Tag: ace publishing

Book Review: The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl #4) by Matt Dinniman

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Dystopian Sci-FI/LitRPG
Length: 590 pages
Author: Matt Dinniman
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: March 11th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

New Achievement! Total, Utter Failure.

You failed a quest less than five minutes after you received it. Now that’s talent.

A floating fortress occupied by warrior gnomes. A castle made of sand. A derelict submarine guarded by malfunctioning machines. A haunted crypt surrounded by lethal traps.

It was supposed to be easy. One bubble. Four castles. Fifteen days. Capture each one, and the stairwell is unlocked.

Here’s the thing. It’s never easy. Carl and his team can’t go it alone. Not this time. They must rely on the help of the low-level, I-can’t-believe-these-idiots-are-still-alive crawlers trapped in the bubble with them. But can they be trusted?

Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the fifth floor of the dungeon.

CURRENT FAV.

I think (after the first book) this is my current favorite of the series. There was something ultra magnetic about the story telling and maybe it’s just because I’ve gotten a few levels down in the dungeon and I’m more attached to all of the things happening. I felt like I had a better grasp of the characters and their personalities and I loved that I got some background on Carl too.

It’s another wild adventure of too many hard decisions, explosions, and trying to find the next path forward. I feel like a lot of the plot points were heightened and made me 100% invested in continuing the series (of which I was going to anyways, but the encouragement helps!).

I still highly recommend going the audiobook route for this series. I do think I would have less enjoyment eyeball reading because it’s not my typical genre and I can get bogged down in keeping up that way. The production is great.

Overall audience notes:

  • LitRPG / Dystopian Sci-Fi
  • Language: moderate+
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: high

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Book Review: The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cook (Dungeon Crawler Carl #3) by Matt Dinniman

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Dystopian/Sci-Fi
Length: 532 pages
Author: Matt Dinniman
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: October 22nd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Welcome to the Gun Show!

The top ten list is populated. The sponsorship program is open. The difficulty is ramping up. The first three floors were nothing compared to what Carl and Donut now face.

The Iron Tangle. An impossibly-complicated subway system built out of the world’s subterranean railway systems, all combined and then tied together into a knot. Up is down. Down is up. Close is far. The cars are filled with monsters, the railway stations are less than safe, and the exit is always just a few stops away.

But there is hope. For the first time, the crawlers are all working together. The loot is better than ever. And the secret to unraveling it all may be hidden in the pages of a seemingly-useless book. Welcome, crawlers. Welcome to the fourth floor of the dungeon.

THIS COOKED.

Am I cool now? Did I use that right?

Anyways. I finally swung back around to reading the next book in this series and very much enjoyed the journey! I loved the train level dynamic and the chaos that ensued. And I am obsessed with the audiobook narrator who does such an incredible job on all of these voices and bringing this story to life. It is such an easy book to pick up and continue and feel invested.

I liked that this added a relationship to Carl that wasn’t Donut. NO, it is not romantic (and that’s totally fine, I’m not expecting one), but it was nice to get some more relations to their motley crew and see those bonds develop. I hope to see more of them and how they fit into the larger plot. I’m heavily attached to this quirky found family.

Great read, I liked the continuation of the plot and I’m looking forward to the next book!

Overall audience notes:

  • Dystopian/Sci-fi
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: high

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Book Review: Soulgazer (The Magpie and the Wolf Duology #1) by Maggie Rapier

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 480 pages
Author: Maggie Rapier
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: July 8th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Every legend has a beginning.

With their freedom on the line, a young woman and a rakish pirate take their fate into their own hands as they attempt to find a lost mythical isle with the power to save their entire world.

Saoirse yearns to be powerless. Cursed from childhood with a volatile magic, she’s managed to imprison it within, living under constant terror that one day it will break free. And it does, changing everything.

Horrified at her loss of control, Saoirse’s parents offer her hand to the cold and ruthless Stone King. Knowing she’ll never survive such a cruel man, Saoirse realizes there is only one path forward…she must break her curse. 

On the eve of her wedding, Saoirse seeks out the legendary Wolf of the Wild—Faolan, a feral, silver-tongued pirate. He swears to help rid her of the deadly magic, if she’ll use it to locate a lost mythical isle first. Crafted by the slaughtered gods, it’s the only land that could absorb her power.

But Saoirse knows better than to trust a pirate’s word. With the wrath of her disgraced father and scorned betrothed chasing them, Saoirse adds one last condition to protect if Faolan wants her on his ship, he’ll have to marry her first.

NOT QUITE WHAT I WAS HOPING FOR.

I have been eyeing this book since the day the cover was revealed. It had all of the vibes I could want but I decided to wait for the audiobook and go from there. I will say the audiobook was good! No issues there and I do plan to read book two through that avenue because I’m curious enough to see if Soulgazer improves on some key issues.

One of those being the WORLD BUILDING & MAGIC. Y’all I don’t even know where to begin. I finished this book and can NOT tell you one thing about the world. It was as if the author said look over here at the romance and ignore the fantasy because that’s all we got. And alongside that was a magic system with meddling gods and visions but that didn’t flow well together. I don’t necessarily have to have ALL of the answers in book one. I do need some kind of grasp though.

I liked the two romantic leads well enough. There’s some good banter and scenes that I thought were important and enjoyable. It’s not spice forward which I appreciated x100. Maybe book two will have more fantasy elements???

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance; 2-3ish open door
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Broken Souls and Bones (Stonegate #1) by L.J. Andrews

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 480 pages
Author: L.J. Andrews
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: April 29th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Together they’ll restore a divided kingdom—or burn it down—in this new romantasy from USA Today bestselling author and TikTok sensation LJ Andrews.

Lyra Bien intended to live a quiet life to avoid the attention of the magic-obsessed king in the fortress of Stonegate. Until Roark Ashwood—the prince’s silent guard and rumored killer for the crown—invades her village and uncovers the truth behind the silver scars in her eyes. To save her best friend from death, she’s forced to reveal her abilities, and is immediately claimed by the crown as the next melder.

To be the King’s melder is to be revered and feared in equal measures, but above all it is a slow death sentence. Lyra is determined to find a way to free herself and her friends from bondage. But first she must get more information from the silent, brooding sentry who first took her captive: Roark.

As Lyra gets closer to Roark, she soon learns he’s nothing like she assumed—and in fact everything she needs. The more they work as allies, the harder it becomes to ignore the growing passion between them. After a sinister truth is revealed, Roark and Lyra must choose to stand against all they know, or accept their dark destiny.

GREAT START.

I have been looking forward to this book since its announcement and I loooved the audiobook. It was a great story with a true slow burn that had an ending making me neeeed book two.

I was most invested in the romance. Watching the genuine connection from enemies to lovers was top tier. This is a trope that LJ Andrews continues to write incredibly well. There’s not a rush to lust. Providing banter and those moments to see each other in another light sets the scene for off the charts chemistry.

My mind did wander a bit in the first half and I struggled to stay fully engaged, and I think that settled in the back half. The characters and found family are another strong aspect that I often see in Andrews books. I feel like this gave the air of the usual cadence I’ve read in romantasy with some unique things that I loved seeing too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 3+ open door
  • Violence: high

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