Ryn of Avonside has a ton of great things going for it. The setup is really engaging and snappy, feels like there's no waste or wavering. We're quickly thrown into a strange novel situation after some very efficient establishing of the characters and personalities of some of the main cast. The situation they find themselves in is imaginative and does a great job creating a hook for the story. Best of all, at the end of the intro we're introduced to Ryn's new magic and it's one of the best fantasy magic systems I've ever seen, personally. No RPG stuff, no D&D stuff, nothing artificial feeling at all: Ryn instead has a pocket garden dimension where she grows plants in specific ways, the shape and appearance of the plant determining the effect, and she learns new effects by studying the random infinite blooms of life in the Elemental Plane of Plants her pocket garden floats in. It feels very naturalistic, which is of course very appropriate for a nature-based magic system, it stands apart from most others I've seen (the only similar thing to come to mind is the Botania mod for Minecraft lol, and that's way less naturalistic and freeform), and it holds up over 160+ chapters of growth and innovation and use. I could read another 160 chapters of Ryn today and still not be tired of this world, its magic, and the people who live amongst it. :)

Also I really like the main cast, and the buns, and the slow burn central romance.

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There are three genres I like most — trans stories, lesbian stories, and isekais. This story mixes all of them, which I may have seen before, but never have I seen it like this. 

With the same incredible worldbuilding we're used to with QuietValerie's work, and the engaging and realistic cast of characters and their dynamics... With the sheer... uniqueness of the magic system... this is not just another trans story, lesbian story, or isekai. This is a culmination of them. 

I can't recommend it enough.

(Also goddamn it just kiss already)

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This novel was a fun read, but has the problem that it's not just a gender bender/girl's love story, it's a trans story. And what that means is that many of the conventions and tropes used to tell the story are going to seem weird if you're not part of that subculture.

The casual way in which the main character's friends decide to "become a family" is one of them, when several members of the group don't even know each other very well. Another is the depressive mindset of the main character, who seems emotionally fragile, conflict-averse and perpetually depressed about being a man (until that's fixed). Another is the fact that almost everyone who's effective, well-meaning and not a jerk is female or trans, and the only couples you're presented with to this point are gay.

Readers who are looking for stories about being trans won't find any of this to be a problem. Indeed, the worldview is one that will probably appeal to them, and you can see that reflected in the high ratings for the story. For a more general audience these elements feel strange and draw you away from the story, which is why I stopped reading it and am assigning it a medium rating.

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It's pretty good, and it's one of the better isekai/romance novels I've read, but it feels a little overrated though. There isn't as much, "Complex storytelling and beautifully developed characters"  as the reviews might suggest.

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Not a bad story, but it has some rather typical pitfalls.

The good:

The characters are likable, the worldbuilding is interesting, and the mechanics behind magics are pretty original.

The bad:

There are wide swaths of chapters with little to no plot progression - simply teenagers cuddling and trying to form a relationship. Cute, but nothing happens.

The main character is fairly overpowered, is rarely questioned, and has the luck of a dozen lottery winners. Easily able to accomplish feats far beyond the norm and overshadow everyone else. Not quite wish fulfillment, but be prepared for your suspense of disbelief to be strained. Nice if you turn your brain off.

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Overall not bad, however I believe it would be significantly better with less, or even no, romance. The romance and drama seem to take up at least half the story, with flirting and s*xual tension occasionally interjected into the middle of otherwise suspenseful moments. The problem with this is that the magic, world building, and plot are all much more interesting than the romance, yet are forced to vie for the remaining screen time.

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Let it be known. I have stated this multiple times, I don't like isekai stories. However, I will always read whatever Vale writes. Her stories, even in fantastic circumstances, always have such a beautiful human touch to them. This story blends science fiction and fantasy into a flurry of adorable dorks, lovely world building, and of course, some gay as hell writing. 

Every time I wonder if she'll run out of ideas. And every time I'm swept away into a new and lovely land full of blushing lovely queer women. 

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Another great blend of science fiction/fantasy from Vale, this time with a larger core cast and bigger mysteries. I am very excited to see where this goes.

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QuietValerie has made another amazing story with this one! The character development so far has really given life and emotions to the MC and all the group of friends that goes along with them. And the world building is really great at making the places and "not quite" animals/plants come alive. I can't wait to read more of this story and see where it takes me!

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