Scan barcode
micaya's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was a very well written fantasy romance, with an edge of mystery as well. It had lots of good twists and I like how it explored morality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny and Sexism
jiobiee's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
OVERALL: 3.5/10, or 1.75/5
What if we took the dynamic from Nimona, made it romantic, and made it considerably worse?
Make no mistake, I recognize that this isn't supposed to be high art. What I was looking for was a light, easy read that blends a cute office romance with a fantasy setting. I read the description, I've seen her TikTok's, I know the author is kind of going for that millennial New Girl Zoeey Deschanel thing and I was prepared to put up with it for the length of the novel. What I wasn't prepared for was just how one-dimensional even the most fleshed out characters are, how uneven, predictable, and boring the plot was, and just how poorly written it is. I cannot believe the target audience is supposed to be adult.
The sad thing is, I think the story would be salvageable if handled by a more experienced writer. The concept is good. The skeleton of a good work is here, somewhere. I could see this being a cute animated miniseries if handled by a competent writer's room.
Immediately upon reading the prologue I was struck by how clunky these character's names are- a bad omen of what was to come. Evangelina Sage? Evie for short? I didn't mind that The Villain called her Sage, but it made me wonder why that wasn't her first name instead- it was by and large preferable to Evangelina or Evie. Becky felt too on-the-nose for the office bully archetype. Tatianna felt like she could have benefitted by a slight fantastical altering of her name. I wasn't thrilled about the name Trystan either, although I found it preferable to most of the other names of characters in this book, save for maybe Griffin or Blade.
The narrative reeks of subversion for subversion's sake without any substance for it to ground itself. Frankly, it hardly accomplishes the subversions it sets out to- in trying to be empowering by showing the misogyny that Evie has struggled with in her life, the author takes two steps forward and five steps back. "Girl Power" only means so much to me when the main character cannot maintain control of her own life without the help of her romantic interest- and frankly, this wouldn't bother me so much if the narrative weren't trying to push this image of Evie as a modest but hardworking careerwoman happy to finally have more equality in the workplace. What is subversive about a woman being a man's PA? Or having a man lash out at her abuser because she's too weak to do so? It is annoying at best and problematic at worst, and I wish we would stop pretending something is progressive because someone declares it so.
Narratively, though, the biggest fuck-you to its audience was its ending. It sets up this mystery as to who might be betraying The Villain- and then lets you down by revealing the traitor as someone impossible to deduce by evidence alone. Now, this reveal is a bit of an obvious one- I had it pegged from the beginning. It was predictable. But up until the last couple of chapters, any evidence pointing to that person being the traitor was near non-existent. I would call the behavior of the individual from the betrayal onward to be character assassination if there were any character to assassinate. Wildly out of left field and written for cheap shock value alone. Worst still, we have to go over the same information again immediately after it happens because the author cannot help but repeat herself constantly.
I did not find the author funny. She is not good at humor. Evie is clearly a Renaissance Faire self-insert of the author and as such, I did not find Evie very funny. If you like She-Hulk and Thor: Love and Thunder-style quippiness with some classic 2010's style twee, maybe you would like it more than I did. I hated it.
The worldbuilding, magic system, and setting of everywhere other than the Manor was vague at best. It made keeping track of locations difficult and the sense of stakes was skewed considering the audience can't fully comprehend the consequences of the magic system in this universe.
Also, a shocking lack of romance in a book where the romance IS the main appeal.
Despite all of my qualms with the narrative, I will say that the dynamic between Evie and the Villain is a cute one. I found myself rooting for them to fall into a relationship with one another and eager to see how they progress. I did not like Evie, but I did like seeing the Villain squirm in situations where he didn't understand how to convey his romantic feelings. Seeing an anti-hero or a villainous character get butterflies is, unfortunately, one of my many weaknesses and I felt endeared to his character because of it.
I would say pick this up with no expectations but frankly, my expectations were low to begin with and I was still disappointed.
Make no mistake, I recognize that this isn't supposed to be high art. What I was looking for was a light, easy read that blends a cute office romance with a fantasy setting. I read the description, I've seen her TikTok's, I know the author is kind of going for that millennial New Girl Zoeey Deschanel thing and I was prepared to put up with it for the length of the novel. What I wasn't prepared for was just how one-dimensional even the most fleshed out characters are, how uneven, predictable, and boring the plot was, and just how poorly written it is. I cannot believe the target audience is supposed to be adult.
The sad thing is, I think the story would be salvageable if handled by a more experienced writer. The concept is good. The skeleton of a good work is here, somewhere. I could see this being a cute animated miniseries if handled by a competent writer's room.
Immediately upon reading the prologue I was struck by how clunky these character's names are- a bad omen of what was to come. Evangelina Sage? Evie for short? I didn't mind that The Villain called her Sage, but it made me wonder why that wasn't her first name instead- it was by and large preferable to Evangelina or Evie. Becky felt too on-the-nose for the office bully archetype. Tatianna felt like she could have benefitted by a slight fantastical altering of her name. I wasn't thrilled about the name Trystan either, although I found it preferable to most of the other names of characters in this book, save for maybe Griffin or Blade.
The narrative reeks of subversion for subversion's sake without any substance for it to ground itself. Frankly, it hardly accomplishes the subversions it sets out to- in trying to be empowering by showing the misogyny that Evie has struggled with in her life, the author takes two steps forward and five steps back. "Girl Power" only means so much to me when the main character cannot maintain control of her own life without the help of her romantic interest- and frankly, this wouldn't bother me so much if the narrative weren't trying to push this image of Evie as a modest but hardworking careerwoman happy to finally have more equality in the workplace. What is subversive about a woman being a man's PA? Or having a man lash out at her abuser because she's too weak to do so? It is annoying at best and problematic at worst, and I wish we would stop pretending something is progressive because someone declares it so.
Narratively, though, the biggest fuck-you to its audience was its ending. It sets up this mystery as to who might be betraying The Villain- and then lets you down by revealing the traitor as someone impossible to deduce by evidence alone. Now, this reveal is a bit of an obvious one- I had it pegged from the beginning. It was predictable. But up until the last couple of chapters, any evidence pointing to that person being the traitor was near non-existent. I would call the behavior of the individual from the betrayal onward to be character assassination if there were any character to assassinate. Wildly out of left field and written for cheap shock value alone. Worst still, we have to go over the same information again immediately after it happens because the author cannot help but repeat herself constantly.
I did not find the author funny. She is not good at humor. Evie is clearly a Renaissance Faire self-insert of the author and as such, I did not find Evie very funny. If you like She-Hulk and Thor: Love and Thunder-style quippiness with some classic 2010's style twee, maybe you would like it more than I did. I hated it.
The worldbuilding, magic system, and setting of everywhere other than the Manor was vague at best. It made keeping track of locations difficult and the sense of stakes was skewed considering the audience can't fully comprehend the consequences of the magic system in this universe.
Also, a shocking lack of romance in a book where the romance IS the main appeal.
Despite all of my qualms with the narrative, I will say that the dynamic between Evie and the Villain is a cute one. I found myself rooting for them to fall into a relationship with one another and eager to see how they progress. I did not like Evie, but I did like seeing the Villain squirm in situations where he didn't understand how to convey his romantic feelings. Seeing an anti-hero or a villainous character get butterflies is, unfortunately, one of my many weaknesses and I felt endeared to his character because of it.
I would say pick this up with no expectations but frankly, my expectations were low to begin with and I was still disappointed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gore and Torture
Parental Abusegayfrog's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
quick, easy read. not always well written, but still very enjoyable. i definitely recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Child death, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
katie0528's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.5
I almost DNF-ed this several times at the beginning. The first half of the book is just a bunch of grumpy/sunshine tiktok jokes. There wasn't much plot besides the workplace jokes and Evie flirting with her incredibly hot boss The Villain. Everything is super vague. He's wanted for "general villainy" and despite his code of ethics, there's no shortage of dead bodies casually laying around the office, along with a mean Human and Magical Creatures Reasources Manager, a coffee-making, pastry-baking ogre, and torture victims galore. After 10 years of villainy, the king has finally decided to crack down on the villain, with a mole seemingly infiltrating the office, known as Massacre Manor. There is a bit of a plot in the second half, though nearly as vauge. The characters are endearing and the love story is cute which is why I kept going, but really most of the jokes are lifted straight from tumblr and tiktok.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
carlyjoann's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This was such a fun book! I enjoyed the plot, characters, and humor so much! The MCs had such good banter and chemistry that I fell in love with them quickly. The side characters were interesting and I really liked most of them! Sure the FMC‘s quips and quirks could get annoying at times but I really did like her character. The MMC’s narration was not what I expected going in but I ended up enjoying his chapters a lot. I did want more world building but this isn’t really that type of fantasy book in my opinion so it didn’t bother me much. I did not see the plot twist coming at all but loved how I could see the bread crumbs looking back at the story.
I love that the MMC fell first and SO HARD for the FMC. I know it’ll be a slow burn still from here but I’m okay with that. A hard heart with a soft spot for one person is one of my favorite tropes, plus he’s a morally grey villain! What’s not to love?!
This is just a fun fantasy romp with romance brewing under the surface nice and slow.
Excited to jump in to book 2!
This is just a fun fantasy romp with romance brewing under the surface nice and slow.
Excited to jump in to book 2!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture and Murder
emaline_109's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Fanfic-y in all the best ways, had me giggling and kicking my legs
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, and Abandonment
kirby_reads0302's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, and Blood
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
miss_cr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, and Blood
hasha's review against another edition
Notes to self: I enjoyed the story. Sometimes (a lot of the time) found myself cringing - ie. “she scrunched her nose” so many times and lots of adjectives that felt a bit too much sometimes. Very trope-y. But an enjoyable listen! And the actual story in itself was interesting.
The storyline with the blacksmith made it dark too - and made the story not as “fairytale”-like, which was good / gave some more substance(?). Idk if that’s the right word.
The storyline with the blacksmith made it dark too - and made the story not as “fairytale”-like, which was good / gave some more substance(?). Idk if that’s the right word.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
rbour26's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual assault and Torture