Another banger from Ilona Andrews!

As usual, this writing duo has set up an exciting, deeply thought out world for us to explore through their characters!

If you aren't a weeb deep in the Korean comics, the premise of this book is "isekai", which means a person in our real world dies and enters into the world of a book or comic they read previously. This gives them knowledge of the future that they can use to their advantage. They do a nice job of introducing this concept to readers who have never read it before, but the beginning few chapters definitely give off "im not like other isekais" vibes. After that, it tones down a bit.

I cant imagine how challenging it is to continuously reference a fake book in the world of a fantasy book. You would almost have to write a whole other book to reference things so meticulous and smoothly. It didn't feel too much like info dumping, which is definitely where I bow out of books. Im trying to read Alchemized but the info dumping is killing me.

Onto my actual review. There were multiple twists I didn't see coming! Im usually pretty good with foreshadowing, but I was caught off guard a couple times. After finishing, I went back and reread the book with my new found knowledge, and it made it even more fun!

Maggie, our undying heroine, is witty and knows how to play her cards close to her chest. She is smart, even outside of her previous knowledge of the new world she finds herself in. Watching her become more confident with the support of others was a joy!

As for Reynaldt(im bad at names, I hope this is right), he is our typical overpowered male with some secrets of his own. Im hoping we get some POVs for him in the next book, I would like to have more of his thought processes written out.

I cant wait for the next book! The ending promises to give us action right away, hallelujah! No politicking, I beg you! Second books in fantasies always fall to politics, but Ilona usually gives us good sequels!

What a fun read!

The style of this book definitely reads like a K-Drama. I liked the interactions between our characters, a fun enemies to lovers. I just wish there was a little more development or understanding of our character's choices.

Our FL is a gumiho(fox) demon or minor celestial being? It is known outright that she is the Scarlet Fox, who murdered a bunch of men. While there are subtle hints that maybe they were justified(because men suck, choose the bear), but we never really get the full story.

Same with our ML. His bad decision is spoken about, but there isn't much justification besides he has an adolescent mindset, even though he's lived for thousands of years.

Otherwise, the story is fun and engaging. The ending is VERY TYPICAL of a K-Drama fantasy, including reincarnation. Luckily the second book is out, and i can borrow it from a friend!

I freaking loved this book. The characters were nuanced, the plot is interesting, it was just enjoyable.

But i can't finish #2, because im so annoyed with the prince and the ML having the same conversation 3x in a row within like 10 minutes, with nothing coming from said conversation. I also can't imagine how it will end happily, so I guess I should finish it, but im so annoyed.

It was too slow and ended too fast. But that's a sweet torture.

I really enjoy Kasira, our FL. She isn't perfect and doesn't try to be. She makes decisions that aren't always likable, yet you keep wanting to root for her. Our ML is fine. He is rightfully suspicious, but I don't feel that we had much character building with him. A usual ML, hoping to get more from him besides his tortured existence.

I do think the plot moved rather slowly once she got to the Library. I get that she is too busy trying to survive... SPOLIERS FROM HERE, PROBABLY

But she obviously needs to spend more time in the catacombs, and im guessing she is from that one country that they dont have contact with. Come ON! If they drag out the curse thing without exploring her heritage in the next book, I will be upset. I know this one was politically heavy, but im begging for a break from that in book 2. Too many fantasy books become all meeting- and political-heavy in book 2.

A book about dragons that doesnt have a dragon rider academy, HUZZAH!

This book brought me out of my reading slump! I was a bit leary in the beginning, but the story developed in a different path than I was expecting. I also appreciated the time jump, giving our FL Tani room to grow, experience another culture, and give her a new perspective.

Our world is a continent with territories divided by the type of sensory magic/traditions. It goes back to their founding story, 5 heros who defeated a monster or whatever. 3 of these territories are in an alliance, giving them an elitist mindset. They look down on the other two, the usual political set up of any world, as it mirrors the real one.

In this world, certain children are born moon-touched, which means they have magic related to their home territory, and is apparent in their physical appearance- white eyes and hair. These children are taken to an academy(yeah yeah, I said no DRAGON academies. She's not there long enough for it to be annoying) to learn until they receive their fate at 20 yrs old(or 4 spans, really hate doing that math everytime). Once they have attained their fate, their powers come in full and they receive a mark.

Anyway, Tani is the only moon touched girl ever. She is from the Touchlands, one of the 2 territories that are looked down on. Everyone resents her, except for her one friend. The story starts a few months before she turns 20. She receives her fate, but a prince, our ML named Lang, and one of only a few bonded to a dragon, learns of her and her power. He fears what she could do once she attains her marks. This causes him to make stupid decisions in order to protect her while also keeping her powerless. The first 30% or so of the book is about this time in her life, however I did enjoy her more after the 5 year jump.

Probably some spoilers now: After a 5 year (1 span, ugh) time jump, we find Tani surviving in the Soundlands(the other looked down on territory). She is searching for something to help her complete her fate. She learns much about her powers, the secrets and traditions of the Soundlands, and then finds herself bonded to a baby dragon. This leads her to find Lang again in the hopes of keeping her and her baby dragon safe. She is taken to his castle, and is doing her best walk the line between being a threat to the kingdom, but also not being used by the evil royal family set on war and destruction.

I tried to be so vague, sorry.

Anyway, I love Tani. She is kind, but trying her best not to be naive. She is constantly navigating stigmas due to her culture and gender. I am excited to see her continue to grow in the next book!

Lang is interesting. I really want to like him, but with a father so awful, he has to do bad things. Sometimes those things are his own ideas, so its not like he was specifically "forced" to do them, which muddies the waters a bit. I wonder how the next book will shape him, as well as their relationship.