Roverpowered: Tales of an Aspiring Alchemist

Roverpowered #1

by Drew Hayes

A wizard's first quest. An unlikely companion. Grand adventure awaits!
Wanda and Wumble are a small pair with vast ambitions. One an aspiring alchemist, and the other her faithful hound, the pair bond as wizard and familiar to begin their pursuit of magic.

As a newly made wizard without any training, resources, or even a home to return to, Wanda will have to forge her own way on a path where constant dangers lurk. Even the simple act of furthering her alchemy education swiftly becomes a harrowing ordeal.

Luckily for Wanda, Wumble is no ordinary hound.

Contained within her one-eyed companion is a power many factions of the world are actively hunting for. A seed with unfathomable potential waiting to sprout.

And anyone who trifles with Wumble’s wizard is in for a ruff time.

Experience a brand new universe from Drew Hayes, the bestselling author of Super Powereds and NPCs. Featuring a lovable pair of heroes out on their first adventure, learning about both magic and life in a progression fantasy suitable for all ages!

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Magic, Fiction, Young Adult, Adventure, Humor

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 3, 2024

Reviews

[Dave Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extra cuddly (even for Drew Hayes)

Short story, novella / Magical dog / first of a series
There is more hidden depth in this story than the cover suggests. It's an epic fantasy world, with a decent magical system and centuries of lived history. There's a lot of world building and character development in these short pages.
Usually you see cute and you think cheap. Not here, This is a big budget magical dog story.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fun and entertaining novella. Recommended

[Bob Laney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endearing and well written

I have always enjoyed Drew's work and this foray into a new genre brings his skill at world creation with it. It is heart warming and the characters spring to life fully formed. Love Wanda and Wumble and can't wait for more.

[S.A Reidman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listen, I don't know what to tell you - I'm pretty sure Yogibear loves this book - but he's a 10 month old labrador-mix pup so loving things is just par for the course with his nature. He was pretty intrigued but it could have just been my voice inflections.

Coffeebear on the other end was skeptical - reading involves no running according to this furball, plus as a Border Collie -Jack Russell - he was simply incensed by the fact that I would mosey along slowly down the pathway reading out loud whilst he was doing his absolute darndest to find bunnies and squirrels and by god if he was lucky - wandering sheep.

So, here it is - Wanda and Wumbles were a welcome reprieve and I had a blast reading to at my dogs. Also, Drew Haze wrote The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant and I love that ridiculous story.

I shall continue this new tradition.
We read at Dawn! We stroll at Dawn! Hiyah!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not typically big into young adult books but this one gave me happy Harry Potter vibes with a much simpler story. I think the novella length worked really well for this as it was able to focus on a single core plot (girl wants to join alchemist's guild with her superpowered dog and needs valuable herbs from a dangerous location), and it allows the reader to enjoy its light and whimsical nature without feeling like you have to think too much about the larger world. It was great as an audiobook. Not a story I'll remember in detail for years to come, but when I need another light read, I'll be trying out book 2.

[Christopher Morgan, · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but amazing

So I am biased I am a dog owner so when I seem this book I had to read it. While it isn't a humour filed book like dungeon crawler Carl with donut this is more of a coming of age light litrp. As I said in the description it is surprising short for a book I wish it was longer

[Marty Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good beginning, but felt short

I really like this authors stories and I feel this one has potential too but it felt really short almost like just the first half of a book, really. Despite that I will get the second book and keep reading this story

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but good

Another great book from Drew. It's fun, interesting, and has plenty of hints of future lore. Looking forward to the next one!

[Andréanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute but brave dog. A kind and resilient young woman. Mimic-like creatures.
8-minute chapters. Compelling story, the start of a whole new universe, smart and heartwarming. 10 out of 5 stars.

[Chip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Ok, but not his best - and very short.

[Amber Pickarts · Rating 1 out of 5]

This doesn’t even deserve 1 star…..

[Jack Vinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute setup with this quick read. The dog contains a lot more power than anyone suspects, and it has a big influence on the familiar-link. How long before Wanda realizes Wumble’s hidden strength?

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 Which Meant Part Of His Courage Lived In Her Stars

Tales of an Aspiring Alchemist is the first book in the Roverpowered series by Drew Hayes.

Adorable. Wumble and Wanda are such an affable pair. Both good-natured and genuinely invested in protecting one another over all other goals. That this lovable and fluffy four-legged friend happened upon a great deal of power when playing fetch? So cute.

I still could not, with any real understanding, explain the great evil that this world faces. Which is at once both the enemy and their source of magic? Oceral? I barely understand the events that led to the destruction of her town, her and Wumble's meeting, and their journey to becoming a familiar pair. A journey only made possible by the teacher that saved both their lives with Alchemy and has since vanished rather mysteriously?

This book was too short! That is my chief complaint. The short length of this first book gives the impression of a teaser, than a true introduction to this story. I'm hoping the trend doesn't continue. The author gives an in-depth account of the coming adventures and leaves nothing out? Let's all cross our fingers and hope for the best.

[tristan mckay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, clever, but disappointing writing style

First, I want to praise the good of this book. I am only part way through and I love some of the creativity in opponents, situation, and I think there are some really good human moments other books never cover. One example is the main character, the new wizard, being strong for her dog. This is a very human moment because even though the dog is not scared she is and convinces herself to be stronger for the one she cares about. Very real human psychology.

The writing style is poor however. If a character is running from an enemy having a paragraph long tangent about how lore information might be in a book is excessive and draws the reader out of the tension. There is another scene where they are sneaking by a door they know has a threat. The writer breaks the tension by explaining why she has to keep looking at the door to give her the most time to react if attacked. Simply explaining the character kept looking at the door only glancing away to check her footing in the dark hallway would be shorter l, build tension rather than pull the reader out with an explanation of why they would looking at a threat. That same scene starts with them hearing a sound in the room (which would not have been loud) and then she instructs the dog to run if she runs. The dog barks. Not a quiet chuff building tension just a bark. But after the threat attacks hitting the danger with a wood club was apparently loud enough to make the main character worried about the sound alerting other enemies. But she wasn’t worried about a bark that just by the feelings of the description would be louder than the impact of hardened wood on hardened leather when the object is in the air.

The inconsistency in descriptions and poor choices of words (such as bark vs chuff which would be more appropriate in the example above) are already bad enough but pulling out the reader by breaking tension with tangents vs relief or diving into the tension and feelings of the moment are frustrating.

The good parts are good, there is a lot of creativity. And there are some places where the feelings of the moments aren’t destroyed. But this could have used a more skilled edit. I was super excited for this book before it came out. But i’ve been disappointed so far. I’ll finish the book but left a review early because the book was so frustrating to read I needed to vent. I don’t expect to keep reading the series despite the good parts being very good. There are just to many poor or mediocre choices in the writing style to enjoy the actual story.

[Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s hard for me to not care about a dog book.

TL; DR: The beginnings of a fantasy series about a girl and her dog, but a rather lifeless portrayal of the main characters and a plot that was just ok means the story was lacking any of the heart I hope for.

I like dog-and-its-boy/girl books a lot. These stories can have so much heart and emotion and show real things that we can’t as humans do the same way. That expectation can sometimes bite you in the rear I think, as it did for me in this book. There just wasn’t the heart or joy that I wanted to feel for the lovable dog, and he was set up really well, but it just didn’t pan out.

Characters: Wanda is so flat; I get that this is basically a novella, but there are ways to expand characters in a small space. Honestly, Wumble is too: I expected more dog from this story about yknow…a dog. It’s fine that we ended up here, but I didn’t get attached to any of the tragic backstoryotypes, nor either of their motivations, and I say “their” loosely.

Setting: It’s ok; I zoned out for some of the descriptions because I just got bored with it, honestly. There’s nothing here that grabbed my attention.

Story: Like I implied earlier: it’s fine. The premise for the journey is a little stupid, but I get it. The world building is pretty solid, but I still don’t understand what half of the things in here are. The ending was also weirdly abrupt. I dunno, just not for me.

Writing: Again, nothing spectacular. I couldn’t stay focused on it because I just wasn’t impressed. I had to rewind multiple times because I got bored with the content. That’s a bad sign for me.

I should also say, I wasn’t a huge fan of the narrator; she was ok, but I just didn’t enjoy the way she read in. Maybe I’m spoiled, maybe it’s maybelline; this was an ultimately forgettable book that I probably won’t continue with, and that’s ok. Feel free to hate on my for my disenjoyment of a dog book.

1.8 🌟

[Judith A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent short read

This was a pretty good, short read. It introduced Wanda and her dog, Wumble, who is her familiar. It told us that Wumble has something special that was bestowed on him because of his goodness. It introduced the world of Wanda and Wumble. Some of the details were a bit murky, but it’s a start to a series. Hopefully, clarification will come.

My complaints are two. First, there are so many sentences that are separated by commas instead of periods, it almost drove me insane. I’m not talking just run-on sentences. I am talking about complete sentences that are shown as one long sentence. The only thing they lack is that magical period followed by a capital letter. The book could have definitely used proofreading or editing. Even beta readers could have helped solve this problem.

Second, there was so much packed in the epilogue, it wasn’t funny. I think perhaps the author tried too hard to prepare us for more in the series.

The writing is not as near as good as Drew Hayes’ Super Powereds. I understand this book was geared towards a younger audience. That might be why I find it lacking. For those like me who read books written for younger audiences, you’ll probably find the book is good enough.

The books in the series are very short. They’re more in line with a novella than a book. Most of us older folks can read one of these in a sitting or two.

I am now starting the 2nd book in the series. Hopefully, it will be better than this one. I have high hopes after reading the Super Powereds series.

Here’s a shout out to a fellow Texas Tech grad!

[Roos Poppelaars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roverpowered is, anders dan de cover doet vermoeden, geen kinderboek. Het gaat over Wanda, die graag alchimist wil worden. Daarvoor moet ze eerst tovenaar worden. En laat dat nou net niet helemaal gemakkelijk gaan. Het is een queeste-boek. Wanda moet het een doen om het andere te kunnen worden.

Als je van magie houdt zit je gebakken. Het hele boek druipt van de magie. Het speelt zich af in een magisch universum, waar toveren heel normaal is.

Het is een novelle en dat heeft zijn voor- en nadelen. Voordeel is dat het tempo goed vlot is, nadeel is dat Wanda toch wat oppervlakkig blijft. Het is dus een plot-gedreven verhaal, en geen personage gedreven verhaal. Dat zijn de keuzes die een auteur nu eenmaal moet maken bij boeken van deze lengte.

Het vertelperspectief is meestal dat van Wanda. Omdat de verschillende perspectieven niet van elkaar gescheiden worden door een witregel of een * had ik soms moeite met schakelen. Wumble, de hond, komt zelf ook heel even aan het woord, maar hij blijft een hond. Gedraagt zich dus niet als een mens en dat is wel zo prettig.

Drew Hayes heeft een amusant “zondagmiddag-in-de-tuin”- lichtvoetig verhaal geschreven, zonder al te veel geweld of enge dingen. Tuurlijk wordt het wel spannend, dat hoort. Maar griezelig of duister wordt het nergens. Het wordt niet in de markt gezet als “cozy” maar die definitie dekt wel de lading.
Ook al is je Engels goed, je hebt wel af en toe een woordenboek nodig, omdat Drew soms woorden gebruikt die geen gemeengoed zijn. Het is het eerste deel van een serie en het nodigt zeker uit om de rest te lezen.

[Ozsaur · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is actually 4 stars, but I'm a total pushover for stories that leave me with the warm fuzzies. In spite of how short the book is (novella length), and the writing being rough in a couple of places, it was so cute and uplifting that it earned all five stars.

Wanda, and her beloved dog Wumble, arrive in a city where they can be bonded. For Wanda, bonding means getting access to magic, and thereby becoming an Alchemist. For Wumble, it means sharing his magic with someone who can help him gain sentience. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement.

But Wanda is broke, and to get into an Alchemy Guild, she needs to bring resources to prove that she's worth the expense of training her. Wanda and Wumble go exploring in an abandoned town, and uncover all kinds of interesting things.

My biggest issue is there wasn't enough. I loved Wumble, and Wanda is someone I could root for, but there wasn't enough of everything else. I've read so many books that could have lost a hundred or more pages and been much better, but the opposite is true for this one. A hundred more pages could have made the book more well rounded, and expanded the world building, not to mention actual character development for side characters.

But really, this is a fun, heartfelt story with and adorable dog, and his human friend.

[Padme495 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be honest and say I was drawn to the because because of the dog. I am not familiar with this author, so I can't comment on his typical writing style or subject matter. To be honest, I really enjoyed this book--much more than I'd imagined when I started it. The only two suggestions I would offer are these: use a proofreader and get a little heavier into physical descriptions of places and people. I felt I had a generally clear understanding of the city, characters, and the system of magic; however, I believe it could have been stronger. I didn't take issue with your writing style in the least. I did find the mistakes in proofing to be irritating at times. Maybe that opinion is arrogant? If it appears that way, I promise this is not my intent. Both suggestions are strictly intended as critique to make the book stronger overall. I enjoyed the novella style because I think it encourages a larger audience. Some readers have difficulty in dedicating their focus to a long book. Honestly, this style struck me more like a serialized approach. In my opinion, it goes hand-in-hand with the overarching theme of a young wizard in training. Ending the book with the conclusion of the adventure fits well. Overall, a really good book, and I love Wumble!

[Riana Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

By the title, I came into this series expecting a spin-off from Hayes' "Superpowered" series (note to anyone else with that misconception: this is a completely separate series with - to me - more of an "epic fantasy" world build than an "urban fantasy" world like Superpowereds.
Hayes' writing is tight, the world parameters are explained well, the characters are enjoyable - the only thing different is that this is a much lighter read than Hayes' other works and I was a bit perplexed by that lightness, since Hayes writes layered characters so well.
Because I like researching authors I love, I ended up discovering that this series was written as a type of cathartic release for Hayes in the loss of his beloved dog...I think everyone can understand the desire to bestow an immortality superpower to someone you love. Seen in that light, this series is a wonderful adventure homage. Let Wumble adventure forever.

[Jeff Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting new series.

I picked this out on Audible Plus Catalogue. Listened to almost 90% of it and realized I really didn't understand it. Went back found the series on Kindle Unlimited and started reading. After a few chapters I came to conclusion that the narration was my problem. After a little experimenting I slowed Audible speed down to 1 or 1.1 and could follow so I guess I'm giving a big warning on the Audible version.

I have liked all the Drew Hayes book I've read / listened. This was a different genre for me but found the story development and plot creative and interesting. The main character of the girl and her bonded dog were well done.

I would recommend the Kindle version.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun times with Wumble and Wanda

This is a fun start to a new series. Roverpowered stars Wumble and Wanda as they become a bonded pair. Wanda becomes a Wizard, while Wumble is her faithful familiar.

The intrepid duo arrive in a magical place, undergo the bonding ceremony, then she sets out to become an Alchemist. Unfortunately, unless she can find some rare herbs to get her a place in the next orientation, it is going to be a long while before she can join.

That journey is where the real meat of the book takes place. We get growth, some world building, and learn about our characters' pasts. The Prologue and Epilogue both give hints about the greater world.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young woman leaves her remote D&D world type village when she learns she has the ability for magic. In this universe, various magic users channel power through familiar animals. She saves a stray dog.

By extreme chance, the stray absorbs a gift from the universal god meant for someone else. The rest of the book is the MC's struggle in an alchemy academy/guild because she thinks she has a hard time accessing magic (actually she is tapped into the dog's power). It actually is cute and readable. And the lack of magic control cuts down against the MC becoming an overpowered mary sue or anything like that.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the start of Wanda and her familiar pup Wumble's adventures as a brand new wizard. With no training, they're out to collect resources, Wumble's curiosity at the beginning of the story, leads him to a glowing golden orb. When he sniffs it, it absorbs into him. Too bad for everyone in the world who were looking for that orb, huh?

Biggest complaint, this was only a novella. I have been waiting for Drew Hayes to release this and I'm really cranky it went by so fast. Give me more Wumble! He's a very good dog.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from Drew Hayes

Wumble might seem like a cute and small hound, but he is much more. Even before a mysterious power entered his little body, he was already a ferocious protector of his friend Wanda. Wanda lost her family, friends, and town, but she found Wumble and a new purpose in life. She wants to become an alchemist and help people like she was helped when she needed it.

Wumble and Wanda become bonded and start their magical journey. Wanda, unaware of the power her companion holds and the potential danger it could bring, only worries about protecting Wumble and growing stronger together. She fights for him, not noticing all the incredible things he can do.

Their first adventure was sweet in how much they loved each other and wanted to do what was best for the other. It was fun and exciting in that they faced and overcame many dangers. It's just the first step in their adventures, and I want to see more of them.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very cute. It's certainly not highbrow literature, but if you're looking for something quick, cute, dog-centric and fairly cozy, it checks all those boxes. Bonus: it does not have a romance, which I find bogs down the current trend of short, cozy fantasy works. Goodreads only lists a Kindle edition, but I picked up a paperback at an author table a few days ago. It was a perfect airport/plane book. My only complaint is that for 94 pages, it could certainly use a better line editor. With such a short text, the typos stood out.

[David Harriss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Verbose Fun

I enjoyed this comedic fantasy adventure, probably the first of many. The characters are likable, the relationships are heartwarming, the world is mysterious and interesting, and the theme is sweet.
However, it is flawed. It is wordy, with excessive descriptions of set dressing, and emotional reactions. This hurts the pacing, bores the reader, and weakens the jokes. I understand that Mr. Hayes has to let his fingers scream for hours, but this story has the content of three chapters in most serials.

[Liz K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

I almost didn’t start this book, as the title didn’t excite me. Thank goodness that I decided to give it a chance! It’s a totally delightful read with an insanely creative plot and really interesting characters. Mr Hayes gifted writing gives us a world that “grabs” us on page 1 and never lets go. I was so disappointed when it ended and saw that book 2 was not already available! I’ll definitely be adding this series snd Mr Hayesto “my favorites” list.

[MG · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a fan or Drew Hayes (especially his SUPER POWERED, VILLIANS' CODE, and SPELLS SWORDS STEALTH series). He usually creates interesting and likeable characters and puts them in believable worlds amidst compelling plots. Which is why I was surprised that this series of novellas lacks these characteristics. We meet the future alchemist Wanda and her overpowered dog Wuffle and that's about it. She begins training at a school and she learns. That's the plot. I liked Wanda and Wuffle, but I was hoping they would do a little more and meet and befriend others. Maybe that will unfold in volume 2.