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A review by rads_thereader
That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Read this as part of a buddy read with Almas and I must say, it gave us a lot of rant material for our catch-up call 😂
Let me begin by saying I have never disliked a book as much as this one. It came to a point where I seriously considered shelving it under 'dnf' even though I was almost done with it. Nevertheless, I soldiered through, hoping the ending might help redeem the story. Unfortunately, I couldn't have been more wrong.
The book's premise is quite intriguing as the plot revolves around an independent spice farmer who on a drunken walk home saves a demon’s life. What follows is an adventure to destroy an undead goddess and save the world. However, that is where the intrigue ends.
Upon embarking on this adventure, the protagonist and demon become romantic interests, which isn't surprising when you're journeying together for so long. What did bother me was how quickly and suddenly it happened. There was no build-up to it, nor was there any resistance between them falling in love and ending up together. The entire romance was quite anti-climactic and lacked chemistry. It lacked emotional intensity and seemed to be all about sex, which was rather distasteful.
The quest part of the story though interesting, lacked depth. The fantastical elements were underdeveloped and just brushed over which was a severely missed opportunity as a lot could have been done in terms of worldbuilding and character development. If the number of words and pages dedicated to the descriptive sex scenes were instead utilised to explain the mythical beings, the villain, and the high-stakes quest; this book really could have been an excellent piece of work.
All in all, this novel was rather unimpressive with its juvenile writing. It came highly recommended due to its premise but alas, didn't live up to the expectation.
Let me begin by saying I have never disliked a book as much as this one. It came to a point where I seriously considered shelving it under 'dnf' even though I was almost done with it. Nevertheless, I soldiered through, hoping the ending might help redeem the story. Unfortunately, I couldn't have been more wrong.
The book's premise is quite intriguing as the plot revolves around an independent spice farmer who on a drunken walk home saves a demon’s life. What follows is an adventure to destroy an undead goddess and save the world. However, that is where the intrigue ends.
Upon embarking on this adventure, the protagonist and demon become romantic interests, which isn't surprising when you're journeying together for so long. What did bother me was how quickly and suddenly it happened. There was no build-up to it, nor was there any resistance between them falling in love and ending up together. The entire romance was quite anti-climactic and lacked chemistry. It lacked emotional intensity and seemed to be all about sex, which was rather distasteful.
The quest part of the story though interesting, lacked depth. The fantastical elements were underdeveloped and just brushed over which was a severely missed opportunity as a lot could have been done in terms of worldbuilding and character development. If the number of words and pages dedicated to the descriptive sex scenes were instead utilised to explain the mythical beings, the villain, and the high-stakes quest; this book really could have been an excellent piece of work.
All in all, this novel was rather unimpressive with its juvenile writing. It came highly recommended due to its premise but alas, didn't live up to the expectation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Vomit, and Grief