, most of all, about each other. Their love so too tender, shameless and cute in extras, such a great loving couple ❤️ And that twist, I am still so impressed OMG 🤯
I adored how extras showed more insight into the other characters, whose perspective was not shown in the main story. Especially the closure of Cheng twins storyline. And the very beginning of our main characters love story. I so get why he did what he did, Lin Qiushi is such an amazing man, kind, resilient, compassionate and strong.
It's not that I don't have questions after this novel is over but the ending is really very satisfying and I don't feel like something important remained untold. I wish to know where the doors came from, for example. But I can accept that some details can remain a mystery, at least there were no real plotholes and all the loose ends were tied.
I really really loved the story and now I'm ready to watch drama and remember all the horror and angst I went through during all volumes. I rarely give 5 stars but here it's like 10/5.
I enjoyed horror, life-and-death situations, love that seems only stronger because lives are hanging on the line and almost all characters. I want to watch drama so badly now, this will give me an opportunity to stay in the world of Kaleidoscope longer.
So, this is a horror novel about a world where certain people who are on the brink of death can go through twelve doors to survive. Main protagonist, Lin Qiushi, finds himself behind the first door and meets beautiful tall woman Ruan Baijie, now he has to find the exit. This marks the start of his completely new life.
Each door has a creepy scary quest behind it. Players must find the key and the door to return to the real world. Every next door difficulty increases, almost no one got out of the 11th and 12th ones. In the end of the book we get to know why, and it's huge and amazing plot twist, I was shocked.
I love how each door is based on folklore and urban legends. Also I love how openly scary, creepy and ugly everything was. Pools of blood, severed limbs and other organs, ghosts, ghouls and terrible terrible people. Everything is crazy, fueled by adrenaline and awesome, I felt like I'm in Asian horror movie and to some extent that's what it was. Human connections in such circumstances are very precious and dear and my heart broke when important characters died. Also I loved how, despite the cold exterior and calm demeanor of Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu, they are not unfeeling. Quite the opposite, they are hardened by everything they went through but still care deeply about friends and, most of all, about each other. Their love so too tender, shameless and cute in extras, such a great loving couple ❤️ And that twist, I am still so impressed OMG 🤯
I adored how extras showed more insight into the other characters, whose perspective was not shown in the main story. Especially the closure of Cheng twins storyline. And the very beginning of our main characters love story. I so get why he did what he did, Lin Qiushi is such an amazing man, kind, resilient, compassionate and strong.
It's not that I don't have questions after this novel is over but the ending is really very satisfying and I don't feel like something important remained untold. I wish to know where the doors came from, for example. But I can accept that some details can remain a mystery, at least there were no real plotholes and all the loose ends were tied.
I really really loved the story and now I'm ready to watch drama and remember all the horror and angst I went through during all volumes. I rarely give 5 stars but here it's like 10/5.
October 30, 2025
”Lin Qiushi leaned back in Ruan Nanzhu's arms and felt the warmth coming from the other's skin. He said, "I used to think this is enough, but now..." A hint of sorrow surfaced between his brows. "I want to grow old with you. Is that too selfish?”
Wrapping this up I feel like most of my thoughts have been verbalized in the previous reviews, and all of it is still relevant. This series started out really strong, as a reader it felt like the author had a clear concept of where she wanted to go, and the main storyline felt solid. The doors mostly had well thought out concepts and there was a good mix between single and collaborative efforts. Unfortunately I keep waiting for the story to venture outside of the action and horror, to envelop up into this massive world and slowly unwrap all these characters that make up the struggles, acts of love and evil. But it never happened, as I reached the last page I felt that most of the side characters were still frigid shells, only meant to stay in the shadows and appear when convenient. It’s not until I reached the extras that I felt the emotional impact of the twins stories and to some degree Tan Zaozao’s.
The plot twist at the end didn’t come as a surprise as I’ve watched the dramatization, and truthfully I wasn’t blown away by it. My favorite part of this series was seeing the only constant relationship, the one between our mains, develop into such a lovely thing. I don’t know, for me it felt as if everything I experienced with them didn’t happen, and therefore, what’s the point? Still though, I love the way they loved each other and that together with entertaining stories within the doors was worth the tedious read.
Wrapping this up I feel like most of my thoughts have been verbalized in the previous reviews, and all of it is still relevant. This series started out really strong, as a reader it felt like the author had a clear concept of where she wanted to go, and the main storyline felt solid. The doors mostly had well thought out concepts and there was a good mix between single and collaborative efforts. Unfortunately I keep waiting for the story to venture outside of the action and horror, to envelop up into this massive world and slowly unwrap all these characters that make up the struggles, acts of love and evil. But it never happened, as I reached the last page I felt that most of the side characters were still frigid shells, only meant to stay in the shadows and appear when convenient. It’s not until I reached the extras that I felt the emotional impact of the twins stories and to some degree Tan Zaozao’s.
The plot twist at the end didn’t come as a surprise as I’ve watched the dramatization, and truthfully I wasn’t blown away by it. My favorite part of this series was seeing the only constant relationship, the one between our mains, develop into such a lovely thing. I don’t know, for me it felt as if everything I experienced with them didn’t happen, and therefore, what’s the point? Still though, I love the way they loved each other and that together with entertaining stories within the doors was worth the tedious read.
Review of advance copy received from Author
review for the 6 volumes / spoils
I LOVED the whole series from the beginning to the end we’re not even getting bored once, it’s funny, creepy and angsty at the same time, it’s plot heavy and there’s no plot holes whatsoever, still maybe have some questions but I can live w it, every door is so interesting and the use of diff folklores is just so great every time.
The main couple is just…yeah shameless and I love this contrast with the horror concept. I LOVEEEE when romance is on 2nd plan but still influence the whole story ??? don’t read only for the romance it’s rlly rlly poor at the beginning, it doesn’t even develop before half of the novel and maybe even after ? Yet when they’re tgt it’s just perfect. Still I was so right to cheer for Ruanzu bcs that guy was down bad for his boy and wayyyy before he entered the doors… I want to pull a demon too Quishi you selfish bastard just share a little…
I’m never reading Quishi’s 10th door tho, the angst peeked there…not even Yixie’s 9th door where they both nearly died was as angsty as when Hako Onna got Ruanzu trapped in the room uh don’t even want to think abt it again.
The whole cast is just so good, ofc my favs support character died but well that was for sure I’m used to this now… they even had to make extras abt this ??? Awful
Basically ig it’s already my best 2026 read it’ll be hard to top this even if I can object some things to it it’s still a wonderful book that took me one week off my life to finish it and I was FOCUSED only on this the whole week, I’ll be mourning this wonderful week oh how to bring this feeling back 😔
I LOVED the whole series from the beginning to the end we’re not even getting bored once, it’s funny, creepy and angsty at the same time, it’s plot heavy and there’s no plot holes whatsoever, still maybe have some questions but I can live w it, every door is so interesting and the use of diff folklores is just so great every time.
The main couple is just…yeah shameless and I love this contrast with the horror concept. I LOVEEEE when romance is on 2nd plan but still influence the whole story ??? don’t read only for the romance it’s rlly rlly poor at the beginning, it doesn’t even develop before half of the novel and maybe even after ? Yet when they’re tgt it’s just perfect. Still I was so right to cheer for Ruanzu bcs that guy was down bad for his boy and wayyyy before he entered the doors… I want to pull a demon too Quishi you selfish bastard just share a little…
I’m never reading Quishi’s 10th door tho, the angst peeked there…not even Yixie’s 9th door where they both nearly died was as angsty as when Hako Onna got Ruanzu trapped in the room uh don’t even want to think abt it again.
The whole cast is just so good, ofc my favs support character died but well that was for sure I’m used to this now… they even had to make extras abt this ??? Awful
Basically ig it’s already my best 2026 read it’ll be hard to top this even if I can object some things to it it’s still a wonderful book that took me one week off my life to finish it and I was FOCUSED only on this the whole week, I’ll be mourning this wonderful week oh how to bring this feeling back 😔
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2026
Espectaculaaaaaaaar vaya historia vaya personajes VAYA GIRO FINAL, muy muy disfrutable si te gusta el terror de baja intensidad y los escape rooms.
Lo único que podría echar en falta es desarrollo romántico, LQS no parece darse cuenta de lo que siente hasta que en cuestión de dos capítulos esta involucrado en la relación.
En general una lectura fantástica que recomendaré a cualquiera que se me acerque.
Lo único que podría echar en falta es desarrollo romántico, LQS no parece darse cuenta de lo que siente hasta que en cuestión de dos capítulos esta involucrado en la relación.
En general una lectura fantástica que recomendaré a cualquiera que se me acerque.
Review of advance copy
Rating the story based off a fan-translated file I have! This story was so, so good, and made me feel all the feelings we feel. I won't spoil anything, but the ending did throw me for a loop, in both a plot twist way and also a I'm-confused-how-this-happened way. I still loved the entire story overall, will absolutely be re-reading, and is officially in my top ten list.
Review of advance copy
The other volumes were much more light hearted, but every part of this novel was so perfectly wrapped up and so so so well done. I wish I could erase my memory and reread this series once more just for the amazing plot twist at the end
November 24, 2025
que broncaaa, hice la reseña en el primer volumen porque antes no estaban acá AAAAAAA
December 5, 2025
everyone in my life will know about them
Review of advance copy
I still can't wrap my head around the whole idea of Nanzhu being the 12th door. I loved the ending my Jiushi and Nanzhu😩 also Bai Ming and his lover
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