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tori_borialis's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
roadesntoades's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
It be easy to say this is enemies to lovers or sunshine/moody or call it a coworker romance but it really isn’t. The romance is there sure but reading this(while I SO wanted to see them together) I also wanted to see how they interacted with everyone else and see how they realize their feelings. It was more like a romcom where the main characters are more afraid of their feelings than they are oblivious. Over the story was great, awesome fantasy elements, cute humor and all and all a solid read. Sometimes it felt like big reveals weren’t explained enough but that is also a bit of a personal preference. I am also now truly a victim of the book as I torturously wait for the sequel in August.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Violence, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Gaslighting, Death of parent, Confinement, and Cursing
Minor: Toxic relationship and Stalking
bookrecsbyjess's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This was absolutely delightful! I’m so excited for the sequel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Kidnapping, Violence, Cursing, Blood, Sexual harassment, and Death
angelofthetardis's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
Walking through the woods one day, Evie quite literally stumbles across the most notorious bad guy in the land, 'The Villain'. But instead of becoming another one of his victims, he offers her a job as his PA. It's pretty much what you'd expect out of a job really; fix the boss' coffee just the way he likes it, deal with snippy co-workers, contend with the admin tasks that cross your desk and try to ignore the screaming from downstairs. Except, when you're working for The Villain, you may just have to deal with someone trying to kill you...
This was a riot! The author has managed to balance so many different elements in one story to make it a perfect mix of macabre, funny, romantic, cosy and action-packed. The characters are brilliantly thought out and come to life in a blink, the story is simple yet satisfying, and absolutely leaves you wanting more. It's lighthearted, and yet there's a nice little undertone of seriousness about gender equality and other social issues which give it that little bit of depth. Basically, there's something for everyone within!
I adore Evie's character, particularly her smart mouth and sassy retorts when she's on a roll with The Villain. Their rapport is really enjoyable and natural, and the development of their relationship is fantastically paced. Likewise, The Villain is brilliantly pitched - on the face of it, he tortures and kills people for sport, but yup, beyond that he's 100% an eligible book boyfriend! Watching his softer side come out is a joy and a hoot - it's so easy to get sucked into Evie trying to bring out his dimple or make him smile, and when she manages it it's an immediate zing of happy for the reader.
The supporting cast of characters really help in bringing the world to life; from the Frog Prince communicating via sing word sign boards, to the dragon tamer with the padded out CV and the by-the-book HR manager, every character has their place in the overall narrative and yet stands out as an individual. Evie's little sister is so sweet too! I have to say, I TOTALLY relate to Tatianna, the healer, with her penchant for pink! And when she explains why, I felt seen because that's my excuse too!
It does help knowing this is the first in a series - if I was under the impression it was a standalone I don't think it would have come across quite so well. There is a lot of backstory to be filled in, and the pace is quite quick, but I'm content with it as I'm sure it's all coming soon.
This is absolutely a book I will read again and again, and I'm now very impatient for the next instalment at the end of the year!
This was a riot! The author has managed to balance so many different elements in one story to make it a perfect mix of macabre, funny, romantic, cosy and action-packed. The characters are brilliantly thought out and come to life in a blink, the story is simple yet satisfying, and absolutely leaves you wanting more. It's lighthearted, and yet there's a nice little undertone of seriousness about gender equality and other social issues which give it that little bit of depth. Basically, there's something for everyone within!
I adore Evie's character, particularly her smart mouth and sassy retorts when she's on a roll with The Villain. Their rapport is really enjoyable and natural, and the development of their relationship is fantastically paced. Likewise, The Villain is brilliantly pitched - on the face of it, he tortures and kills people for sport, but yup, beyond that he's 100% an eligible book boyfriend! Watching his softer side come out is a joy and a hoot - it's so easy to get sucked into Evie trying to bring out his dimple or make him smile, and when she manages it it's an immediate zing of happy for the reader.
The supporting cast of characters really help in bringing the world to life; from the Frog Prince communicating via sing word sign boards, to the dragon tamer with the padded out CV and the by-the-book HR manager, every character has their place in the overall narrative and yet stands out as an individual. Evie's little sister is so sweet too! I have to say, I TOTALLY relate to Tatianna, the healer, with her penchant for pink! And when she explains why, I felt seen because that's my excuse too!
It does help knowing this is the first in a series - if I was under the impression it was a standalone I don't think it would have come across quite so well. There is a lot of backstory to be filled in, and the pace is quite quick, but I'm content with it as I'm sure it's all coming soon.
This is absolutely a book I will read again and again, and I'm now very impatient for the next instalment at the end of the year!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Torture, Death, Murder, Violence, Blood, Child death, Cursing, and Sexual assault
kierasreadingjournal's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
✨5 STARS!!!✨
“You are chaos.”
Okay, most of you probably know that I DON’T hand out 5 star reviews easily! 4 stars? Yes, all the time. But 5 stars are reserved for the books that really hit me. That struck a chord in me. That mean something to me!
And I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t actually expecting to pick up another 5 star read this year! I’ve already read one, and I thought that was going to be the end.
I WAS WRONG!!!
Obviously, or we wouldn’t have a huge 5 STARS!!! at the beginning of this. 😆
But Ms. Maehrer’s writing is GENIUS!!!
It’s SOOO QUIRKY!!!! And I absolutely adored the style! The plot twists struck me out of NOWHERE!!! Like, I could not have guessed them from a mile away! And yet, at the same time, I was hitting myself (figuratively) for not figuring it out sooner!
The characters!! Ugh. The CHARACTERS!!! 😍😍😍 I love them all SO MUCH!!! Evie and Trystan and Becky and Blade and Tatianna and EVERYBODY!!!
Not to mention the CHEMISTRY between characters!! The TENSION!! I was rocking giggles and butterflies and even stamping my feet a couple of times. It was just TOO GOOD!!!!
It’s family now! This book has become family to me. 🥹💖 And I cannot WAIT for book two!! 🎉🥳
“You are chaos.”
Okay, most of you probably know that I DON’T hand out 5 star reviews easily! 4 stars? Yes, all the time. But 5 stars are reserved for the books that really hit me. That struck a chord in me. That mean something to me!
And I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t actually expecting to pick up another 5 star read this year! I’ve already read one, and I thought that was going to be the end.
I WAS WRONG!!!
Obviously, or we wouldn’t have a huge 5 STARS!!! at the beginning of this. 😆
But Ms. Maehrer’s writing is GENIUS!!!
It’s SOOO QUIRKY!!!! And I absolutely adored the style! The plot twists struck me out of NOWHERE!!! Like, I could not have guessed them from a mile away! And yet, at the same time, I was hitting myself (figuratively) for not figuring it out sooner!
The characters!! Ugh. The CHARACTERS!!! 😍😍😍 I love them all SO MUCH!!! Evie and Trystan and Becky and Blade and Tatianna and EVERYBODY!!!
Not to mention the CHEMISTRY between characters!! The TENSION!! I was rocking giggles and butterflies and even stamping my feet a couple of times. It was just TOO GOOD!!!!
It’s family now! This book has become family to me. 🥹💖 And I cannot WAIT for book two!! 🎉🥳
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Police brutality, Violence, Cursing, Sexual harassment, Chronic illness, Death, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Sexual assault, and Torture
callidoralblack's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Violence, and Cursing
Minor: Medical content, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Torture, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Murder, Confinement, and Sexual assault
abicaro17's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a hard book to rate. I really enjoy the concept and a lot of the plot points. An grumpy evil villain with a sunshine down on her luck assistant? Amazing! I think the issue is execution. The book is incredibly slow and any story advancement is basically in the last 50ish pages. The characters are also relatively flat and boring. Like Evie got a blip of development past the box she was shoved in during the last 5 pages. Becky and Blake are the worst examples of this because they're exclusively office suck up and the goofy guy. I tried to give this book grace because its part of a series but a lot of content could have been added to create context for a lot of things we're just like asked to believe. Like the Villian being a village terror (he basically only beheads people who work for him, people trying to kill him, or anyone who disrespects people he cares about ), King Benedict being a "hero" in literally anyones eye??, or the lack of world building (where are they, how far away is the palace, is it like a fairytale kingdom or am I supposed to be imagined King's Landing from GOT?) This just needed more world building content, more contextual characterization, and a story restructuring for me. Also when the Villian is like I love Evie! I literally closed my book and rolled my eyes. WDYM? This is a slow burn bro you aren't supposed to know that yet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Classism, Kidnapping, Body horror, Gaslighting, Medical content, Murder, Violence, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Child death, Chronic illness, Drug use, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Blood, Confinement, and Grief
horatolo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Sexual harassment, Death, Sexual violence, Cursing, and Gore
wickeddelights's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This book suffered from a lot of editorial drawbacks. There were inconsistencies that started from the get-go and moments where little things like the severity of ailments or a characters stance on whether or not they would reveal something would change in the space of 1-2 pages.
Some of the names of characters felt very out of place in a fantasy environment. And the characters could act downright cartoonish at times (ie, waving their arms wildly around, or quite literally rolling on the floor laughing)
I don't think it is meant to be taken too seriously, but there were so many instances where it felt like there should be a Disney sitcom laugh track playing in the background.
It just wasn't for me.
Some of the names of characters felt very out of place in a fantasy environment. And the characters could act downright cartoonish at times (ie, waving their arms wildly around, or quite literally rolling on the floor laughing)
I don't think it is meant to be taken too seriously, but there were so many instances where it felt like there should be a Disney sitcom laugh track playing in the background.
It just wasn't for me.
Content Warnings
Minor: Physical abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Cursing, Violence, Kidnapping, Bullying, Torture, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Blood
lisailacqua's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Cursing, Rape, Sexual harassment, Murder, and Blood