Jess > Recent Status Updates

There is a highly rated review for this book where the reviewer outs themselves as not understanding this is based on modern isekai (with its own expectations and tropes) and instead insists that it is based on portal fantasy from the 80s. If somebody pointed out I didn’t know wtf I was talking about like that I would simply delete in embarrassment. She keeps digging a hole though.

Anyways excited to start this!

It took me this long to realize what this book is: serialized progression fantasy like you’d find on Royal Road, but without the progression part. The structure, the underpowered MC who becomes OP, the constant underestimating that turns into showing how powerful she really is—it’s all there (except for the LitRPG stuff).

Ok. I think I was wrong. This might be slow burn after all.

If there’s this much sexual tension and blatant flirting at 26%, this is NOT slow burn. I’ve been lied to. But it’s not bad so i’ll continue.

6% in and I can tell this is not for me. Descent writing tho, if ultra-cozy is your thing.

Too much world-building and random details. The writing sucks you in but not enough to do the work of actual plot. These character are unmoored without a goal and conflicts and plans to deal with them. It’s just a boy and his thrall.
I’m desperate for anything, even just a few pages strung together of dialogue! Please!

It’s not good when I’m skim reading so early, but I feel like this is moving at a glacial speed.

Oh no. There’s dual narration in this. One of the things I loved about the first book was the single POV.

I was skimming through reviews to see if people were as confused as me with Thraga’s reaction to the midpoint reveal, and I realized something: 99% of the reviews of this book (that’s been out for over a month) are ARC reviews. It makes me question the gushing recommendations I saw on Reddit. Too many five stars, and not enough lower reviews, is suspicious.

Only 10% in so far, but I am loving this book. It’s like it was written for me. I don’t want to get my hopes up though; I’ve been burned by high expectations too much recently.

I can tell this is not for me and I am devastated. The romantic relationship will annoy me throughout the whole book; they read as siblings to me. I wish I could gift my ebook to someone else.

I am throwing in the towel.

Amateur writing, but the base ideas are good. The execution just isn’t there. To make matters worse, the female narrator’s male voices are insane sounding. Like, truly mental they would leave it like this. Beyond parody.

Immediately started listening to the audio when my library loan came in. Got to a point where a paper started flying up and attacking her and thought: is this Harry Potter?? Reader, it is.

You may have known that, because you’re smarter than me, and you’d be smart to avoid anything even tangentially related to that bigoted TERF. Hard pass.

Instant DNF.

This book is objectively terrible but also extremely addictive. I can’t explain it.

Not sure how I feel about this but the audio narration is decent.

I think this is too young for me.

This change in circumstances and main goal should have happened much earlier.

This author thinks you wear a thong OVER a bodysuit. No joke. Do women actually do this? I'm so confused.

I’m loving this so far.

I need to remember that Teddy Hamilton has an extremely nasally voice. It’s so pronounced that even at 4x speed it still annoys me. He’s ruining what would otherwise be great prose.

I’m loving the tone of this.

This is excellent so far, but it’s also very similar to The Nordic King. Like, uncomfortably so. I’m not suggesting anything close to plagiarism, though. It’s just that I can make a one to one comparison of the various beats or scenes.

I thought there’d be more story and plot to this since there are a ton of characters, but, sadly, no. And this (noncon) sex scene is just gross. Not because its noncon (I know the genre I’m reading) but because it’s disgusting. Like, gag inducing.

I can’t believe it took me this long to realize, but this is based on the Golden State Killer. Like, the male MAIN CHARACTER is the GSK.