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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5/5⭐️
The story was captivating and really pulls you in! I really enjoyed this read! A great start to 2024!
The story was captivating and really pulls you in! I really enjoyed this read! A great start to 2024!
The romance was the strongest plot. I thought there would be a twist of the princess betraying her, jockeying for power of her own. But no, the villain was predictably the villain. The ending wrapped, but does leave room for a sequel, I'm guessing if the book does well.
Read via audiobook.
Read via audiobook.
"What if you could avenge your own murder?"
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
TW: abuse, blood, classism, death, death of a loved one, grief, infidelity, injury/injury detail, murder, sexism, suicide, torture, violence.
Once again... skipping over the fact I'm embarrassingly late in getting to this ARC and jumping right to the review.
I hate negatively reviewing ARCs, particularly when its a book with such an original concept as this. The idea of a MC getting a second chance at life, to re-walk the path that led to her murder and hope to change the outcome sounded incredible. I would be remiss to ignore how unique this author's story was or how grateful I am that I had a chance to read it.
But I would also be dishonest if I rated this book any higher.
Both subjectively and objectively, this book just did not work. The MC handled everything in the worst, most foolish way possible; to the point that some of the betrayals would have been earned, from how impolite and suspicious she was acting. Due to the lack of flashbacks in the story, we are simply told about the betrayals again and again, whilst watching Mingshin make the worst decisions imaginable.
The romance was... absolutely unpleasant to read about. I hated the comparisons of taming in their relationship, especially considering the fact this is a YA and therefore marketed towards a young audience that may not realize how messed up the dynamic is. I hated that her lips were described as throbbing after he kissed her, which becomes more concerning with the context of his controlling and misogynistic behavior. I hate the fact that she only gains confidence in her looks once his love has changed her.
I also struggled with the writing, as it seemed to jerk between attempting an extremely poetic prose and sentences like, "Is this guy for real?" which pulled me out of the story. Pairing the simplistic, almost... insultingly explanatory writing style with Mingshin's immaturity made this book feel extremely juvenile in all the wrong ways.
As I said at the beginning of the review, I hate leaving negative reviews on ARCs. This was such an incredible concept and I could tell that this story meant a lot to the author, whom I wishing nothing but the best for moving forward. This story just didn't work for my preferences or on a technical level, but I am grateful that I was given the chance to read it.
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
TW: abuse, blood, classism, death, death of a loved one, grief, infidelity, injury/injury detail, murder, sexism, suicide, torture, violence.
Once again... skipping over the fact I'm embarrassingly late in getting to this ARC and jumping right to the review.
I hate negatively reviewing ARCs, particularly when its a book with such an original concept as this. The idea of a MC getting a second chance at life, to re-walk the path that led to her murder and hope to change the outcome sounded incredible. I would be remiss to ignore how unique this author's story was or how grateful I am that I had a chance to read it.
But I would also be dishonest if I rated this book any higher.
Both subjectively and objectively, this book just did not work. The MC handled everything in the worst, most foolish way possible; to the point that some of the betrayals would have been earned, from how impolite and suspicious she was acting. Due to the lack of flashbacks in the story, we are simply told about the betrayals again and again, whilst watching Mingshin make the worst decisions imaginable.
The romance was... absolutely unpleasant to read about. I hated the comparisons of taming in their relationship, especially considering the fact this is a YA and therefore marketed towards a young audience that may not realize how messed up the dynamic is. I hated that her lips were described as throbbing after he kissed her, which becomes more concerning with the context of his controlling and misogynistic behavior. I hate the fact that she only gains confidence in her looks once his love has changed her.
I also struggled with the writing, as it seemed to jerk between attempting an extremely poetic prose and sentences like, "Is this guy for real?" which pulled me out of the story. Pairing the simplistic, almost... insultingly explanatory writing style with Mingshin's immaturity made this book feel extremely juvenile in all the wrong ways.
As I said at the beginning of the review, I hate leaving negative reviews on ARCs. This was such an incredible concept and I could tell that this story meant a lot to the author, whom I wishing nothing but the best for moving forward. This story just didn't work for my preferences or on a technical level, but I am grateful that I was given the chance to read it.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What would you do if you had the chance to go back in time and right a wrong? Would you take it? Mingshin helps Ren ascend to the thrown only to be betrayed by him on the day of his coronation. He murders her but just before she passes she prays to the gods to save her. She awakes 2 years earlier to relive her life. She vows to do things differently. She will make sure Ren does not ascend to the thrown and she will never love another man again. Let’s see how that works out.
This is a debut novel by the author. It’s a YA novel but does not seem juvenile at all. The action, intrigue and suspense are very enjoyable. I listen to the audiobook and now I want a physical copy for my shelves. I loved this book and I highly recommend it.
I want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of this audiobook. I was not required to give a review but I do so voluntarily..
This is a debut novel by the author. It’s a YA novel but does not seem juvenile at all. The action, intrigue and suspense are very enjoyable. I listen to the audiobook and now I want a physical copy for my shelves. I loved this book and I highly recommend it.
I want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of this audiobook. I was not required to give a review but I do so voluntarily..
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
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:
No
Mingshin used her brains to get Ren, the man she loved, onto the throne, only to find herself lying in a pool of her own blood due to his betrayal. Heartbroken and dying, she makes a desperate plea to the gods to give her another chance. The next thing she knows, she wakes up and it is two years earlier. Mingshin makes two promises to herself: Ren will never become king and she will never fall in love again. But as she utilizes all the knowledge she has from her first go around, the timeline starts changing and she has to adapt by allying herself with Jieh, another contender for the throne…and possibly her heart.
The way this story read just like the Chinese dramas I would watch as a kid had me absolutely entranced. It opens right at the end of Mingshin’s first life which I thought was an excellent choice considering the fact that we know from the copy that Ren betrays and kills her. To have to have watched any of their interaction before the betrayal would have felt like a lot of “hurry up and wait” that would have been unnecessary. Instead, we are immediately thrown into Mingshin’s second life and thrown just as off balance as she is.
This story had simple world building that was easy to follow while also being filled with court intrigue that left me guessing. Not only that, but Chenli also plays with the love triangle trope in a different way than it is normally portrayed and incorporates the concept of the butterfly effect with each new decision that Mingshin makes in her second life. The differences between her first life and her second life are drastic and play a huge part in making sure that the story is paced properly.
One of my favorite parts of the story is something that I always love in my fantasy reads—the found family. While Mingshin is just trying to make sure that things will not end up the same way they did the first time around, she finds herself a beautiful group of people that would fight for and with her and are fiercely loyal. It’s both incredibly heartwarming and heartbreaking at different times and tugs on all the heartstrings.
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review.
The way this story read just like the Chinese dramas I would watch as a kid had me absolutely entranced. It opens right at the end of Mingshin’s first life which I thought was an excellent choice considering the fact that we know from the copy that Ren betrays and kills her. To have to have watched any of their interaction before the betrayal would have felt like a lot of “hurry up and wait” that would have been unnecessary. Instead, we are immediately thrown into Mingshin’s second life and thrown just as off balance as she is.
This story had simple world building that was easy to follow while also being filled with court intrigue that left me guessing. Not only that, but Chenli also plays with the love triangle trope in a different way than it is normally portrayed and incorporates the concept of the butterfly effect with each new decision that Mingshin makes in her second life. The differences between her first life and her second life are drastic and play a huge part in making sure that the story is paced properly.
One of my favorite parts of the story is something that I always love in my fantasy reads—the found family. While Mingshin is just trying to make sure that things will not end up the same way they did the first time around, she finds herself a beautiful group of people that would fight for and with her and are fiercely loyal. It’s both incredibly heartwarming and heartbreaking at different times and tugs on all the heartstrings.
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review.
dark
hopeful
inspiring
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:
No