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!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thanks for reading!