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Spellbound #1
The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires
Reborn love. Unleashed magic. We won’t fail twice.
Hi, I’m Kit. Immortal vampire and technomage extraordinaire. You know how it goes. For the record, I am absolutely not stalking my reincarnated husband. Okay, I am, but it's for his own good. And mine. Er, assuming I can somehow figure out how to tell him he’s reincarnated and a mage, and we all live in a sentient library. Any thoughts on that? I’m currently taking suggestions. One thing’s for sure. He’s not dying on me again. Never again.
Tags: The fluffiest fluff to ever fluff, that y’know includes violence, magic, reincarnated lovers, vampires, sassy library, Kassandra the library has OPINIONS, found family, all the magical shenanigans, Kit and Gun are part time soulmates full time problem, authors have lost all discretion in this, Kit is a walking green flag, the crack ship armada is sailing at full speed here, master should never have access to a credit card, or a bookstore, no book is off-limits with that man, triggers involve too much sap and cuteness, occasionally blowing shit up, violence is not the question but it is the answer, Sentient Library Tells All, I’m absolutely a library book check me out.
Hi, I’m Kit. Immortal vampire and technomage extraordinaire. You know how it goes. For the record, I am absolutely not stalking my reincarnated husband. Okay, I am, but it's for his own good. And mine. Er, assuming I can somehow figure out how to tell him he’s reincarnated and a mage, and we all live in a sentient library. Any thoughts on that? I’m currently taking suggestions. One thing’s for sure. He’s not dying on me again. Never again.
Tags: The fluffiest fluff to ever fluff, that y’know includes violence, magic, reincarnated lovers, vampires, sassy library, Kassandra the library has OPINIONS, found family, all the magical shenanigans, Kit and Gun are part time soulmates full time problem, authors have lost all discretion in this, Kit is a walking green flag, the crack ship armada is sailing at full speed here, master should never have access to a credit card, or a bookstore, no book is off-limits with that man, triggers involve too much sap and cuteness, occasionally blowing shit up, violence is not the question but it is the answer, Sentient Library Tells All, I’m absolutely a library book check me out.
ebook
First published February 2, 2024
555 people are currently reading
549 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Sherwood
80 books1,993 followersAJ Sherwood believes in happily ever afters, magic, dragons, good men, and dark chocolate. She often dreams at night of delectable men doing sexy things with each other. In between writing multiple books (often at the same time) she pets her cats, plays with her dogs, and attempts insane things like aerial yoga.
She currently resides in Tennessee with aforementioned cats, dogs, and her editor/best friend/sister/partner in crime.
She currently resides in Tennessee with aforementioned cats, dogs, and her editor/best friend/sister/partner in crime.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
February 17, 2024
Was this spon con?
I insta-buy all AJ Sherwood books because I have never read one that I did not enjoy. But here we are.
This book was chaotic, but not in that fun way that AJ Sherwood books generally are. It was “this was settled two chapters ago, why is everyone acting like this is new information” or “the entire premise of this magic is indecipherable” chaotic. The editing was… not good. The world building was anemic. And the whole darn thing read like sponsored content for reMarkable with a little Amazon ad thrown in at the beginning.
There’s a possibility that this series could turn itself around because the idea is interesting, but time needs to be put into it. This was slap dash at best. Also, if they do the thing where the lesbian couple are just side characters and don’t get a book… AGAIN… I will lose massive respect for the author.
This was a disappointment. Do not recommend.
I insta-buy all AJ Sherwood books because I have never read one that I did not enjoy. But here we are.
This book was chaotic, but not in that fun way that AJ Sherwood books generally are. It was “this was settled two chapters ago, why is everyone acting like this is new information” or “the entire premise of this magic is indecipherable” chaotic. The editing was… not good. The world building was anemic. And the whole darn thing read like sponsored content for reMarkable with a little Amazon ad thrown in at the beginning.
There’s a possibility that this series could turn itself around because the idea is interesting, but time needs to be put into it. This was slap dash at best. Also, if they do the thing where the lesbian couple are just side characters and don’t get a book… AGAIN… I will lose massive respect for the author.
This was a disappointment. Do not recommend.
March 22, 2024
First off, I am beginning to hate when I cannot review from the app when finished. If this keeps up, I may not be reviewing so many books like I have been. I need to review as soon as I am done so that I dont forget the details.
Second off, I really wanted to love this book. But I didnt. I really enjoyed the first like third of the story and then it just went dull. Wielding magic did not make this more exciting.
Slight Spoilers ahead...
Third off, holey age gap batman. If you have read the blurb and any reviews then you know that this is about a magic vampire who was waiting for over a hundred years for his dead husband to be reincarnated. Well, he finds him but the dude is only 20. I also had issues with how innocent this dude was. He literally never kissed nor touched another person cause as soon as it was legal, the ex? former? whatever husband vamp was right there. I get it, there are people who say that would be cheating but poor Gun DID NOT KNOW THAT HE WAS REINCARNATED.
I did not feel like there was a connection between Kit and Gun, after they meet. It was like Kit just expected to have his husband again.
Fourthly, the magical library. It could have been a great way to have a series built around, but eh, it was boring really.
Fifthly, the AI education one is supposed to get with this one. Like OMG, if I had to read one more time about ethically using AI. I am not sure if this book was written with AI, but it would not shock me if it was. The pro AI bias was strong in this one.
Sixthly, the detailed details about each thing done in this book was overly detailed. Do I need to know he put a teaspoon full of grapes in his oatmeal along with the million other things? No I did not. And so many times Gun was described with all his fancy and expensive life modes. My goodness, we get it, he was born rich and does not need to worry about bills. He was in college, lived with all his siblings and parents in a huge house with a pool, had his fancy skin routine, and his parents apparently were able to come home and have dinner every evening. Remember the detailed details? Yep, it infected every sentence.
So to end this, it was an alright read. Not the best, but not the worst, except for the pro AI stance.
Second off, I really wanted to love this book. But I didnt. I really enjoyed the first like third of the story and then it just went dull. Wielding magic did not make this more exciting.
Slight Spoilers ahead...
Third off, holey age gap batman. If you have read the blurb and any reviews then you know that this is about a magic vampire who was waiting for over a hundred years for his dead husband to be reincarnated. Well, he finds him but the dude is only 20. I also had issues with how innocent this dude was. He literally never kissed nor touched another person cause as soon as it was legal, the ex? former? whatever husband vamp was right there. I get it, there are people who say that would be cheating but poor Gun DID NOT KNOW THAT HE WAS REINCARNATED.
I did not feel like there was a connection between Kit and Gun, after they meet. It was like Kit just expected to have his husband again.
Fourthly, the magical library. It could have been a great way to have a series built around, but eh, it was boring really.
Fifthly, the AI education one is supposed to get with this one. Like OMG, if I had to read one more time about ethically using AI. I am not sure if this book was written with AI, but it would not shock me if it was. The pro AI bias was strong in this one.
Sixthly, the detailed details about each thing done in this book was overly detailed. Do I need to know he put a teaspoon full of grapes in his oatmeal along with the million other things? No I did not. And so many times Gun was described with all his fancy and expensive life modes. My goodness, we get it, he was born rich and does not need to worry about bills. He was in college, lived with all his siblings and parents in a huge house with a pool, had his fancy skin routine, and his parents apparently were able to come home and have dinner every evening. Remember the detailed details? Yep, it infected every sentence.
I tossed in a tablespoon each of yogurt, quartered green seedless grapes, strawberry chunks, flax seeds, chopped pecans, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, hemp, and honey, plus two of chocolate protein powder. Mixing it up with a splash of milk after the oatmeal was no longer nuclear always looked gross, but it tasted so good and felt great on an empty, angry belly. And after last night, I needed the protein and carbs… and the comfort.
So to end this, it was an alright read. Not the best, but not the worst, except for the pro AI stance.
February 18, 2024
I am sorry to say that this is not more than a 2,5 star book for me.
I loved the idea of the book but somehow just didn't connect with Gun and especially Kit
The first third was really good, but then it just felt too long 😪
I loved the idea of the book but somehow just didn't connect with Gun and especially Kit
The first third was really good, but then it just felt too long 😪
February 21, 2024
So, some of my favorite book were written by this author but I sadly have to say that I struggled through this one. The plot sounded promising for sure and I was actually quite excited but in the end it just felt all over the place. People felt as though they were unstable as they were happy and joking at one point, be grumpy the next only to revert to anxious or flirty. I could not connect at all. At one point Gun, who was just a random guy at the beginning of the book knowing nothing about magic etc. mind you, saw their enemies practically explode like a bloody balloon in front of him only for him to skip jump right over the bloody mess to joke with an ally, how mentally unstable and psychopathic must you be? There is nothing cutsy about that ... and I read books by Alice Winters... The difference I suppose is that the characters were introduced for one as random normal human beings and, like I said they mood swings where crazy.
There were also so many strange things happening. I will place the next part as a spoiler just in case.
And these were just off the top of my head. I really don't want to go into greater detail. I'm just sad that I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped and question how this could come out the same pen like Jon's Mysteries, Forth Point of Contact or Villainy? I don't know, maybe I will try the next one, maybe it was just teething problems.
There were also so many strange things happening. I will place the next part as a spoiler just in case.
And these were just off the top of my head. I really don't want to go into greater detail. I'm just sad that I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped and question how this could come out the same pen like Jon's Mysteries, Forth Point of Contact or Villainy? I don't know, maybe I will try the next one, maybe it was just teething problems.
February 19, 2024
3/5 I’m a big AJ fan, but this book didn’t quite come together for me. It has a ton of fun elements, but I couldn’t quite connect to anyone the way I wanted to and was left feeling very surface level. This is only the first book in a series, so there will no doubt be more chances to get to know everyone, but I couldn’t remember Roman’s name for most of the book. (I spent most of the book going “there’s Ivy and Ezra and the other one … I think?” We just didn’t get to know much of anything about them, and with all of them being vampires, there seemed to be very little to distinguish between them). Declan was characterised by rampant book hoarding and the occasional teaching moment, there seemed to be almost no teaching despite the fact that a big part of the book is supposed to be all about teaching, and I likewise don’t feel like I know much about the magical system or types.
I wish we’d spent even more time with Kit and Gun getting to know one another now. Some of that happens, but I never quite bought that Kit was in love at this point with present Gun. I got the idea that Kit has all his memories but has had longer to deal with the separation, and Gun has some memories, but they’re supposed to be building from here, but it all happened really fast and felt very muddled.
I also felt like Gun made a life-altering decision way too fast. (He read books and educated himself, but the reader learns none of that. Are there more downsides? Risks? And maybe I’m just too old now, but twenty is not the age I would have picked. He’s not legal in a lot of places yet, and his brain hadn’t finished developing. Oh, well, lol. Also, we went straight from a scene where Gun found it impossible to control his new grip strength to mentioned having just had handjobs. I know Kit said vampires are strong, but this made me wince a little, lol.)
We laid a lot of ground work and then burned through the climax so fast I feel like I almost missed it. I did *love* Kassandra helping out and seeing how she expressed herself. I enjoyed everyone working together, how supportive Gun’s family is of him, and the idea of the magic seals. I’d be interested to see if things even out a little more in future books now we’ve already got a base.
I wish we’d spent even more time with Kit and Gun getting to know one another now. Some of that happens, but I never quite bought that Kit was in love at this point with present Gun. I got the idea that Kit has all his memories but has had longer to deal with the separation, and Gun has some memories, but they’re supposed to be building from here, but it all happened really fast and felt very muddled.
I also felt like Gun made a life-altering decision way too fast. (He read books and educated himself, but the reader learns none of that. Are there more downsides? Risks? And maybe I’m just too old now, but twenty is not the age I would have picked. He’s not legal in a lot of places yet, and his brain hadn’t finished developing. Oh, well, lol. Also, we went straight from a scene where Gun found it impossible to control his new grip strength to mentioned having just had handjobs. I know Kit said vampires are strong, but this made me wince a little, lol.)
We laid a lot of ground work and then burned through the climax so fast I feel like I almost missed it. I did *love* Kassandra helping out and seeing how she expressed herself. I enjoyed everyone working together, how supportive Gun’s family is of him, and the idea of the magic seals. I’d be interested to see if things even out a little more in future books now we’ve already got a base.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2024
DNF 64%
This book has sooooooo much exposition. It was utterly pedantic. Readers aren't stupid. Nobody needs to explain things so much. People like showing, not telling. Do not recommend for anyone who is not a masochist.
This book has sooooooo much exposition. It was utterly pedantic. Readers aren't stupid. Nobody needs to explain things so much. People like showing, not telling. Do not recommend for anyone who is not a masochist.
December 7, 2023
Great found family and natural family story, but a little slow in places and rushed in others. The sentient library is the star and the compulsive book buying master is a worthy supporting character. The abrupt ending opens up possibilities for a sequel.
February 17, 2024
So good. Reincarnation is a trope that, in my opinion, isn't used enough. It is second chance with a "not even death will do us part" sprinkled in. And AJ and Devon managed to milk it to all it was worth.
January 20, 2024
It was good, I enjoyed it. But I felt like there wasn’t a proper ending, hence 3 stars instead of 4
July 19, 2024
**Warning: rants ahead**
The premise is so intriguing, and the beginning of the book reeled me right in. Unfortunately, this is one of those stories that are mostly made up of the characters headspace, and left us with a meager, barely logical plot, and a messy execution.
For one, I want to know: how can a library be dangerous that a whole clan is after them to destroy it? The only thing this library does is to throw books at people or give book recommendations. Um yeah, that must have been SO dangerous, people absolutely need to destroy it.
Next, why are they vampires? What purpose does it serve? We barely see that in action. And what is Declan and why doesn’t he age? Are all mages immortal?
Even the magic part doesn’t really make sense (or maybe I haven’t read much about mages). Apparently they fight by shouting the page number of their grimoires that contain their spells. Oh. My. Goodness. All the fight scenes are terribly vague and confusing, I don’t even know what’s happening (probably nothing). Half of the enemy clan turned into good guys just like that (authors: because we said so!).
The reincarnation part is done pretty good, though. Same as the PTSD-part. Although I had expected Kit to be much darker. That guy was suicidal and was forced to wait for over 160 years for his dead husband to come back alive, but he��s this chirpy and cheerful guy? Hm. Sure.
Also, these 2 authors need to communicate better and read each other’s chapters, because that reincarnation part was revealed twice to Gun, and it was jarring to read him go: “wow, was I reincarnated?” for the second time, when it has already been revealed a few chapters before.
The premise is so intriguing, and the beginning of the book reeled me right in. Unfortunately, this is one of those stories that are mostly made up of the characters headspace, and left us with a meager, barely logical plot, and a messy execution.
For one, I want to know: how can a library be dangerous that a whole clan is after them to destroy it? The only thing this library does is to throw books at people or give book recommendations. Um yeah, that must have been SO dangerous, people absolutely need to destroy it.
Next, why are they vampires? What purpose does it serve? We barely see that in action. And what is Declan and why doesn’t he age? Are all mages immortal?
Even the magic part doesn’t really make sense (or maybe I haven’t read much about mages). Apparently they fight by shouting the page number of their grimoires that contain their spells. Oh. My. Goodness. All the fight scenes are terribly vague and confusing, I don’t even know what’s happening (probably nothing). Half of the enemy clan turned into good guys just like that (authors: because we said so!).
The reincarnation part is done pretty good, though. Same as the PTSD-part. Although I had expected Kit to be much darker. That guy was suicidal and was forced to wait for over 160 years for his dead husband to come back alive, but he��s this chirpy and cheerful guy? Hm. Sure.
Also, these 2 authors need to communicate better and read each other’s chapters, because that reincarnation part was revealed twice to Gun, and it was jarring to read him go: “wow, was I reincarnated?” for the second time, when it has already been revealed a few chapters before.
July 21, 2024
Fun supportive family vibes are always going to get extra enjoyment points from me, which helps keep the story afloat. I like how Gun's reincarnation is implemented and what that meant for him growing up; the same could not be said for Kit. There's basically just a throwaway line about Kit attempting suicide, and that's it. He's had a a hundred years to process, sure, but just a little introspection about what that was like for him especially when talking to Kit about his trauma would have been nice. But fun book must stay fun.
The magic/worldbuilding is kinda messy. Some of the concepts are cool, but the mechanics are ambiguous. Plus the story does that thing where a character does a spell or has a power that is shown earlier then completely forgotten/ignored bc the plot wants a cool scene.
However, all the characters are charming, especially Gun and his sister. The increasingly sentient library is as cool as ever, and I'm looking forward to seeing what this story does with the concept.
The magic/worldbuilding is kinda messy. Some of the concepts are cool, but the mechanics are ambiguous. Plus the story does that thing where a character does a spell or has a power that is shown earlier then completely forgotten/ignored bc the plot wants a cool scene.
However, all the characters are charming, especially Gun and his sister. The increasingly sentient library is as cool as ever, and I'm looking forward to seeing what this story does with the concept.
April 22, 2024
I liked the premise and loved the idea of the sentient library. Unfortunately, the story was not well fleshed out and the story telling was all over the place. Gun’s easy acceptance of murderous vampires, magic, and a crazy story about Kit being his husband in a prior life was a little hard to buy. This one just did not work well.
March 12, 2024
Felt that there was a distinct lack of communication between the co-authors -- there were several contradictions and repetitions that just pulled me out of what was otherwise a truly cute story.
August 18, 2024
I started out liking the premise of the book. We get to know the couple in question on their last day together, before an attack on the library they are protecting takes a turn for the worse. Arthit dies protecting the library, while Kittichat barely escapes that fate by being turned into a vampire.
Kit is distraught when learning that his husband has died, but he is promised that Arthit will be reincarnated at some point.
160 years later, Kit finally makes contact with 20-year old Gunnar, who is his husbands reincarnation. Only recently aware that his husband has reincarnated, Kit joins Guns classes at college, and when Gun feels an instant connection to Kit, in part because he has had dreams of his past life since childhood, and they get to know each other all over again.
I kind of liked this approach to the age gap problem that is most often a thing with vampire romances. While the age gap still exists, Gun gradually remembers at least some of his past life, and I can kind of believe the soulmate aspect of them loving each other in any iteration. Good thing Gun has his dreams though, since it does alleviate Kit creeping on a barely adult college kid.
I also liked Guns family being so unapologetically supportive of him and each other.
And that... was all I really did like. The story from there on gets riddled with a lot of plotholes, editing errors, doubled plot points, inconsistencies...
For one, nothing is ever truly explained. Only Guns relationships to his family and Kit are ever explored deeply. Any lore on the magic system, vampirism, the different factions, any character apart from Kit and Gun, are barely glanced at. I had trouble differentiating the members of Kits found family, as some of them are barely ever mentioned (where did Roman come from?). The magic system for technomages is explained as sigils similar to computer circuits (an epiphany Gun had twice for some reason), and whatever you have in your personal grimoire can be cast by thinking of the page number of the specific spell. That is fine for most of the book, but it does take you out when Gun is creating new sigils, saying things like "oh, only a loop less here and curving it a bit here". Especially since he is praised afterwards on how good his new spells are - it doesn't seem like a big accomplishment when you can't imagine what he's writing.
Another thing that irked me was the PDA. They were literally sitting on top of each other, making out, nibbling on their ear lobes, in front of the entire crew, mid conversation. I wouldn't mind a kiss, hand holding, a whisper... But basically making out in front of your family?
And then, the plotholes...
I had to reread passages so often because I was sure I must have misunderstood the first time, but no. The editing in this book is truly just bad. It seems like the authors either worked independently from each other, only reading the cliff notes on what the other wrote, or they left in several different drafts of the same scene/plot point and just didn't bother editing either one out at the end. Maybe it's both. I was irked enough that I started keeping tabs.
This is the truly spoilery section.
- The library clan and who died
At the first battle back in 1860, there were a lot more people defending the library than just Declan, Arthit, Kit, Ezra, Roman and Ivy. For one, instead of Ivy, there is someone called "Divya" mentioned by name when they first gather after the alarms. They're probably the same person, but why call her Divya for one chapter and then switch to Ivy for the rest of the books?
Apart from that, they are part of an entire clan that is defending the library. Arthit calls them "our clan", he's casting a lot of shields defending said people, and Somchai, his closest friend, is killed in front of him.
All this wouldn't be a plothole, except that Kit tells Gun that he saved the library and he was the only casualty. Huh?? Lots of people died, Arthits best friends died, their entire clan seems to have died, but they are never mentioned again, and there were no casualties. Right.
- Telling Gun about his past life
After Gun gets exposed to magic for the first time, Kit tells him that he is a reincarnation, and that his dreams are actually memories. Gun then talks about his dreams and it is confirmed that they were "close" before, that there was an attack, that Kit didn't die as he seems to in the dreams, and that Gun saved the library as the only (lol) casualty. He also tells him that he was waiting for him and enrolled in his college to get to know him.
Like four chapters later, Gun cannot sleep because of his nightmare memories, drives to the library and... asks them to tell him the truth about his weird dreams? He is suddenly incredibly surprised about his reincarnation, his dreams, that he knows the library, that he died, that he was married to Kit... Every single thing that was already explained to him in a completely different setting a short time before. It truly read like there were two drafts about Gun finding out about his reincarnation, and they just left both of them in. I cannot fathom how such an oversight would happen if even one person would have proofread the books. I don't think the authors even did.
- The boyfriend thing
When Kit meets Guns parents, Gun introduces him as his boyfriend. This was not a slip up, he called him that deliberately. A few chapters later, he is suddenly unsure if they're boyfriends, and asks Kit how or if they should label themselves.
- The vampire transformation timing
Gun thought about becoming a vampire early on, and at some point, he uses the library to research transformations. He acknowledges that some preparation would be appropriate, and says to himself that he can wait for a day to get his iron up. Immediately after he searches for Kit and confronts him about being turned, stating that Thursday would be a good date (we don't know the weekday, but it's fair to say that he doesn't mean the same day). Kit stops arguing after about a second, takes Gun up to his bedroom and immediately turns him. Turning takes anywhere from 4-44 hours ("Twenty-four hours, give or take an hour or twenty") and after an unspecified time, Gun is a vampire, doing strength training, since new vampires apparently destroy anything they touch until they get used to their new body.
Kit says that "When Gun insisted on being turned, I'd bought a few things in preparation for this moment"... But there wasn't any time between those events? Sure, he could have gone after turning Gun, but leaving him alone at that time seems out of character, and it would still have to be worded differently.
After training, they get back to the group... and they are mortified that Gun is now a vampire. They are all in the same room, all still there. So either they all live there now, including Guns siblings, and they didn't care about Gun disappearing for probably around 24 hours, or the transformation took place in like, an hours or two?
Also, not a plothole, but Gun and Kit make a lot less ado about the transformation than the marriage proposal that follows. They are in agreement in seconds about Gun transforming into a vampire, but when Kit says he wants to marry him, he thinks immediately that he might have gone too far too soon.......... You already turned him into a vampire, how is marriage a bigger commitment than that?
Also also, in the end, Gun being a vampire doesn't come into play even once. Not that it necessarily has to, but apart from him running a bit faster one time, the whole thing doesn't seem to have had an influence at all.
- vampire strength
Immediately after a training session where Gun destroyed 36 tennis balls just by touching them, he is able to walk around and hug his sister. A short time later, he never has any issues with his strength again, not even when writing with a pen that would surely be a pain to handle if a tennis ball was disintegrated by a light touch not too long ago...
- top, bot, vers
At some point later in the book, Gun asks Kit whether he was a bottom or a top, or versatile in his past life. Kit answers that they were both vers, and Gun agrees, since that's what he saw in his dreams... but at least when he dreamed of their wedding night, Arthit states explicitely that he has always been a bot ("I never used it [wink wink] on him"). I might have missed a dream, and of course people can change their preferences in twelve years, but why mention that piece of information at all then?
Also, not a plothole, but Gun being immediately a great lover at his first time, and neither of them acknowledging that Gun was a virgin before is really weird.
- concussion percussion
Gun creates a new "percussion shield spell". Later, he calls it a "concussion spell".
And generally a few editing faux pas, like the exact same expression in the same paragraph.
Kit is distraught when learning that his husband has died, but he is promised that Arthit will be reincarnated at some point.
160 years later, Kit finally makes contact with 20-year old Gunnar, who is his husbands reincarnation. Only recently aware that his husband has reincarnated, Kit joins Guns classes at college, and when Gun feels an instant connection to Kit, in part because he has had dreams of his past life since childhood, and they get to know each other all over again.
I kind of liked this approach to the age gap problem that is most often a thing with vampire romances. While the age gap still exists, Gun gradually remembers at least some of his past life, and I can kind of believe the soulmate aspect of them loving each other in any iteration. Good thing Gun has his dreams though, since it does alleviate Kit creeping on a barely adult college kid.
I also liked Guns family being so unapologetically supportive of him and each other.
And that... was all I really did like. The story from there on gets riddled with a lot of plotholes, editing errors, doubled plot points, inconsistencies...
For one, nothing is ever truly explained. Only Guns relationships to his family and Kit are ever explored deeply. Any lore on the magic system, vampirism, the different factions, any character apart from Kit and Gun, are barely glanced at. I had trouble differentiating the members of Kits found family, as some of them are barely ever mentioned (where did Roman come from?). The magic system for technomages is explained as sigils similar to computer circuits (an epiphany Gun had twice for some reason), and whatever you have in your personal grimoire can be cast by thinking of the page number of the specific spell. That is fine for most of the book, but it does take you out when Gun is creating new sigils, saying things like "oh, only a loop less here and curving it a bit here". Especially since he is praised afterwards on how good his new spells are - it doesn't seem like a big accomplishment when you can't imagine what he's writing.
Another thing that irked me was the PDA. They were literally sitting on top of each other, making out, nibbling on their ear lobes, in front of the entire crew, mid conversation. I wouldn't mind a kiss, hand holding, a whisper... But basically making out in front of your family?
And then, the plotholes...
I had to reread passages so often because I was sure I must have misunderstood the first time, but no. The editing in this book is truly just bad. It seems like the authors either worked independently from each other, only reading the cliff notes on what the other wrote, or they left in several different drafts of the same scene/plot point and just didn't bother editing either one out at the end. Maybe it's both. I was irked enough that I started keeping tabs.
This is the truly spoilery section.
- The library clan and who died
At the first battle back in 1860, there were a lot more people defending the library than just Declan, Arthit, Kit, Ezra, Roman and Ivy. For one, instead of Ivy, there is someone called "Divya" mentioned by name when they first gather after the alarms. They're probably the same person, but why call her Divya for one chapter and then switch to Ivy for the rest of the books?
Apart from that, they are part of an entire clan that is defending the library. Arthit calls them "our clan", he's casting a lot of shields defending said people, and Somchai, his closest friend, is killed in front of him.
All this wouldn't be a plothole, except that Kit tells Gun that he saved the library and he was the only casualty. Huh?? Lots of people died, Arthits best friends died, their entire clan seems to have died, but they are never mentioned again, and there were no casualties. Right.
- Telling Gun about his past life
After Gun gets exposed to magic for the first time, Kit tells him that he is a reincarnation, and that his dreams are actually memories. Gun then talks about his dreams and it is confirmed that they were "close" before, that there was an attack, that Kit didn't die as he seems to in the dreams, and that Gun saved the library as the only (lol) casualty. He also tells him that he was waiting for him and enrolled in his college to get to know him.
Like four chapters later, Gun cannot sleep because of his nightmare memories, drives to the library and... asks them to tell him the truth about his weird dreams? He is suddenly incredibly surprised about his reincarnation, his dreams, that he knows the library, that he died, that he was married to Kit... Every single thing that was already explained to him in a completely different setting a short time before. It truly read like there were two drafts about Gun finding out about his reincarnation, and they just left both of them in. I cannot fathom how such an oversight would happen if even one person would have proofread the books. I don't think the authors even did.
- The boyfriend thing
When Kit meets Guns parents, Gun introduces him as his boyfriend. This was not a slip up, he called him that deliberately. A few chapters later, he is suddenly unsure if they're boyfriends, and asks Kit how or if they should label themselves.
- The vampire transformation timing
Gun thought about becoming a vampire early on, and at some point, he uses the library to research transformations. He acknowledges that some preparation would be appropriate, and says to himself that he can wait for a day to get his iron up. Immediately after he searches for Kit and confronts him about being turned, stating that Thursday would be a good date (we don't know the weekday, but it's fair to say that he doesn't mean the same day). Kit stops arguing after about a second, takes Gun up to his bedroom and immediately turns him. Turning takes anywhere from 4-44 hours ("Twenty-four hours, give or take an hour or twenty") and after an unspecified time, Gun is a vampire, doing strength training, since new vampires apparently destroy anything they touch until they get used to their new body.
Kit says that "When Gun insisted on being turned, I'd bought a few things in preparation for this moment"... But there wasn't any time between those events? Sure, he could have gone after turning Gun, but leaving him alone at that time seems out of character, and it would still have to be worded differently.
After training, they get back to the group... and they are mortified that Gun is now a vampire. They are all in the same room, all still there. So either they all live there now, including Guns siblings, and they didn't care about Gun disappearing for probably around 24 hours, or the transformation took place in like, an hours or two?
Also, not a plothole, but Gun and Kit make a lot less ado about the transformation than the marriage proposal that follows. They are in agreement in seconds about Gun transforming into a vampire, but when Kit says he wants to marry him, he thinks immediately that he might have gone too far too soon.......... You already turned him into a vampire, how is marriage a bigger commitment than that?
Also also, in the end, Gun being a vampire doesn't come into play even once. Not that it necessarily has to, but apart from him running a bit faster one time, the whole thing doesn't seem to have had an influence at all.
- vampire strength
Immediately after a training session where Gun destroyed 36 tennis balls just by touching them, he is able to walk around and hug his sister. A short time later, he never has any issues with his strength again, not even when writing with a pen that would surely be a pain to handle if a tennis ball was disintegrated by a light touch not too long ago...
- top, bot, vers
At some point later in the book, Gun asks Kit whether he was a bottom or a top, or versatile in his past life. Kit answers that they were both vers, and Gun agrees, since that's what he saw in his dreams... but at least when he dreamed of their wedding night, Arthit states explicitely that he has always been a bot ("I never used it [wink wink] on him"). I might have missed a dream, and of course people can change their preferences in twelve years, but why mention that piece of information at all then?
Also, not a plothole, but Gun being immediately a great lover at his first time, and neither of them acknowledging that Gun was a virgin before is really weird.
- concussion percussion
Gun creates a new "percussion shield spell". Later, he calls it a "concussion spell".
And generally a few editing faux pas, like the exact same expression in the same paragraph.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2024
Cute little story about a sentient Library (i would love to meet Kassandra), reincarnation, and a love that had no ending. Throw in magic and vampires and I'm there! Kit and Gun were adorable together, i liked the autistic angle and it rings true from my own personal experience. Master Declan is a hoot and I'd love to have more of his story. Like how did the vampire thing get started and more magic please!
May 7, 2024
Not my kind of humor. It felt like it was trying too hard to be funny and therefore it was just over the top for me.
Because of the humor and writing style it felt like the characters had zero personality because all they tried to do was being funny. All of them. In the same way.
And how many times was it necessary to mention how much Gun loved his siblings?
Because of the humor and writing style it felt like the characters had zero personality because all they tried to do was being funny. All of them. In the same way.
And how many times was it necessary to mention how much Gun loved his siblings?
August 4, 2024
Estuvo lindo y tierno? Si, me encantó? No 😔 Esperaba que me gustara más porque todo lo que hice A. J. Sherwood me encanta pero este libro no fue para mi
February 9, 2024
I enjoyed the first half a lot, but got bored in the second and skimmed from 80%.
September 20, 2025
I did enjoy this book quite a bit, although parts of it were a little odd and hard to track. I sort of wish they hadn’t brought the murderous clan into the present with them, and instead focus on Gun and Kit reuniting and getting to know each other. I was hoping for more of the amorous vampire, and I didn’t love how much of Arthit Gun retained.
March 26, 2024
Good premise. Bad execution. This book needed a good editor. There were a few plot errors, and some repetition of dialogue. The story started strong, but the ending was somewhat blah.
August 31, 2024
Poor editing. Poor world building. Too many plugs for the reMarkable product. And way too much silly slang.
This author has many good stories. This is not one of them.
This author has many good stories. This is not one of them.
May 5, 2024
I wanted to like this, I really did; the premise of finding one's reincarnated love while also battling for the health and soul of a sentient library is lovely, and some of the side characters are really interesting (my heart belongs to you, Finn). It also references reMarkable tablets many times, one of which I have, and is set near where I work, so I was able to say "I recognize that!" which is always fun in books. The language is deeply Millennial in style, so it felt more like reading through a chat log than a novel, and the cadence was very familiar.
But none of that was enough to push past that chat log insanity. Reading this was like listening to my friend-with-ADHD tell me a story; some pieces were clearly detailed (sigils, the previous relationship between Kit and Gun) while others were almost forgotten (why are there clans? why is one vampire able to "snack" on another if neither can truly produce their own blood? how is it that Gun knows Gaelic when that is literally never mentioned except the one time it's suddenly needed for a book? why is a pocket dimension mentioned once and never used again?). The "staging" (for lack of a better word) is all over the place: a character is suddenly there in a scene without having been introduced at all. Important conversations are alluded to but never described, the sex scenes are fine but inconsistent (there's a hullabaloo about condoms the second time when there hadn't been any the first and also virginity is mentioned a lot but then never part of the actual sex events and conversations). People know names/concepts about other characters almost purely because we as the readers do rather than coming by the information in-story. And the moods are everywhere--here's a scene where we're sarcastically snarking on a thing but also there are a bunch of dead bodies suddenly but here's a pun! What? The narrative whiplash was strong, especially toward the end when we were suddenly in a boss fight with next to no warning and then it...wasn't...very boss-like at all, presumably because this is starting a series and Sherwood needed to leave somewhere to go.
I loved that Kit (and Gun's previous incarnation) are Thai because that's definitely a nationality that doesn't get a lot of representation in Western literature, but other than referencing the language that doesn't get a lot of play here because of space and time constraints. I also appreciated that there was some challenge to the "reincarnated love" trope that pointed out that a reincarnation isn't the same as the previous person, but that pushback became less and less as the book went on until it felt like "well we proved the point but for all intents and purposes you really are Arthit," especially as Gun started remembering things and kind of didn't ever encounter a problem with that duality again. (I'll put this under a spoiler tag because it depends on a plot shift: )
There are a few typos and weird moments of needing an editor (two different characters say that something went over "like a red balloon" when the saying is "lead balloon" and I genuinely don't know if Sherwood doesn't know the actual saying or is trying to make some other kind of joke but there's no explanation) and some things are tossed into the timeline in direct contradiction to earlier statements of how/when things are going to happen without any acknowledgement of change on the characters' parts (see the entire turning point with Kit and Gun). Again, I wanted to like this--the characters are interesting and Kassandra could become super cool--but it was just too much of a jumbled mess. Insanity is right, but the thing needs to be sane enough for me to follow the world you're building and this just wasn't.
But none of that was enough to push past that chat log insanity. Reading this was like listening to my friend-with-ADHD tell me a story; some pieces were clearly detailed (sigils, the previous relationship between Kit and Gun) while others were almost forgotten (why are there clans? why is one vampire able to "snack" on another if neither can truly produce their own blood? how is it that Gun knows Gaelic when that is literally never mentioned except the one time it's suddenly needed for a book? why is a pocket dimension mentioned once and never used again?). The "staging" (for lack of a better word) is all over the place: a character is suddenly there in a scene without having been introduced at all. Important conversations are alluded to but never described, the sex scenes are fine but inconsistent (there's a hullabaloo about condoms the second time when there hadn't been any the first and also virginity is mentioned a lot but then never part of the actual sex events and conversations). People know names/concepts about other characters almost purely because we as the readers do rather than coming by the information in-story. And the moods are everywhere--here's a scene where we're sarcastically snarking on a thing but also there are a bunch of dead bodies suddenly but here's a pun! What? The narrative whiplash was strong, especially toward the end when we were suddenly in a boss fight with next to no warning and then it...wasn't...very boss-like at all, presumably because this is starting a series and Sherwood needed to leave somewhere to go.
I loved that Kit (and Gun's previous incarnation) are Thai because that's definitely a nationality that doesn't get a lot of representation in Western literature, but other than referencing the language that doesn't get a lot of play here because of space and time constraints. I also appreciated that there was some challenge to the "reincarnated love" trope that pointed out that a reincarnation isn't the same as the previous person, but that pushback became less and less as the book went on until it felt like "well we proved the point but for all intents and purposes you really are Arthit," especially as Gun started remembering things and kind of didn't ever encounter a problem with that duality again. (I'll put this under a spoiler tag because it depends on a plot shift: )
There are a few typos and weird moments of needing an editor (two different characters say that something went over "like a red balloon" when the saying is "lead balloon" and I genuinely don't know if Sherwood doesn't know the actual saying or is trying to make some other kind of joke but there's no explanation) and some things are tossed into the timeline in direct contradiction to earlier statements of how/when things are going to happen without any acknowledgement of change on the characters' parts (see the entire turning point with Kit and Gun). Again, I wanted to like this--the characters are interesting and Kassandra could become super cool--but it was just too much of a jumbled mess. Insanity is right, but the thing needs to be sane enough for me to follow the world you're building and this just wasn't.
May 24, 2025
Stunning! Intricate! and just a shade Trashy!
This book has left me stunned. I guess I already said that’s in things to in the headline, so perhaps I have said speechless. Being speechless, however, that simple thought escaped me, I blame the authors,
This book blew me away on several levels. I’m always curious when I start a new series, whether I’m familiar with the author or not, about how they will go about introducing the reader to a new “world.” Typically, authors do this in a couple of ways, either they set aside dedicated page space to directly explain everything or one of the characters gets “educated,” and correspondingly, so do we. Devon and AJ, however, took a very different route. They simply chose to explain nothing, leaving it entirely up to the reader to figure things out from context. Only as we get near the book’s end do a couple of students show up and THEN we get some basics explained.
This is a slippery slope because it would be easy for a reader to get frustrated trying to understand what was going on and simply chuck the book rather than continuing. That’s not an issue here, however, because at the end of the day, strictly in my opinion, of course, this is not a fantasy novel in the way most would think of one. Rather it’s just a really good novel that’s staged in a fantasy setting. In the same way I would say it is not so much a romance novel, as it is a novel in which romance is simply one of many themes. This is an intricate study into individual characters and how they grow apart and come back together. All the trucks can be set aside and you would still have a fantastic book.
It’s also incredibly funny, usually at either the most inappropriate moments in the story or at very inopportune times IRL. I had several, literal, laugh out loud moments as I was reading this. But let me tell you, sitting on my front porch getting weird looks from my neighbors is not my ideal version of a Friday evening. I blame the authors.
Regardless, I sincerely hope that there is more to come in this series because I’m now so very invested in these characters. Sadly, since this was released in 2023, it seems unlikely that there will be more. My dear authors: please prove me wrong.
In the meantime, with or without a sequel to this book, I guarantee, you will ENJOY!
This book has left me stunned. I guess I already said that’s in things to in the headline, so perhaps I have said speechless. Being speechless, however, that simple thought escaped me, I blame the authors,
This book blew me away on several levels. I’m always curious when I start a new series, whether I’m familiar with the author or not, about how they will go about introducing the reader to a new “world.” Typically, authors do this in a couple of ways, either they set aside dedicated page space to directly explain everything or one of the characters gets “educated,” and correspondingly, so do we. Devon and AJ, however, took a very different route. They simply chose to explain nothing, leaving it entirely up to the reader to figure things out from context. Only as we get near the book’s end do a couple of students show up and THEN we get some basics explained.
This is a slippery slope because it would be easy for a reader to get frustrated trying to understand what was going on and simply chuck the book rather than continuing. That’s not an issue here, however, because at the end of the day, strictly in my opinion, of course, this is not a fantasy novel in the way most would think of one. Rather it’s just a really good novel that’s staged in a fantasy setting. In the same way I would say it is not so much a romance novel, as it is a novel in which romance is simply one of many themes. This is an intricate study into individual characters and how they grow apart and come back together. All the trucks can be set aside and you would still have a fantastic book.
It’s also incredibly funny, usually at either the most inappropriate moments in the story or at very inopportune times IRL. I had several, literal, laugh out loud moments as I was reading this. But let me tell you, sitting on my front porch getting weird looks from my neighbors is not my ideal version of a Friday evening. I blame the authors.
Regardless, I sincerely hope that there is more to come in this series because I’m now so very invested in these characters. Sadly, since this was released in 2023, it seems unlikely that there will be more. My dear authors: please prove me wrong.
In the meantime, with or without a sequel to this book, I guarantee, you will ENJOY!
October 11, 2024
This was such a let down. Right at the beginning, finding out about the reincarnation happens off-screen, thus big emotional moment to deepen emotional understanding of characters completely wasted. It could've and should've been used to build a solid foundation of why we should care, too. On that note, all of the characters, including main ones, were flat. I got no emotional connection to them, because they barely got any real development (side characters especially were egregiously side-lined in this). We got next to no magical world-building other than list of all mage types, no real cool actual technomagic other than a couple of magic cars and some symbols, and bungee jumping for our suspension of disbelief because apparently all great technological feats of engineering were just technomancer magic coverups (oh woooow, amaaazingg *drier than Sahara sarcasm*). The dialogue was also uninspired and they made many unfunny jokes and quips, so there's wasn't even a witty one liner or moment to enjoy, just sloughing through muck.
Not that the bad guys were real a problem at any point and the ending, just?? Any tension popped flat by bringing in part of the enemy clan because some of them SUDDENLY had a weak ass excuse (??library's sentience??) to not want the library destroyed or for themselves. The leader even talked about their listening devices (that also were suddenly a thing that no one noticed) as Troijan horses and NOBODY SO MUCH AS BLINKED. Do you know how hella suspicious I would've been over any such sudden offers of "friendship" from the people that have been hunting and killing my own for centuries?? I certainly wouldn't have invited them in or given them any updates on my people during or after battle and at least suspected sth a little when they have suddenly surrounded us as 'protection'. They literally never got no watertight proof of any of this not being just a new tactic from the enemy to win other than "authors said so bc authors want to establish a future enemies to lovers romance", and that just buried the already dead story for me at this point.
Suffice to say, money was wasted, but thank god for 1,7x speed on the audiobook after halfway.
Not that the bad guys were real a problem at any point and the ending, just?? Any tension popped flat by bringing in part of the enemy clan because some of them SUDDENLY had a weak ass excuse (??library's sentience??) to not want the library destroyed or for themselves. The leader even talked about their listening devices (that also were suddenly a thing that no one noticed) as Troijan horses and NOBODY SO MUCH AS BLINKED. Do you know how hella suspicious I would've been over any such sudden offers of "friendship" from the people that have been hunting and killing my own for centuries?? I certainly wouldn't have invited them in or given them any updates on my people during or after battle and at least suspected sth a little when they have suddenly surrounded us as 'protection'. They literally never got no watertight proof of any of this not being just a new tactic from the enemy to win other than "authors said so bc authors want to establish a future enemies to lovers romance", and that just buried the already dead story for me at this point.
Suffice to say, money was wasted, but thank god for 1,7x speed on the audiobook after halfway.
June 11, 2024
old post reposted
My 2024 Reading Challenge for the month of February will be Beat The Backlog work (digital and print books). I'm going to claim this also includes keeping up with and catching up with my favorite authors most recent releases. ;) Here's A.J. Sherwood and Devon Vesper's "The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires," which is part of their new Spellbound series.
["Reborn love. Unleashed magic. We won’t fail twice.
Hi, I’m Kit. Immortal vampire and technomage extraordinaire. You know how it goes. For the record, I am absolutely not stalking my reincarnated husband. Okay, I am, but it's for his own good. And mine. Er, assuming I can somehow figure out how to tell him he’s reincarnated and a mage, and we all live in a sentient library. Any thoughts on that? I’m currently taking suggestions. One thing’s for sure. He’s not dying on me again. Never again."]
And the bonus tags (because they're arguable better than the blurb itself): ["the fluffiest fluff to ever fluff, that y’know includes violence, magic, reincarnated lovers, vampires, sassy library, Kassandra the library has OPINIONS, found family, all the magical shenanigans, Kit and Gun are part time soulmates full time problem, authors have lost all discretion in this, Kit is a walking green flag, the crack ship armada is sailing at full speed here, master should never have access to a credit card, or a bookstore, no book is off-limits with that man, triggers involve too much sap and cuteness, occasionally blowing shit up, violence is not the question but it is the answer, Sentient Library Tells All, I’m absolutely a library book check me out"]
This book was equal parts crack and chaos. It was glorious! There were so many aspects to this novel that I loved. I don’t even know who to describe it. It was just all of the things. All of them.
Just read it, and you’ll understand. ;)
#theinsanityofreincarnatedmagesandamorousvampires #spellbound #spellboundseries #ajsherwood #devonvesper #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
My 2024 Reading Challenge for the month of February will be Beat The Backlog work (digital and print books). I'm going to claim this also includes keeping up with and catching up with my favorite authors most recent releases. ;) Here's A.J. Sherwood and Devon Vesper's "The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires," which is part of their new Spellbound series.
["Reborn love. Unleashed magic. We won’t fail twice.
Hi, I’m Kit. Immortal vampire and technomage extraordinaire. You know how it goes. For the record, I am absolutely not stalking my reincarnated husband. Okay, I am, but it's for his own good. And mine. Er, assuming I can somehow figure out how to tell him he’s reincarnated and a mage, and we all live in a sentient library. Any thoughts on that? I’m currently taking suggestions. One thing’s for sure. He’s not dying on me again. Never again."]
And the bonus tags (because they're arguable better than the blurb itself): ["the fluffiest fluff to ever fluff, that y’know includes violence, magic, reincarnated lovers, vampires, sassy library, Kassandra the library has OPINIONS, found family, all the magical shenanigans, Kit and Gun are part time soulmates full time problem, authors have lost all discretion in this, Kit is a walking green flag, the crack ship armada is sailing at full speed here, master should never have access to a credit card, or a bookstore, no book is off-limits with that man, triggers involve too much sap and cuteness, occasionally blowing shit up, violence is not the question but it is the answer, Sentient Library Tells All, I’m absolutely a library book check me out"]
This book was equal parts crack and chaos. It was glorious! There were so many aspects to this novel that I loved. I don’t even know who to describe it. It was just all of the things. All of them.
Just read it, and you’ll understand. ;)
#theinsanityofreincarnatedmagesandamorousvampires #spellbound #spellboundseries #ajsherwood #devonvesper #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
October 29, 2024
I really don't understand the hatred that some people had for this story. I just finished, and really enjoyed it!
The main character Kit does wait 150 years for his husband to be reincarnated. His husband is reincarnated into a 20 year old virgin named Gun. So yes, age gap. BUT, have none of these people ever read a fae or vampire novel before? (Hello ACOTAR!) Plus, Gun remembers his previous life! He has had dreams about his past life for his entire life. When he finally starts seeing Kit in his dreams/memories, it brings him peace, clarity, and happiness. Does Kit kinda jump Gun's bones? Yes, but Gun wants it. Everything is consensual and wasn't creepy in the slightest.
What I found most touching was how thoughtful Kit was to Gun with his autism. Remembering all of his little quirks and accommodating them without making Gun feel bad for them. Kit doesn't slip up and call Gun by his previous name, or say "you used to do this" or "you used to do that" making Gun feel less than or othered. It's clear Kit loves Gun not only for who he WAS, but for who he IS NOW.
People also complain that this book is long and had too much exposition. I had no problem with the length or descriptive text at all. When I want books that are simply fluff and spice, I read fluff and spice. Sometimes, you want a book to immerse you, explain every little detail so that you can be fully present in that world, and this book does that.
I loved how different the aspect of techno-mages were, and how they combined magic with computer systems. I also loved how Cassandra's (the library) attitude and snarkiness came through despite not having a voice. I'm looking forward to the next one when they give her a voice.
The main character Kit does wait 150 years for his husband to be reincarnated. His husband is reincarnated into a 20 year old virgin named Gun. So yes, age gap. BUT, have none of these people ever read a fae or vampire novel before? (Hello ACOTAR!) Plus, Gun remembers his previous life! He has had dreams about his past life for his entire life. When he finally starts seeing Kit in his dreams/memories, it brings him peace, clarity, and happiness. Does Kit kinda jump Gun's bones? Yes, but Gun wants it. Everything is consensual and wasn't creepy in the slightest.
What I found most touching was how thoughtful Kit was to Gun with his autism. Remembering all of his little quirks and accommodating them without making Gun feel bad for them. Kit doesn't slip up and call Gun by his previous name, or say "you used to do this" or "you used to do that" making Gun feel less than or othered. It's clear Kit loves Gun not only for who he WAS, but for who he IS NOW.
People also complain that this book is long and had too much exposition. I had no problem with the length or descriptive text at all. When I want books that are simply fluff and spice, I read fluff and spice. Sometimes, you want a book to immerse you, explain every little detail so that you can be fully present in that world, and this book does that.
I loved how different the aspect of techno-mages were, and how they combined magic with computer systems. I also loved how Cassandra's (the library) attitude and snarkiness came through despite not having a voice. I'm looking forward to the next one when they give her a voice.
September 5, 2024
I'm honestly so disappointed. AJ is usually an insta buy for me, but I think I'm going to have to start being more careful. This is now the second of her newer books that I just couldn't stomach. And once again, the narrators are a problem. I get that Kit has an accent because he's Thai, but it is so unnecessary to over emphasize T's and D's and other consonants in general. It actually almost feels racist with the slight rise of his voice at the end of every sentence. (He's been speaking English forever, and he's lived in the US a long time. His accent wouldn't be that pronounced anymore.) Whoever narrated his focal chapters is definitely not among my favorites.
And Gun. Yay! Autism rep! But after hearing about it for the tenth time in a row, reiterating icks we've heard about multiple times, we don't need to keep repeating it. The readers get it. Gun has quirks related to his disability, and the quirks have transcended his reincarnation.
Those aren't even the worst parts. The part that really made me roll my eyes was the pacing. I swear to God, one chapter would end, and the next would begin in a totally different time and place with no explanation of how we got there. And I swear to God it happened in the middle of some chapters! Then there was Guns family just casually accepting that magic is real? Yeah, no. That's as unrealistic as it gets.
Overall, this whole book is just a mess. The editing is terrible. The narration is terrible. The book FEELS like it's co-authored, and that's not a good thing. I very much doubt I'll be picking up book two.
And Gun. Yay! Autism rep! But after hearing about it for the tenth time in a row, reiterating icks we've heard about multiple times, we don't need to keep repeating it. The readers get it. Gun has quirks related to his disability, and the quirks have transcended his reincarnation.
Those aren't even the worst parts. The part that really made me roll my eyes was the pacing. I swear to God, one chapter would end, and the next would begin in a totally different time and place with no explanation of how we got there. And I swear to God it happened in the middle of some chapters! Then there was Guns family just casually accepting that magic is real? Yeah, no. That's as unrealistic as it gets.
Overall, this whole book is just a mess. The editing is terrible. The narration is terrible. The book FEELS like it's co-authored, and that's not a good thing. I very much doubt I'll be picking up book two.
March 7, 2024
This is more of a 2.5 than a 3. I'm an avid AJ Sherwood reader, so I was naturally excited about this book. I was so disappointed. This book has a lot of problems but I'm only going to mention my top three.
First, how do you write a story with a sentient library in it, but give no real description of said library? It's both a setting and a character, and the best we're given is cursory, chaotic explanations of what she looks like. With something like this, I want to be able to envision walking around, and you absolutely can't.
Second, the best way I can describe the characters is similar to if you had a group of aliens and they learned how to people from only watching TV. Technically, it's not wrong, but it's just not right either. The character's thoughts and behaviors don't seem grounded in the small amount of information we're given about them. I think this causes a disconnect between the characters and the reader.
Last, there are huge continuity issues. Now, I'm a stickler for this because continuity errors are a pet peeve of mine, but these aren't minor things like, for example, a secondary character's hair changing colors. There are whole conversations about important information (information that the entire premise of the book is based on) that are completely forgotten by everyone and then had again several chapters later. It was so bad and initially confusing that I thought I might have missed an amnesia subplot.
First, how do you write a story with a sentient library in it, but give no real description of said library? It's both a setting and a character, and the best we're given is cursory, chaotic explanations of what she looks like. With something like this, I want to be able to envision walking around, and you absolutely can't.
Second, the best way I can describe the characters is similar to if you had a group of aliens and they learned how to people from only watching TV. Technically, it's not wrong, but it's just not right either. The character's thoughts and behaviors don't seem grounded in the small amount of information we're given about them. I think this causes a disconnect between the characters and the reader.
Last, there are huge continuity issues. Now, I'm a stickler for this because continuity errors are a pet peeve of mine, but these aren't minor things like, for example, a secondary character's hair changing colors. There are whole conversations about important information (information that the entire premise of the book is based on) that are completely forgotten by everyone and then had again several chapters later. It was so bad and initially confusing that I thought I might have missed an amnesia subplot.
April 8, 2024
Did you ever look forward to a new book, by an author you love, expecting one thing, but getting something else entirely?
That’s happened twice to me in the last two weeks.
I expect humor and snark from AJ Sherwood. This had neither. Was it bad, per se? No, not really. It was fine. Meh. Mediocre. So why the low rating. Because it was fine, meh and mediocre. I expect more from this author. I routinely give their works a solid 4 rating. Even the 3’s have some degree of AJ Sherwood flair, making them fun to read. Not this one.
The first 40% of the book is spent with one MC casually stalking another and pining after the other MC. It’s sooooo boring. I stopped, read another book, then came back to this book TWICE, it was just that boring. I almost DNF’d because I was so disappointed and bored.
And there is no humor. No snark. Nada. I really did expect more from for the author of The Tribulations of Ross Young, Supernat PA: The Complete Works
and How I Stole the Princess's White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy: Miracle 1
That’s happened twice to me in the last two weeks.
I expect humor and snark from AJ Sherwood. This had neither. Was it bad, per se? No, not really. It was fine. Meh. Mediocre. So why the low rating. Because it was fine, meh and mediocre. I expect more from this author. I routinely give their works a solid 4 rating. Even the 3’s have some degree of AJ Sherwood flair, making them fun to read. Not this one.
The first 40% of the book is spent with one MC casually stalking another and pining after the other MC. It’s sooooo boring. I stopped, read another book, then came back to this book TWICE, it was just that boring. I almost DNF’d because I was so disappointed and bored.
And there is no humor. No snark. Nada. I really did expect more from for the author of The Tribulations of Ross Young, Supernat PA: The Complete Works
and How I Stole the Princess's White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy: Miracle 1
February 10, 2024
fast paced Magical Adventure
Rating: 4.5🌈
The first in a new fantasy series, The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires is a highly entertaining and fast paced fantasy adventure. It’s got reincarnated lovers, a sentient library, a found family of vampire warriors, and so much more.
All in all, a world of fun and magical action adventure, interwoven with love remembered and born again.
Sherwood’s characters are engaging, easily crossing time periods and a magical landscape to emerge in the modern world, embracing the cultural and technological aspects of the era, including even manga comics.
One of my favorite elements is the sentient library herself, Kassandra. A vibrant personality and key figure, even without a voice, I adored her. Master Declan, Ivy and the rest of the found family that defends and inhabits the library are amazing. Then there’s Kit, the one who was left behind, and Gun, the one who died and was reincarnated.
What a story and couple.
I was snared by the tragedy, pulled into the world by the adventures and hope of the future for the couple, and then just had a fabulous time with them along the way with the battles, the magic, and the ever enlarging foundation.
I can’t wait for the next in the series to come.
I’m highly recommending this to fans of this trope and author!
Rating: 4.5🌈
The first in a new fantasy series, The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires is a highly entertaining and fast paced fantasy adventure. It’s got reincarnated lovers, a sentient library, a found family of vampire warriors, and so much more.
All in all, a world of fun and magical action adventure, interwoven with love remembered and born again.
Sherwood’s characters are engaging, easily crossing time periods and a magical landscape to emerge in the modern world, embracing the cultural and technological aspects of the era, including even manga comics.
One of my favorite elements is the sentient library herself, Kassandra. A vibrant personality and key figure, even without a voice, I adored her. Master Declan, Ivy and the rest of the found family that defends and inhabits the library are amazing. Then there’s Kit, the one who was left behind, and Gun, the one who died and was reincarnated.
What a story and couple.
I was snared by the tragedy, pulled into the world by the adventures and hope of the future for the couple, and then just had a fabulous time with them along the way with the battles, the magic, and the ever enlarging foundation.
I can’t wait for the next in the series to come.
I’m highly recommending this to fans of this trope and author!
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