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Resonance: A LitRPG Adventure

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D.E.D. Exorcists is the latest Augmented Reality mobile game focused on capturing, collecting, and training teams of Digitally Energized Demons. For an ordinary college student like Henry, who has always loved monster-taming RPGs, it looks like the perfect game. At least, until he downloads it.

Now, the monsters are real.

Henry finds himself forcibly recruited into the very real D.E.D. Exorcists; a shadow organization capable of capturing, training, and subduing the real-life demons that are invading Earth. These creatures’ powers and abilities are beyond Henry’s wildest dreams, as he’s yanked out of his mundane life and into the world of magic, monsters, and dark secrets.

In his new role as an Exorcist, Henry must use every ounce of his monster training know-how, garnered from a lifetime of gaming, to strengthen his D.E.D., and protect his city.

But his new life comes with a heavy cost. The Exorcists may not be all they seem. Danger lurks in the shadows all around him, and Henry quickly finds himself questioning who, and what, he can trust.

1 pages, Audio CD

Published September 10, 2024

54 people are currently reading
26 people want to read

About the author

Jonathan Smidt

15 books98 followers
Jonathan’s journey through life has been anything but slow. Being part of a military family, he moved across the world growing up, and having not learned his lesson, joined the Marine Corps right out of high school. This sent him on a whirlwind adventure, which even found him in the sands of Afghanistan. During all his travels, he found one thing always remained constant…he loved to read. Now, married and with life finally calming down a bit, he has begun to push his passion for literature even higher, aiming to give readers the kinds of books he has come to love with his own unique twist.

He has grown up in thousands of worlds, courtesy of not only literature and anime, but also his avid gaming life! Jonathan has spent countless hours on video games ranging from Final Fantasy to Pokémon to Guild Wars and WoW, while also enjoying tabletops such as D&D and Exalted.

Living in a game world isn’t enough for Jonathan though, and he has pushed to turn his own life into a classic RPG. On top of leveling up his writing and music abilities (he swears he is not a bard though!), he is currently learning the ancient art of blacksmithing, which places him at his forge working hot metal into blades on the weekends!

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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Author 1 book11 followers
September 10, 2024
I would like it known that the second the embargo lifts I will not shut up about this book <3

WOOOOO HOOOOOOO RELEASE DAY BABY

D.E.D Exorcists is a much needed refresh to the LITRPG formula.
When describing this book to my friends I describe it as Pokemon Go with gods, Daemons, and as my hunch was correct, a LITTLE bit of Cassette Beasts added in for good measure. The book is a remarkably fun and easy read that has ended my reading slump of a few years.
Before I go any further I think it professional to mention that I was provided an advanced copy of this book by the publisher, but rest assured, this in no way sways my reviews. (Likely to their dismay, sorry guys)

With that out of the way, the premise is fucking awesome. When first getting into LITRPG I searched high and low for monster taming novels and was surprised by the sheer lack of them. It felt like such an obvious idea but instead there was a gaping monster taming hole left in the market. So the second this book passed my desk with ‘creature catching’ in the body, I was immediately on the hook. Sign me up and get this in my veins. Genuinely I’m H O O K E D and cannot wait for the sequel and whatever it brings.
So everyone’s hooked on this game, D.E.D. Exorcists, which, as it happens, is actually a front for an organisation by the same name. Upon finding out our protagonist, Henry, can resonate with the DED, an Exorcist named Loki picks him up, gives him the barebones of what he’s doing and sets him up with his first demon, a floating eyeball called Wink.
Side note. I’m a SUCKER for creature companions in books regardless. Meat in Gene Harvest, Tairn in Fourth Wing, and now W I N K. Wink is undoubtedly my favourite animal companion in a long while. He just seems so dejected and sad all the time and I wanna give the little dude a hug. If I can’t have DED Exorcists as an actual game, at least give me a Wink plush.
Ahem, tangent over.
From that point onwards, we’re thrust into a shockingly well thought out world and mythos. It would be very easy for Smidt to pull the “yeah all this is new” card on us, but INSTEAD, they have the whole thing planned out alongside our own history.

THE CHARACTERS
I’ll admit, it took me a while to warm to Henry. He was a bit of an everyman character, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just meant it took me a lot longer to really care for him as oppose to his creatures (which will get their own subsection.) It’s his encounters with the next two characters that made him awesome in my opinion.
JJ, Henry’s childhood friend and SPOILERS, a resident Demon Hunter. Working outside the Exorcists and part of an ancestral lineage, JJ is who Henry leans on throughout this story, and plays a bigger role in the story than I’d initially figured he would. WITHOUT SPOILING TOO MUCH, his form in the final battle had a grin plastered to my face the whole time.
Jewel. One of the higher ranking Exorcists, codenamed Reaper, she very quickly wormed her way into my heart. She’s such a softie with a hardass exterior that’s so hard not to love. Like this is character duality done right. Her and Henry played off eachother so well, especially since she brought out his backbone after a while.
Emelia. It’s hard to say a lot about our director, but I’m keeping my eye on her. I both really like her and am really sceptical. I do like how she’s not afraid to lay down the law.
Loki is just badass. I wish the worst for Stryder.
NOW CASSIE. MY ONE GRIPE WITH THE CHARACTERS IS CASSIE. I WAS HOPIING SHE’D PLAY A MUCH BIGGER ROLE BECAUSE HER DED AND DESIGN WERE SO COOL. Though I’ve a sneaking suspicion she’ll play a bigger role in the story to come, so this gets a pass from me.

CREATURES
What can I say. The creature design and bonding mechanic are the reason I went out and bought Dragon Quest Monsters. A lot of the designs take from common mythological creatures and I adore it. All of the creatures have their own personalities and charm that I love. Especially the shards of gods that Demon Hunters seem to possess.
Henry’s main demons, Wink, Narcis, and Harbinger. (I can’t remember the crows name I’m so sorry). Are all excellent characters, and I’m honestly amazed with how much growth these lil dudes have, specifically Narcis.

All in all, if you want a story with cute floating eye balls, a narcissistic and sassy dragon, and a ton more fabulous creatures and prose, look no further.
I’m eagerly awaiting both my physical copy and the second book.
Profile Image for Lorai.
49 reviews
September 22, 2024
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.75)

Resonance is an exciting addition to the LitRPG genre, blending elements of monster-taming games like Pokémon/Pokémon Go with the immersive mechanics of an augmented reality world.

The story follows Henry, a college student who’s always been a fan of monster RPGs. When he downloads the latest AR game, D.E.D. Exorcists, his life takes a shocking turn as the game becomes real. Henry is suddenly thrown into a secret world where demons are tangible, and his gaming knowledge becomes his most valuable asset.

The concept of the book is a lot of fun, especially for anyone who enjoys games that involve catching, leveling up, and training creatures. The monsters themselves are well-crafted, with detailed descriptions that make them come to life on the page. The world-building is solid, giving the whole story that anime-esque feel, where everything feels larger than life. This made the book feel vibrant and immersive, like stepping into a cool alternate reality.

However, Henry as a character starts off a bit bland. He feels like the "perfect" person for this situation, but doesn’t show a lot of agency or personality in the beginning. As the story progresses and heads toward its climax, he does improve, becoming more active in the plot, and by the end, he’s a more interesting character. The slower development of his personality was a bit of a drawback for me, though.

The pacing also has some ups and downs. The book starts and ends on high notes, moving quickly with plenty of action and tension. However, the middle section can drag a bit, especially if you’re not particularly into the intricate leveling and strategy elements of monster games. These sections are crucial to the LitRPG style but may feel a little tedious for readers who aren’t as invested in those aspects.

Despite these issues, the book’s climax was strong, surprising, and really sets up future installments well. The cast of characters, monsters, and locations all contribute to making this world feel dynamic and full of potential. I'm excited to see where the story goes from here and how Henry's role will evolve.

The audiobook, narrated by Austin Rising, is a great way to experience Resonance. Rising’s narration captures the energy and tension of the story, adding extra depth to the characters and making the action-packed scenes more thrilling.

If you’re a fan of LitRPGs or monster-taming games, this is definitely worth reading. For those less familiar with these genres, it may take a little more patience to get fully immersed, but the payoff is well worth it. All in all, Resonance is a solid start to what could be a very exciting series!
Profile Image for Brandon.
29 reviews
October 24, 2025
Spoilers
Now, Henry, the MC, the kind I identify with, logical, Introverted, methodical gets thrown into a world of shadow organizations(with a rival, shadow hunters, insert fist pump), digitally energized demons, in which I assume they are Shin Magami Tensei inspired, going back in time to when I played one the coolest PS2 games ever, first intro into monster fusions, and yes, that book involves that too, whoop whoop. Henry gets blessed to be a 3xSSS potential rating, meaning he is highly valued for the demons that can be under his control. Blessed by a high ranking demon to begin with, who I love(organization are haters) Wink, a squishy winged eyeball that loves to observe and doesn't seem to have too much power ..yet(I'm waiting how he ll developed, but I hope it's epic). Best friend JJ is easentially with the demon hunters (seem to be the good guys🤔) could this friendship be in jeopardy??? Maybe, but once Henry's trainer, the reaper, that's right, the frickin Reaper!!! Like that can end bad😱😱😱...only if JJ tries to get some action from, that's right, rival factions romance interest??? Maybe lol!!! Very well written, introduces game mechanics gradually, with a well developed plot that keeps you guessing and side characters that build the story up, with Loki, Reaper, JJ... epic side characters. But that isn't all, there's a omen of an apocalypse coming and a portal could open....for the beast of beasts to consume the world....well, I hope not, but I sure know its ampping up like fast and the furious!!! The ending has a unpredictable creative twist at the end, a total fist pump for "where did that come from"...and a great cliffhanger going into book 2, I'm still shocked
Profile Image for Ariel.
128 reviews1 follower
January 10, 2025
The plot is fairly standard "you're special just because" type of chosen one vs great evil.
The game the LitRPG concept is based off of combines the AR/mobile aspects of PokemonGO with the demon-in-real-world aspects of Shin-Magami-Tensei.
The writing of the MC is ambiguous about age, except for some target remarks about being 21, college (which Henry seems to quit without notifying anyone), a part time job (which he also seems to quit without notifying anyone), and a blatant disregard for taking care of himself.
Random-hookah-hooked-white-21-year-old-guy is going to save the world... using his... dislike of confrontation and inability to lie? I guess.
Also, the unregimented aspects of the lower ranks of Exorcist? Apparently the fate of the world rests on some "government" agents who don't know how basic tool-box-theory works.
Bonus "as if". Henry doesn't ask any real questions about his new "employment" upon being told that he's been pressed into service, seriously a college kid having to work a part time job to make ends meet and he doesn't ask about pay or benefits?

Once you're past that particular suspension of disbelief, it gets better. Mostly still revolving around drama, Henry's apparent "nothing bad has ever happened to me" reactions, and combat. Lots and lots of combat.

Though the author likes adding in problematic things and letting them linger long enough to deeply concern you, before having them be confronted by something to put them in their place (I am looking at you John).

TLDR: a solid enough LitRPG, I enjoyed reading it enough that I am curious to see where the series goes, but will likely just be borrowing this from my local library.
34 reviews
October 6, 2024
A Monster Taming Masterpiece!

This book was recommended to me by another author, whose work I enjoyed quite a lot, so the recommendation was taken quickly. Added it to my to read list and kept putting it off for more widely known books. I shouldn't have put it off. I love all things monster taming and have struggled to find more than a few titles to read throughout the years. I finally finished my list and got around to reading this and it blew me away. This story checked every box I could ask for in a monster taming tale that only 2 other titles have. If you are on the fence, please get off it and read this as soon as possible. The whole premise is a masterpiece. The fact that the real battle is hidden by a video game similar to Pokémon Go is Chef's Kiss. I was on the edge of my chair for many moments in the book. I'm glad that it got recommended and overjoyed that I read it. I absolutely can not wait for more. I need to know what happens next. Just wow.
Profile Image for David Ketelsen.
Author 1 book13 followers
September 10, 2024
Resonance is the first book in a new series by the always reliable Jonathan Smidt, inventor of dickens AKA demonic chickens in the Dungeon Core Online series. The MC of Resonance is Henry, a 21 year old college student in Colorado who loves hookah bars and playing monster taming games. The book starts when Henry, at the urging of his best friend JJ, decides to download a wildly popular month-old game, DED Exorcists, that all his friends are playing. In no time at all poor Henry finds out that DED (digitally energized demons) are real and he's recruited into the for-real Exorcist organization and is soon tagging along with legendary DED exorcist Loki and his demon wolf Fenrir to a demon invasion that he's woefully unprepared for. Talk about jumping into the deep end of the pool!

This book isn't a pure shoot 'em up Gamelit. Henry encounters numerous difficult and possibly corrupted people as he tries to power up enough to matter in the upcoming apocalyptic demon invasion. It's also not a simple humans versus demons war. Each side has recruited from the other side so that Henry has to navigate a complicated path to stay alive and gain levels. The poor guy barely ever has time to hit a hookah pipe. This looks to be a really entertaining series and Smidt is a great storyteller.
Profile Image for Amber Kluttz.
119 reviews9 followers
September 18, 2024
Real life Pokemon

What if Pokemon Go was a massive recruitment drive to find candidates to save the world demonic incursions into our world?

I cannot overstate how well done the story is. It's unique with twists and turns while still remaining grounded. The editing is on point with no grammatical or spelling errors. The characters are fun, interesting, and mysterious.

My only personal nit-pick is the pacing slows down around the 70% Mark because it gets a bit "explain-ey". This is not enough to bother most people, it's just something that I noticed. Other than that, the book itself is flawless.

5/5 stars. Very well done and looking forward to the sequel.
Profile Image for Nadia Meriouli.
325 reviews2 followers
September 24, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

I can’t even find the words to say how much I absolutely love this book. Fell in love with the characters they’re all so interesting especially JJ, the whole idea of the secret government stuff is so unique and interesting. The game idea to keep it secret, the writing ! The leveling up is Awesome ! Just list everything that happens in this book ever and I’ll love it, it was incredible and I was hooked the whole way through and I can’t wait to read the rest of the books. Definitely top 10 books ever read wow!
2,357 reviews
September 29, 2024
Getting this book was kinda a no brainer for me, as I'd read Dungeon Core Online and really enjoyed it! Even though I hadn't ever heard Austin Rising narration before my FB group assured me that he was all right. And I'm definitely glad I got the audiobook. It was great. Although I felt that calling the demons D.E.D. (Digitally Energized Demons) was just a contrived gimmick because really Demons are Demons after all, Energized or not!
So go ahead grab the audiobook and see if you qualify and can join up to the D.E.D team and fight for earth and save it from becoming just another stepping stone on the Demon path becoming just another lifeless orb in the sky.
Profile Image for Jim Phillips.
980 reviews3 followers
September 23, 2024
Enjoyed this

Once we got rolling the story just seemed to read itself. There were a few turns the Author put in to keep you interested and not only did it work it really kept the story fresh. I kept thinking back to see if I had missed a clue. I'd give the Author 4 out of 5 for the epilogue, its great but not perfect. We're all safe but not resting before the next installment.
4 reviews
September 19, 2024
A brilliant start to a new series

This book was amazing, I love the world building, the links to modern mythology and so much more.

I cant wait to see where this goes from here to see more evolutions etc and what being an awakened one truly means because I'm sure there is going to be more to come
790 reviews7 followers
September 27, 2024
Don't mistake this for Pokemon Go!

I didn't expect to like a monster tamer book. I was wrong. This is really well done. It reminds me a bit of several well done Japanese anime (including mentions of Akame ga Kill). Henry the MC and his DED crew make for interesting characters. This is a very engaging and enjoyable read and definitely recommend it.
Profile Image for Robert.
268 reviews
November 19, 2024
Immature

Didn't like this book. It was like reading about a couple of stoners. I always rate books one star where the language used is some British derivative. If you are going to write about Americans, then use American language. We don't say "mate" and "we've not time for that" etc...
92 reviews1 follower
September 26, 2024
Might be New Favorite Series

I am loved Jonathan’s other books and I always get nervous when my favorite authors write new series. But in this case I am so glad and even though I would love another Dungeon Online book, I am ok with Book 2 of the Resonance series.
Profile Image for Tyler.
129 reviews
September 28, 2024
One of the better tamer stories

A little hand wavy at times. I enjoyed this immensely. The characters were amusing and I look forward to seeing how his team develops. Hoping for more fusions and evolutions and such going forward.
Profile Image for James Riley.
1,237 reviews15 followers
January 1, 2025
Fun book

I'll admit, it took me a bit to get into this book. When I did, it was very good.

Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Andy Murphy.
319 reviews1 follower
January 12, 2025
Resonance

Henry tried to avoid downloading the newest gps based augmented reality game that was sweeping the nation. DED Exorcists is exactly what he wanted in a new monster taming and battling game. He needed to focus on college though and just knew that he’d get swept into it if he downloaded it. He had no idea just how much of an understatement that was!

What a great start to a new litrpg series! The monster taming aspect is a fun sub genre I haven’t seen much of. I enjoyed the characters and hope to see a few of the side characters get more spotlight in book 2. The DED themselves are incredibly interesting and add a great twist. I’m really excited to see where this series goes!

Content Warning: language
Profile Image for E.W. Richard.
168 reviews3 followers
January 8, 2026
A big thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an advanced audio book copy of this book!

Hold up! Wait a minute! Who was going to tell me this book was amazing? honestly, it is my fault for not reading it earlier, but STILL!!!

This was a mix of Percy Jackson and Pokémon then aged up to college age. They took both of those concepts and messed them together perfectly. I truly could not get enough of this book and honestly wish I would have read it earlier. You are thrown into this book, there is no waiting for the story to start. It's just like someone took a fist full of you shirt and pulled you on to this roller coaster. I don't want to say much more because I want you to go read it yourself.

I LOVED this book and can't wait for the next instalment in Henry's story.
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