Queen in the Mud

Blurb

A girl suddenly vanishes from her world and finds herself drifting in and out of consciousness in a world of pure darkness. The only insight into her precarious situation is a prompt opening before her eyes indicating that the system failed to delete her.

The doggedly optimistic and naive teenager, Naomi, is reborn as a monster into a fantastical world governed by the rigid rules of a suspiciously game-like system; a world full of magic and danger where the familiar mingles with the inexplicable. She finds herself deep in the bizzarre, savage forests of the unclaimed lands where deadly monsters prowl in the shadows just out of sight.

After a close brush with death, any hope that this could be a lighthearted adventure evaporates as she feels real pain for the first time. The realization sinks in as Naomi comes to terms with this not being just a game; it’s her reality now.

As if coming to grips with the life or death survival situation she finds herself in isn’t enough, the description of one of her skills seems to be speaking to her…

Thoughts

As of writing this review, I’ve read the first published book. I don’t know if there will ever be a book two, unfortunately.

I’m pretty bummed that this series might not ever get a second book, given how much of it was setting up the mysterious pillars and the interactions between them. This is the final line the blurb is hinting at, by the way.

So what can I add here that the blurb doesn’t do? It’s a reincarnation isekai, however the earth background doesn’t really matter at all, and as far as I can tell from what I’ve read, the story wouldn’t really change in the slightest if there was no isekai element behind it. That said, I haven’t seen the master plot from the author, so maybe Naomi’s weird death will in fact tie into the pillars plot point if other books get written.

But to focus on what’s currently out there, the story is a slower-paced exploration, survival, and growth LitRPG. Our MC doesn’t have human contact for a long time and has to figure out living in the wilderness herself. She does stumble onto an amazing, magical location, where she decides to make her home. It’s nice, wholesome, and quite slice-of-life for that section.

Obviously some complications crop up and add a bit more action to the mix, and yes, this does coincide with the appearance of humans in the book. Damn humans, always being dicks and ruining things.

The introduction of conflict did set up a bunch of fun plot points, and if book two comes out, I’d be expecting to see some base-building and settlement expansion going on, which could be really nice. Maari, if you read this, I’m rooting for book two!

For those that do prefer finished series, or even just longer series, you may want to wait to see if this gets picked back up, but if you’re like me and you don’t mind a standalone book right now, it was a nice, light, palate cleanser between darker and grittier works.