From bestselling author Josephine Angelini comes a whimsical fantasy read with loads of adventure and none of the triggers. Perfect for fans of Olivia Atwater and Travis Baldree.
Ever wish you could travel inside your favorite book and become the main character? Of course you have. Everyone has. But if you ever manage to pull it off, here’s a tip. Timing is everything…
Take Holly for example, who after saying a spell is transported inside a fairytale called The Chronicles of Lucitopia, a magical world infested with grifter grandmas, halitosis-riddled bandits, and devoid of any functioning toilets.
Holly becomes Princess Pleasant exactly as she wished, but she gets there too late, right after an evil sorcerer turns Lucitopia into a tetanus-ridden hellhole. And now, it’s up to Holly to make things right.
With the help of a freakishly handsome, yet frustratingly virtuous knight, Holly sets out to fix her story, but she only has fifteen days left to do so or she risks being stuck in Lucitopia for the rest of her life, which may prove to be a short one considering she’s overdue for her shots.
I didn't give this book much of a chance but I wasn't enjoying the world and I didn't have really any reason to be interested in the main character. I mean I maybe could have given it more time because the other books by Angelini I liked took a while to become interesting. But I really just wasn't into this world.
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Illustrated Girl is a YA romantasy series opener by Josephine Angelini. Originally published in 2022, this reformat and re-release, out 2nd July 2024 is 264 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.
Full of the sort of sarcastic humor and snarky characterizations which make the YA romantasy subgenre so popular, this is a story about a girl who wishes to sink into the pages of a book (who hasn't?) and succeeds, only to find life in Lucitopia is anything but sunshine and roses. Evil wizards to fight, wrongs to right, indoor plumbing, and modern conveniences to install; she's got a full schedule, if she can survive long enough to figure it all out.
The writing is *very* young. The dialogue is *very* sarcastic and often the author sacrifices readability for one-liners and repartee. It's a relatively short, very much action driven plot. One for fans of the subgenre.
There have been comparisons to Travis Baldree's books, and it's a disservice to both. There should also be a note of wary caution for readers at the younger end of YA, because there is some not kid friendly content here. Despite being the third release of the book, it would have benefited with some judicious objective editing. It often feels as though the author's editing process made it difficult to remove many (any) of her own scenes and subsequently, the book spent a fair bit of time tripping over its own feet.
That being said, it's readable, and light, and enjoyable. There are three books extant in the series at the current time, so readers who enjoy this one have a nice potential binge/buddy read.
Three stars. Worth a look for fans of YA romantasy.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purpose
