Blue sky, green trees
I'm not into video games and don't really know much about them, so if I hadn't been given this book as a Christmas present I never would have known about it. However, I was game (ha!) to give it a try.
In general, it was a fun read with a good mix of action and heart. It definitely will speak more to people who like video games because it is basically a book version of a video game, complete with loads of stats, loot boxes, and lots of gaming terms like NPC, debuff, grinding, and mob (it doesn't mean a group). The book's feeling is weird because it's kind of repetitive - fighting monsters, going through loot boxes & achievements, repeat - but it also has variety in the interactions and encounters Carl and Donut have aside from the monsters. The descriptions of the various loot and spells and monsters was a bit grating, and I started skipping over that stuff because they tell you about it again when the stuff gets used or when the fight with a monster gets going. One of the biggest weaknesses of the book is that it's the first in a series of 8 (as of 2026), which takes away any suspense about if they'll survive the battles they face in this first book.
So will I read the second book? Meh, probably not. Glad I read this first one, but the plot and characters just aren't compelling enough to make me come back for more.
I'm not into video games and don't really know much about them, so if I hadn't been given this book as a Christmas present I never would have known about it. However, I was game (ha!) to give it a try.
In general, it was a fun read with a good mix of action and heart. It definitely will speak more to people who like video games because it is basically a book version of a video game, complete with loads of stats, loot boxes, and lots of gaming terms like NPC, debuff, grinding, and mob (it doesn't mean a group). The book's feeling is weird because it's kind of repetitive - fighting monsters, going through loot boxes & achievements, repeat - but it also has variety in the interactions and encounters Carl and Donut have aside from the monsters. The descriptions of the various loot and spells and monsters was a bit grating, and I started skipping over that stuff because they tell you about it again when the stuff gets used or when the fight with a monster gets going. One of the biggest weaknesses of the book is that it's the first in a series of 8 (as of 2026), which takes away any suspense about if they'll survive the battles they face in this first book.
So will I read the second book? Meh, probably not. Glad I read this first one, but the plot and characters just aren't compelling enough to make me come back for more.