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wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
a_ab's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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
4.0
I mostly enjoyed this book, but I also have some mixed feelings.
Let's start with the negative, so I could convince myself to end on the positive note:
The bad:
- There are scenes and concepts here heavily inspired by (or closer to 'lifted from') the movie "You've Got Mail", and they are charming, but not new.
- The overdramatization of events feels a lot like emotional manipulation by the author.
- The characters are in they're 30's, but act like hormonal moody teenagers.
- The obligatory sex scenes, which don't feel natural in the context (and too explicit - mismatched from the rest of the book's tone) play a role in the emotional manipulation, making it infinitely worse.
- The overall length of the book. Not the worst offender in this category, but I felt that the book should have been edited better, and that such editing could easily have gotten rid of about 50-70 pages.
The negatives cover 2 of my personal peeves: characters not acting their age and sex stuck in where it doesn't belong.
And yet, I still found the book enjoyable.
The good:
- The world building. Combining the fluffy romcom inspiration of "You've Got Mail" with the other inspiration, which seems to have come from the 1979 movie "Stalker" (or its inspirations or derivatives) is a bold move, especially when it's layered with the fantasy elements of demigods and complex religious beliefs. The thoughtfulness with which all these elements were integrated into a cohesive reality is rather impressive.
- The secondary characters, friendships and family dynamics. They all felt natural and realistic.
- Mercy - she is smart, strong and nonsense when she is not acting like a sulking 15-year-old.
- The overall cuteness and the nicknames.
It all probably adds up to about 3.5*s, but I will round up for the lovely ending.
Let's start with the negative, so I could convince myself to end on the positive note:
The bad:
- There are scenes and concepts here heavily inspired by (or closer to 'lifted from') the movie "You've Got Mail", and they are charming, but not new.
- The overdramatization of events feels a lot like emotional manipulation by the author.
- The characters are in they're 30's, but act like hormonal moody teenagers.
- The obligatory sex scenes, which don't feel natural in the context (and too explicit - mismatched from the rest of the book's tone) play a role in the emotional manipulation, making it infinitely worse.
- The overall length of the book. Not the worst offender in this category, but I felt that the book should have been edited better, and that such editing could easily have gotten rid of about 50-70 pages.
The negatives cover 2 of my personal peeves: characters not acting their age and sex stuck in where it doesn't belong.
And yet, I still found the book enjoyable.
The good:
- The world building. Combining the fluffy romcom inspiration of "You've Got Mail" with the other inspiration, which seems to have come from the 1979 movie "Stalker" (or its inspirations or derivatives) is a bold move, especially when it's layered with the fantasy elements of demigods and complex religious beliefs. The thoughtfulness with which all these elements were integrated into a cohesive reality is rather impressive.
- The secondary characters, friendships and family dynamics. They all felt natural and realistic.
- Mercy - she is smart, strong and nonsense when she is not acting like a sulking 15-year-old.
- The overall cuteness and the nicknames.
It all probably adds up to about 3.5*s, but I will round up for the lovely ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
kirkspockreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual content
Moderate: Body horror, Sexual content, Medical content, and Death of parent
liltastypuff's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book so much. An easy five stars.
enemies to lovers
found family
fantasy (light)
enemies to lovers
found family
fantasy (light)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Minor: Body horror
bffbookclubbritt's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I’m so sad I didn’t like this book!!!
We follow the dual POV of Hart and Mercy, the former being a curmudgeonly cowboy zombie killer and the latter being a cinnamon roll undertaker with a heart of gold. They loathe each other, but accidentally start writing anonymous letters to each other a la You’ve Got Mail.
I just really didn’t care about any of the characters! Mercy is probably the best one, but I still only mildly cared about what happened to her.
There is a sweet spot between book-splaining things to me and giving me NO information at all, and this fell in the “expecting me to vibe with no information or map in a fantasy realm - GOOD LUCK!” spot. Extremely frustrating.
The writing was extremely clunky to me, and felt like it was dumbed down but also trying to be very smart at the same time? Too many “whom” jokes for my liking. And the character blocking was so bad, a character would be side cuddling on his chest but then somehow he could nibble her ear?
Ok last ick - entire scenes taken from You’ve Got Mail. I’m ok with inspired books, but when your MMC is 6 foot 9 and then you quote Tom Hanks (VER-BA-TUM), the character in my head has now transformed into Tom Hanks.
I’m confused at why so many of my favorite TikTok friends are recommending this - is there something wrong with me?!
2/5 stars for cute cover and okay FMC.
We follow the dual POV of Hart and Mercy, the former being a curmudgeonly cowboy zombie killer and the latter being a cinnamon roll undertaker with a heart of gold. They loathe each other, but accidentally start writing anonymous letters to each other a la You’ve Got Mail.
I just really didn’t care about any of the characters! Mercy is probably the best one, but I still only mildly cared about what happened to her.
There is a sweet spot between book-splaining things to me and giving me NO information at all, and this fell in the “expecting me to vibe with no information or map in a fantasy realm - GOOD LUCK!” spot. Extremely frustrating.
The writing was extremely clunky to me, and felt like it was dumbed down but also trying to be very smart at the same time? Too many “whom” jokes for my liking. And the character blocking was so bad, a character would be side cuddling on his chest but then somehow he could nibble her ear?
Ok last ick - entire scenes taken from You’ve Got Mail. I’m ok with inspired books, but when your MMC is 6 foot 9 and then you quote Tom Hanks (VER-BA-TUM), the character in my head has now transformed into Tom Hanks.
I’m confused at why so many of my favorite TikTok friends are recommending this - is there something wrong with me?!
2/5 stars for cute cover and okay FMC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Body horror
cover2covertx's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
wilybooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
2.0
I’m so disappointed. I went into this book expecting to love it! Cosy fantasy romance is basically my brand and I was highly anticipating this one. Sadly, it fell flat for me (and really wasn't all that cosy IMO).
The worldbuilding had some really interesting customs, but it also felt kind of clunky and not well-explained. Parts of it seemed very modern and distractingly American. Like, not being able to legally drink alcohol at the age of nineteen is a distinctly American thing. Why exactly is it in this fantasy world with zombies and demigods and souls that live in the appendix? And it just felt like it was trying too hard to be cute and whimsical which was discordant when combined with the angst and the high stakes of the plot. I thought the nimkilim were an especially interesting addition though!
The other issue was that it felt like the story was constructed around the enemies to lovers and epistolary tropes rather than them developing as a natural part of the story? Like the tropes themselves felt kind of forced and thinly plotted. Don’t get me wrong, I love tropes but I need a book to offer me more than just tropes. The plot device that involved the letters ending up with each other was just way too convenient. And not realising who the letters were from, especially when they were describing their own nemesis situation in said letters right after seeing each other, was just too unrealistic to suspend disbelief. These people know each other's handwriting! The relationship development was rushed and all over the place; one minute they’re enemies (with extremely flimsy reasons for being so) and the next they’re in love, there’s no real gradual progression (literally, it’s like ten pages! At least on Mercy's part it is). They were apart for most of the book dealing with their individual problems, so we hardly get to see them interact meaningfully. Hart crossed the line into cruel too many times while constantly objectifying Mercy in his head — I didn't like him at all. He came across as pathetic and not in a good way. Hart knowing the truth about the letters and not informing Mercy before sleeping with her also made me very uncomfortable. The ending just felt so melodramatic and unnecessary.
I did like the family dynamics and the side characters, especially Penrose Duckers. I just wanted more cohesion of all the various plots and more romantic development. Just... more in general.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, and Infidelity
locpressedbooks_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
reallycooper's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy
bethanycrowepowell's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This ended up being a perfect storm of wrong expectations and poorly choosing format for a first read (audio) that led to me having a less than ideal reading experience. The comparisons to Howl's Moving Castle (a peerless book in some ways) set me up for disappointment when the emotion and the narrators were fine to listen to but fumbled a few words. Since the book seemed to drag plot-wise as I was listening it was harder to be...merciful, I guess.
This is a pretty straightforward romantic comedy in a fun-feeling secondary fantasy world (that's the part that resembles to HMC) where the plot felt tertiary.
This is a pretty straightforward romantic comedy in a fun-feeling secondary fantasy world (that's the part that resembles to HMC) where the plot felt tertiary.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Pregnancy
Minor: Fatphobia and Sexual harassment
Tagged with fatphobia because of the (large) main character's view of herself vs. her sister didn't really get examined and there was linkage of enjoying food and weight. After reading some fat positive rom-coms this particularly struck me.