After reading excellent novels with either great characters, ones that are emotionally attaching, or main characters that are just tragic but not the typical cold-blooded harem mc, I now can't bear to read the typical average novel because I hold high expectations (though let's be real--that's not exactly a good thing because we know just how rare those types of novels are) And so, i'm looking for novels with characters that you can either get emotionally attached with or mcs that you could deeply emphasize with. Here are some novels I read that fulfill or somewhat fulfill the requirements: Pursuit of the Truth (--Or all of Er Gen's works, really, but the others only 'somewhat' fulfill it so..) Lord of the Mysteries World of Cultivation Nirvana In Fire I Am the God of Games Transcending the Nine Heavens (I suppose?) Legend of Sun Knight Trash of the Count's Family How to Live as the Enemy Prince I'd prefer it if you recommend xianxia/xuanhuan works with those two traits, but let's be honest, requesting that is asking too much. Its species is almost extinct.
Mao ni's works, especially Nightfall and path towards heaven The Grandmaster Strategist is similar to Nirvana In Fire
A cannon fodder's record of counterattacks - we get to see Ning Shu's entire journey from a naive little girl who died from leukaemia to an old trickster, so we can both understand why she does the things she does and get emotionally attached to her. I guess it counts as a cultivation novel. Ancestor of our sect isn't acting like an elder - Xue Quilin is a character with a surprising amount of layers, and is certainly someone who can be empathised with. Breakthrough with the forbidden master - haven't read in a while but Earth was a teen you could really care about. Good character building. Sword dad - mc is a sword that you understand
Ning Shu +1 That novel honestly slapped some logic and sense back in my mind when I was just a newcomer to NU and liked reading those white lotus mcs.
Legend of Sun Knight is amazing, and I highly recommend you read the author's other works! Of all her works, I'd say that the ones I was able to feel the MC's emotions most strongly were LSK, No Hero, and Gong Hua (tls dropped). Dominion's End is great as well, though it's a bit more plot based than character based. Gong Hua is the darkest/angstiest by far. In general, I've found that most Taiwanese light novels have the trait of clearly conveying the character's emotions, mostly because of the writing style that switches between third-person narrative and the MC's thoughts. Some others that I really enjoyed were: Yu Brothers' Case Book and Case Book (the latter sequel series is much stronger at conveying emotions, although the first series does it too). Unique Legend (it is a long series though, so it takes a while to build up to the emotional points and the character development. But the later volumes are a seriously strong blow). Residence of Monsters (same as UL - long series so takes a while to build, but definitely strong in emotions later on). Fu Xing Dong Lai (same author as ROM - shorter and more lighthearted, but it has its moments, especially because you get attached to the characters). Chen Yue Zhi Yao (unfortunately tls were dropped right when the development really started - I read the raws though and it's so good. It's one of the most famous light novels in Taiwan along with LSK and UL). The Real Awakening (this one is still early in tls though, so you'd have to wait).