This was one of the most entertaining books I’ve ever read in my life! I am not a gamer whatsoever (unless you count Super Mario Bros on Super Nintendo or Mario Kart on N64) so I really wasn’t sure how I’d like a book that’s essentially a video game come to life. Turns out, I enjoyed the hell out of it and I will be reading all 7 books now and then anxiously awaiting the next.
Carl is unintentionally hilarious, sarcastic, and has the most common sense of pretty much any sci-fi/fantasy character ever. He’s someone I want to root for so hard that I need pom-poms. Princess Donut is the best cat in existence. I don’t even like cats, but I want to adopt a Donut now. She’s witty, strong, vivacious, ambitious, and she loves Gossip Girl – what more could you want from an FMC?
The creatures are creative (in description, name, and drawing), the stakes are higher than high, and the vibes are immaculate through the whole book. Truly, this is just an absolute gem of a story, and I think even the staunchest nonfiction reader would find themselves entertained by it.
Jeff Hays is the narrator to top all narrators. Truly infinity stars for the audiobook! If I didn’t know he was doing the book solo, I would think there’s a full cast of 1000 people in it, because his range is that incredible. I am in awe of his talents and I’m so excited to listen to a few hundred more hours of him through the rest of the series, and then search out everything he’s ever done after that.
Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Ace for the ARC of this book! This is my honest review. I used the ebook to look at the pictures, see the names of the characters and creatures in writing, and read the bonus material, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to listen to the audiobook after all the rave reviews it’s gotten.