Rebirth and Reincarnation is a "classic" tale of a 21st century man being reborn in what appears to be ancient China. There's no system, golden finger, or cheats in the normal sense of it all, unless you call being reborn with your memories intact a "cheat". Everything that the MC achieves is done so through his own efforts, which is something that I really appreciate.
The reason why I called this novel a "classic" reincarnation novel, is due to the removal of all superfluous tropes and additions that are typically overlaid a novel such as this. Instead, Rebirth and Reincarnation goes back to the "roots" in order to explore what happens when you get another chance at life. And this is where this novel excelled - the MC is a down to earth person who uses his new life to make the most out of his second life, quickly becoming proficient in martial arts and the scholarly studies. Furthermore, due to being a bare bones story without systems, OP abilities, etc., the story focuses more on character interactions, development, and world building, and it doesn't try to over complicate a good ol' tried and tested genre. In short Rebirth and Reincarnation feels more like a slice-of-life novel with a dash of action and adventure, where you're along for the ride with the MC has slowly explores the fantastical, ancient world that he has been reincarnated into.
As mentioned, what makes this novel shine is the laid back, slice-of-life approach to the story telling. There are arcs with plenty of action and adventure, but the focus is purely on story telling while utilizing the greatest benefits of the characters in the story. Characters are continually developing and as the story progresses you can feel them change and mature.
It's also through the main character's point of view that you slowly uncover and learn more about the world. The world building is a bit lackluster due to the heavy emphasis on character interactions and plot progression, for example, we barely learn anything about the MC's home town, nor are we told anything about how big it is, where it is located in comparison to the capital (only that it is a couple of days away in carriage). However, even with this lack of information, there are glimpses that the world has a greater history, to which we are eluded, such as Gods, and the inevitable ascension to the upper realm.
As of chapter 60, the pacing in this story is mixed. In the first couple of chapters, we quickly advance through MC's childhood till his early teenage years, and we aren't really introduced to any of his other siblings, with Zhi being the exception. I think this is a shame as it feels a bit rushed - we could definitely use the first couple of chapters to build the MC's personality, family dynamics, and learn how the MC came to terms with his reincarnation. The author has instead chosen to quickly progress the plot to the first conflict/development point, being the tournament and the drastic changes the result of this tournament brought to the MC's life. It is also within this arc you see most character interactions between the prince, MC's maid Ling, and other side characters.
Although I called the novel a type of slice-of-life novel, this merely part of it. There does exist a fair bit of action and adventure arcs, especially from chapter 50. So don't worry, the MC isn't a hermit that stays cooped up on his farm - trouble comes knocking and he'll be dragged into the whirlpool of conspiracies and intrigues, whether he likes it or not.
The writing quality is great. No convoluted sentences, atrocious grammar, typos, or spelling mistakes which brought me out of my immersion. The story is easy to read, but still captivating, due to the easier language and great plot that flows naturally (no convoluted words or hard to deconstruct sentences).
In conclusion, Rebirth and Reincarnation is a novel where you get a little of both worlds; slice-of-life and a bit of action and adventure. The story is gripping due to the laid back approach to story telling in which we follow the MC as he lives out his second life. The pacing is quick at times, but it slows down where it is important, allowing for the characters to develop and for you to learn more about them.
Overall, I'll highly recommend this to anyone who wants to read a classic take on the reincarnation genre, where the plot is easy to understand and easy to read. This is, in my opinion, highly entertaining, and the author has done a good job of delivering, without it being tiresome of boring.
Recommended at 4.4/5*
Enjoy!
PS: Please give it a like if you found this review helpful. You can Q&A me in the comments regarding this novel.
