Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
I still think there’s some elements of the original I prefer and miss but this still works
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
Nothing hits as well as the slowest of slow burns in an enemies to lovers storyline with solid build toward actual feelings and one hell if a plot line and story
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
“Sorry—which part was meant to be seductive: the part where you broke in, or the part where you wanted to kidnap me, or the part where you bribed my Order to heal you against my will?”
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Such a fun read! I really enjoyed how differently this was written - from the actual plot and the structure of sentences. It was a slow beginning for me and the way it was wrapping up towards the end made me really excited for the next book. I am especially fond of the deofols; made it feel videogame-esque, which I resonated with.
I’m sure there are tons of people that will like this book. I made it until 42%, then I realized that I wasn’t enjoying it at all. The two main characters are distinctly unlikable, when not directly annoying. I know it’s an enemies-to-lovers story; yet, proximity alone is not enough for romance. Maybe if I gave it more time? Perhaps at some point in the future I’ll come back to this.
In the meantime: Greg Rucka’s Wonder Woman Omnibus is awaiting my attention. And, the third Villain book by Hannah Nicole Maehrer is finally out!
In the meantime: Greg Rucka’s Wonder Woman Omnibus is awaiting my attention. And, the third Villain book by Hannah Nicole Maehrer is finally out!
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't realise this was based on a fanfic. I loved it! Not normally a huge fan of romantasy but I read this in 3 days, loved the magic system/nods to anatomy/medicine and found it funny. Can't wait for book 2!
emotional
funny
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
I tried to separate my associations with the fanfiction origins of this book from the book itself in my mind as I was reading it, with mixed success. There were things that were just so obviously derived from that fandom, and characteristics that were so obviously in line with a prevailing fanon version of a certain character (a depiction which honestly annoyed the crap out of me back in my fanfiction days because, in my opinion, it is so out of line with the canon for that character.) I honestly think that I would have caught on to the derivative nature of the book even if I hadn’t known its origins going into it. That being said, MOST fantasy fiction is derivative of at least one extant work, and there was quite a bit that I did find distinct and original about this novel, so I don’t feel like that in itself is worth holding against this book too harshly.
Here’s what I liked: the magic system. The writing. The banter. The humorous tone. These things are not going to work for all readers, particularly those who can’t stand a more modern tone in a fantasy setting. I have read books where that bothered me, too, but in this one it worked for me. Not sure why – it might have to do with the time period and modernity level being so incredibly unclear. But it makes an odd kind of sense to me that a world with magic so interwoven into society would have made huge advances in some areas and not in others, especially with whole orders devoted to things like magical advances in medicine and engineering. Although I did feel that setting it in an alternate UK instead of a fantasy world fully separated from our own was a dead giveaway to the fanfiction origins that the author could have easily done away with, and probably should have.
I also really liked that the book delivered on the promise of an actual slow burn and actual enemies to lovers. So many books use trope-y buzzwords in their marketing but seemingly don’t actually know what those phrases mean. I also really enjoyed both of the audiobook narrators’ performances. Overall it’s four stars, and very much looking forward to the conclusion.
I double ARC’d this one by accident, so thanks very much to Netgalley for providing the ebook ARC, to Libro.fm for providing the audiobook ALC, and to the publishers for providing both in exchange for an honest review.
Since I had both the ebook and audiobook, I decided to do an immersive read for the first time. I found out that it’s not for me! I read faster than the narrator can talk, of course, and slowing down my eyeballs was annoying, so I played around with the audio speed until it matched my reading speed, but at that point it was so fast that I found it unpleasant to listen to. I think I’ll stick to my current habits, thanks. Though it was interesting to see how some of the invented words were spelled instead of just wondering or guessing.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No