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Beware of Chicken 4: A Xianxia Cultivation Novel
- Beware of Chicken, Book 4
- By: Casualfarmer
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
- Length: 17 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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A part of me wants to run away again. The memory of my death still haunts my dreams. But this is my home now. And I'll be damned if I give it up without a fight. I mean, all I have to do is learn how to navigate xianxia politics and train for battle while simultaneously running my farm and uncovering an ancient cataclysm that apparently destroyed the Azure Hills back in the day. Meanwhile, I'm about to be a father . . . Man, I'm kinda screwed, aren't I? At least I can call in the cavalry—ahem, poultry—to help.
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Good but lacking at the fundamental level.
- By Snuffy on 25-12-24
- Beware of Chicken 4: A Xianxia Cultivation Novel
- Beware of Chicken, Book 4
- By: Casualfarmer
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
Myriad Revelations
Reviewed: 21-12-24
tl;dr: Less slice-of-life, much world-building, plot lines resolved, character growth in spades, can’t wait for the next one.
Here’s how I rank the books in the series from best to least favourite: 3, 1, 2, 4.
While I rank this book least amongst the series so far, it’s packed full of fantastic world building and plot development.
What lost points for me is that the slice-of-life aspect took a step back; while I appreciate that the author wouldn’t want to repeat content, as that wouldn’t feel particularly satisfying, it felt like the author was rushing to fit in various plot points (which were great). I wanted to see certain side characters overcome their challenges in more detail.
That said, this book still has some solid character development, but I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll say no more about it.
With the new perspective that this book gives us, I’m excited to see where the series takes us next, especially as there’s at least one event that I’ve been eagerly anticipating for a while now!
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Road to Mastery 5
- A LitRPG Apocalypse Adventure
- By: Valerios
- Narrated by: Jeremy Frazier
- Length: 17 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Join Jack the Brawler as he pummels everything that gets in his way on his road to mastery and power. It's perfect for fans of Primal Hunter, Defiance of the Fall, and lovers of all things Progression Fantasy and LitRPG.
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More than the sum of its parts
- By Ryan on 19-12-24
- Road to Mastery 5
- A LitRPG Apocalypse Adventure
- By: Valerios
- Narrated by: Jeremy Frazier
More than the sum of its parts
Reviewed: 19-12-24
Between the contradictory statements being uttered back to back, the false modesty the storyteller slathers over the explanations of Jack’s prowess and the litany of variations of the phrase ‘Jack is an unrivalled genius’, it’s fair to say that the writing quality isn’t very good.
The side characters also behave like they’re only there to support Jack, which leads a bunch of things to be resolved cheaply.
The author also writes children like he’s never met a real one…
And yet, despite all of that, I really enjoy this series; it really is more than the sum of its parts!
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Empire
- Unbound, Book 10
- By: Nicoli Gonnella
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
- Length: 21 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Felix and his allies have saved Pax'Vrell and won the battle against the Pathless...but the war has only just begun. The Divine are stirring, and the Hierophant has her own deadly schemes. The fates of the Unbound rest on the choices Felix makes to protect them all. But as the gods close in, he begins to realize the terrible truth: If he fails, he risks more than their lives. He risks Ruin itself.
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loved this one!
- By 2belimitless on 12-01-25
- Empire
- Unbound, Book 10
- By: Nicoli Gonnella
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
Hot damn!
Reviewed: 10-12-24
An amazing entry, maybe the best yet! Can’t believe where it ended, but I shouldn’t be greedy, it already contains SO MUCH!
You did such a good job! Looking forward to the next one, but please, take the time to rest so that you don’t burn out 🙂
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Azarinth Healer, Book Four
- A LitRPG Adventure
- By: Rhaegar
- Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau
- Length: 23 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Ilea is going home. After a small detour to raid an old Necromancer’s treasure room. After months in the barren and deadly North, Ilea returns to Ravenhall to rest, check-in on old friends, and of course–train her resistances. Her homecoming includes a visit to Riverwatch where she encounters new allies… and old enemies. But what would a good holiday be without a few fights and near-death experiences?
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Stop bloody dinging!!!!
- By Ben Oliver on 07-01-25
- Azarinth Healer, Book Four
- A LitRPG Adventure
- By: Rhaegar
- Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau
Classic adventures with on the job training
Reviewed: 29-11-24
Firstly, Andrea did a FANTASTIC job with the narration; as always, she truly brings the characters to life!
This book sees a nice blend of character interactions that reminds you that there’s a whole world going on outside of the main story beats.
There are a bunch of varied fights and a lot of training. I often get combat fatigue in stories like this but the author manages to keep it feeling fresh by showcasing new features and not labouring over the minutiae.
I think this is aided by breaking the violence up into smaller chunks and interspersing them with training and quips.
This book wasn’t as weighed down with emotional baggage as previous instalments, instead getting on with some solid adventuring. Most likely leaving us primed for having our hearts ripped out at some later date…
Lots of answers to older questions in this book too.
So yeah… why are you still reading this, start reading the book already!
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Tower Apocalypse
- Tower Apocalypse, Book 1
- By: Cassius Lange, Ryan Tang
- Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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My life was ordinary, but never boring. That is, until a colossal tower landed smack-dab in the middle of the city. What should have followed was mass panic and hysteria, but I never got to that part. Why? Simple. I was taken along with 99,999 other people from Earth and dropped onto an unknown world. Strange beings appeared before us—floating, featureless figures that call themselves demi-gods. They ruled this place, this fantastical world called Gaea. The reason why they took us? We'd supposedly been selected to show that Earth was worth saving from an upcoming cataclysmic event.
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white Knight syndrome
- By jack on 10-09-22
- Tower Apocalypse
- Tower Apocalypse, Book 1
- By: Cassius Lange, Ryan Tang
- Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer
Fun story, but an inexperienced piece
Reviewed: 12-09-24
The story has lots of fun elements, with interesting world building, mechanics and environments, but the main character is clearly an author insert, with the MC being a weabu (a kind of Japanaphile), IT nerd with a “cuddle friend” who struggles with a deep rage that he thought he’d left behind.
Very minor spoiler from the first couple of chapters: he then meets another weabu, who’s hot and maybe into him.
While the “weabu for whom everybody clapped” aspect can range from overly self indulgent to cringey, it’s not the worst example in the genre. What is unfortunate is that the dialogue feels too artificial. I just don’t feel like these are conversations between human beings.
There are numerous instances where characters just go along with things for no other reason than the plot needs it to.
Not to mention the places where characters don’t seem to be concerned with their own mental anguish, and are instead super concerned and understanding of the MC’s mental state.
With all that said, I’m an armchair reviewer who couldn’t write a book as good as this one, and at the end of the day, it was enjoyable enough that if there’s a sequel and it comes with my audible membership, I’ll give that a go too.
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Heretical Fishing 2: A Cozy Guide to Annoying the Cults, Outsmarting the Fish, and Alienating Oneself
- Heretical Fishing, Book 2
- By: Haylock Jobson
- Narrated by: Heath Miller
- Length: 23 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Fischer has everything he needs in life: blossoming friendships, a menagerie of cute animal companions, a waterfront property with easy access to fishing, and enough coffee to take out a small elephant or a really big dog. Unfortunately, Fischer can’t catch a break. Cosmic forces? Still throwing curveballs. The bigwigs in the capital? Starting to sniff around his business. Cults? Still culting. Plus, awakened beings are washing up on his shores like flotsam after a storm. And worst of all? His coffee guy ghosted him!
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Fun, slice of slice with depth and potential
- By Morris on 18-07-24
- Heretical Fishing 2: A Cozy Guide to Annoying the Cults, Outsmarting the Fish, and Alienating Oneself
- Heretical Fishing, Book 2
- By: Haylock Jobson
- Narrated by: Heath Miller
Beware of Fishing
Reviewed: 28-08-24
Light & wholesome without ignoring the grim realities. Solid plot progression with some great additions to the cast.
As always, the narration was flawless!
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The Olympian Affair
- Cinder Spires, Book 2
- By: Jim Butcher
- Narrated by: Euan Morton
- Length: 20 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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For centuries the Cinder Spires have safeguarded humanity, rising far above the deadly surface world. Within their halls, aristocratic houses rule, developing scientific marvels and building fleets of airships for defence and trade. Now, the Spires hover on the brink of open war. Everyone knows it's coming. The guns of the great airship fleets that control the skies between the last bastions of humanity will soon speak in anger, and Spire Albion stands alone against the overwhelming might of Spire Aurora's Armada and its new secret weapon.
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Worthy second part
- By Alan R on 23-11-23
- The Olympian Affair
- Cinder Spires, Book 2
- By: Jim Butcher
- Narrated by: Euan Morton
Gripping!
Reviewed: 23-08-24
A wonderful sequel! The plot complexity is balanced just right, the world building and lore drops are made organically, leaving you eager for more.
The pacing is masterful, following action and tension with more relaxed scenes; the lows allowing you to appreciate the highs.
The character development is spot on.
I think this series is my favourite of Jim’s works!
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Preceptor
- Spellmonger, Book 16
- By: Terry Mancour
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 23 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Minalan the Spellmonger has come a long way since he woke up to a goblin invasion almost a decade ago. Since then, he has built cities and mighty armies, invented new enchantments, and pioneered entirely new fields of magic. Now that the Witch Queen of Darkfaller has taken over one of the most powerful castles in the center of the kingdom, he has to marshal all his resources—political, military, and arcane—to try to drive her from the strategic and symbolically important stronghold.
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Great story
- By The Bream man on 02-12-24
- Preceptor
- Spellmonger, Book 16
- By: Terry Mancour
- Narrated by: John Lee
A spellmonger’s work is never done
Reviewed: 14-08-24
A great entry to the series, packed full of politics, mentoring, world building, danger, subterfuge and events with far reaching consequences.
I’ve no idea when the series will end, but I’m glad it won’t be soon!
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Emperor's End
- The Ripple System, Book 5
- By: Kyle Kirrin
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
- Length: 16 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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The last wing of the red cathedral is finally live, and the possibility king awaits. To reach his throne, players will have to face foes capable of bringing about the end of the world. However, nothing can compare to their creator. The prize for defeating him is unprecedented: the ability to create a custom Ripple. A single change that will alter the very fabric of EBO forever. A power that Ned’s enemies would do anything to obtain.
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Great series, fantastic performance!
- By Adam Turner on 12-11-24
- Emperor's End
- The Ripple System, Book 5
- By: Kyle Kirrin
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
Amazing, seriously, so good
Reviewed: 12-08-24
Picks up right where we left off and it does not let up. Seriously, so many cool things happen in this one. It’s tense, emotional, funny and it just keeps keeping things fresh.
So yeah… go for it.
Thankfully I’m not gasping for the next one like a man who can’t pay the water barons. It’s actually refreshing. I’m definitely reading it day one though.
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Assassin
- An Isekai LitRPG Adventure (Ends of Magic, Book 3)
- By: Alexander Olson
- Narrated by: Phil Thron
- Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Nathan and his companions are free. For now. They're trapped inside the fortress-city of Halsmet, and every mage of Giantsrest is hunting for them. Luckily enough, they've been found by Faline, the shapeshifting leader of the Assassins of Gemore. She's pledged to teach Nathan her deadly trade. How far will he go to fight the empire of slavers? How much murder is justified? Even if they manage to win this fight against Giantsrest, it won't be the end of the conflict. A Questor from ages past lurks in the heart of the Ascendent Academy, and he won't allow Giantsrest to suffer a defeat.
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Enjoyable but should have been more
- By Chris on 15-11-24
- Assassin
- An Isekai LitRPG Adventure (Ends of Magic, Book 3)
- By: Alexander Olson
- Narrated by: Phil Thron
The story is still great, but it didn’t feel ready to end
Reviewed: 09-08-24
If you liked the previous entries, you’ll have a great time with this one, but the ending feels mostly like setup for the next one.
I guess this is unavoidable when adapting from an episodic release model.
I’m looking forwards to the next instalment!
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