randi_jo's Reviews (420)

I feel like this one was a great start to a trilogy set in a complex fantasy version of Scotland/Ireland. The world building is robust, filled with lore, magic rules, class stratification, and regional differences. Raine's transformation from innocent/naive to bitter and suspicious before finally resolving into a mix of the two is refreshing to see - a reminder that at this point she's still just 17 and is allowed to make mistakes, no matter what she's been through. I'm excited to read book two to see her finally get magic training that she deserved since the beginning lol.

As for the LGBT aspect

I liked that Raine understood her attraction to men, and while she could acknowledge her attraction to Esher (a female), she was confused as to why, how, and what she would even do with said attraction.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit books for an ARC!

The profound disappointment I had with this book is really hard to articulate. It is a shallow addition to the "isekai'd into a book" genre that was made popular by Korean webnovels/manwhas. It's advertised as an adult novel but it's very YA coded, from the humor level, the choice in dialogue, to the character motivations. I suppose it could be adult, but very cringe adult - it goes too far to be camp. Anyway I guess the easier way for me to get thoughts out would be to make a list instead of rant.

Pros:
- The last 3 or so chapters. It actually became serious! No one mentioned how big Rae's tits are (a miracle!).
- Marius and The Cobra. Actually I think the entire novel should have been about them considering they were the most rounded, provoking, and sympathetic characters in the entire book.
- I did like Rae's real life background (before coming to book world), her motivations, illness, and sisterly love and frustrations were tragic, gorgeous, and you can tell it was extremely personal to the author. I wish it had actually translated into Rahela post-transmigration beyond a few moments of "I know what pain is" and "everyone betrays you when you're about to die" thoughts.

Cons:
-The humor is more on the younger side; things like 'poor little meow-meow' (probably the worst offender), naming a snake Victoria Broccoli (ALSO NOBODY CARES THAT THE SNAKE DIED? rude.), a lot of modern slang thrown around that no one for the life of anything ever bats an eye at despite having no idea what the fuck it means.
- Also in the humor category but deserves its own bullet point: the constant talk about Rahela's boobs and how HUGE they apparently are, and how CURVY she is and how much all that must WEIGH. In fact the beginning chapters insinuate that curvy = fat in prettier words. I was so tired of reading about Rae's boobs (she NAMES THEM), that not only was it not funny after - ok it was never funny - but when it started in on the idea that women built voluptuously were always seen in a specific, adulterous light, I no longer could bring myself to care because Rae spent 4 chapters falling over from "being top heavy". Gross.
- None of the MCs are actually villains; or evil. Surprise! More like social outcasts, but rich ones so they can't be tossed to the curb of court, you know! Of course it does that flip floppy thing where the evil one is actually the "hero" of the story - there's also a sociopath, but that's like saying sociopathy is innately evil, so nah to that. But Rae walking in and saying "let's be evil" then commences to do.... extremely non-evil things, is lowkey laughable.
- The ballroom scene where they break out into a musical as a "distraction". I did not know I could possess so much secondhand embarrassment in my body until that moment. Imagine: two people singing acapella, in a huge ballroom full of people who begin chanting (how can you even hear them by this point?), a lady who 20 pages ago kept tipping over because her tits were "too heavy" is suddenly doing hand springs and landing on people's shoulders? I just - I cannot suspend my disbelief that far. In fact that scene broke my disbelief so wide open that I had to beg my friends and family to convince me to not DNF and see it through to the end like a good little soldier.

Anyway, I would like an explanation as to why Rahela gets stabbed in the face in the middle of the book where she saves Lia and herself from assassins, and it says (twice) her face is torn open and bleeding and so forth, but there is no mention of it again afterwards - not even a scar! Wow!
 

Scandalously wholesome. Really appreciate the idea that the "getting together" part in romance isn't the end of a narrative. <3

This was such a sweet book about Carrie's time working on the first Star Wars movie and how it ended up following her for her entire life. While not my absolute favorite memoir, the pieces of teenage diaries and poems that she wrote at 19 and lovesick really threw me back a couple decades lol. I think I'll look into some of her other books, too.

I had a good time reading this. The art is great, the plot is simple but powerful. I wish the dogs had had more value as characters, but that's just because I'm partial to them haha. As a standalone this a good GN, and to see it's an offshoot of a Count of Monte Christo retelling? Color me interested in reading more.

Wow. I have a bad habit of not really checking out a book's blurb before reading, and wow wow wow, I loved this a LOT. Vampires? Yes. A monogamous poly trio? Yes. Creepy zombie mutant undead? Yes. Each character, down to the villains, is so rounded and complex - like, do I hate Remy's dad or am I unwillingly in awe of him? Both? Probably.

Anyway, that ending though? So many questions - the plot is as thicc as a whale in summer. I will definitely pick up book two.

Very cute coming of age/coming into sexuality story. The art is bright and pretty, which gives the entire story an extra helping of sweetness to it.

Obsessed. Love the MCs, the plot, and world building. The art is stunning and honestly I love when newborns are depicted as ugly AF bc it's TRUE.

After reading the introduction, which Dr. McAnonymous tells you not to skip, I wasn't sure if I really believed the author was telling me to not read this book by saying that medical students might find it interesting, but won't help them pass tests, nurses won't find it good because they're too hardcore, and that normies won't like it because it is SAD SOMETIMES. So, ignoring that, I moved onto chapter 1, which started out by making sure I didn't skip the introduction because it was, and I'm paraphrasing a bit 'the best part of the book'. 

If 5 pages dedicated to a ramble about how he changed minor details for privacy reasons (which, PLEASE, almost every single "real story/account" books do from medical to journalism) and another 5 pages literally telling the reader not to read his book, is what you consider "best" then... ok. You win, elusive Dr. McAnonymous. I will take your advice.

I'm DNFing out of spite.