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stories's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Lots of mysterious backstories.
Some fun characters, with solid side character development. Bonus points for at-odds lesbians.
Some fun playing with traditional fairytale and fantasy tropes, alongside office workplace dramas.
Working for a villain is all well and good, but when there’s a mole in the office, it’s not the *safest* workplace ever.
Mildly cliffhanger ending, which was not my favourite. (Not least bc my library doesn’t recognise the existence of book 2 & 3 :c )
Moderate: Chronic illness, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Alcohol
Villainous deeds (murder, torture etc) occur, but off screen and typically presented in a tongue-in-cheek fashion.culzean's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
straybutterfly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Sexism, and Grief
erinkellyreads's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
This book was so cute and funny! I went into it knowing to not take it too seriously, and I'm glad I did. Going in knowing this was going to be goofy and fun allowed me to really enjoy the stock character nature of Evie and the others at the beginning, which evolved into more nuance throughout the story. The world of the book is interesting (reminding me often of a DnD cartoon), along with the creatures, and I'm curious to see what comes next in the sequel!
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
imds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
tori_borialis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
thereadinghammock's review against another edition
- 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
I can't believe that CLIFFHANGER! That's a lie, I 100% can believe that's the cliffhanger and it's perfect for the pacing of the overall book and goes to show just how perfect Evie and Trystan are for each other.
Now I need to get on the hold list for the the sequel ASAP at my library before it's 6 months long!!
Moderate: Death, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Sexism, Torture, and Sexual harassment
automatic_rae's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Generalised mentions and vague descriptions of all tags. Frequent mentions of violence but nothing graphic.simmonsj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
It was fun to see how the author made gore, torture, and murder light hearted, but that's really how it read. I actually liked those parts, that this is just the daily life of a Villain and it's all a little hum drum. I liked Evie Sage, she doubts and debases herself at times but does grow through the novel and has moments of fun feminist bad@$$ery. She stands up to people just fine and can disarm through her supposed innocence. She's also learning that she really doesn't mind the torture and villainy like she knows she's supposed to.
The plot is fine, it leans more towards romantasy than anything else. The romance is very, very slow burn but kind of cute. Many of the thoughts of the two characters got repetitive though. The backend plot is finding a traitor - without the relationship/romance/Evie growth pieces, this plot would have been drawn out way too much and been disappointing. The ending was good as far as learning the identity of the traitor, which was a surprise for me, but it also leaves several unanswered questions, wide open for the sequel coming in August.
The writing lets the book down some. I lost track of how many heads "whipped back" and how our Villain had muscular thighs, a strong chest, and eyes to fall into. We get it, he's lovely, move on. The last quarter of the book picked up speed and had less repetitions.
Overall it was a fun little foray into the world of Villainy and a little romance. Nothing too striking but an easy read and a little getaway book. While one should note there is torture, gore, and murder in this book (and talk of it. A lot), it is treated rather lightheartedly. Oddly, it reminds me of something Mel Brooks would write a movie of - quirky murder in a fantasy village and with a love story tied in.
Moderate: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Chronic illness and Confinement
callidoralblack's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol