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A review by imaginejolls
Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas
3.0
One must simply approach this book as though it was a parody of the genre.
Look, I understand this is a debut novel, but... it is SO unserious. I'm not going to get into all the things that are wrong with this book, because we'd be here for a very long time, though I would have some choice words for its editor - if it even had one - because they are very bad at their job. As always, an editor makes or breaks a story, and this story would be leagues better if it had a capable editor. Alas, it did not, so here we are.
The reason why this reads as a parody of dark romance books is the comically overexaggerated behaviour of everyone ever. The way everyone speaks and behaves in this book is so far outside of the realm of reality that it is actually delightful. When you approach the story as a parody, you end up having a lot of fun reading this book! If I were to take it seriously though, I'd DNF in the first chapter.
The further I get into the book, the more convinced I am convinced it is in fact a parody. It's giving me My Immortal vibes. And between all the overly dramatic antics, it actually manages to be hilarious, so I think I have to bump my rating from the intended 2.75 stars up to 3! I am a big fan of funny books.
As a parody, this book is great. If the author intended me to take it seriously, it's a major failure.
Look, I understand this is a debut novel, but... it is SO unserious. I'm not going to get into all the things that are wrong with this book, because we'd be here for a very long time, though I would have some choice words for its editor - if it even had one - because they are very bad at their job. As always, an editor makes or breaks a story, and this story would be leagues better if it had a capable editor. Alas, it did not, so here we are.
The reason why this reads as a parody of dark romance books is the comically overexaggerated behaviour of everyone ever. The way everyone speaks and behaves in this book is so far outside of the realm of reality that it is actually delightful. When you approach the story as a parody, you end up having a lot of fun reading this book! If I were to take it seriously though, I'd DNF in the first chapter.
The further I get into the book, the more convinced I am convinced it is in fact a parody. It's giving me My Immortal vibes. And between all the overly dramatic antics, it actually manages to be hilarious, so I think I have to bump my rating from the intended 2.75 stars up to 3! I am a big fan of funny books.
As a parody, this book is great. If the author intended me to take it seriously, it's a major failure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence