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The Complicated Love Life of Ivil Antagonist, Empress of Mars
Ivil Antagonist has everything a woman could want. Power enough to blanket out suns and turn worlds into molten hells, a fleet of warships at her command, and the fear of an entire space-faring nation.
But she’s silently growing tired of being at the top. There is no place more lonely for someone who has killed all of the competition, and she knows that it will be impossible to find an equal.
And so, Ivil Antagonist takes a great risk, asking a powerful oracle a simple “Where can I find true love?”
But she’s silently growing tired of being at the top. There is no place more lonely for someone who has killed all of the competition, and she knows that it will be impossible to find an equal.
And so, Ivil Antagonist takes a great risk, asking a powerful oracle a simple “Where can I find true love?”
698 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 30, 2026
About the author
RavensDagger
57 books261 followersA bird that likes comfy and happy things, and also knives. Once ate a god’s eye and awakened the ability to see all that is good in the world. Known to steal shiny ideas and baubles. Currently forbidden from writing his own bios.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 13, 2026
This was very peculiar to read, but it growed on me. Once I've accepted how ridiculous and meme-y this is, it's very enjoyable and rather unique.
March 31, 2026
Loved it! It's sweet, adorable, and a whole lot of fun. Yes, it is a bit silly at times, but that is highly intentional, and honestly part of the appeal. Puns galore, and a story that pokes fun at its influences. But underneath that is a really great story, of a powerful woman searching for the one thing that she can't gain via sheer power and influence alone, and that will make her whole and a better person. And of course, of the people who get drawn into her sphere, and the effect that they have on her life.
I'd even be inclined to say that this is one of Ravensdagger's best works.
I'd even be inclined to say that this is one of Ravensdagger's best works.
April 23, 2026
So cute!
It's silly but not too silly. Wry without being sarcastic. Genuine in its camp. Cute sexy and fun. Loved it.
It's silly but not too silly. Wry without being sarcastic. Genuine in its camp. Cute sexy and fun. Loved it.
July 18, 2026
I loved this book, sooo much. I bought it on a whim (which I rarely do, since I mostly rely on Kindle Unlimited or other resources to get my books), and I'm so glad I did! Naming your main character "Ivil Antagonist" definitely says comedy (and was honestly one of the big reasons why I bought it), but other than that I went into the story knowing almost nothing. I feel like the description doesn't give away a lot, which I appreciate.
My biggest plus of the book is that for like... maybe half of the book? I had no clue where exactly it was going to end. I read a ton of romance books, but most of those generally only have the two main characters. Even in stories with an extra love interest, it's usually pretty clear how the story is going to go. For this, I had no clue for a good while, and while it made me a little anxious, I thought it was really refreshing. For a long time I was kind of on the edge of my seat, because I didn't know how it was going to go, and I really appreciated it. This is one of the first books I've read where I felt the need to give my friend a kind of play-by-play as I was reading it, just to get my thoughts out there and relieve some of that pressure. I really enjoyed all of the characters. I read so many books with OP female characters where, despite their power, they're still restrained in some way or another, or where the narrative tries to convince us that they're not all that. It was a breath of fresh air to have a character who's just blatantly the strongest, and everybody knows it (or it's their problem if they don't). I think all of the love interests were also well-realized. They each had a kind of niche they filled out, and I didn't feel like there was a lot of overlap. I also liked all of them! I think the standout was definitely 26. Throughout the book she's just genuinely a kind of happy ball of optimism, and I love that kind of character. Of course, I still really liked the other characters though. Moving on, I enjoyed the silliness of the book. I mentioned it before, but from the onset, if you name your main character Ivil Antagonist, it's a pretty good sign that the book is going to be silly. I think the book lived up to that. I thought the tone of the book all throughout was pretty lighthearted and fun, but still heartfelt enough that I cried at the end.
If I had to give some negatives, I would say towards the end there are some chapters that could've used some additional proofreading. Nothing major, I think they might have just stood out because the rest of the book didn't really have those problems. But there were some typos, and some missing punctuation. I think my biggest issue was that There were also times .
Overall though, I loved the book. I think it manages to be heartfelt and silly at the same time. All of the characters feel unique, and I loved all of them. It was a breath of fresh air to have an OP female character who could unabashedly be OP (even when she was holding back for the sake of company). I thoughts the interactions between characters was adorable. In a book that's almost 700 pages long, I almost never checked how long I had left, and when I did it was with dread at it ending. My main thoughts finishing the book are "What is (friend) reading, and how soon can I buy this book for her" and "I wonder what else this author has written". What more can I say than it made me cry because I was happy for the characters at the end?
My biggest plus of the book is that for like... maybe half of the book? I had no clue where exactly it was going to end. I read a ton of romance books, but most of those generally only have the two main characters. Even in stories with an extra love interest, it's usually pretty clear how the story is going to go. For this, I had no clue for a good while, and while it made me a little anxious, I thought it was really refreshing. For a long time I was kind of on the edge of my seat, because I didn't know how it was going to go, and I really appreciated it. This is one of the first books I've read where I felt the need to give my friend a kind of play-by-play as I was reading it, just to get my thoughts out there and relieve some of that pressure. I really enjoyed all of the characters. I read so many books with OP female characters where, despite their power, they're still restrained in some way or another, or where the narrative tries to convince us that they're not all that. It was a breath of fresh air to have a character who's just blatantly the strongest, and everybody knows it (or it's their problem if they don't). I think all of the love interests were also well-realized. They each had a kind of niche they filled out, and I didn't feel like there was a lot of overlap. I also liked all of them! I think the standout was definitely 26. Throughout the book she's just genuinely a kind of happy ball of optimism, and I love that kind of character. Of course, I still really liked the other characters though. Moving on, I enjoyed the silliness of the book. I mentioned it before, but from the onset, if you name your main character Ivil Antagonist, it's a pretty good sign that the book is going to be silly. I think the book lived up to that. I thought the tone of the book all throughout was pretty lighthearted and fun, but still heartfelt enough that I cried at the end.
If I had to give some negatives, I would say towards the end there are some chapters that could've used some additional proofreading. Nothing major, I think they might have just stood out because the rest of the book didn't really have those problems. But there were some typos, and some missing punctuation. I think my biggest issue was that There were also times .
Overall though, I loved the book. I think it manages to be heartfelt and silly at the same time. All of the characters feel unique, and I loved all of them. It was a breath of fresh air to have an OP female character who could unabashedly be OP (even when she was holding back for the sake of company). I thoughts the interactions between characters was adorable. In a book that's almost 700 pages long, I almost never checked how long I had left, and when I did it was with dread at it ending. My main thoughts finishing the book are "What is (friend) reading, and how soon can I buy this book for her" and "I wonder what else this author has written". What more can I say than it made me cry because I was happy for the characters at the end?
May 20, 2026
I have been alternating between lit-rpg and sapphic romance for the past year or two (when I first discovered lit-rpg). I have enjoyed Stray Cat Strut a bit, but got tired of it some moons ago. Then two days ago I stumbled across the audiobook for this one. And I LOVED it, like seriously this is now a contender for my favorite book PERIOD. The humor is phenomenal Ivil is somehow simultaneously an absurdly behaving, borderline godlike, not really even human anymore while feeling completely realistic in a world not invincibly different from our own (well if you are comfortable ignoring a bit of physics and fast forwarding a few centuries). And that's just the ****-tagonist (like she's the pro who named herself anti IDK). The personalities and relationships are amazing, every minute felt like another new moment of riveting action or backbreaking laughter (fyi I was dying of aww cute *heart eyes* the entire time). And seriously 26, Ivil has caused plenty of war crimes in her own universe but not letting 26 come here is one committed on us (not saying anything else about her read this.
Review of advance copy
I’m a Royal Road reader, so I’d like to first acknowledge that my review may be outdated. The version of the book that will be published has likely gone through numerous edits compared to what I read, but I did, unmistakably, read Ivil Antagonist by RavensDagger, and it was lovely.
RavensDagger is a master of the first chapter hook. They present you with a premise that feels like an itch you can’t scratch: something you have to see through to the end. What a treat, then, that this is one of a few RavensDagger works that truly DOES end.
To be critical for a moment, the story ran a few chapters longer than I would have liked. I ran out of steam about 90% of the way through, and decided to power through.
I’m glad I did. The ending was nice! Given the setup, I’ve convinced myself that this is the right ending for the series. The book gave me what I expected to get from the word go, and combined with the prose of a fairly seasoned writer, sometimes that’s all I want in a story.
RavensDagger is a master of the first chapter hook. They present you with a premise that feels like an itch you can’t scratch: something you have to see through to the end. What a treat, then, that this is one of a few RavensDagger works that truly DOES end.
To be critical for a moment, the story ran a few chapters longer than I would have liked. I ran out of steam about 90% of the way through, and decided to power through.
I’m glad I did. The ending was nice! Given the setup, I’ve convinced myself that this is the right ending for the series. The book gave me what I expected to get from the word go, and combined with the prose of a fairly seasoned writer, sometimes that’s all I want in a story.
July 8, 2026
Imagine a person formed of Donald Trump, Hitler and Zeus. Deeply patronising, bullying, torturing, sex-pest, megalomaniacal, genocidal dictator. They've killed countless in the pursuit and maintenance of their ego. Literally the worst person who has ever existed. Make that person gay, female and hot, so now it's fine.
Now the girlfriends. One is clinically naïve, one is a wannabe megalomaniac, one is a mass-murdering psychopath who orgasms when she sees people die.
I HOPE the author is playing with us and is actually condemning how ready people are to abandon their morality if some hot sex is on offer. It MIGHT be the shallowest, most amoral book ever written.
3 stars - it's an easy, sort of enjoyable read, but overly long given that nothing really happens. I would moderate this up or down if i knew the author's intent.
Now the girlfriends. One is clinically naïve, one is a wannabe megalomaniac, one is a mass-murdering psychopath who orgasms when she sees people die.
I HOPE the author is playing with us and is actually condemning how ready people are to abandon their morality if some hot sex is on offer. It MIGHT be the shallowest, most amoral book ever written.
3 stars - it's an easy, sort of enjoyable read, but overly long given that nothing really happens. I would moderate this up or down if i knew the author's intent.
April 1, 2026
This is such a refreshing twist on the usual sci-fi story. We have an all-powerful empress who's already conquered everything, yet she feels completely alone. Watching Ivil, who can literally destroy worlds, struggle to find something as simple (and complicated) as love was both funny and surprisingly heartfelt. The humor really worked for me, with lots of clever puns and playful jabs at classic sci-fi tropes, but it never overshadowed the emotional core. I especially enjoyed how the supporting characters gradually shaped Ivil's growth and helped her reconnect with her humanity. It's charming, witty, and genuinely touching. It's not about gaining power; it's about learning how to be vulnerable, and that's what makes it stand out.
Review of advance copy received from Author
My first time experience with RavensDagger and honestly it won’t be the last time. I’ll now keep reading.
I had the greatest pleasure to experience this book in audio narrated by Zura Johnson. Every emotions, every feelings are captured so beautifully and nicely. I listed to this book while working and honestly I couldn’t stop myself
I had the greatest pleasure to experience this book in audio narrated by Zura Johnson. Every emotions, every feelings are captured so beautifully and nicely. I listed to this book while working and honestly I couldn’t stop myself
August 1, 2026
A palate cleanser from mediocrity
These days kindle store has been flooded with “Ai slop”, novels that are mostly or entirely written by AI. Those novels are essentially scams or fake products trying to take advantage of the Amazon stub money. Many have just enough early chapter editing to lure people in before revealing the true poor/slop quality later on.
This novel is not that. This novel is a real novel. Carefully written with passion. The diligence in revisions and editing is rewarded by the clear and smooth flow of the storyline. There is even interludes written in at natural pauses of arcs! Please give this novel a try if you are sick of AI slop. It’s well worth the time.
These days kindle store has been flooded with “Ai slop”, novels that are mostly or entirely written by AI. Those novels are essentially scams or fake products trying to take advantage of the Amazon stub money. Many have just enough early chapter editing to lure people in before revealing the true poor/slop quality later on.
This novel is not that. This novel is a real novel. Carefully written with passion. The diligence in revisions and editing is rewarded by the clear and smooth flow of the storyline. There is even interludes written in at natural pauses of arcs! Please give this novel a try if you are sick of AI slop. It’s well worth the time.
June 15, 2026
I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did. It an interesting take on female harem...seems odd at first, but it's cute enough to keep reading. The scifi was pretty good, the tech is The expanse, but has some fantasy thrown in for good measures.
April 29, 2026
Twenty Six is best but Ivil is a great as well
May 11, 2026
A lighthearted sci-fi romance with lots of little nods to popular franchises.
Review to follow
Review to follow
August 4, 2026
Hilarious
Great read, hilarious, highly recommend reading if you’re looking for an overpowered hero novel that doesn’t take its self serious.
Great read, hilarious, highly recommend reading if you’re looking for an overpowered hero novel that doesn’t take its self serious.
August 21, 2026
This is by far one of my favorite books now. I want more stories!!! It has a character who is literally unstoppable, just wanting to be loved and to love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2026
So cute
A very cute read from a very neat author. Follow Ivil on her adventure to find love complete with romantic (not smutty) sapphic relationships.
A very cute read from a very neat author. Follow Ivil on her adventure to find love complete with romantic (not smutty) sapphic relationships.
May 19, 2026
I rarely give 5 stars. I did this, because i laughed my way through it, it all the right notes and did not pretend to be anything other than a very enjoyable romp.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews