I Ran Away to Evil: A Cozy LitRPG Rom-Com

I Ran Away to Evil, Book 1

By: Mystic Neptune

Narrated by: Johnathan McClain, Laura Horowitz

Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

A reluctant heroine finds unexpected love when she's sent to assassinate a lonely dark lord in the first book of this cozy romantasy series.

Henrietta Doryn has never enjoyed fighting. She'd rather be in the kitchen baking cookies. But it's her duty as Warrior Princess to face off against the forces of evil. As such, she's unceremoniously shooed from her kingdom to go eliminate the all-powerful Dark Lord next door.

Keith Monfort has never enjoyed ruling with an iron fist. He'd prefer to be in his workroom tinkering with practical magic. But it's his duty to lead the Dark Enchanted Forest and the forces of evil. So when Henrietta shows up at his door, he's only too happy to invite her in for tea to talk it out instead.

Can this unlikely pair prevent war between their two kingdoms? Where do their true loyalties lie? And when will they finally confess their growing feelings for each other?

Blending the best of love stories, fairy tales, and whimsy—with just a dash of mystery provided by the soothsaying Madame Potts's enigmatic announcements—I Ran Away to Evil is a deliciously delightful start to a charming romantic-comedy LitRPG series.

The first volume of the hit LitRPG romantasy series—with more than a million views on Royal Road—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!

©2024 Jessica Marie McIntosh (P)2024 Podium Audio

Serious Litrpg fans will probably hate thi, but...

For a book that is far more silly and juvenile than i would usually like, i found myself enjoying the characters and their interactions with one another quite a bit. It's pretty well written, and sticks to it's theme reliably. The world building is interesting, and the MC's act (for the most part) more realistic than your typical romance protags. All and all, if you are looking for some harmless fun to relax to, there are far worse options.
That said there are some things i think others might dislike about this story. 1. The litrpg elements are pretty pointless and seem to only be there out of some obligation to the genre. honestly the story probably would have been better if the author had just done a straight up romantic fantasy rather than trying to to cudgel in a system they were not all that interested in. Shrug, the system is used, just not in the way most serious litrpg readers would enjoy. 2. I am sorry if this is a bit harsh, but i have to admit that sometimes i felt like the author got all their knowledge on psychology, relationships and socialism from watching Tik Tok videos. It isn't wrong per se, but it also isn't very serious either. I personally found it amusing, but i see a lot of really angry e-mails in this authors future complaining about either their "woke" agenda or their shallow leftist interpretations. lol 3. i didn't like he male narrator very much, all the female voices he did made them sound like they just had a stroke or something. It was pretty jaring compared to the female narrators more mellow voices. Frankly the story would have been better if it had just been her, but that is a subjective opinion i suppose.
If my little complaints didn't deter you, i think most would have a good time, (even if it didn't have the steamy bits i like in romance stories)

A Lovely Cozy with Depth

Henrietta Doryn of Drendil, "Level 67 Warrior Crown Princess," is the only child of King Simon and Queen Thalia who really wanted a son (they call her Henri). As is so often the case with fictional royals (maybe even with real royals, but I don't know any of them), the weight upon Henrietta's shoulders is massive, but she bears it with grace. She sets out on her journey to kill Keith Monfort "Level 83 Arcane Sage, also known as the Shadow Magician, Evil Overlord, Dark Lord, His Royal Viciousness, and the ruler of the Dark Enchanted Forest of Nilheim," with the realistic expectation that she will probably not survive.

I Ran Away To Evil is like a hug. As I listened to this audiobook, I spent so much of my time smiling. It constantly brought to mind the word "hygge" (a cozy and contented mood brought about by comfort and friendliness). Henrietta IS hygge personified. She is so sweet and friendly and would have to try really hard to make an enemy. Despite Keith's title and the fact that he has minions, he is a fair and kind ruler.

I don't want to give away too much of this book because the story is truly sensational. I don't want to take away your experience of what happens in Rufus's dungeon, the specifics of the contract that will allow Henrietta to spend time in Nilheim, and how exciting a story can be even if the emphasis is more on kindness than killing.

The narrators, Lara Horowitz and John McClain, are spectacular. Horowitz is the perfect voice of Henrietta and provides variation in voices so you don't get confused about who is talking. McClain's narration gave big Phil Hartman vibes. He also had great variation in character voices.

With I Ran Away To Evil, Mystic Neptune gave us far more than a great story. She gave us characters with depth, some social commentary, reminders of the importance of consent, how paperwork is a universal bane of everyone's existence, and to maybe learn about people ourselves instead of taking their titles or other people's opinions of them at face value.

Neptune gave us alliteration that gave me ASMR chills, pop-culture references, and dropped some extremely quotable lines about mental health, recovery from trauma, and valuing yourself and your own time.

This will absolutely be in my constant rotation of comfort books and I cannot wait to listen to it with my son.

Thank you so much to Mystic Neptune for providing me with the ARC to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Love at first sight

A very wholesome story about two crossword lovers. It’s a well worth the point , a lot of fun and interesting moments

Fun, cozy, enchanting!

I really enjoyed this story! I’ll be listening to it again very soon. Fun adventure, with various tropes turned on their heads. I’d like to book a few sessions with Rufus, if someone will tell me how.

Loved the cameo by Jacque The Whipper!

Did not like the annoying voices the male narrator gave to all female characters except the female MC, but it wasn’t enough to keep me from listening to it. Get a different narrator for next book, or have them learn different voices that aren’t ear-destroying.