ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword! (Light Novel) Vol. 1 by Kiki.

ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword! (Light Novel) Vol. 1 Reviews

• 
  Rebecca

  Are you tired of sweet, charming yuri novels? Are you ready to see a girl beaten down rise up stronger, save her own damn self and the girl she's starting to love? Well then do I have the book for you!
• 
  Mark

  The unfortunately named Flum Apricot is part of a team of chosen heroes off to save the world. Sadly, her only special ability permanently reduces her stats to zero, making her useless to her team. A savage betrayal turns her whole world upside down and then... well... then it gets weird.
  
  This book is like Sexiled meets Grand Guignol. I have never read another light novel that indulged in so much blood, bone, and gristle whilst telling the story of two lost souls finding each other, wrapped in a tale of revenge.
  
  Trigger warnings for abuse, torture, dismemberment, violence, misogyny, threat of sexual assault, extreme gore, etc etc - it’s not relentless, mercifully, but this book has no compunction about going for the jugular and telling you graphically how it got removed.
  
  No punches are pulled from the get-go. It’s really hard not to flinch at the way Flum gets betrayed - she is quite literally scarred for life - and while it does make for a real triumph to see her fortunes begin to reverse, it is a lot of savagery to get there.
  
  Her relationship with a fellow slave, Milkit (where do they come up with these names?), is sweet inasmuch as it can be when the latter girl has been a slave all her life and doesn’t grasp concepts such as freedom or autonomy.
  
  I really appreciate that the book acknowledges that this probably isn’t especially healthy and Flum recognizes it, too, but she’s been beat down so much that she simply doesn’t care.
  
  The second half of this book is particularly strong, as what starts as a bog standard quest takes a crazy turn into something out of a Junji Ito fever dream. This whole extended conflict is nothing less than riveting and I just devoured it, grue and all.
  
  It is absolutely one of the creepiest things I’ve read in a while and it poses question after question like a good book should. The term page-turner was made for this section.
  
  This story has a far more interesting plot line than most light novels to hook its revenge story onto and there are tons of things left to base further adventures around.
  
  Even better, Flum gets to be something that all heroes should - smart and resourceful. She really comes alive in the second half and this was easily my favourite part of the book (one of her escapes is incredibly clever). She knows there’s nobody coming to her rescue and she damn well acts like it.
  
  I also appreciated all the interludes showing what happened to Flum’s party after she left. Seeing one bastard in particular (a boo-hiss villain if there ever was one) get his was good; if he gets repeatedly punched in the face next volume it’ll be quite satisfying.
  
  Watching that party disintegrate is so intriguing and is just as much about not appreciating people as it is about the triumph of evil when good people do nothing. It nails the dread of a bad situation continuing to get worse and worse and is an excellent addition to the story.
  
  Then, then this book puts all its cards on the table and veers way, way off from what I had expected the ending to be. No, instead the climax of this book is intimately personal and a moment of sweetness that has been promised for a while. It was here that I realized the author wasn’t just about the gore and is, in fact, a damn good writer period.
  
  Do I have other complaints? A couple - I appreciate them peppering a feminist motto throughout the book, but it feels a little tacky and out of place. I also don’t love stories that indulge in RPG mechanics and stats as a short-cut to world-building either, though I admit it works as a quick shorthand.
  
  For everything I am hesitant about in this book there are two other things I found completely fascinating. It was gripping, even when it was being off-putting, and that makes me quite happy to recommend it.
  
  4.5 stars overall. After that second half and the ending, however, there’s no way I can’t round it up. It’s one of my favorite light novel reads in ages and a stellar example of its genre, just be aware that it gets quite, quite dark at points.
• 
  ShadowLelouch97

  This was an awesome book. It feels like an isekai but it is not. It's also really awesome to see really crappy people get their comeuppance. There's one person in particular I want to see get his!
• 
  Moriah Venable

  I have been wanting to read this for years but I didn't think I would get into it.
  
  Flum is selected to be a part of a group of heroes to defeat the Demon King. Unfortunately because of her power being Reversal she is unable to be any help to the group but she tries in other ways.
  
  Tired of dealing with dead weight, Jean the mage of the party, sells her into slavery, unbeknownst to the other party members who believe that she returned home, based off what they were told from Jean.
  
  A week into slavery, Flum finds out her power means when she uses a cursed sword. She also meets Milkit, another slave who has bandages on her head with only her eye being seen. Flum wants to protect her and make her happy. Meanwhile, Milkit, who has been a slave all her life, has trouble asking for what she wants or showing her emotions. Throughout the book, she does slowly open up and tells Flum things, who encourages and even tells her she will show her how to do basic spells and even teach her how to read.
  
  Based off how Flum killed the men that almost attacked Milkit, I think it is safe to say that she really care for her.
  
  I really enjoyed the ending with Flum and Milkit getting closer. I definitely wanted more of them instead of seeing how the hero party is doing. Though they are falling apart without her.
  
  Their a chance that the Demon King that they are trying to defeat isn't as bad as they were told. The Church may have other reasons for wanting the demons slaughtered.
  
  I am curious how the fight scenes with Flum and even Milkit's face will be depicted in the manga. I am still waiting for that arrive at the library.
  
• 
  poet

  This concept is very isekai and yet, it's not, which is nice. Been reading a lot of light novels that really don't need that isekai element lately and I'm glad this didn't fall into that trap. This story is very bloody and grimdark so make sure you're into that. The little romance is very sweet, too, though I'd prefer the characters be a little older, perhaps.
• 
  Eyla

  3.75 stars
  Dark, lesbian, fantasy light novel? I'm here
  I wasn't sure what to expect when I went into this one, though by the end of the first chapter, it felt almost too edgy (for my tastes at least). That said, it was also really addicting. There was a lot of fun moments, interesting and even thrilling action that keeps you hooked. While I took a long time to read it (due to prioritizing other books for challenge reasons) I found myself looking forward to reading more of it all the time.
  The characters were likeable, Flum was typical of a protagonist but she's not boring and has some really interesting moments. I particularly liked that scene where she wasn't hesitating to take revenge, I'm a little sick of the "be the better person" and rapists don't deserve that respect.
  I don't have much an opinion of any of the characters yet, but I hope some development in the upcoming volumes can change that. I really liked Sara, the bubbly and powerful kid who ends up in a life-changing dangerous situation, I'm looking forward to seeing her again to see what's changed about her and her morals and even her outlook on her church.
  Milkit was a sweet character, but there's not a lot to her yet besides being the shy love-interest. I hope we get to see more of her coming into her own in future volumes.
  If there's one thing that bothered me, it was the power-dynamic. Not only is Flum seemingly about two years older (which is fine in itself but adds edge to the next part) but she's the girl's "master." I don't know, it kind of makes me uncomfortable. But Flum herself is determined to fix that dynamic, I only hope that happens before the girls get together. That all said, they ARE really cute.
  The art is also really pretty and I really liked the character designs. I don't think I can really wait until March for the next one :(
  Side-note: Be warned, there is a LOT of violence, a little grotesque and graphic. There is also an attempt sexual assault scene that doesn't go anywhere or is explicit but is somewhat uncomfortable. I don't think any of it was done it bad taste however, and I don't think any of it showed up just for the sake of it as you often see in other light novels.
• 
  Aleksandra

  iconic legendary brilliant
  
  as the author said in the afterward: the story is basically a mishmash of all of my interests: fantasy, lesbian romance, horror and fight scenes. And it's a very accurate way to describe the story. ROLL OVER AND DIE is a kickass female lead fantasy novel, starring Flum, who is 16 years old and is sold to slavery by her former team mate. However, she fights back, rescues herself and another girl, uncovers her magical power and starts her journey as an adventurer. The story is very in-your-face anti slavery, which is in current climate of light novels and adaptations of said light novels, is important.
  Beware, the book is full of horror and gore, blood and guts and body horror, it's all there and it's so well-written!
  The romance is slowburn-ish, because neither of the girls has really figured out her feelings but it's lesbian as heck, very lesbian.
  The world-building is very fascinating, I want to know more. Whenever I see and monotheistic religious organization gaining all the power and being corrupt, I'm all ears. I'm very looking forward to learning more about that side of the story.
  Also there was a hot blue demon lady and I need her to be in the story more.
  It's an ongoing series but volume 1 wraps things up nicely so you can read just it and have a blast.
  
  Highly recommend!!
  CW: gore, body horror, attempted rape
  
• 
  Enrico Caliolo

  Solid debut. Pretty heavy on dark themes such as slavery, gore, horror, corruption and the list goes on. The world is shit, the people that live in it are shit, but the series has a certain uplifting tone that distances it from the grimdark genre. Oh yeah, they sold me this series as grimdark, but it is not quite grimdark imo. As I said, it has some heavy elements, so people who are tired of these light-toned light novels will greatly enjoy this one, I'm sure, but just don't expect something too niihilistic, bleak and savage. At least for now...
  
  wait, have I said that this has yuri? No? Then, IT HAS YURI. A fucking lesbian relationship that one girl would fight the world to protect the other. So, what are you waiting for? Go read it.
• 
  Collin Hagen

  Ok so you’re like wow this guy is a jerk, then it gets worse and worse. I just wanted to punch that stuck up, jellos, loud mouth, frik’n creepy, supid face jean right in the frink’n face and the squares. In the first 10 mins of reading - she make you hate a character so well and in such a short amount of time it’s crazy. And Flum you see her and you are just goes darker and darker. Then she bring the in the love interest an their relation ship is really compelling to me. I’m just really in love with the world Kiki is making and the characters, an their relationships. Thank You Kiki for this amazing world your bring to life!
• 
  Amelia

  A very graphic but good horror novel. I liked the way they worked the sapphic elements into the protagonist's motivations. I enjoyed how much the protagonist grows in various ways emotionally from the horrors they experience.
  
  This would be a 5-star light novel to me but the fact the main characters are 16 and 10 years old felt necessary and I didn't care for that aspect.
• 
  Sarah

  It’s a chuunibyou grimdark fantasy, and the lead is called Flum Apricot, and her sidekick is called Milkit.
  
  Ok, yes, I read it because of the names.
• 
  Percy Haas

  Cutie patoot saves another cutie patoot.
• 
  Aaron

  Flum Apricot is deadweight. The adventurer party to which she belongs yields two renowned bladesmiths, a famous sage, a brilliant spellcaster, a vengeful cleric, and a skilled archer; and yet, amid this all-star team, blessed by the gods, stands Flum, whose stats ring zeros from top to bottom. Everyone, including little Flum, is left scratching their heads as to why a scrawny 16-year-old was chosen to join the hero brigade against the powerful demon lord.
  
  ROLL OVER AND DIE is a violent, emotional, and entertaining adventure that kicks grit into the eyes of swords-and-sorcery epics that plaster on kind miles and whisper whimsical, fairytale ethos in lieu of pondering what it might actually be like to survive such a fantasy realm. This novel shirks no superstition. Characters have their limbs lopped off in eager vengeance, have their faces stamped with red-hot branding irons, melt from the inside-out after touching a cursed broadsword, have their legs gobbled up by golem deities, get stabbed in the neck, and are nearly absorbed by absolutely terrifying inhuman specters that just won't freakin' die. ROLL OVER AND DIE is the type of fantasy fiction that everyone knows exists yet is also the type of fiction that feels impossible to locate because it's so far outside of the wheelhouse of most publishers.
  
  There's gore and more in this novel, but the narrative pivots around the anger and anxiety of Flum as she loses out on adventuring success, is sold into slavery by a comrade, and must fight her way to safety time and again. The girl's a tough nut. If only her affinity wasn't this so-called "reversal" that undoes whatever concomitant gains in magic, strength, or endurance she earns. It's almost as if she's been cursed on a mythical level.
  
  Flum bonds with another slave girl, Milkit, a mousy and submissive young woman whose fealty to the cursed and abandoned adventurer grows by leaps and bounds. And why not? Escaping death and destruction with the aid of gritted teeth and human resolve tends to do that.
  
  At 400+ pages, ROLL OVER AND DIE is a long and full novel. The author is fond of extended battle scenes, twisting and turning chase scenes, and competitive dialogue. The novel's worldbuilding is patient and its focus on characterization, even for secondary personalities, is impressive. This is an author who values detail and is not content to gloss over scenes that typically engender character unseen (e.g., lunch in the back of a wagon, debating the efficacy of fighting a beast that just killed one's target). Readers unaccustomed to this expansive style might render a harsher verdict.
  
  The dynamics between Flum and the remaining cast is organic and only occasionally flits and drifts into something less refined. The girl's friendship, for example, with the boisterous cleric-in-training, Sara Anvilen, tracks their relationship's ups and downs as the two battle ogres, conduct unofficial side jobs, and conclude, somewhat grimly, as witnesses to homicide. Flum's budding romance with Milkit, the sweet slave-girl, is played up in later chapters (after much of the danger has passed). It's cheesy, but feels like a salve after the intense drama the author yielded but two chapters prior.
  
  ROLL OVER AND DIE is a dark-fantasy tome disguised as a squirrely and quirky, yuri-leaning adventure epic. There are demons and witches and holy people with an agenda. There are jealous thieves and kind innkeepers and men whose remains are crumpled into a hemp sack and unceremoniously flung into the woods so the wildlings can have their snacks. Good stuff.
• 
  Alice

  From start to finish this light novel is a joy to read, I was so hooked on the Webnovel that I squealed with like a school girl when I saw that it was finally getting picked up over here with PHYSICAL COPIES! (that’s a big deal to me because there were other stories that I liked that were only getting digital releases 😭).
  
  Flum and Milkit are just the best and are absolutely adorable, I love Enterna and her design is so cute and a cool.
  
  I noticed some complaints about how characters went from mean to nice, and I don’t think that’s true, it’s clear that at first Flum isn’t a reliable narrator, she has self-doubt and judges herself harshly and thus as definitely misread certain characters reactions and treatment towards her.
  
  When she gets the slave mark and has to go into the bad side of town, it’s obvious that she would be treated terribly, she’s a runaway slave, and no one knows if she was a slave from birth or was a criminal, even if from birth some people don’t take kindly to people whose parents were criminals.
  
  And might I mention once again she’s in the slums, the crime filled, rundown part of town where people aren’t going to be the nicest folks you’ll meet, so I get why she’s being treated awfully.
  
  She only really gets treated nicely by the inn owner and the rich guy she helped, who once again was obviously going to be nicer to her because one she helped him and two he needed an adventurer to do an off the records type of job, and she might have just been lucky to find a nice noble.
  
  
• 
  Isabella

  Hmmm , well it was okay? I honestly wish I didn't buy the physical copy because even though it looks really nice the writing inside is too ..dull?? I was wishing for something more complex and less childish... I MEAN IM A LITERAL CHILD BUT YKNOW WHAT I MEAN?? it was hard to read bc the plot wasn't anything special just a typical anime fantasy plot. TBH I DID PICK UP THE BOOK BECAUSE IT WAS WLW okay- but EVEN THE ROMANCE WAS KINDA BORING??? the two girls seemed only like best friends and the actual romance was cheesy asf and it happened at the end. The art was REALLY GOOD THO. I wouldn't recommend buying this book and I wouldn't pick up vol 2. but you're a fan of the synopsis and light reading then this might be 4 y.
• 
  Eiris

  -I'll come back at a later date to give a full review, but in short: 3.5 rating from me
  I liked this well enough. It was competent, though perhaps a little bogged down by focusing on the world mechanics/building in an almost clinical manner. However, those mechanics were interesting enough to me. I also don't feel like I got to know the characters well enough during this first volume over all, everyone but the main character Flum is very one dimensional but I get the feeling that will change in later volumes. Overall I liked the relationship and where the story seems to be headed but reading just one volume isn't enough for me to fully say one way or another just yet how enjoyable the series will be.
• 
  John

  The whole master and slave power dynamic makes the romance problematic in this one. And, it is a flimsily contrived romance to begin with. There are elements of growth and empowerment that are positive, but largely superficial. The combat is flat and repetitive—Flum, our main character, will likely be dismembered to some extent in every encounter henceforth it seems. It’s not the worst light novel. There are some entertaining aspects and larger plot elements that could be interesting in future volumes. I’ll probably try the next few (the second volume is already sitting on my “to read” book pile) and see where things end up.
• 
  tori

  i didn't have much expectations when started reading it but i can't deny how much the story has captivated me along the way, definitely thanks to the action and horror – something that rpg fiction lacks, imo.
  must admit i still haven't been able to get attached to flum x milkit romantic plot, which i hope to see more improvement in the future but it's already a great start considering this is an author's debut.
• 
  Estefany CI Glar

  Esta historia me atrapó desde el inicio... Comenzando tan trágicamente, y en muchas situaciones me rompió el corazón y a pesar de todo ese sufrimiento, llegando al final del volumen te devuelve la esperanza y deja un sentimiento muy agradable, fue una linda manera de terminar el volumen. Realmente me encantó.
• 
  Sam

  Decent
  
  A decent story of a little short. The author called it getting his niche interests together and I don't think he did a terrible job of it. A bit fanficy
• 
  Shuraragi

  I really liked the story but the writing lacks some quality sometimes.
• 
  Michael Loring

  Bloody, brutal, cruel, and romantic, this book is a hardcore mashup of violence, revenge, and young love. Not for the faint of heart!
• 
  Cams

  Fun read but a bit too dark and graphic for me. The romance lacks depth and feels forced. I think the fights would look great when animated though.
• 
  ZerosDoll

  Muy refrescante en cuanto a la temática de héroe vs rey demonio
• 
  ͏͏͏͏

  An odd mix of grimdark fantasy and romance (that felt out-of-place).
  Since I've only read the first volume, I'll keep silent about my other complaints until I've read the others.
  To summarize the story, as the author said, it's a mishmash of different genres - executed well! There are large plot elements that sets up a big core mystery to the story, and is nothing short of interesting to read about. Although, plot is armor is very heavy and I'd have preferred if the characters were a tad bit older.
  Overall, it's an enjoyable read and promises to deliver what it offered.
• 
  Pieter

  The story of Flum is an odd mix of traditional light fantasy and dark grim horror. She faces some gruesome monsters, both the traditional and the human kind including slavery, torture, gore and attempted rape. The world itself is not terribly original for a fantasy one with a dark undertone although it includes horror I haven't seen often in light novels. Still, the mix of grim and lightness made it an enjoyable story to read for me. It reads a bit like a dark chocolate with a bit of sugar. It is an odd mix though. Looking forward to the next part.