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booksalacarte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Fantasy
Unwilling-hero FMC
POC
Allies to lovers
Mystical creatures
Secret history
He falls first
I was so excited to get the ARC for this book. One that I had seen rave reviews for all over tiktok. Unfortunately the story didn’t quite live up to the hype. The idea of following a strong, black, anti-hero, who winds up being roped into a quest to save the day is a fun one, I just didn’t know if I was supposed to read it as a satire or not. The medieval vibes with modern duologue and slang didn’t fit as nicely as I had hoped. I cringed at the literal Hamilton lyrics quote.
I found so much of the sincere moments were cut by random jokes or the FMC almost breaking the 4th wall with breaking down Fantasy or romance novels and comparing her quest to them. I wanted to take it as tongue in cheek, but it happened so often that it wasn’t silly. It was annoying.
I really loved the realistic moments, like a mom calling her kids by the wrong names, the changing of minds about captivity and slavery… But the pacing inconsistencies took away from the potency of the statements. While I liked the sentiments of having the heavy topics present, they seemed so out of place in this rom-com fantasy
The world building was barely there and what was there was so slap-dash that much of it was sidelined bad dialogue and rushed plot.
The open door spice scenes were meh. I just didn’t enjoy the two main characters because they were inconsistent. Things were cheesy and surface level.
I wanted to like this. But I just didn’t.
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for an Advanced eRrader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Alcohol
likeagilmoregirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
A sassy main character? Check.
Powerful and scary, yet lovable and silly demons? Check.
Hilariously unserious narration? Check.
Epic adventure? Check.
Incredibly spicy scenes that you may or may not be embarrassed to admit you read? Check.
In a world where humans live in fear of demons, one girl discovers the key to unleashing them from the chains of a false god and restoring harmony. Reluctantly, she embarks on an epic quest, with a very grumpy demon at her side, to destroy the false god, finding new friends and a spicy romance along the way.
This adorable, fast-paced, enemies to lovers, cozy romantasy story delivers exactly what it promises. It is adventurous, sometimes heartwarming, and always entertaining without ever taking itself too seriously. The characters are funny and lovable and the world building is simplistic but well thought out.
I enjoyed this book a lot and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series. Overall, I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
*Infinite thanks to Netgalley, Orbit Books, and Kimberly Lemming for providing me with the e-book version of this book for review.*
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Blood
Minor: Confinement, Rape, and Grief
kendal_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Slavery and Grief
Minor: Fatphobia and Vomit
20sidedbi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief and War
Minor: Child death and Sexual violence
notapenguin'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
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
Minor: Rape and Grief
indieandajean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
katiekeske's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
If you like a spunky heroine, a dark but dedicated monster lover, and a fast paced adventure journey, you'll probably like this. It's written with modern slang but set in an old school, fantasy setting. Just go along for the ride, and don't take it too seriously.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Violence, Grief, and Murder
trayslays's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Slavery, and Grief
a_libra_library's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
ariesess's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief