telegraph book reviews fiction

Transmigrating only to end up in the body of a notorious and blacklisted dated movie queen? Accused of bribery, plastic surgery, being a mistress and diva, and even having sex for favors? The number one spoiled and domineering queen returns with a vengeance! To kick out the movie kings and queens and to dominate the entertainment industry! Nothing will stand in the way of the empress to get rid of that bastard emperor—not even transmigration! But… F*ck! What the hell? That darn husband of hers is the spitting image of that bastard emperor…

When the System descended and turned Earth into a dungeon-crawling death game, most people got combat classes—Warrior, Mage, Rogue. Takeshi got something different: Corporate Drone. While others gained flashy skills and legendary weapons, he received a briefcase, a tie that never wrinkles, and abilities like [Overtime Exploitation] and [Meeting Scheduler]. His employer? The Black Company, a ruthless interdimensional corporation that treats dungeon diving like just another day at the office, complete with quotas, performance reviews, and mandatory unpaid overtime in monster-infested hellscapes. But Takeshi isn't complaining. In his old life, he survived Japan's most brutal work culture, mastering the art of endurance, efficiency, and turning corporate BS into actual results. Now, those same skills that made him a salaryman legend are his path to power. Every monster killed is a KPI met. Every dungeon cleared is a project completed ahead of schedule. The Black Company doesn't care if he lives or dies. His party members think his class is a joke. But Takeshi has spent years climbing corporate ladders built on backstabbing and impossible deadlines. And while other adventurers burn out chasing glory, he grinds forward with the relentless, soul-crushing determination only a black company veteran possesses. Because in a world where everyone else is playing hero, sometimes the key to reaching the top is knowing how to work the system—literally.

This is a collection of reviews about the books I've read so far :)

Zang Ruìnà died at twenty-two, face-down on a spreadsheet, her heart finally surrendering to a decade of sleepless nights and bottomless coffee. No heroics. No prophecy. Just another white-collar worker ground to dust by a system that had no use for her beyond what she could produce. She did not expect to open her eyes again. Now she is Reina, a forest elf of the Veridian Weald—slender, silver-haired, and burdened with memories not her own. In human reckoning, she is twenty-two. In elven years, she is young enough to be foolish and old enough to know better. The body she wears carries fading scars from a life she never lived: a skirmish with poachers, a fever that nearly claimed her, a mother who sang her to sleep beneath trees that glow with primal magic. But the world she has entered is no dream. Aethelgard is a land where magic flows like blood through the earth—and where every spell demands its price. The Arcane Conclave polices power with iron formulas and colder judgment. The Rootweaver Circle watches the forests with ancient, suspicious eyes. And the Order of the Mortal Coil hunts those who seek to cheat death, unaware that death has already spat one soul back into the light. Reina remembers spreadsheets and subway commutes. She remembers burnout, loneliness, the quiet desperation of modern life. Those memories should be useless here. Instead, they become her edge. When a conflict erupts between the druids of the Weald and the encroaching expansion of a Suncinder Basin trade cartel, Reina finds herself caught between two worlds that despise each other—and neither trusts an elf who thinks like a human. To survive, she must navigate political intrigues, bargain with fey spirits who sense something wrong about her, and confront the terrifying truth: magic can be learned, but its cost is written in flesh and soul. She came from a world that worked her to death. Now she must decide whether this one is worth living for.

Elijah lived in the magical world. He had no powers but his friend did. He had no parents as well. When he couldn't pay rent, he had to find a hotel. Other hotels were very expensive and asked his friends for help. They followed him to a hotel with no reviews. Just as his friends were about to leave, the door closed. They tried to find exits but couldn't find it. There were no receptionists, too. They knew their only way is... foward. *gulp*

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20 year old Molly fights to recover her memory of her boyfriend after being found on the side of the road alone. As we bounce from past to present we discover a relationship far beyond sinful

In a Disorder world, when someone suffers extreme mental disorders like depression, trauma, abuse, or any kind of mental disorder. He would gain incredible power if he overcomes it. Former King Baal Throunos was sent back to time to be tortured for a thousand years again because of a curse. In this life, he is back to being King, he didn't want to step down, ever again! Even in death! While waiting for death, he conjured a phone just to remember his earth life and thought for fun that if he could talk to his dangerous and evil alternate universe selves he would escape his demise. When all of the sudden... Wrathful General Baal Fuhrer entered the chat. Vengeful Nerd Ugly Fat bastard Baal Tardo entered the chat. Young Master stepping stone Lin Baal entered the chat. Overlord Pirate Baal D. Jones entered the chat. Symbiotic Universal Destroyer Baal Corod entered the chat. Demon King Beelzebub Gluttony entered the chat. Etc. Things backfired because most are evil, however, the young king found out that he could download their abilities! Now's the time where his dream to be King with Minotaur Symbiosis power for Eternity, starts!

Stella Sterling, born into wealth, had always followed the rules. Jaded by the hypocrisy of high society, she suddenly had a whim one day to have an ordinary romance. Thus, a fabricated rumor that Stella Sterling had spent a fortune to hire a Matchmaker from a dating site to find her a partner quickly spread through her circles. Those on good terms with her teased and watched the fun. Those on bad terms with her waited to see her become a joke. Later, an employee from the dating website revealed, "The company was acquired with an investment from a Vicenzan tycoon, and the profile of a certain female member with the surname Sterling was hidden overnight." The public speculated wildly about the identities of the Vicenzan tycoon and the female member with the surname Sterling. - Later on, a candid street photo that was accidentally captured went viral. In the dense night of The Spire on Vesper Island— Beside a Benz, a handsome, composed, and dignified man lifted a striking beauty in a red dress with one arm, pressing her against the car door and lowering his head for a deep kiss. In the faint light and shadow, the woman's flowing hair was swept by the wind, wrapping around the man's finger, which wore a pinky ring. Like a footnote to a romance, and even more like a vintage film frame etched into the axis of time. Someone immediately dug up the man's identity based on clues from the photo. The eldest son of Vicenza's Rhodes Family—low-profile and inscrutable, cold and untamable, and also the powerful contemporary authority of The Vesper Circle. And the alluring, glamorous belle by his side was none other than Stella Sterling. When the street photo spread to the mainland, everyone excitedly exclaimed: "The case is solved, the case is solved—"