Pennyblade

Smutty, pulpy and definitely a bit juvenile in places, mostly this was just fun.

I guess the elevator pitch for this is ‘horny elf goes on a rampage?' To be honest, the book is mostly kind of bonkers, a bit of a teenage boys fever dream in places with a mixture of overt sexualization and bonkers violence. Is this serious literature? Hell no. Is it overall quite a fun read? To me it was. Definitely one where it is advisable to have an idea of what you are getting yourself into before hand though. This is about as pulpy as modern fantasy comes.

The story follows one of the Commrach (a fey/elf type creature) through a couple of different timelines, following her during her exile and what led to her exile. Our MC (Kyra) is not what you would call a nice person. Self-centered, prone to violence and aggressively rude. Also extremely horny. Sex is a big theme in the book, so be prepared for a lot of smut. The world around her is also not very nice. The Commrach kingdom with its petty politics, scheming and vicious backstabbing or the mainland with a puritanical style church are both fairly unpleasant places. There are themes of otherness, a fairly LGBTQ+ friendly approach to relationships and some found family aspects to the story to add some meat to it. The world building is not the main theme here, mainly what we are focused on is the characters. And their interactions are entertaining. Kyra's many barbs and witty comebacks make for a fun dialogue that forms the core, with the attendant relationships being built. The politicking at the center of the story is also entertaining enough, its denouement enough of a surprise to give a satisfying ending

Filthy, silly fun