I absolutely LOVED this book. The glorious absurdity, Carl's intelligence, Princess Donut's magnificent attitude — and the humanity hiding beneath all that chaos. What an adventure.
I absolutely LOVED this book.
The premise is fantastic. It opens the door to an endless number of creative, ridiculous and downright wacky situations, yet somehow, within the rules of this utterly bonkers world, it all makes perfect sense.
As a lifelong gamer, I lived for the entire concept. The loot boxes, the bugs, the exploits, the achievements. ALL OF IT.
Combine that with pop-culture references, dark humour and a healthy dose of sarcasm, and I'm hooked. Addicted, actually. I've already accepted that the rest of this series is going straight to the top of my reading list.
Now, this book might not have the most beautiful prose or the prettiest sentences, but bloody hell, does it make up for it in pacing, storytelling and characters. I was entertained every single second.
And Carl!
I absolutely love how genuinely clever he is. There's no convenient stroke of luck or an author swooping in to write him out of an impossible situation. It's Carl. His ingenuity, his ability to think on his feet (those famously sexy feet), and his willingness to exploit every loophole he can find.
More often than not, it's his brain that keeps him alive, and I adore that in a main character.
Then there's Princess Donut.
Oh, Princess Donut. 👑
She absolutely stole the show. Her wit, her comebacks, her attitude, her sheer charisma. I adore her. I fear I've already been influenced by her personality, and frankly, I'm not sure that's a bad thing.
But there's something else I particularly loved, and I think it's what elevates this book beyond just being ridiculously entertaining.
The humanity.
Even through all the madness, the violence, the comedy and the increasingly absurd situations, it's always there.
Choosing to save the elderly. Making the right choices when the easier option would be to walk away. People coming together when it matters. Humanity at its best, even when everything around them is at its absolute worst.
And I think that's what really makes this book shine.
You never quite forget what they're fighting for. What they've lost. What's been taken from them.
The horror is always there, lurking just beneath the surface, cleverly disguised beneath glorious blood splatter and witty puns.
But it's there.
And it's what makes the story matter.
Honestly, the whole thing feels like a futuristic 80s action movie, complete with neon lights, heavy metal music, ridiculous explosions and the most wonderfully unhinged cast of characters imaginable.
AND I AM HERE FOR IT.
I'm so excited to see where this goes. I cannot wait.
Bring on Book 2.
I WANT MORE OF CARL'S SEXY FEET. 🦶😂
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