In this world, a lucky few are born with special powers based on a single word. That word is called an “epithet.” Each epithet is linked to the user’s soul, and no two people have the same one. By tapping into their word, epithet users — the inscribed — can do amazing things that ordinary people — mundies — could only dream of!
After a long week of dealing with criminals, wizards, and panic attacks, 12-year-old Molly Blyndeff returns home to the toy store her family owns and operates for some much-needed rest. Unfortunately, her superpowered older sister, Lorelai, has other plans in mind. After a nasty argument, Molly and her friends end up trapped in a world created by Lorelai’s epithet, “Augment.” Now they must travel through her wonderland in order to confront Molly’s bratty older sister… and the only weapon they have at their disposal is Molly’s considerably less intimidating epithet, “Dumb.” The road is fraught with danger, with everything from ogres to spelling tests standing in their way… but the thing both sisters are most afraid of is the idea that they might never be close again.
Prison of Plastic is the official continuation of the beloved web-animated series Epithet Erased, which can be streamed in its entirety on YouTube and VRV. This sequel is the story of two sisters in a broken home struggling with their magical powers, themselves, and each other.
I liked Epithet Erased a lot, and while it's unfortunate that it can't live on as an animated series for the foreseeable future, I actually preferred Prison of Plastic to the original season, medium shift or not. A great balance of absurdism, wholesomeness and genuine drama. Plus, illustrations for the physical book and a full-cast recording for the audio is a great consolation, and I hope this does well enough to continue consistently this way.
Stupid,but endearingly stupid in a clever, self-aware way, as Epithet Erased should be. A bittersweet ending leaning slightly more sweet. Looking forward to more and I hope this gets animated, but we all know it's never going to happen. I read the E-book, while listening to the audiobok, so that counts twice right?
Holy smokes. Everyone, watch this series on YT, then check out this book. Preferably the audiobook, since it has the PHENOMENAL voice cast returning from the series. Made me crack up, made me cry, ridiculously heartfelt. Brendan Blaber, more in the future please.
A wonderful follow up. The writing is phenomenal once again, with wonderful character and their character interactions. A must read, with some scenes that made me tear up. Chapter 7 oof
This captures the vibe and humor of the series it continues pretty well and features a strong and emotional conflict at it's core. The book shows more aspects of Molly's life while also advancing her and Giovanni's character arcs.
While it is really funny and cute and the narration ads to that, the writing style is the weakest aspect of the book. It's clearly written to be acted out, and the 5 Star reviews of the audiobook prove that a success, but if you just read this as a book, it's noticable a debut novel of someone who usually writes for other media. Also, not all of the plot points were equally fun to me and it took a while for all of the characters intrudiced in the beginning to feel justified, but not a big deal, since in the end, everything comes together well.
I listened to the audiobook and all of the voice actors gave such good performances!!! God I loved how Lorelai’s character is so complicated. Constantly I was on the verge of wanting to strangle her and wanting to give her a hug. Molly’s friends (+ Rick) were also such fun additions to the cast! I love them axolotl.
It has such a whimsical feel to it. It reminded me of Alice in Wonderland or the Wizard of Oz. It is such a good continuation of epithet series, and extremely funny! It’s made my sister chuckle even though she didn’t know a thing about the book. Amazing characters as well 10/10
From day one of this book’s announcement I was hyped. For those who may not know (which would honestly surprise me if you’re looking into this book), Epithet Erased: Prison of Plastic is the sequel to and the start of a series of novels continuing the story from the web series Epithet Erased on YouTube and VRV. I was already a huge fan of the web series and when I found out that I could help the Kickstarter campaign to get this book and future Epithet Erased content made, I immediately donated the $15 for the digital copy of the book and the audiobook. And man, were both $15 well spent.
Epithet Erased takes place in a world where 1 in 4 people have what are called “epithets”- some sort of power and/or ability based on a specific word. The word could be anything, ranging from “drowsy” and “sundial” to “coupon” and “soup” (those are all actual epithets that appear). Those with epithets are called “inscribed” while those without are called “mundies.”
The basic plot of Prison of Plastic is that a week after the events of museum story arc from the show (don’t worry if you don’t new to the series, there’s a “last time on” moment at the very beginning to catch everyone up to speed) all of our major characters end up meeting at the same place at the same time.
First is Molly Blyndeff and her friends Phoenicia and Trixie, who try to hang out at the beach for a little while but quickly return to Molly’s home/family store called the Blyndeff Toy Emporium after the three kids discover the unconscious and nearly dead body of Rick Shades, a strange young man who claims he’s a wizard, and try to help him. Next is Giovanni Potage, now under the name “Vincent Murder” to hide his identity from the police, who needs help for an evil scheme he has and decides to talk to the only potentially non busy minion he has which is Molly. Third is Lorelai Blyndeff, the older sister of Molly who spends most of her time using her epithet “Augment” to create pocket worlds to hang out in instead of doing things like chores or helping around the house which is exactly what she does at the beginning of the story. And lastly is Naven, the CEO of a very pro mundie company called STEM, who acts as an interpersonal communications teacher for Molly and her friends and teaches them at Molly’s family store.
With all these people here at the store, an angry Lorelai shows up only to begin crushing on Giovanni. Once learning that he needs a minion to help him with a task and wanting to impress him, she kidnaps Naven and drags him and Giovanni while accidentally dragging in everyone else present into her pocket world. From there we follow Molly and her friends (and Rick, who’s no longer dying) trying to save Giovanni and Naven from her sister and see Lorelai’s various attempts to impress Giovanni while secretly trying to get rid of Molly from her world.
Some recurring themes and ideas throughout the whole story are not having to do everything alone, it’s ok to say “no” to certain things and/or people, sometimes there just isn’t a solution to certain problems, how different people cope with or are forced to deal with trauma, and that most people don’t really know what they’re doing. It sounds like a hodgepodge of stuff I know, but I don’t want to go too far into things as I want to avoid spoilers. The writing style of the book was a lot of fun, with a lot of little jokes and humor that take advantage of the fact that it's all written and not animated. I love and greatly appreciate how the series’ comedy was able to translate well into this new format. The author is also very creative with his descriptions of things, with one of my favorites being describing something that was blue raspberry flavored being so blue that “it has to be spelled with two Zs.”
As for my personal opinion on the whole book itself, I absolutely loved it. I found the story intriguing and despite working with 7 different major characters, each one is given their time to shine and do something important. The story manages to balance its comedic elements well with its major dramatic and emotional moments. I’ll admit chapter 8 almost made me cry and solidified Rick as my favorite out of the new characters. I can’t really think of anything that I disliked about the book really, maybe only nitpicking the fact that there’s 4 prologue chapters before the story officially starts and maybe it could have just been regular chapters. Regardless, the story was a blast and I was hooked from beginning till end. I also highly recommend getting the audiobook as well, it definitely makes the whole experience much more fun and the voice acting is great.
I’d personally recommend this story to anyone who likes stories about people with superpowers, but more specifically either weird/bizarre powers or while they have the powers none of the characters are superheroes. It’s easy to create stories about super powered people and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I feel like it can be more interesting to have a story about people who just happen to have super powers. Also I’d recommend this to anyone who likes series like the manga My Hero Academia, as the creator himself has pitched Epithet Erased as that “but dumber.”
So, as a long-time fan of Anime Campaign and Epithet Erased... I gotta say this was an excellent follow-up to the web series. I was a Kickstarter backer who backed the creation of this, and seeing the clear care and effort put into not just the novel itself but the audiobook to go along with was honestly stellar.
As much as I find myself disagreeing with the Creator/Author on a lot of things and how he regards this creation of his, I will give him props where it's due and respect him for this massive labour of love. It is so present and clear that these characters have such set personalities that don't clash with one another to where it's insulting. It's so well put together and refreshing. I finished this in one sitting, it was that good. Without many visuals to go off of, imagining it was a real treat!
I came out of this loving the characters more than I already did, and was relieved to finally see Molly taken out of a bad situation, regardless of how she was taken from it. As a former little black girl who grew up too fast, it was affirming to see Molly so cared for. She's loved. And yes, I cried about 2-3 times towards the end. I still very much felt for Lorelai, and it's made clear that while her and Martin are wrong for their behavior, choices, and treatment of Molly, you get a better grasp on /why/ they're this way and see the ramifications of the death of the mother.
Despite my grievances and criticisms of the web series, and my grievances with the creator/author, again, this was an excellent follow-up and I gleefully look forward to more in the future, if all goes well and according to what Brendan wants for the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Prison of Plastic is a direct sequel to the animated youtube series, and while the animated series left the animated part to be desired. This book, which I consumed with the cinematic audio version; has everything that the original series was and more.
So this review does come from the audiobook perspective, and heck do I recommend it.
It is by miles the best audiobook experience I've ever had and will probably stay so for a very long time. Fantastic voice acting, well timed audio ques and music.
Any story is valid, what matters is the successful execution of a story and while I'd say the original epithet erased did get me intrigued to have more. Prison of Plastic delivers a well-rounded mix of absurdism, drama, comedy, wholesomeness, while juggling a lot of darker themes and ideas. It plays around with well known tropes and overused storybeats and injects a fresh new take that feels both familiar and new
I absolutely loved this from the first to the last minute
Epithet Erased: Prison of Plastic, the debut novel of Brendan "Similes and Metaphors are great writing tools" Blaber. A very good book that I can't give an honest review of because I'm too obsessed with it. Just be prepared if you do decide to read it because there. there are a lot of similes and metaphors.
Justice for Lorelai. That's pretty much gonna sum up this review. Lorelai is such a tragic character, it hurts. She's not a good person, I know, but man she deserve better. But, this is not a fault with the story. This novel was incredibly well-written and made Lorelai into such a remarkable, well-developed character from beginning to end. She deserves the world and more, outside of her dream bubble ofc.
Moving onto the other characters, though. They were great! Jello's character writing is really out of this world. I'm happy we got to dive in more with Molly's everyday life with her family and friends, Feenie and Trixie. Unfortunately, I with Molly wanted to mute them out sometimes when they got a bit too annoying in the narrative. Giovanni is best boy, though, through and through. And, Naven... honestly as teacher, he kind of sucked ngl. Because, my gosh, if he had ACTUALLY help Molly and Lori get at the crux of the problem with TRUE, POSITIVE communication, they could've...... BLERGH!
Lol. Overall, I'm so happy this story was able to continue even in novel form. The audiobook is very much must-have as I seriously do think the book will feel incomplete without it. It's very well made on all fronts, from the voice-acting to the sound design. This is truly a great addition to the series, and I can't wait to see more.
For anyone wondering if the audio is worth it: YES. YES IT IS. Masterfully done.
The story and characters are so genuine, so real. You have the silly and you have the healing all wrapped together into a warm embrace, like coming home to a nice warm meal with your close loved ones and then cuddling up under a blanket to watch a comfort movie with them all there around you and you all enjoy the evening together and forget entirely about the rest of the world and it's wonderful.
They're precious beyond words. The story is one that holds you close and safe in its arms. Every time I relisten, this series is even more dear to me. It's saved my life on multiple occasions.
This is the second season in a (hopefully ongoing) series called Epithet Erased. The first season is on YouTube, so it's not here on Goodreads. Both seasons hit my all-time favorite slot as far as media goes. Go watch/listen/read.
The audio has a full cast, music score, and sound effects, causing the story to burst at the brim with magic and wonder. Further, Blaber's narrative style is absolutely, enchantingly delightful.
I would give this series 10 stars if I could. In the words of Indus Tarbella, "That's pretty good, Lady Mera. That's... downright commendable!"
Listened to the audio production on soundbooth theatre. Wasn't aware it was a continuation of an animated series, but will have to go back and check that out.
Does this really deserve 5 stars? Maybe not. A more objective ranking might be around 3. But it is absolutely my aesthetic, and is heartwarming. Reminds me a lot of the protagonists in books you read as a kid where the heroine is chipper and positive and uses that to get through some harrowing abuse (like pollyanna or the little princess), but instead it's set in this insane candy colored anime world, and takes a more balanced approach to psychology (that attitude isn't sustainable and it wouldn't even be desirable if it was).
I grinned like like a mad man constantly. Amazing humour.
Be warned though. It is saccharine to the extreme. With as much as it was made for me, even I could only take so much before needing to set it down and take a break.
I can see it being crazy grating for many people.
Honestly, I think it's objectively a 3 star, but I think most folks would either love it like me and give it 4 or 5, or just be unable to stand it and give it a 1 or 2.
I listened with my son to this incredibly inventive and as expected laugh aloud read. Did not expect to be put through the emotional ringer. The whole carload cried. I began out of obligation and soon got totally sucked in - I love how dad is not redeemed. I loved how original the ideas are and as a long time fan of the Great British Baking Show found the parody elements so entertaining. What might get overlooked by the reader enjoying themselves is how attentive to plot line the author, truly remarkable. One thing I love about this genre and perhaps I can dare to say this generation of writers is the way female characters interact with a full range of responses and emotions. It’s so refreshing.
Many of the reviews will talk about how heartfelt and funny this story is, or how amazing the worldbuilding and power system is, but I want to highlight how amazing this story is for saying how the true evil in this world is capitalism, and that being a "bad guy" in the saturday cartoon villain sense of "selfishly" valuing yourself and your own happiness is incredibly provocative and well presented. Can't recommend this book enough. Obviously better if you watch the web series first.
Epithet Erased is one of those things that I’ll always secretly love. I have read this book around 3 times and each time I never get over it. It is an incredible piece of literature and the way the portray molly and the relationship with her sister always breaks my heart. Especially the parts where Lorelai is mean to her. I do feel for Lorelai though and always find myself relating to her struggles. I love this book
Its very corny but in an Epithet Erased way, totally worth it. I love Lorelai so much 😭 I don’t know if we’ll get more Epithet Erased content after this and im praying we do. Also, buy the audiobook, its stupidly fun hearing these guys again.
Taiga Country, Deepwood Country, Desert Country, Ocean Country, Island Country and Australia. Brilliant
This is not my normal type of read, but at the request of a friend I decided to...... and wow. This is the type of book that will rewrite your whole outlook on life, leave you in a book void as you close the cover, and wish for it to keep going on. on the fence about it? don't, just get it!