Firstly, you’re either going to like the tone and style this is written in, or you’re going to bounce right off it.
I’ve seen a lot of people complaining about how vulgar and horny Davi is, and blaming it on a man writing a woman. Having read from this author before and seen how he can write women, and also, the other women in this book, I’m gonna vote no on that one. Women can be horny and vulgar! You might not like that, and it may be a significant barrier to entry here, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
If you can get past the tone and style (or like it!*), the rest of the book is a self-aware fantasy romp with a plethora of pop culture references (many have compared Davi to Deadpool, and I feel that’s accurate). The pacing on this thing is perfect, actually. We go from our protagonist—who has been stuck in a time loop for 1000 years in a fantasy world, with no idea how she got there—waking up in a freezing cold pond, and killing the wizard that for 1000 years has been dragging her into his prophecy and “trying to save the kingdom”, to her deciding she’s had enough, and now she’s going to join the other side. Not only that, but she’s gonna rule them. Davi for Dark Lord. She starts her campaign right away.
*TBH it was a bit much for me, but ultimately I found it made sense, as Davi’s sense of humor and playing into the unreality of her situation is part of her character arc, and dropping that emotional shield is part of that. She is coping, my dudes.
I think it was super smart of the author to have us join Davi 1,000 years in to her journey, because at this point she knows this world incredibly well, but now that she’s switching sides, we also get to experience things with her for the first time. Best of both worlds. And switching sides also, of course, allows her to get some new perspectives on everything that is happening to her. I really grew to love most of the side characters the longer I listened to the book, and you can sense Davi’s affection for them, and her desire to protect them, even if she calls them her minions.
The audiobook was a good listen, even if the narrator leaned hard into the female Deadpool thing. I am definitely reading book two!