Misha’s Replay Rankings Pt.3
I decided to do three lists with a 1/3 of the alphabet each just to make it more readable. So part 3 will start with the letter Q.
Links to Part One and Part Two
Queen B
Story: A- (The story delivers exactly what it promises, it is a fun, fishy story about hot, rich college students and stupid popularity games. It is ridiculous, but it is supposed to be, and more importantly, it is entertaining.)
Art: A- (This isn’t one of the top books for art, but it does have some nice CGs and delivers in the big story moments).
LIs: B- (The LIs in this book are handled so badly and I’ll never forgive this book for not letting me romance Carter).
Romance Scenes: A (Whatever lacklustre feelings I have about the quality of the LIs, the romance scenes themselves were well done.)
MC: B (This MC fits the story, but I wouldn’t want to hang out with her and I found her frustrating to play at times. Definitely not my favorite MC.)
Friend Group/Side Characters: A- (This book has a large cast and while some of the characters are pretty shallow and underdeveloped and it often feels like Zoey is our character's only real friend, the other characters are generally entertaining and some of the squad scenes are cute).
Villain/Antagonist: A- (Poppy is an intriguing combination of rival/frenemy/fuckbuddy and the overall build of the story is good, but the execution was painful at times).
Paywall: D+ (Oh this book is brutal on free play. The squad, the popularity content, the clues, all of it. There are so many paywalls. This is book that is fun if you are willing to pay)
Overall: B+ (This series is fun for what it is, not one of my favorites but it is fun and the second book is better than the first).
Previous Ranking: 28/50
New Ranking:
Rising Tides
Story: B+ (The story actually moves pretty quickly and a lot happens, but it is also so obviously done as a public service announcement that it takes away from the story but honestly there are a lot worse plots in the Choices universe.)
Art: B- (nothing spectacular, a lot of reused assets, but the MC does have the prettiest underwear of any Choices MC) and the LIs are genuinely attractive).
LIs: A (I genuinely liked both LIs, I thought they had roles that made sense in the story and I was honestly conflicted to the end which one my MC should end up with, which never happens. Neither was a top 10 LI for me, but they were both good characters)
Romance Scenes: A (They were good, we got a lot of family information and background info about the LIs, they built the romance, etc.)
MC: A- (I liked this MC. I like that she had a distinct personality, there were times I wished we could shape her beliefs a little more and it felt like Charlie was more the “main character” but this MC was generally fun to play)
Friend Group/Side Characters: A- (I didn’t love the best friend and Charlie got annoying at times, but I mostly loved the relationship between her and MC, the parents were great and I enjoyed the townspeople. Also Diego was adorable.)
Villain/Antagonist: B+ (Warner was a little stereotypical, moustache-twirling villain for me, but he was also a pretty good representation of the corporate billionaire so…)
Paywall: D (I feel like this book would be unplayable without diamonds, especially with the scenes to restore the town, but even the fact that a lot of the LI’s backstory and motivations were locked behind diamond scenes)
Overall: B+ (I enjoyed this book way more than I expected to. It was definitely not perfect, but for the most part it was genuinely enjoyable.)
Previous Ranking: 44/50
New Ranking:
Rules of Engagement
Story: B+ (The story is cheesy and start a little slow but it is actually pretty cute and yeah some of the twists are eye roll worthy, but it still works somehow, even the multiple narrators works and brings it all together, though sometimes the pov changes are jarring), Art: A- (For old school choices, this is actually a really pretty book. It doesn’t have the amount of art of later books, but the backgrounds and outfits and everything are really pretty and they all fit the setting). LIs: B (This series has 9 LIs amongst 5 pov characters [I am not counting Paolo], so balance is definitely an issue and in book 3 and 4, Katie’s LI start to feel a little cookie cutter, but for the most part they balance the individual personalities and relationships and tell five different love stories.) Romance Scenes: B (There is a lot of the early Choices “and lower” and some of these shorts are quite short but they do get better as the series goes on and they do provide insight and background into the various characters). MC: B+ (This book starts with 4 POV characters and expands to 5, which is a lot. The customizable MC may be the blandest of the bunch, which makes sense as she is supposed to be the self-insert, but it also means she is the least interesting and honestly it is a lot of POVs and a lot of stories, but mostly it works and the family is all pretty likeable with their own distinct personality). Friend Group/Side Characters: A- (This was tricky for me because my rule is that the friend group has to be non-Li characters and this is the case of this book, most of the LIs are actually never included in bonding activities, but they are all of POV/main characters, similar to Love Hacks but different in that they all have equal place in the story. However, they are also charming and the sibling scenes are truly adorable, especially in the later books and I think it is part of the charm of the series), Villain/Antagonist: B (This series has a few antagonists and at least one true villain and it is weird because the early antagonists either become a protagonist [Violet] or disappear [Trent] and Aunt Mallory is the main villain and while she is definitely toxic, she isn’t handled great and there is a forced redemption arc in book 4 and overall it isn’t done particularly well). Paywall: B+ (The early books are actually pretty good, but it gets worse as the series goes on. However, it is never terrible, it is just easier if you pay diamonds and you learn certain backstory details. Still the main story is pretty complete on its own), Overall: B+ (Overall, this series is cheesy but it is kind of fun and pretty sweet. It has likeable characters and while the plot is silly, it is also entertaining, which is the important part) Previous Ranking: 26/50 New Ranking:
Save the Date
Story: B+ (This book delivers what it promises and is a sweet, light-hearted romantic comedy but the formula gets a little repetitive and the drama feels manufactured at times, but mostly it is fun)
Art: B+ (Yes there are repeated faces, but the picture wall is cute and the variety of outfits are nice.)
LIs: A- (If this book was made today it would 1000% be a single LI book. The romance with Justin was a major plot point and Simon felt both bland and shoved in, at least Lindsay had an actual purpose. Still I really enjoyed the push-pull between Justin and MC and Lindsay is adorable.)
Romance Scenes: A (These are good, you learn a lot about the various LIs and get some cute and steamy moments.)
MC: B+ (I did not enjoy the first person as much as I did in MTFL and this MC felt like she was a lot, but also her emotional growth was limited. I didn’t hate her, but I definitely wouldn’t want to hang out with her).
Friend Group/Side Characters: A- (Nora and Monica are the best part of this book, Ali is a sweetheart and the various brides and grooms were utterly adorable.)
Villain/Antagonist: D- (the ex boss is kinda the villain, but he is basically a non-issue and I guess Justin is an antagonist, but he is also the main LI and it’s not that kind of story 😂. So yeah, this book does not do well with the whole villain thing.)
Paywall: B+ (I played this at least twice with minimal spending and enjoyed it, the only thing that is really affected is the picture wall/bonus scene at the end, but that is more of a cute epilogue rather than something you are really missing).
Overall: B+ (This is a cute, light-hearted book. It has some flaws but it is generally enjoyable).
Previous Ranking: 10/50
New Ranking:
The Shadow
Story: A- (It is a little short and choppy but a girl finding out she has been seeing a vampire and then having to figure out what to do about it in one night is a decent premis).
Art: F (there is no art)
LIs: D (are there really Lis? I mean, you can say you want to explore life with Dev or end up a vampire with Lucien, but romance is really not the point)
Romance Scenes: F (there are none)
MC: A- (I liked Sara. She was strong and kept a pretty good level head. I enjoy set MCs though.)
Friend Group/Side Characters: B- (Again this book was short and lacked depth but I did think Natasha was a decadent default bff adn helped keep the story moving).
Villain/Antagonist: A- (the villains were also the LIs, and who the villains were was also dependent on your POV and choices, which is really neat. I think this is one of the parts they did best).
Paywall: A+ (only a few diamond scenes and even buying everything, I am pretty sure I broke even).
Overall: D (This book struggles with my rating system due to the lack of romance and art, but I also wasn’t that invested in it.)
Previous Ranking: N/A
New Ranking:
Sunkissed
Story: A- (This is an excellent story about grief and how it can impact relationships and trying to rebuild a family in the aftermath of a devastating loss. The problem is it also tries to be,a lighthearted summer romance and that doesn’t work as well, but the story of grief is so beautifully done).
Art: B+ (There isn’t a ton of extra art for this book but the backgrounds and outfits are pretty)
LIs: B (None of them are bad, but none of them stand out and the imbalance of how they are developed and used in the story is very noticeable).
Romance Scenes: B+ (a lot of the scenes are orety rushed, but you do get some good character development from the LIs and are able to build the relationship appropriately).
MC: A (I really like this MC. I can relate to her wanting to keep her family together after tragedy but also how she gets frustrated with being the peacemaker and I thought her involvement in the other characters problems was normal level, which I also liked,)
Friend Group/Side Characters: A- (The only friends the MC has are the LIs, but that is because this is mostly a family book and ai love the relationship between the three women and how it grows and heals over the course of the book.)
Villain/Antagonist: A (this is controversial because there is no standard antagonist, but the villain of this book is death/grief and it is handled so well. The way grief can affect every aspect of your life, can damage your relationships and turn you into a different person).
Paywall: C- (I am making guesses here, since I have always spent at least some diamonds but a lot of the grifter/family stuff is locked behind diamond scenes, which is a problem, because that is really the heart of the story and I think without it this would be a much more shallow book),
Overall: A- (This is a sweet book and it really does hit me in a deeply emotional place. I think it is probably a very niche book, but it tells the story of grief and a family recovering from a deep loss very well and I appreciate that.)
Previous Ranking: 15/50
New Ranking: N/A
Terrorfest
Story: A- (This is a slasher story, it isn’t meant to be deep, but there is some cool lore and a fun twist with the backstory of Stabby Joe. There are a decent about of twists too, which is true to the genre).
Art: A (There is some appropriately grotesque art and while I personally don’t like having to click on the picture, it is a cool feature.)
LIs: B- (They are way under developed. They are just stock characters and don’t get a ton of depth, even in the romance scenes.)
Romance Scenes: B- (Not terrible, but like most of the book, they are a little flat and underdeveloped. The romance all feels rushed.)
MC: A- (As underdeveloped as this book is, the MC is actually fairly fleshed out and is interesting. Not a top 10 MC for me, obviously, but a good “final girl”)
Friend Group/Side Characters: C+ (There aren’t really any, the LIs are the side characters and again, they are pretty flat and underdeveloped).
Villain/Antagonist: A+ (Honestly, the villains in this book are all on point. From the actual serial killer, and the twist involved, to the historical villain and the awful bureaucrats. Honestly, the bad guys in this book might be the most layered and complex characters).
Paywall: D (This book is expensive. The lore is all paywalled and you are spending for advantages to survive.)
Overall: B (This book is entertaining and it is a good slasher story, but it falls flat at points, especially where the characters are concerned)
Previous Ranking: N/A
New Ranking:
The Thirteenth House
Story: A+ (This is an extremely solid story. It is interesting and it builds well, the ending makes sense but isn’t completely obvious. This is some of their best writing in a while).
Art: A. (Mostly pretty good and they get points for the colour theme but lose them for how ugly the MC is).
LIs: B+ (They are fine, good characters, but as LIs they feel a little flat and underdeveloped)
Romance Scenes: B- (These are not great. They are rushed and while we do learn stuff about the LIs, it is definitely not enough, and they rarely feel special but there are a couple of cute moments that carry over, which is always nice)
MC: A+ (This is a great MC. They reminds me of the Endless Summer MC, but with a better backstory and history,I actually love how they wove it all together and this is a fun MC to play as.)
Friend Group/Side Characters: A+ (They are an absolute delight. Our friends, the teachers, poor beleaguered Matthew. They are all fantastic.)
Villain/Antagonist: A- (I like the idea of the villain and I like that while it didn’t come out of left field, I didn’t really figure it out until close to the end, but I think the execution could have been a little smoother)
Paywall: D (It was tough getting some of the stats while buying every single diamond scene, it would be impossible without it and yet the stats didn’t feel as critical as in other books.)
Overall: A- (I really enjoyed this book and thought it as solid, but it also felt a little like a shadow of some of the great books of Choices past. It is really good, but it’s not great and I think in a different time, it could have been).
Previous Ranking: N/A
New Ranking:
The Unexpected Heiress
Story: A (This is very solid book, doing a great job of blending the historical setting and the mystery, but the ending feels a little rushed, both in terms of the arranged marriage plot and the murder mystery and a book stumble a little bit at the end because of it), Art: A- (Generally a very pretty book, but some of the art is low effort or recycled from other books, but the new characters are attractive and so are the outfits and overall it goes well together). LIs: A (The LIs are all very solid characters, although the story is definitely imbalanced towards John, both in screen time and plot, but that is a pretty common thing in multi LI books and each LI does have a role to play in the story and a distinct personality, and they each have different problems with high society and their role in it and I really enjoyed that angle) Romance Scenes: A- (Pretty good overall, but they had a few that were cut and paste and literally even use “your companion” a few times generically, which is not great. The individual scenes were great though and you learn a lot about each LI). MC: A+ (This is a great MC. She is smart and funny and has a fleshed out back story and genuine conflicts and you can play her feelings towards a few different ways that are all very believable.) Friend Group/Side Characters: A (This book has a wide cast of delightful side characters who all have a place in the story and also did a great job of incorporating Amelia into the story and fleshing her out, even though she dies in the opening act. And who can resist a dog in a suit!) Villain/Antagonist: B+ (There are several antagonist characters and honestly the actual murderer isn’t in the top 3 and kinda came out of left field, the real villain is the time period and the misogyny, classism and imperialism that was present and that was well done, but the murderer reveal felt a little rushed), Paywall: D- (This book is expensive and the majority of the clues are locked behind a paywall, so even if you still get the basic story, you are missing a lot of the context and the flavour of the story. You also miss out on character backstory and motivation.) Overall: A (This is a great book that blends intrigue and romance with some historical realism. It is so well done and one of those underrated gems,) Previous Ranking: 17 New Ranking:
Villainous Valentine
Story: A (I don’t like the first story, but I love the other three and I really love how the villains stayed in character and the stories stayed true to the original world).
Art: B- (Nothing new here, but these are all series’ with nice art and backgrounds and that crossed over to this story),
LIs: A (I didn’t really like The Empress, but I enjoyed all the other interludes and I finally got to hook Amelia and Olivia up. I also think they did a good job of keeping the LIs/villains in character.)
Romance Scenes: B+ (The romance scenes are short and not particularly detailed and again, the first story really drags it down, but overall this series does a good job with the romance and the various levels of it, from people just meeting to a couple who have been fighting falling in love).
MC: A- (The MC in the first story was awful and had zero personality and I am personally offended she has the ACOR face, but the other MC’s in this book were perfect. I actually liked the CH MC in her chapter and she is one of my least favourite MCs, TRR MC was perfection and the alternative ID MC was so much fun to play as)
Friend Group/Side Characters: C (the short nature of this makes this category hard, but the TRR chapter did a good job of showcasing Liam and the ID chapter showed the banter and rivalry between Lewyn and Astoria well, so that counts for something).
Villain/Antagonist: B+ (This category is tricky because the LI is the villain, this is where the first chapter excels because well, she is evil. Radiance is still very much the villain as well. Olivia was always more antagonist than villain and doesn’t do anything villainous here and Astoria and Lewyn just show a disdain for human life, still overall the villain romance angle comes across well).
Paywall: A+ (Each chapter only has one diamond scene, which is just the love scene, but the romance still reached a conclusion without it and you don’t need that scene to tie up the story, so you could play it without spending diamonds. Of course, it is a VIP exclusive, so paywalled in another way, but that is a different discussion)
Overall: A (I really loved the concept of this and the execution was almost perfect, only the first chapter was kinda meh. But the others were amazing and fit well into their respective series, a wonderful glimpse of what might have been or in the case of ID, a look into the lives of side characters. Overall, I really enjoyed this)
Previous Ranking: N/A
New Ranking:
Wake the Dead
Story: B+ (This is so not my genre but I think they did a good job with this story for the most part and you can tell that it had some of the same team as TC&TF. I like that it took place years into the apocalypse, I think that was a neat twist and for the most part the story worked but it felt a little rushed and a little flat at times with just too much happening and too much formula.)
Art: A+ (This is a gorgeous book in a creepy, apocalyptic kind of way, and the characters have scars!!! I think the attention to detail was very cool and they did a good job visually building the setting).
LIs: A (This is a good group of LIs, with different backgrounds and personalities that all add something to the story. I think with more books, they could have been one of my favorite groups, but they ended up a little less developed because it was a standalone but they are still a strong group of LIs who all have an important role in the story).
Romance Scenes: A- (You get some pretty deep moments here and get to learn about the characters and their motivations, but the romance feels a little like the afterthought and the scenes are more about character building.
MC: A+ (I like this MC. She is take-charge, rarely annoying and does what has to be done and I like the stubborn, can’t keep her mouth shut vibe. I enjoy when MCs have a bit of a set personality and this one does. Plus she kicks ass.)
Friend Group/Side Characters: B+ (There are a LOT of characters in this book, almost too many because we don’t really get to know post of them and many of them are cannon fodder but the Raiders are fun, along with some of the other colonists.)
Villain/Antagonist: B- (All of the villains of this book had potential, but none of them really lived up to it. I think this was the issue of the book being plotted as a series but becoming a standalone and that not happening, is the back half feels rushed and the villain stories feel crowded and convoluted.)
Paywall: C- (A free play requires a lot of skill and effort, but it does seem like it is possible to still get a decent ending, although you would be pissing out on the lore and a lot of extra content, but there does seem to be some effort to reward players for playing smart, unlike some books.)
Overall: B+ (Overall, not bad and I think it had a lot of potential and the biggest problem is that it feels rush and a bit shallow, mostly because it never got a sequel. But I hate zombies and I still mostly enjoyed this book.)
Previous Ranking: N/A
New Ranking:
With Every Heartbeat
Story: A+ (This book is exactly what it says it is, it is a tragic story of first love and it does it beautifully. The love story was beautifully done and I was sobbing by the end).
Art: C- (This is not an art heavy book, lots of recycled backgrounds and faces and that is fine. This one is about the story, not the visuals).
LIs: A (I don’t rate single LI books higher than A, but Dakota is pretty special and is a very well fleshed out character and it is a beautiful love story.)
Romance Scenes: A (The scenes in this book are very sweet and well done and build that feeling of first love).
MC: A (There were times this Mc annoyed me, as they often do, but she is also a teenager and I think they showed the growth well, especially given the situation she was in.)
Friend Group/Side Characters: A (I loved this group. Amy grew on me a lot and I liked her more than I did my first playthrough, I think because I bought more of her scenes, and Matteo and Lennox are precious. I also loved the way MC’s relationship with her mom grew.)
Villain/Antagonist: A+ (Cancer is a fucking bitch that ruins lives and this book did an amazing job showing that and the insidious ways it builds hope and takes it away.)
Paywall: C+ (This isn’t a book where you miss out on major plot details or clues, but you do miss out on emotional moments and bonding and this is a book that is all about the relationships so that is a lot. As I said, I felt the relationship with Amy a lot more once I bought more of the scenes).
Overall: A (This is a beautiful book that tells a sweet, heartbreaking story of first love. It is exactly what it advertises and it does it very well.)
Previous Ranking: 18/50
New Ranking:
