Repo! The Genetic Opera really encapsulates what I want to describe in “Bless This Mess” — I’m not sure it’s a GOOD movie, and I wouldn’t recommend it to people without some major caveats, but I love it dearly, and I think it’s FASCINATING.

So, I read Alchemised. I have some thoughts.

In short: it’s too damn long.

At length: …well, you’ll just have to read further.

I read this book partially because it began its life as a fanfic, and I was curious to see how that played out. I’m not going to talk about that in this review, because I want to talk about the book as it stands on its own, but I do have some fanfic-related thoughts, and they are here if you’re interested.

Content warnings: discussion of gore/body horror, rape/sexual assault

I’m back! Been a while since I read something that was this bad and yet this compelling.

Young girl with cancer gets isekai’d into her favourite (kind of) book series, into the body of the villainess, and has to survive. I was immediately sold on this concept, and then the execution, uh, left something to be desired. 

Question up at the top for anyone who can help me out here: big boobie evil (maybe sorceress) lady who seduces the king. What are we referencing here? Where does this trope come from? Because this book was certainly interested in critiquing it and I just want to know. Please tell me where to find the big boobie evil villainesses, I need to know for science.

Let’s get into it.