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ninjamuse's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Suicide, Animal death, Torture, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Death, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit and Classism
theaceofpages's review against another edition
My main problem was the main character. It was told from a first person perspective and I just couldn't stand her. She feels like a combination of an edgy teen and the stereotype of a horny cartoon character. And... yeah. That's not really my style. Apparently maturity doesn't come with spending a thousand years (give or take a few hundred) in a time loop. Take out the more graphic sex jokes and maybe tone down some of the violence and you have a lovely YA book. Maybe even MG if you tone it down enough. The actual writing style (minus the more adult contents/edginess) makes me think of something like Fergus Crane by Paul Stewart (which I loved as a kid!). I think the humour working for you is a massive, massive., massive part of if this book will work for you or not. I could see where the jokes were meant to be, but they weren't funny to me. Granted, there were one or two that made me smile, but overall they were more annoying than funny or enjoyable. I also found the constant references to Earth jarring. Especially as she supposedly doesn't remember much of her time there anymore?
I'd strongly suggest reading a sample if possible before going in so you can see if the writing style works for you. If it does, I think you'll have a great time. If it doesn't... Well it doesn't get any better. I think I would have loved this had it been written differently. But to each their own and I hope others have the fun time the author was aiming for!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Gore, Animal death, Death, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Suicide, Blood, and Self harm
jcreads85's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Torture, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, Self harm, Death, and Suicide
kayceeisbookish's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Violence, Vomit, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Cursing, Death, Self harm, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Confinement
phantasmaboo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Depth was also a problem. There were too many characters developed far too shallowly that I couldn't even really remember them all. There were even aspects of Davi's character that I forgot until the last third of the book, let alone any of the others. For example, I completely forgot that David -- true to the name of this book -- is stuck in a time loop. This is a key aspect to her character that doesn't get explored enough and almost feels like a way for the author to get away with torturing this female character over and over again in the name of "character development". Other than being mentioned in the first third and final third, the remainder of the book is absent any consideration of this detail.
The world building was also poor. By the end, all I understood was that some special rocks were eaten to give power. That's about it.
I know that this is the first book in a series, but I probably won't be checking out the rest.
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
devynreadsnovels's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Kidnapping, Gore, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Animal death, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Blood, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, and War
Minor: Sexism
bookishvice's review
It's a female heroine written by a man, who delights to narrate her story with a filthy-mouth and an insufferable douche-bro attitude. There is gratuitous violence, casual wishes to die (in graphic detail), hypersexualized thoughts every other paragraph, and no emotional depth whatsoever.
If you are ready to deal with that bs attitude for 432 pages, then by all means enjoy the book. But I can't even begin to explain how far off the mark this book ended up being for me.
[Netgalley ARC]
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Suicide attempt, Murder, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
bloggingwithdragons's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
As a fan of author Django Wexler’s Burningblade and Silvereye trilogy, I was really excited to dig into How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, which even had a spot on My Most Anticipated Books of 2024 list. It sounded like an absolute ride and a subversion of the tried-and-true trope of a character getting Isekai-ed into a new world and finding themselves designated as the Chosen One who will save the world. Though I was right and How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying was definitely both of those things, with main character Davi deciding to quit trying to fulfill the prophecy of being the savior of the realm and to turn her sights onto something more manageable, i.e., becoming the Dark Lord, I found it just didn’t work for me.
“I need to stop fucking people before I betray them.”*
‘‘If I’d known they were going to take you, I would never—’
‘It’s all right. I’m all right. Really. Everything was very consensual.’
‘You’re—’ she leans back a few inches to stare at me. ‘what do you mean?’
‘Quiet.’ I pull her close. ‘We have friends among the enemy. Well. More than friends, I guess. We have fuck buddies among the enemy’
‘I’m so fucking lost,’ Tsav says.”
“Great. Can’t a Dark Lord get a night of fornication with a minion without him getting all clingy? The worst of it is there’s not really anywhere else I can go to get my rocks off.”
“There’s Dark and there’s Dark, right, this isn’t HBO. And I am not going to be celibate for as long as this project takes, don’t fucking start.”
“Q: How does a girl with tusks go down on you?
A: Very carefully, and with commendable attention to detail.”
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Graphic: Self harm, Violence, and Murder
carlack7's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The footnotes in each chapter are fun additions and I am definitely invested enough that I will be looking for the next book.
Give it a read if you enjoy lots of nerd culture references and a slightly ridiculous main character!
Moderate: Torture, Violence, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault
ee1000's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I really enjoyed this book! Davi is such a fun character and I loved the take on how she handled dying over and over. Her abilities and what she learned give her an edge but don’t make her overpowered which I really appreciate! And her whole character arc is amazing. Without spoiling the end, I really appreciate where she lands with her outlook on life after the book ends.
Tsav, Amitsugu, Droff, Mari and Jeffrey were standouts as far as the supporting cast goes. Tsav for sure earns her place as best Orc.
I love the lore building in this first entry. There’s so much I want to know! Why is Davi special? How will she change her fate now that she’s taken a different path? There’s enough left unanswered that I’m dying for a sequel… which is unfortunate since this book isn’t even out yet!
I’ve already told a few of my friends to pick this up when it releases officially, and I’ll watch eagerly for the sequel!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for an ARC in exchange for a review.
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault