book reviews contemporary 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…

He left his home, unwillingly, to a realm of cultivation, Xianshu, mythical manuals and Dao. And now he’s here due to a failed attempt at going home, a place bears a lot of resemblance but not the same. “At least it’s close enough here. I’ll get there on my next jump.” Jianmen Yu said to himself, “But while I’m prepping, let me do my old job here for a bit.” And there we have it, “Xianshi Inn”, run by a cultivator, who’s not of this world. Don’t mess with it or its employees, the owner will kick your ass, no matter who you are, no matter WHAT you are. Patreon available: egaochan (avatar is a crab), feel free to tip me if you like my stories! The full book of this novel is now available on Amazon, if you would like to support me and my work, head to Amazon and search "Xianshi Inn"!

In 2002, the ascension of Barron Cavendish to the dukedom marked the start of a legendary era for the Devonshire family. Fast forward to 2022, the new female prime minister's inaugural speech left the parliament in stunned silence, only to face impeachment a month later for shielding her subordinates. This tumultuous political saga unfolds against the backdrop of a narrative where every British person's life is intricately tied to the enduring legacy of the Devonshire family, forever changed since Barron Cavendish took the helm.

[Two-way first love, strong combination, the well-rounded male lead, growth-type female lead] Yue Yan transmigrated into a contemporary novel she recently read. In the original text, she was the female lead's best friend, but she was used by the female lead, who turned out to be two-faced. Yue Yan did all the bad things, while the female lead was thought of as a kind and pure beauty. As a result, Yue Yan became hated by everyone. The first thing Yue Yan did after transmigrating into the book was to sever ties with the female lead, and she stayed far away from her. She'd hide from her if she couldn't afford to offend the female lead! Chou Fei died in a spaceship crash. Somehow, he transmigrated into the novel as the female lead's backup fling. His only purpose for existing was to act as the lead couple's automated teller machine and bed warmer. Chou Fei, who knew the storyline in advance, decided to run away. He'd let someone else fill that role!

She’s a cat shifter, cursed to remain in cat-form for the rest of her days. Her best friend is a “lost-in-time” 17th-century witch who deals in black magic. He’s the pack’s alpha, who’s trying to keep their shifter abilities a secret while also working as US Marshals. His partner is a bear shifter, who prefers to shoot first and skip the questions entirely. Oh, and the fate of the world also rests in their hands…

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.

Sophie Wexler transmigrated into a novel about The Galaxy, becoming the vicious, F-rank Healer-class cannon fodder. The original owner constantly caused trouble and made things difficult for the female lead, earning her the hatred of the entire internet. Upon transmigrating and seeing that everything had been ruined by the original owner, Sophie's only thought was: "What kind of nightmare start is this?!" To escape the original owner's fate, Sophie Wexler worked diligently, conducted herself conscientiously, stayed away from the male and female leads, compensated the soldiers harmed by the original owner, and strove to be a model citizen of The Galaxy, absolutely refusing to be the cannon fodder 'offed' by the Imperial Marshal! Broke and powerless, Sophie also had to support a man who'd been innocently dragged into the original owner's mess. She had no choice but to hustle. She started live streaming, became a masked singer, and held concerts. At first, netizens were scornful: 【Tsk, how good can she possibly sound?】 Later, the netizens were forced to eat their words. 【Damn, that's so good I'm on my knees!】 【What the hell, the violent episode of my Disorder Period has actually been soothed?!】 【The toxins in my Spiritual Sea have actually been eliminated!】 Her live streams went viral, the masked singer became a huge sensation, and tickets for her concerts were snapped up across The Galaxy. Sophie was content, thinking, "This time, I must have finally escaped the original owner's fate, right?" But what do you know, the man I've been doting on and supporting is actually the Imperial Marshal?! --- One day, Yancey Forrest came home to find that the boisterous person who was always claiming to be good to him was gone. His eyes darkened. Provoke me and then think you can leave? After catching her, Yancey traced his fingertips along Sophie's neck, smiling gently. "Why run?" Sophie trembled. "You... you're the Imperial Marshal?" His identity exposed, Yancey Forrest took her hand and slowly placed it on his own neck ring. "You know I won't kill you, don't you?"

A mission gone wrong sends military doctor Han Lei tumbling through time, straight into the arms of a fallen Prince in a war-torn era. With a bizarre excuse to keep a doctor by his side, the battle-scarred general finds himself completely undone by her soft words and gentle hands. Han Lei's wish is to earn silver and marry a strong man. The Prince’s wish is to seek development and marry a gentle wife. Two people, four desires, who will bend first? --- She's a dignified modern woman who crossed through time. How could she stand by and let these ancient fools bully her husband? He's a national hero, yet nearly got himself killed over that damn loyalty of his. She asks him: "What are you thinking?" He answers: "My heart is dead, you know what I am thinking." She curls her lips, turns to leave a sentence: "Then what are you waiting for? Go do him now!"