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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
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:
Yes
I normally dont like portal fantasies but this was so good. It’s also the first time in a while I’ve been taken by surprise by a plot twist!
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Took me a while to get into the book, but the premise kept dragging me back in and thank god it did.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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:
Yes
You'll either love this book or hate it. I expected to hate it. But it may be one of my favorite books I've read in a long time.
I had fairly low expectations going into this book, as I’ve never read a portal fantasy though have seen a lot of isekai (and don’t love the genre), but figured I’d give it a shot dnf if I didn’t get into it.
But oh boy was I pleasantly surprised.
This book explores the questions:
I had fairly low expectations going into this book, as I’ve never read a portal fantasy though have seen a lot of isekai (and don’t love the genre), but figured I’d give it a shot dnf if I didn’t get into it.
But oh boy was I pleasantly surprised.
This book explores the questions:
- If you were given the chance to be a villain with no consequences, what havoc would you wreak?
- What makes a person or character "real"?
- How does perspective shape our perception and villains and heroes?
- What influence do we have on our own story?
What I Loved:
- This books plays with the standard fantasy tropes and expectations of the reader (and the MC, Rae), and often turns them around in fun and unexpected ways.
- The campiness. The hilarity. The humor. The fun. It starts out (relatively) low stakes, but gets more intricate and heavy as the plot progresses. It's a love letter to all of us who love our fantasies dark, our villains complex, , and our MCs just a bit (or alot) unhinged.
- The "Vipers" - aka Rae's motly band of villains
- Rae, who is doing her best dealt a shitty card. Who is flawed, and whose actions have real consequences, and whose flaws are central to her beliefs and actions. She's an extremely well thought out and well written character.
- Key. Oh my god I loved Key. He's the dark, twisted love interest all other romantasy love interests attempt to be. Unapologetically murderous, a bit (okay, a lot) sociopathic, and fully, toxically, unabashedly dedicated to his lady (sorry, ahem, Boss).
- The Cobra. My goodness I loved him. Such a fantastic, fun, and intricate character.
- You know what, all the characters. I love them all. Rae, Cobra, Lia, Marius, Key, Emer. Everyone.
- This book really delves into the side-characters, making a point to show how even side characters have relationships, pasts, motivations, and character arcs as well.
- Marius's thought process. At all times. That man is the definition of a himbo, but also insanely smart.
What took a minute to get used to / I didn't love:
- The modern language in a fantasy setting took me out a couple of times and took a bit to get used to, but at the same time, it led to some hilarious moments as the book characters tried to understand modern lingo.
- Rae and
Eric's lack of awareness (or lack of acceptance? or blatant refusal to accept) that they were affecting and changing the plot. - I didn't quite understand, even though its literally explained, how Rae could know both so little and so much about the events in the series. Then again, I suppose I should just look at my own (spotty) knowledge of some of my favorite series
- Despite being marketed as romantasy, and the plot of the original series revolving around a love triangle, the romance here was more of a side plot than a main story point. There were actually multiple romances as side plots, each unique and fun. My favorite
Rae & Key was absolutely delicious, even if there was only one moment of what could be considered (if you squint) as spice. I really hope the romance steps up in the next book, and given how this one ended, I expect it to.
Now for the spoilery things:
The Key + Rae scene in the Cauldron when he drops to his knees for her. It haunts my dreams. /spoiler> Key being the Emperor was a bit obvious, but I still loved it. There were hints from the beginning that he was something special, with his healing and fighting prowess. And when he died? I NEEDED him to be the Emperor, because I could not allow myself to believe he actually died. Should Rae have known or realized sooner? Probably, but she was convinced by what she thought she knew of the story. I find it really funny that she didn't recognize her own favorite character. Octavian being the baddie sending assassins after Rae? If I'd thought about it, it makes perfect sense, but I didn't and I liked that twist. I loved how Rae couldn't comprehend how everyone could fall for Lia like magic, and then immediately starts protecting Lia too, only to have (most) of Lia's original love interests fall for her in turn. And she didn't even realize everyone was falling for her. Marius and Eric. They. are. so. damn. cute. Eric is lving out every book reader's dreams with his very own book boyfriend. "Don't kill me" had me cackling every time. Marius's point of view as he tried to figure out and understand the Cobra.
I can't wait for the next book. I cannot wait to see what's in store for our cast of characters.
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mon pire livre jusqu’à présent cette année, quelle horreur! Je n’ai malheureusement pas du tout aimé, l’histoire et le postulat de base se mettent en place en 50 pages et après ça, on plonge dans un autre monde qu’on ne connaît pas, qu’on ne comprend pas et qui n’est pas vraiment expliqué. J’ai trouvé ça brouillon et j’ai vraiment eu du mal à apprécier l’histoire. Mention spéciale pour la référence par chapitre à la grosse poitrine de ll'héroïne, c’était d’une lourdeur…
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes