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.

In her previous life, she took the wrong "white lotus" script, causing her to die a miserable death. Heaven has let her live again, so she shouldn't have to suffer the hardships of her past life once more! Feng Moxi sheds her weakness from her previous life. Making a new choice, she must fight! There are monsters! Kill them! There are scumbags! Eliminate them! With her meager strength, she picks up a Heavy Sword and forges a difficult path forward. Unexpectedly, that arrogant and reckless person who caused her no small amount of trouble along the way eventually becomes a comrade-in-arms to whom she can entrust her back, a companion for life. The sky fills with darkness, the Demon People emerge! The Heavenly Dao returns. One day, Feng Moxi is leisurely roasting beast meat by the river. Chaoyang, having just finished fighting a demon beast, sees the crumbs on her lips and immediately leans in. "Want some?" Chaoyang dazedly nodded his head. Suddenly, a piece of burnt beast meat is stuffed into his mouth. Chaoyang pulls Feng Moxi into his embrace, gently brushes the corner of her lips with his hand, and says, "You're mine!" Apocalypse + Cultivation + Doting Boyfriend

[Irresistible MC + Farming & Entrepreneurship + Strong Female Lead + Cute Baby + Love Rivalry + Farming System + Male Competition] Deng Yuyuan wakes up to find she has transmigrated into a period novel about a "pampered group darling" — as the biological mother of the vicious female villain. The female villain has a biased grandmother, a mooching uncle and his family, a blindly filial father, and a spineless mother. She was a small-time thief as a child. As an adult, she committed every kind of evil — constantly framing the female lead — and ultimately met a miserable end. The female lead is the only daughter in another family, doted on by her older brothers. The villain targeted her out of pure jealousy. And now, Deng Yuyuan has become that villain's cowardly mother — and the villain herself is currently just an ugly, wrinkly-faced infant. The blindly filial father loves his wife, but gives all the good things to his own mother. He says to his starving wife and daughter: "Xiao Yuan, come drink some water. I specially heated it for you." Deng Yuyuan looks at her own bony frame and her tiny child — and decides to get a divorce. Goodbye, useless husband. She's going to raise this little cub with an abundance of money and love. No way she'll go astray this time. Lost one husband, gained a crowd of suitors. A beautiful sent-down youth coveted by many — she knows some self-defense and burns the midnight oil studying. With the reinstatement of the college entrance exams, she takes her child toward a much wider world. Riding the wave of the times, Deng Yuyuan works her way up to become a gaming tycoon and a cutting-edge scientist... Except — why are so many men fighting to be her cub's stepfather?