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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Please, please, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. I am barely giving this book 1 star.
Look- I mean no offense to the writer, but I need to say this . I absolutely hated this book . With a fiery passion. It's not often a book just infuriates me so much. And I did not see it coming.
The concept: A woman travels to a parallel dimension for a year to see her parents (who are dead in this world). Interesting , I thought. Obviously she is immediately thrust into a marriage with the scary and powerful Drakkar. Again, so far so good. Yeah, he leaves her and kinda treats her rudely at first, but nothing to get mad over. So why the rage? FOUR reasons.
1. Drakkar doesn't like Finnie's (the heroine's) doppelganger in his dimension and dreaded marrying her, which he had to do for political reasons. Why does he hate her? Because she's a lesbian. Yes, you read that right.
2. Once Drakkar finds out that Finnie is actually straight, he immediately orders the elves to bind her to his dimension forever . After like 2 weeks of knowing her and not consulting her at all, while also knowing that she planned to return to her world in a year.
3. Drakkar finds out that Finnie has been taking a preventative powder, so as not to get pregnant. AND HE REPLACES THAT WITH A PLACEBO! . Obviously, again, not telling her a thing. And she gets pregnant.
4. At that point, I was skimming to read how Finnie would react when she found all this out. She FINALLY does, rips him a new one for like 2 pages, they immediately get ambushed and he is presumed dead for a month. After she finds him alive, Drakkar starts to apologize for his behavior and, GET THIS, she says "no baby, I am sorry that I said those awful things to you!" .
I hated everything in this book. Aside from all the abovementioned, Finnie (a 30 year old woman) kept using words like "cool" and "awesome" and her reactions were usually described with an "Eek!". What is she? 14?
I do not get how this book was written by a female in the 21st century.
Look- I mean no offense to the writer, but I need to say this . I absolutely hated this book . With a fiery passion. It's not often a book just infuriates me so much. And I did not see it coming.
The concept: A woman travels to a parallel dimension for a year to see her parents (who are dead in this world). Interesting , I thought. Obviously she is immediately thrust into a marriage with the scary and powerful Drakkar. Again, so far so good. Yeah, he leaves her and kinda treats her rudely at first, but nothing to get mad over. So why the rage? FOUR reasons.
Spoiler
1. Drakkar doesn't like Finnie's (the heroine's) doppelganger in his dimension and dreaded marrying her, which he had to do for political reasons. Why does he hate her? Because she's a lesbian. Yes, you read that right.
2. Once Drakkar finds out that Finnie is actually straight, he immediately orders the elves to bind her to his dimension forever . After like 2 weeks of knowing her and not consulting her at all, while also knowing that she planned to return to her world in a year.
3. Drakkar finds out that Finnie has been taking a preventative powder, so as not to get pregnant. AND HE REPLACES THAT WITH A PLACEBO! . Obviously, again, not telling her a thing. And she gets pregnant.
4. At that point, I was skimming to read how Finnie would react when she found all this out. She FINALLY does, rips him a new one for like 2 pages, they immediately get ambushed and he is presumed dead for a month. After she finds him alive, Drakkar starts to apologize for his behavior and, GET THIS, she says "no baby, I am sorry that I said those awful things to you!" .
I hated everything in this book. Aside from all the abovementioned, Finnie (a 30 year old woman) kept using words like "cool" and "awesome" and her reactions were usually described with an "Eek!". What is she? 14?
I do not get how this book was written by a female in the 21st century.
I'M FINISHED!! literally! I just have to DNF'ed at chapter 16. I don't think there is any redemption to the characters of this book.
I have been wanting to read this book for months because it has the same genre as the mainstream manhwas I've been enjoying these days (woman travels to another world) but OH BOY, did I meet such disappointment that I honestly wanna puke, like I almost really puke.
I have been wanting to read this book for months because it has the same genre as the mainstream manhwas I've been enjoying these days (woman travels to another world) but OH BOY, did I meet such disappointment that I honestly wanna puke, like I almost really puke.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First read in 2015: 5 stars
Second read in 2018 : 1 star (DNF at 47%)
I can't believe I gave this book 5tars, not only that, I also shelved it as favourite heroine, book-boyfriend, and all time favourite book! What was I thinking? How?
Plot - 3/5
Writing - 2/5
Pace - 3.5/5
Characters - 1/5
The worst thing about this book is its characters. The heroine is supposed to be this 30-year-old adventurous, worldly woman, who travelled everywhere. So you'd expect her to be smart and strong. She's not. Or she was in the beginning but then some other spineless dumb teenager took her place.
The hero is worse. He's this alpha male, 6 feet tall, strong verile guy. He's the strongest in the world, he has all the powers you can ever imagine and he's a brute.
- Deciding someone's future without asking them is not okay
- touching someone without their consent is not okay
- humiliating your wife in public or private for that matter is not okay
- if your wife tells you she's hurt because of something you did, you don't ignore her for days
I'm sure there are other examples of how wrong and toxic this relationship is but I dnf'ed this time around.
And last but not least, I loathed how he called her. Every time he said it I wanted to hit something
wee one or my wee Finnie.
So I'm sorry to anyone who saw my review and read this book... Don't read it!!
Second read in 2018 : 1 star (DNF at 47%)
I can't believe I gave this book 5tars, not only that, I also shelved it as favourite heroine, book-boyfriend, and all time favourite book! What was I thinking? How?
Plot - 3/5
Writing - 2/5
Pace - 3.5/5
Characters - 1/5
The worst thing about this book is its characters. The heroine is supposed to be this 30-year-old adventurous, worldly woman, who travelled everywhere. So you'd expect her to be smart and strong. She's not. Or she was in the beginning but then some other spineless dumb teenager took her place.
The hero is worse. He's this alpha male, 6 feet tall, strong verile guy. He's the strongest in the world, he has all the powers you can ever imagine and he's a brute.
Spoiler
- Deciding someone's future without asking them is not okay
- touching someone without their consent is not okay
- humiliating your wife in public or private for that matter is not okay
- if your wife tells you she's hurt because of something you did, you don't ignore her for days
I'm sure there are other examples of how wrong and toxic this relationship is but I dnf'ed this time around.
And last but not least, I loathed how he called her. Every time he said it I wanted to hit something
wee one or my wee Finnie.
So I'm sorry to anyone who saw my review and read this book... Don't read it!!
I am such a sucker for anything Kristen Ashley writes, she creates the perfect idea of what a man should be. None of them are perfect, they make mistakes and mess up but geez if anyone knows a real live Drakkar please send him my way :)
Seoafin (Finnie amongst friends) has an unquenchable thirst for adventure. When she learns that another world exists in where each person has a twin she decides she must go. Not only for the adventure but because this may be the opportunity she has wanted so long to reunite with her deceased parents, or their twins rather. Princess Sjofn wants to escape her world and her arranged marriage to the Drakkar. She knows it's her duty to marry and produce the next heir to Lunwyn but she can't help that she doesn't like men. In her world being attracted to the same sex is no big deal, unless you are meant to reproduce for the good of your country. Each of them set up with a witch in their worlds that are able to communicate and arrange the swap. When Finnie switches with Sjofn she finds herself being rushed out and into her wedding with the Drakkar. Sjofn failed to tell her she was to be married, that she was the princess, and that she had recently had assassination attempts. Drakkar can't stand Sjofn and hates the idea of being trapped with a woman for the rest of his life who prefers to have other women. He immediately takes her from their wedding and deposits her in a cabin without even assisting her in getting settled. Then he announces he will be back in two months. Of course the lovely Finnie does just fine on her own but Drakkar is in for a huge surprise when he returns.
***Spoilers***
Once Drakkar returns he learns from the elves of her identity. Without her consent or knowledge he orders the elves to bind her to this world forever instead of the one year time frame she originally had planned. While spending time together they each come to care about the other and Finnie has never been as happy as she is with her husband and her parents. She insists on coming along on all of the adventures and the two of them grow to love the other. When Drakkar finds the powder used in their world to prevent pregnancy, he has it replaced with a placebo. She ends up pregnant but after the initial shock is thrilled to start a family with her husband. When the witch Valentine from our world catches up with Finnie and reveals the things her husband has been hiding she is furious that he would make these decisions without even consulting her. As she is screaming and throwing a fit they are ambushed and Drakkar is killed and Finnie is captured. She is overcome with grief and guilt but continues on to outwit her captor, her cousin Broderick. He planned the attack because without his cousin and her heir he will inherit his fathers portion and Finnie's portion and rule it all. Finnie does outsmart him and his lover Phobin, killing them in the process. Her mother has been captured and everywhere there is war. Finnie spends her time caring for the injured to help keep the grief away. Apollo of the House of Ulfr, and Drakkar's cousin who was a widower understood the sorrow that Finnie was feeling and vowed to stand by her whether she carried a girl, or the next King of Ludwyn. He told Finnie later if she wanted he would be willing to marry her for both their benefit. Their children would have a mother and father, and Finnie and her child would be safe. He knew she would never love him like Drakkar but he also understood. Then they were ambushed again, but this time the Dragons appeared. Finnie was confused because only the Drakkar had control of the dragons. Turns out the elves knew of his injuries and whisked him away to their lands to heal. When he returned he immediately came to her side, and together they saved the day. Well a little more than that happened but there was a HEA. In the end Valentine who felt guilty for telling Drakkar's secrets and causing Finnie to be angry before he was (not) killed, she brings Finnie's bff Claudia to their world to visit. Ulfr also meets with Valentine in the end and pays her to find his late wife Ilsa Ulfr.
Seoafin (Finnie amongst friends) has an unquenchable thirst for adventure. When she learns that another world exists in where each person has a twin she decides she must go. Not only for the adventure but because this may be the opportunity she has wanted so long to reunite with her deceased parents, or their twins rather. Princess Sjofn wants to escape her world and her arranged marriage to the Drakkar. She knows it's her duty to marry and produce the next heir to Lunwyn but she can't help that she doesn't like men. In her world being attracted to the same sex is no big deal, unless you are meant to reproduce for the good of your country. Each of them set up with a witch in their worlds that are able to communicate and arrange the swap. When Finnie switches with Sjofn she finds herself being rushed out and into her wedding with the Drakkar. Sjofn failed to tell her she was to be married, that she was the princess, and that she had recently had assassination attempts. Drakkar can't stand Sjofn and hates the idea of being trapped with a woman for the rest of his life who prefers to have other women. He immediately takes her from their wedding and deposits her in a cabin without even assisting her in getting settled. Then he announces he will be back in two months. Of course the lovely Finnie does just fine on her own but Drakkar is in for a huge surprise when he returns.
***Spoilers***
Once Drakkar returns he learns from the elves of her identity. Without her consent or knowledge he orders the elves to bind her to this world forever instead of the one year time frame she originally had planned. While spending time together they each come to care about the other and Finnie has never been as happy as she is with her husband and her parents. She insists on coming along on all of the adventures and the two of them grow to love the other. When Drakkar finds the powder used in their world to prevent pregnancy, he has it replaced with a placebo. She ends up pregnant but after the initial shock is thrilled to start a family with her husband. When the witch Valentine from our world catches up with Finnie and reveals the things her husband has been hiding she is furious that he would make these decisions without even consulting her. As she is screaming and throwing a fit they are ambushed and Drakkar is killed and Finnie is captured. She is overcome with grief and guilt but continues on to outwit her captor, her cousin Broderick. He planned the attack because without his cousin and her heir he will inherit his fathers portion and Finnie's portion and rule it all. Finnie does outsmart him and his lover Phobin, killing them in the process. Her mother has been captured and everywhere there is war. Finnie spends her time caring for the injured to help keep the grief away. Apollo of the House of Ulfr, and Drakkar's cousin who was a widower understood the sorrow that Finnie was feeling and vowed to stand by her whether she carried a girl, or the next King of Ludwyn. He told Finnie later if she wanted he would be willing to marry her for both their benefit. Their children would have a mother and father, and Finnie and her child would be safe. He knew she would never love him like Drakkar but he also understood. Then they were ambushed again, but this time the Dragons appeared. Finnie was confused because only the Drakkar had control of the dragons. Turns out the elves knew of his injuries and whisked him away to their lands to heal. When he returned he immediately came to her side, and together they saved the day. Well a little more than that happened but there was a HEA. In the end Valentine who felt guilty for telling Drakkar's secrets and causing Finnie to be angry before he was (not) killed, she brings Finnie's bff Claudia to their world to visit. Ulfr also meets with Valentine in the end and pays her to find his late wife Ilsa Ulfr.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
This would have been three stars if not for the torturous repetition of what had to be HUNDREDS of 'ho boy' and 'uh'. If I never read that phrase again it'll be too soon.
It started HORRIBLY and was pretty bad until about a quarter of the way in, then picked up. Finnie makes stupid choices and so does Frey, and then there's the quintessential dumbass misunderstanding and no communication, but the world building was really good.
It started HORRIBLY and was pretty bad until about a quarter of the way in, then picked up. Finnie makes stupid choices and so does Frey, and then there's the quintessential dumbass misunderstanding and no communication, but the world building was really good.
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
I was ready to give this 5⭐️ but I'll get to that in a moment.
First, I'd like to do something that I don't usually do: Address the angry reviews of this book. Frey is a brute, and Finnie is...kinda 'dumb.' Still, the entire premise of this book is about a very young woman from the here and now getting swapped into a fantasy pseudo-parallel universe (that has flippin' dragons) and getting hitched to a Viking essentially (this legit happens way too fast for her to get out of it). Therefore, I say YES; this book has a bunch of dubcon/noncon (not explicit), but OMG, just DNF and move on. Also, I would put money on the fact that if a contemporary 22-year-old woman were teleported to a realm with magic, elves, and dragons, the words 'cool' and 'awesome' would be used in abundance.
Okay, back to the actual story. I found it sweet, adventurous, spicy and has all the makings of a low fantasy. My issue comes more at the end. I would've liked a bit more out of the ending; it kind of just got wrapped up quickly and conveniently.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator, in my opinion, did a fantastic and humorous job :)
First, I'd like to do something that I don't usually do: Address the angry reviews of this book. Frey is a brute, and Finnie is...kinda 'dumb.' Still, the entire premise of this book is about a very young woman from the here and now getting swapped into a fantasy pseudo-parallel universe (that has flippin' dragons) and getting hitched to a Viking essentially (this legit happens way too fast for her to get out of it). Therefore, I say YES; this book has a bunch of dubcon/noncon (not explicit), but OMG, just DNF and move on. Also, I would put money on the fact that if a contemporary 22-year-old woman were teleported to a realm with magic, elves, and dragons, the words 'cool' and 'awesome' would be used in abundance.
Okay, back to the actual story. I found it sweet, adventurous, spicy and has all the makings of a low fantasy. My issue comes more at the end. I would've liked a bit more out of the ending; it kind of just got wrapped up quickly and conveniently.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator, in my opinion, did a fantastic and humorous job :)
Nope. Absolutely not. The MMC in this story is absolutely foul. I was hoping some kind of redemption would come throughout the story, but he seemed to get worse and worse. He was extremely manipulative as well. I got about 80% through and couldn’t find it in me to finish once he swapped out the FMC’s birth control in order to get her pregnant. I’m all for some eyebrow raising stuff, but that honestly did it for me. The story is also long as f*ck. There were multiple scenes that I felt were just fillers and drug the story along more than it needed to be. This book had such potential, only to fall very short. I’m genuinely surprised at how many good reviews this book has.