A Castle of Broken Memories was such an awesome addition to this series! I loved this spicy Jack and the Beanstalk retelling with werewolves, vampires, magic, and of course, my personal favorite—the irreverent Tenebris. Since this book focuses on a different MC than book 1, it could be read as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend reading the first book so you can get the full background and arcs of these characters as they change and develop. As usual, Stavs’s banter and fun characters are a stand-out as she blends old fairy tales with a modern, fast-paced flavor. I totally recommend this series for anyone looking for spicy fairytale retellings peppered with pop culture references, and I’ve got my fingers crossed for a book 3!
In many ways, this was a very classic high fantasy adventure with a reluctant hero, dragons, a prince, and Princess, a wizard and kings. But I enjoyed the quirky, whimsical voice. While I originally thought this would be more of a silly, light fantasy, it definitely evolved into something more epic, even if a little self-aware. Overall I enjoyed this audiobook, and would recommend for any fantasy reader looking for a fun read with a classic feel and maybe a bit of How to Train Your Dragon energy.
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
This one gets a smile from me. Sometimes you just need some good old-fashioned fantasy fun.
Well, since this series has pretty much been the highlight of my year, I’ve gathered all the reviews of books so far. Please know, I almost never get into series, especially one this long, AND I bought an audible subscription literally just for these audiobooks. So this is a pretty big deal for me. I’ve also gotten my dad, husband, and BFF into this series, and now my husband and I are (im)patiently waiting for book 7 to come out. (Ebook in November and Audiobook in January.) Seriously, it speaks volumes that I even know that. However, let’s just state up front that if you have pearls to clutch, this series isn’t for you. But enough chitty chatty. Without further ado, the actual reviews:
Dungeon Crawler Carl (#1): 5⭐
Okay Carl & Donut. You got me. This was incredibly entertaining.
What did I like: Everything.
Recommended for anyone looking for a hilarious, action-packed time. This was my first LitRPG, and though I’m not a huge gamer anymore, I did play a few MMOs in my time, and I do have a general knowledge of dungeons, stats, buffs, etc. If you don’t I’m not exactly sure what your experience will be, but I didn’t think it was critical to appreciating the plot, characters, and banter.
And the fact that the audiobook is narrated by Jeff Hays (a Patrick-Warburton-sound-alike, read: Krunk) – perfection. I mean I basically feel like this is Krunk went on the Hunger Games with his diva pet cat. I got this audiobook from the library, but they didn’t have the sequels, so I literally got an audible subscription for the rest of the series.
This was an instant cure for my reading slump this year, and I already recommended to my Dad, my husband, and my coworker. So yeah. Definitely give this one a look and you can thank me later.
(Note: *Not* recommended if you have sensitivities to swearing, gore, or dark humor.)
Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (#2): 5⭐
Fantastic sequel that lives up to the first book in every way. I could not buy book 3 fast enough.
The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook (#3): 4.5⭐
This one felt just a little on the long side, with one too many technical battles. But I still really enjoyed the character growth, and some plot developments that really surprised me. Totally enjoyed and absolutely in for book 4!
The Gate of the Feral Gods (#4): 4.5⭐
Another fantastic entry in the Dungeon Crawler series. I did feel like this one (similar to book 3) was a little longer than necessary with lots of intricate detail on smaller skirmishes and quests. But as always, I really enjoyed the plot and character development in this book, and I’m excited to read book 5. I honestly can’t remember the last time a series held my attention through book 5, and I’m super impressed with all the threads of this plot line. I’ve recommended this series to like 4 of my friends, and I’m super curious to see if the momentum can hold through 3+ more books!
The Butcher’s Masquerade (#5): 3.5⭐
This one dragged a bit for me. While it still employed a lot of the shenanigans that made the first four books great, here they started to feel repetitive, and I felt like this one lacked the twists and the character growth that really kept me turning pages earlier in the series. And, at 726 pages… it feels incredibly long. There was a lot of “this is the plan” and “but this is how the plan went,” and I didn’t feel as invested in the sideplots.
Which is all to say, I think I’ll be taking a break from Dungeon Crawler for a little while. Maybe I’ll pick up book 6 down the line, but for now, I think I need something different.
(note: the break only turned out to be about 3 audiobooks long before I couldn’t resist diving back in)
The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (#6): 5⭐
Dayuummm. Not going to lie, in book 6, I was worried I was getting tired of this series, but this one totally amped up the stakes. The new battle play was interesting, and the tension and pacing were tight through the end. My husband and I are both counting down the days until book 7!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Oh my. Are those… 5 glowing stars?!!? Why yes they are. Seriously cannot say enough good things.
Also, Google search, if this picture shows up as my author photo, we’re going to have words.
So I really enjoyed A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, but this one totally solidified me as a T. Kingfisher fan.
What I liked: -The characters’ voices are super strong and they pop right off the page -Unique, awesome worldbuilding -Quirky lovable characters -Slowburn romance -Writing that grabbed me straight from the first page -Amazing narration
What I didn’t like: -At about the 80% mark, a character made a choice that I thought wasn’t in line with their character for the sake of the plot – definitely a super frustrating moment. -The pacing in the last 25% felt like it dragged to me.
Overall though, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for quirky fantasy with a side of romance, and I’ll definitely be reading more from Kingfisher!
⭐⭐⭐⭐¾
I’m still thinking about this one a couple months later. The voice and characters completely sucked me in!
Loved this one! A magical YA adventure with quirky magic and lovable characters.
Oh my gosh, I was in *the worst* reading slump. I was DNF’ing books left and right and legitimately wondering if there was something wrong with me. But then this book sucked me and was just completely gorgeous. It reminded me of a mash-up of Uprooted, Howl’s Moving Castle, Dr. Who, and Beauty and the Beast, and I just loved (almost) every step of the way!
What I liked: – Gorgeous writing – Complex characters I loved – A beautiful but dangerous magical forest – A sweet, slowburn romance – Perfect pacing that kept me engaged from the first page – Found family that just wraps around you – A perfect fairy tale vibe that still feels fresh
What I didn’t like: – The last page. I’m trying really hard to say this without spoiling anything, but basically I wanted more of a happy ending than that hopeful but still vague last line. Sigh. It was literally my favorite read of the year until this moment, and now, though it’s still entirely wonderful, I’m not completely sure about the top spot.
*Highly* recommend for anyone looking for a gorgeous fantasy that feels timeless and fresh at the same time, and will definitely be looking for more reads by A.B. Poranek.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This one’s definitely making the top ten this year for sure
Loved this one! A magical lower-YA adventure with quirky magic and lovable characters. The pace is quick, the voice is great, and I mean, who wouldn’t love a sourdough starter & gingerbread familiar? The audiobook narration was fabulous and I’d totally recommend this to anyone looking for a lower YA / upper middle grade adventure with a cozy feel (and no romance.) Fingers crossed for a sequel!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
There’s really nothing like finding an awesome book to shout about.
What I liked: – Once again loved the complex, visceral heart-wrenching world – Sage’s escape from her people is legit cathartic – Beautiful writing – I really loved the sweet relationship between Sage and her love interest – strong found family – deliciously righteous resistance
What I didn’t like: – The romance is kind of insta-lovey. I actually didn’t mind it all that much, but it will definitely bug some people. – The pacing of this one is all over the place. I feel like it started off kind of slow, and it was definitely painful to endure Sage’s culture along with her (I actually almost DNF’d at one point.) But once she escaped, I devoured this book. – The end isn’t really an end. Obviously this is because this is a bridge into book 1 (though I don’t recommend reading this one first) but it didn’t quite leave me satisfied,
Overall though, I really enjoyed this read, totally recommend it for fans of book one, and I’m super excited to read book 2!
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Post Review Note: So after I wrote this, I read a few reviews of books later in the series, and it sounds like the series goes in a love-triangle direction I’m not a fan of. So, I made the (actually kind of difficult) decision to stop reading this series while I still enjoyed it.
So, I’m left with mixed feelings on this series. Maybe one day, I’ll pick up the sequels for myself, but at 5 (long) books and counting, that’s a big time investment. We’ll see!
I had a big road trip today, and I was drawn in by this book the WHOLE way. It hooked me with the complex world, epic stakes, and dark tones from the very beginning and then the misfit revolutionary vibes of the lovable cast and the slowburn budding romance had me till the very end. Note this book does have a lot of heavy, complex themes and it does not pull punches when it comes to the dark reality of their society (genocide, slavery, abuse, racism, religious extremism… I could probably go on), so it won’t be for everyone, but for me, the pacing and story-building were totally on point. I’m not going to lie, I think I enjoyed this one more than Fourth Wing (there are definitely similarities) and I’m so excited to read book 2! My only note is that I don’t think this book stands alone in any way. While there is a lot of satisfying progress, and it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, there are still so many resolutions we’ll need from the rest of the series. Recommended for those looking for an epic fantasy with intense political world-building and dark undertones.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not going to lie – this one blew me away. Highly recommend!
This book brings ALL the found family and cozy fantasy vibes. I loved the characters and the sweet budding romance, but the tension was just a little low for me, and while the resolution was fitting it didn’t quite the satisfaction I was hoping. That said, if you’re looking for a low stakes, cozy read—this is for you!
⭐⭐⭐⭐¼
It was at this point in my life that I started to realize that perhaps a book could potentially be *too cozy* for me.
So this a dark, witchy tale with a dual-POV romance where sides are unclear in a mix of gray. I feel like this should’ve been straight up my alley, but for some reason, it really just didn’t grab me, and the religious hypocrisy and misogyny themes were a little thick for my taste. Around the 60% mark, I started rooting for the characters, and there some nice reveals between 60%-80%, but overall I think the pacing was a little slow for me and I thought the relationship and plot just didn’t quite develop as naturally as I would’ve liked. The narration on the audiobook is great though, and this one’s extremely popular so if you’re looking for a dark fantasy with marriage of convenience / forced proximity / enemies to lovers tropes, this might be for you!
⭐⭐⭐¼
At this point, I was literally starting to worry my book radar was broken. The ready slump growsss. 😭
Hayley Reese Chow 