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Gamebound
Dive into an immersive gamelit adventure exploring mental health and simmering with a slow-burn romance. Join the main character, Nylah, as she grapples with a psychological journey to put herself back together in an intriguing virtual world full of strange creatures, fascinating magics and exotic cities.
What’s the point in surviving if you can’t even remember who you are?
Nylah awoke in a virtual world with no idea who she was and even less idea of how she got there. She’s not even called Nylah, but it’s all she’s got to go off.
Thrust into a new body and surrounded by a world she doesn’t know, Nylah’s only reassurance is being told she agreed to be there. But as she travels through a world filled with fantastical creatures, strange quests and a rather unreliable guide, she realises she’ll need a lot more than that.
Desperate to reclaim her past and solve the secrets of this world, Nylah must get stronger. And fast.
After all, if dying isn’t the worst fate that awaits her here, Nylah doesn’t want to find out what is.
Gamebound is the first book in the Objective 164 Saga, a gripping blend of medieval fantasy and sci-fi brought together as a virtual reality game. Delve into character classes and game mechanics, and enjoy epic arena fights and nail-biting battles alongside a simmering romance subplot. If you’re a fan of a relatable female protagonist, medieval fantasy setting, swords and sorcery, and isekai adventures, you’re in the right place!
The ongoing series will include a lot of mental health rep, breakdowns, healing, found family, intricate world-building and a sprinkling of romantic escapades.
What’s the point in surviving if you can’t even remember who you are?
Nylah awoke in a virtual world with no idea who she was and even less idea of how she got there. She’s not even called Nylah, but it’s all she’s got to go off.
Thrust into a new body and surrounded by a world she doesn’t know, Nylah’s only reassurance is being told she agreed to be there. But as she travels through a world filled with fantastical creatures, strange quests and a rather unreliable guide, she realises she’ll need a lot more than that.
Desperate to reclaim her past and solve the secrets of this world, Nylah must get stronger. And fast.
After all, if dying isn’t the worst fate that awaits her here, Nylah doesn’t want to find out what is.
Gamebound is the first book in the Objective 164 Saga, a gripping blend of medieval fantasy and sci-fi brought together as a virtual reality game. Delve into character classes and game mechanics, and enjoy epic arena fights and nail-biting battles alongside a simmering romance subplot. If you’re a fan of a relatable female protagonist, medieval fantasy setting, swords and sorcery, and isekai adventures, you’re in the right place!
The ongoing series will include a lot of mental health rep, breakdowns, healing, found family, intricate world-building and a sprinkling of romantic escapades.
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 30, 2024
14 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Lou Poletti
1 book2 followersLou Poletti is a writer, gamer and general entertainer. She is also a huge mental health advocate and loves nothing more than reaching people through art.
Stories have been part of her life since a young age, crafting epic tales with toys until she had the vocabulary for real ones.
Lou has performed as a stage artist, working and choreographing across four continents and for various cultures, and she’s proud to say that she only did one run of her many Skyrim playthroughs as a stealth archer.
She lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband and enjoys surfing and looking after her plants.
Stories have been part of her life since a young age, crafting epic tales with toys until she had the vocabulary for real ones.
Lou has performed as a stage artist, working and choreographing across four continents and for various cultures, and she’s proud to say that she only did one run of her many Skyrim playthroughs as a stealth archer.
She lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband and enjoys surfing and looking after her plants.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 26, 2024
ARC REVIEW
I’m very torn on this book. It’s a new genre for me so I know there was an adjustment period. It took me a little while to get into it and I wasn’t really engaged until I’d read through the “Prologue”, “Origin”, and “Tutorial” sections/chapters, which was a little less than 25% of the book. At that point I found it very interesting, though the writing style was still pretty foreign to me. All in all, I enjoyed the read and the characters created by the author. My biggest complaint was the ending. It wasn’t so much of a cliffhanger as a small letdown. It didn’t feel like it should end there, even as a book 1 of a series. Definitely curious to see where the author takes things and what we learn about our FMC who has very limited memory of her time before the game.
I’m very torn on this book. It’s a new genre for me so I know there was an adjustment period. It took me a little while to get into it and I wasn’t really engaged until I’d read through the “Prologue”, “Origin”, and “Tutorial” sections/chapters, which was a little less than 25% of the book. At that point I found it very interesting, though the writing style was still pretty foreign to me. All in all, I enjoyed the read and the characters created by the author. My biggest complaint was the ending. It wasn’t so much of a cliffhanger as a small letdown. It didn’t feel like it should end there, even as a book 1 of a series. Definitely curious to see where the author takes things and what we learn about our FMC who has very limited memory of her time before the game.
May 15, 2024
"Gamebound" isn't usually my kind of book, but I ended up loving it! I skimmed the tutorial part, and after that, I was hooked. The author is amazing at describing everything, and I felt like I really knew the characters. It's a perfect mix of virtual reality, action, and romance – definitely a must-read if you're into gaming, "The Matrix," or fantasy stories with a bit of heart. Trust me, even if you don't usually read this genre, give it a shot!
April 30, 2024
This book is everything I dream of in sci-fi fantasy books.. giving off huge Ready Player One vibes.. the story is gripping and captivating and I cannot wait to see what happens moving forward.. what an incredible debut.
May 2, 2024
She has woken up in a virtual gaming world with a name she knows it is not hers. All she is told is that she wanted to be there and now she needs to fight her way through the game world. How will she get on? Can she win? Can she find out who she really is? She how she gets on
May 7, 2025
A fun LitRPG
It's not breaking new ground for the genre, but it's a fun book with the interesting twist that the main character can't remember her life outside the game beyond some dire hints that there's something terribly wrong. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.
It's not breaking new ground for the genre, but it's a fun book with the interesting twist that the main character can't remember her life outside the game beyond some dire hints that there's something terribly wrong. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.
June 5, 2024
Welcome to Gamebound: it's VR gameplay meets mental health day! Happy ARC reader here (went through this book twice since it released), and so this review has been a long time coming. Our story begins with the readers and the protagonist Jess/Nylah both completely in the figurative dark (also literally for the latter), having to figure out as much and as quickly as possible to stay safe and sane. Not an easy task, especially given the plight of not only Nylah but the friends she makes along the way.
Seemed that was just the nature of this place. Everyone had shit going on.
They're a multifaceted bunch of characters for sure, so conversations keep up entertainment and intrigue. Uncertain tense alliances are alliances all the same, depending on everyone's personal motivations. Nylah's not your 'bland reader insert MC'; just because she has memory gaps doesn't mean her entire personality doesn't arrive onto the scene right from the get go: snide quips and swearing and all that good stuff.
'The strongest of you stands at level forty-five; the challenge level will be set to fifty.'
'You've gotta be shitting me!'
Pacing is great throughout, avoiding those pesky infodumps and slowly introducing more game mechanics and details as we go. There's enough familiarity with classic fantasy game tropes until we're thrown a cute (sometimes funny) twist to the expectation. Reader's reliance on previous knowledge of certain game and pop culture elements and the like isn't necessary, but perhaps would help appreciation going in. (There are also plenty of resources available on Lou's writer website for those that enjoy perusing rulesets, classes, and other game mechanics!)
Can't wait for Book Two, and beyond, because as many answers #1 provides another question pops up in their place.
As long as I had that determination, I would find a way to succeed. Somehow.
Seemed that was just the nature of this place. Everyone had shit going on.
They're a multifaceted bunch of characters for sure, so conversations keep up entertainment and intrigue. Uncertain tense alliances are alliances all the same, depending on everyone's personal motivations. Nylah's not your 'bland reader insert MC'; just because she has memory gaps doesn't mean her entire personality doesn't arrive onto the scene right from the get go: snide quips and swearing and all that good stuff.
'The strongest of you stands at level forty-five; the challenge level will be set to fifty.'
'You've gotta be shitting me!'
Pacing is great throughout, avoiding those pesky infodumps and slowly introducing more game mechanics and details as we go. There's enough familiarity with classic fantasy game tropes until we're thrown a cute (sometimes funny) twist to the expectation. Reader's reliance on previous knowledge of certain game and pop culture elements and the like isn't necessary, but perhaps would help appreciation going in. (There are also plenty of resources available on Lou's writer website for those that enjoy perusing rulesets, classes, and other game mechanics!)
Can't wait for Book Two, and beyond, because as many answers #1 provides another question pops up in their place.
As long as I had that determination, I would find a way to succeed. Somehow.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews