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The Wandering Inn #1
The Wandering Inn: Book One, Part One of The Wandering Inn Series
Book One, Part One in the beloved epic fantasy world and LitRPG sensation created by pirateaba
'You won't find anything like it. The Wandering Inn is a favourite' Matt Dinniman, Sunday Times bestselling author of Dungeon Crawler Carl
'No killing Goblins.'
So reads the sign outside of The Wandering Inn, a small building run by a young woman named Erin Solstice. She serves pasta with sausage, blue fruit juice, and dead acid flies on request. And she comes from another world. Ours.
It’s a bad day when Erin finds herself transported to a fantastical world and nearly gets eaten by a Dragon. She doesn’t belong in a place where monster attacks are a fact of life, and where Humans are one species among many. But she must adapt to her new life. Or die.
In a dangerous world where magic is real and people can level up and gain classes, Erin Solstice must battle somewhat evil Goblins, deadly Rock Crabs, and hungry [Necromancers]. She is no warrior, no mage. Erin Solstice runs an inn. She’s an [Innkeeper].
Thus starts the first volume of The Wandering Inn, an epic fantasy series filled with heart and fear, magic, dragons, and monsters, adventurers and chess players…and humans pulled from the real world into a wondrous and deadly land where the game is to survive and these new pieces could decide who’s the winner.
'You won't find anything like it. The Wandering Inn is a favourite' Matt Dinniman, Sunday Times bestselling author of Dungeon Crawler Carl
'No killing Goblins.'
So reads the sign outside of The Wandering Inn, a small building run by a young woman named Erin Solstice. She serves pasta with sausage, blue fruit juice, and dead acid flies on request. And she comes from another world. Ours.
It’s a bad day when Erin finds herself transported to a fantastical world and nearly gets eaten by a Dragon. She doesn’t belong in a place where monster attacks are a fact of life, and where Humans are one species among many. But she must adapt to her new life. Or die.
In a dangerous world where magic is real and people can level up and gain classes, Erin Solstice must battle somewhat evil Goblins, deadly Rock Crabs, and hungry [Necromancers]. She is no warrior, no mage. Erin Solstice runs an inn. She’s an [Innkeeper].
Thus starts the first volume of The Wandering Inn, an epic fantasy series filled with heart and fear, magic, dragons, and monsters, adventurers and chess players…and humans pulled from the real world into a wondrous and deadly land where the game is to survive and these new pieces could decide who’s the winner.
794 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 7, 2026
Okay. Here’s the deal. There’s a new genre of book fiction called “LitRPG” – not really a new genre, since it’s been around for a while, but more so becoming popular and recognized by readers and social media.
I was recently introduced to Matt Dinniman’s “Dungeon Crawler Carl” (DCC) series and quickly devoured all eight books in fairly fast time. I would not consider myself a big fan of LitRPG, but Dinniman’s series is way different and unique in so many ways, including awesome immersive worldbuilding, dark sarcastic social satire, and endearing characters that demand our attention. For me, DCC is like Douglas Adams’ classic “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe“ series told from a trailer park point-of-view on high grade steroids. You have to read it to believe it.
Because of DCC’s success, we are now we seeing several other LitRPG related series getting attention and moving from self-publishing to major publishing houses. Some of those include Shirtaloon’s “He Who Fights with Monsters” series, James Hunter’s “Discount Dan”, and Pirateaba’s “The Wandering Inn” to name a few. I should mention that two of them have been around longer than DCC and now have their series being reintroduced this summer in new hardcover and paperback editions.
After watching several YouTube video reviews, I decided to give one of them a try, and I chose “The Wandering Inn” to experiment with. It is considered to be LitRPG, portal fantasy, epic fantasy, fantasy meets slice of life, and one of the most prominent and massive web serials in the world. After reading the first book, I find it to be much like Terry Brooks long-running fantasy “Shannara” series in plotting, worldbuilding, style, and pacing. That’s not a bad thing at all.
“The Wandering Inn” Book 1 Part 1 is a story about Erin Solstace, a young earth woman and college student, who is unexpectedly and magically transported to a fantasy world. There she meets and flees from a dragon and goblins, finding an abandoned inn in the countryside. With nothing better to do, she explores it, cleans it up, and discovers that she’s earned an [innkeeper] status.
The rest of the book is about her learning to survive in this dangerous new world and the introduction of characters that cross her path (and some in other parts of the world). We meet guards from the nearby city of Liscor - Relc, a lizard-like creature called a Drake, and Kibkch, a bug-like ant creature referred to as Antinium. Erin also encounters Pisces, a young Necromancer that doesn’t always obey the laws and cannot be fully trusted. There is also another earthling transported to this world while jogging, Ryoka Griffin, who works as a city runner, delivering messages and items like UPS without a truck.
There’s a lot more going on in this introduction to the world of Izril, including history, races, magic systems, wars, economics, political power, geography, and social relations. However, this is good enough for now, and I can cover more in future reviews of this series.
Let me start my review by using reverse psychology and start with the things about this book that you may not like. This series does have its detractors and is probably not for everyone. When the book begins, the pacing is very slow in its slice of life and stream-of-consciousness style of storytelling. It also has a definite soap opera-ish feel to it that gives it a bloated feel at times. For me this went away after a while and the author got her footing on where things were going, but I can certainly understand others becoming more impatient with the slower pacing.
Some of the characters are not necessarily very likable either. For example, two of the primary protagonists – Erin and Ryoka – are considered polarizing among some the fandom, which considered them to be stubborn, slow to adapt, and even a bit whiny. For me, I didn’t have that reaction and found myself being drawn to them for their effort to survive and succeed in a world vastly new and different to them. I would also suggest that they are young, Erin is 20 years old and Ryoka is in her early 20’s I think, which contribute to their personal reactions and behaviors facing such new and bizarre cultures and customs.
Several chapters were long and bounced around between multiple viewpoints and narratives. Don’t be surprised to be focused on one character’s POV and then shift to another individual, and then back to the prior character. Sometimes history and mysterious clues are dropped and then not followed up There is a lot of self-dialog and conversational dialog that takes place. Actually, it is the primary approach the writer uses to tell the story.
In addition, this is an ongoing, massively long story that has not been finished yet. it is my understanding that this series is now at somewhere around 15 million words in length, which includes Books 1 and 2 being broken into two parts each, and 19 more novels without an ending in sight. To be this in perspective, Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” (“WOT”) series had about 4.4 million words across its 14 main novels and 1 prequel. That makes “The Wandering Inn” almost four times the length of the “WOT”. Talk about a serious reading investment.
Now, having said all of that, I fully understand why this series is not for everyone. And I fully get that I have only read about 250 thousand words out of 15 million, so I can only speak to a small portion of the overall work. Basically, I have only wet my appetite and will only speak to that.
The important thing is that there were things I liked. Sticking through the early chapters took some patience for the plotting to really get moving, but I found myself being drawn to Erin, her stubbornness and refusal to give up in the face of adversity. Trust me, she has a lot of that in this book. She starts with nothing – no food, no money, and no clothes (other than what she is wearing. She is seriously attacked multiple times. She is mistreated by others she meets in Izril. But she finds ways to overcome those challenges, including being stubborn, which I rather appreciated. I loved her demanding that goblins would not be killed in her inn. She really stood up for her beliefs and demanded others (primarily males) to accept her expectations. I liked Ryoka for the same reasons and found both of them to be strong young women.
This turned into an immersive read. The worldbuilding is presented methodically and with focus, one layer at a time, much like Terry Brooks “Shanarra” novels in style and pacing. The farther you get into the book, the more creative and highly imaginative you discover the worldbuilding to be. There is history, many races and creatures, multiple types of magic, and wars that are referred to and hinted at. There is also inclusion of the day-to-day activities of the characters much like reading a Robbin Hobbs novel. You get deeply involved in their work, tasks, and development at a micro level – most of which, turns out to be interesting more than not. For example, I loved how Erin’s mastery of chess influenced the people and creatures that came into contact with, as well as Ryoka’s teaching Magnolia Reinhart how to make ice cream.
Although it does it slowly, in my opinion, this book starts to work on multiple levels, relying on a combination of its characters, interesting worldbuilding (that gets more complex as you go), and a back-and-forth blend of small scope focus on daily activities contrasted with the large scope plotlines that are mostly introduced and hinted at in this first book.
Over the second half of the book, storylines develop serious complexity, mysteries, and creativity that make it a compelling read that drives you discover what happens next. There are a lot of questions and clues dangled in front of the readers, but we are just beginning this massive journey of discovery. There are also some very serious scenes of violence and danger throughout that keep you on your toes, along with some well-timed moments of light-hearted humor to balance the constant challenges Erin faces. In addition, there was an underlying level of subtle sarcasm that the author brings out in her characters and their circumstances.
Overall, “The Wandering Inn” Book 1 Part 1 turned out to be more enjoyable than I expected. It’s Terry Brooks, Robin Hobbs style and feel helped keep me going until the plotting got going, and by then I was emotionally connected to Erin and the world she was a stranger in. What started like a cozy fantasy turned into a much more complex and intricate world filled with historical wars that shape its current state, political intrigue, and powerful secrets that propel the characters forward. In addition, the worldbuilding and serious themes addressing societal prejudice, family relationships, justice, and the tragedies of war impacted me more than I expected and kept my attention.
More importantly, the level of detail that could have hampered the story development, ended up contributing to a very satisfying reading experience. The key element for me, was that once I got about 100 – 120 pages into it, I found that I couldn’t put the book down, and now I can’t wait to get my hands on Book 1 Part 2 to see what happens next.
As for my overall rating, the first half was 2.5 – 3 stars. The second half was 4 stars. Average them out and I give it 3.5 stars overall (and yes, I know that Goodreads forces a rounded score).
I was recently introduced to Matt Dinniman’s “Dungeon Crawler Carl” (DCC) series and quickly devoured all eight books in fairly fast time. I would not consider myself a big fan of LitRPG, but Dinniman’s series is way different and unique in so many ways, including awesome immersive worldbuilding, dark sarcastic social satire, and endearing characters that demand our attention. For me, DCC is like Douglas Adams’ classic “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe“ series told from a trailer park point-of-view on high grade steroids. You have to read it to believe it.
Because of DCC’s success, we are now we seeing several other LitRPG related series getting attention and moving from self-publishing to major publishing houses. Some of those include Shirtaloon’s “He Who Fights with Monsters” series, James Hunter’s “Discount Dan”, and Pirateaba’s “The Wandering Inn” to name a few. I should mention that two of them have been around longer than DCC and now have their series being reintroduced this summer in new hardcover and paperback editions.
After watching several YouTube video reviews, I decided to give one of them a try, and I chose “The Wandering Inn” to experiment with. It is considered to be LitRPG, portal fantasy, epic fantasy, fantasy meets slice of life, and one of the most prominent and massive web serials in the world. After reading the first book, I find it to be much like Terry Brooks long-running fantasy “Shannara” series in plotting, worldbuilding, style, and pacing. That’s not a bad thing at all.
“The Wandering Inn” Book 1 Part 1 is a story about Erin Solstace, a young earth woman and college student, who is unexpectedly and magically transported to a fantasy world. There she meets and flees from a dragon and goblins, finding an abandoned inn in the countryside. With nothing better to do, she explores it, cleans it up, and discovers that she’s earned an [innkeeper] status.
The rest of the book is about her learning to survive in this dangerous new world and the introduction of characters that cross her path (and some in other parts of the world). We meet guards from the nearby city of Liscor - Relc, a lizard-like creature called a Drake, and Kibkch, a bug-like ant creature referred to as Antinium. Erin also encounters Pisces, a young Necromancer that doesn’t always obey the laws and cannot be fully trusted. There is also another earthling transported to this world while jogging, Ryoka Griffin, who works as a city runner, delivering messages and items like UPS without a truck.
There’s a lot more going on in this introduction to the world of Izril, including history, races, magic systems, wars, economics, political power, geography, and social relations. However, this is good enough for now, and I can cover more in future reviews of this series.
Let me start my review by using reverse psychology and start with the things about this book that you may not like. This series does have its detractors and is probably not for everyone. When the book begins, the pacing is very slow in its slice of life and stream-of-consciousness style of storytelling. It also has a definite soap opera-ish feel to it that gives it a bloated feel at times. For me this went away after a while and the author got her footing on where things were going, but I can certainly understand others becoming more impatient with the slower pacing.
Some of the characters are not necessarily very likable either. For example, two of the primary protagonists – Erin and Ryoka – are considered polarizing among some the fandom, which considered them to be stubborn, slow to adapt, and even a bit whiny. For me, I didn’t have that reaction and found myself being drawn to them for their effort to survive and succeed in a world vastly new and different to them. I would also suggest that they are young, Erin is 20 years old and Ryoka is in her early 20’s I think, which contribute to their personal reactions and behaviors facing such new and bizarre cultures and customs.
Several chapters were long and bounced around between multiple viewpoints and narratives. Don’t be surprised to be focused on one character’s POV and then shift to another individual, and then back to the prior character. Sometimes history and mysterious clues are dropped and then not followed up There is a lot of self-dialog and conversational dialog that takes place. Actually, it is the primary approach the writer uses to tell the story.
In addition, this is an ongoing, massively long story that has not been finished yet. it is my understanding that this series is now at somewhere around 15 million words in length, which includes Books 1 and 2 being broken into two parts each, and 19 more novels without an ending in sight. To be this in perspective, Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” (“WOT”) series had about 4.4 million words across its 14 main novels and 1 prequel. That makes “The Wandering Inn” almost four times the length of the “WOT”. Talk about a serious reading investment.
Now, having said all of that, I fully understand why this series is not for everyone. And I fully get that I have only read about 250 thousand words out of 15 million, so I can only speak to a small portion of the overall work. Basically, I have only wet my appetite and will only speak to that.
The important thing is that there were things I liked. Sticking through the early chapters took some patience for the plotting to really get moving, but I found myself being drawn to Erin, her stubbornness and refusal to give up in the face of adversity. Trust me, she has a lot of that in this book. She starts with nothing – no food, no money, and no clothes (other than what she is wearing. She is seriously attacked multiple times. She is mistreated by others she meets in Izril. But she finds ways to overcome those challenges, including being stubborn, which I rather appreciated. I loved her demanding that goblins would not be killed in her inn. She really stood up for her beliefs and demanded others (primarily males) to accept her expectations. I liked Ryoka for the same reasons and found both of them to be strong young women.
This turned into an immersive read. The worldbuilding is presented methodically and with focus, one layer at a time, much like Terry Brooks “Shanarra” novels in style and pacing. The farther you get into the book, the more creative and highly imaginative you discover the worldbuilding to be. There is history, many races and creatures, multiple types of magic, and wars that are referred to and hinted at. There is also inclusion of the day-to-day activities of the characters much like reading a Robbin Hobbs novel. You get deeply involved in their work, tasks, and development at a micro level – most of which, turns out to be interesting more than not. For example, I loved how Erin’s mastery of chess influenced the people and creatures that came into contact with, as well as Ryoka’s teaching Magnolia Reinhart how to make ice cream.
Although it does it slowly, in my opinion, this book starts to work on multiple levels, relying on a combination of its characters, interesting worldbuilding (that gets more complex as you go), and a back-and-forth blend of small scope focus on daily activities contrasted with the large scope plotlines that are mostly introduced and hinted at in this first book.
Over the second half of the book, storylines develop serious complexity, mysteries, and creativity that make it a compelling read that drives you discover what happens next. There are a lot of questions and clues dangled in front of the readers, but we are just beginning this massive journey of discovery. There are also some very serious scenes of violence and danger throughout that keep you on your toes, along with some well-timed moments of light-hearted humor to balance the constant challenges Erin faces. In addition, there was an underlying level of subtle sarcasm that the author brings out in her characters and their circumstances.
Overall, “The Wandering Inn” Book 1 Part 1 turned out to be more enjoyable than I expected. It’s Terry Brooks, Robin Hobbs style and feel helped keep me going until the plotting got going, and by then I was emotionally connected to Erin and the world she was a stranger in. What started like a cozy fantasy turned into a much more complex and intricate world filled with historical wars that shape its current state, political intrigue, and powerful secrets that propel the characters forward. In addition, the worldbuilding and serious themes addressing societal prejudice, family relationships, justice, and the tragedies of war impacted me more than I expected and kept my attention.
More importantly, the level of detail that could have hampered the story development, ended up contributing to a very satisfying reading experience. The key element for me, was that once I got about 100 – 120 pages into it, I found that I couldn’t put the book down, and now I can’t wait to get my hands on Book 1 Part 2 to see what happens next.
As for my overall rating, the first half was 2.5 – 3 stars. The second half was 4 stars. Average them out and I give it 3.5 stars overall (and yes, I know that Goodreads forces a rounded score).
June 12, 2026
They've started splitting all these in two, and I've definitely read this first half. Giving it 3.5 because it took me over halfway through the full 1300+ page book to really really get into it emotionally. But rounding up bc I can.
[3.5 stars]
[3.5 stars]
April 28, 2026
This could have been 200 pages shorter. 😅 I'm not gonna lie, the first 150 pages were so hard to get through. This book was sluggishly slow and it feels like the plot was going nowhere in the beginning. 🙃 But slowly, as slow as a snail, it moved.
Erin reminds me of Emily in Paris and that lowkey pissed me off. 🫠 "When in Rome, do as Romans do." But she insisted on sticking to what is normal for HER and never listened when people told her what was normal here. She would be a horrible tourist. She would go to Japan and force servers to accept her tips and complain there wasn't enough trash cans around. 😒 When you're in a new place, YOU need to adapt to THEM, not the other way around.
However, the world was quite interesting and the otherworldly characters were fun. 💗 Chess was a curious choice to bring in but I'm not mad at it. I think I generally had an issue with the pacing. 🥲 It was nearly 800 pages but it was a bit repetitive - Erin spares the goblins and gets attacked and almost dies. She treats them to food and gets attacked and almost dies. 🤦♀️ It was also very draggy, focusing a lot on the mundane tasks and trivial descriptions.
I picked this book up out of curiosity, but I don't think I'll read any more of this series. 🙏 But this was still kinda fun at some points.
Erin reminds me of Emily in Paris and that lowkey pissed me off. 🫠 "When in Rome, do as Romans do." But she insisted on sticking to what is normal for HER and never listened when people told her what was normal here. She would be a horrible tourist. She would go to Japan and force servers to accept her tips and complain there wasn't enough trash cans around. 😒 When you're in a new place, YOU need to adapt to THEM, not the other way around.
However, the world was quite interesting and the otherworldly characters were fun. 💗 Chess was a curious choice to bring in but I'm not mad at it. I think I generally had an issue with the pacing. 🥲 It was nearly 800 pages but it was a bit repetitive - Erin spares the goblins and gets attacked and almost dies. She treats them to food and gets attacked and almost dies. 🤦♀️ It was also very draggy, focusing a lot on the mundane tasks and trivial descriptions.
I picked this book up out of curiosity, but I don't think I'll read any more of this series. 🙏 But this was still kinda fun at some points.
May 22, 2026
This is not my normal genre at all but decided to read it. I enjoyed it a lot. I liked the slow pace and mundane things of every day life in this new world. I found it very interesting. I didn’t need there to be drama or action every few pages. But I see people thought it was boring. I didn’t find it boring at all and read through the book in a day and immediately picked up the next one. The characters are interesting even if they are just walking around the city talking, playing chess or just doing mundane tasks around the inn. Sometimes with other books I wish they did more mundane things so I can see how they live day to day when there’s no catastrophe going on. So this book is actually perfect for me. I’m not saying the whole book is slow because I have laughed out loud and even cried toward the end and there is action but it’s mainly just living day by day while also being dumped in a magical new world where nothing is familiar and everything could potentially kill you. I absolutely loved it!
Did Not Finish
May 5, 2026Errrr...LitRPG just isnt for me. And I can imagine this book gets better, but it isn't my cup of tea
June 1, 2026
Different , Please Let It Continue Thus
I'm hoping this series develops as a story not just as an endless spiral of "levelling-up". I'm so bored by all the LRPG identikit books that I almost didn't read this one. So far, it has strong characters, an interesting world, and a STORY. If it continues in that vein, it will be great. It has many unique features and a great deal of underlying intelligence. Keep the LRPG aspect, but, in the name of the Guild of Wordsmiths, remember this, it's only part of the initial inspiration: THE STORY IS THE IMPORTANT PART. And this has the makings of a damn good one.
I'm hoping this series develops as a story not just as an endless spiral of "levelling-up". I'm so bored by all the LRPG identikit books that I almost didn't read this one. So far, it has strong characters, an interesting world, and a STORY. If it continues in that vein, it will be great. It has many unique features and a great deal of underlying intelligence. Keep the LRPG aspect, but, in the name of the Guild of Wordsmiths, remember this, it's only part of the initial inspiration: THE STORY IS THE IMPORTANT PART. And this has the makings of a damn good one.
July 6, 2026
2.75⭐️
I started this audiobook a couple years ago. The narrator did a great job with all the voices, but I couldn’t get into the story, so I stopped it.
When I saw this was being published I was super excited for the editing process and the rewrites that were happening. Unfortunately, I don’t think this writing is for me.
This book is VERY wordy. Like, too much. I know there is a lot going on, but it seemed to hash out a lot of details that were not relevant to the growth of the plot or storyline at all. I understand we are using the character dialogue to find information out and world build that way, but it felt as if we were talking in circles almost every time. There are numerous POVs throughout this story, and I know these characters all play their own role in the world as the series progresses. The difficulty I had was the constant switching of how those POVs were portrayed. Sometimes it’s in 3rd person from an all-knowing narrator, or sometimes it’s from that character, but that could also be in 3rd person or 1st person…it switches many times within the same paragraph even. That could be due to the format of the eARC I was reading, but it was a little exhausting without being clear enough.
I have heard this series gets very intense as it goes on. I do have multiple of the audiobooks already purchased, so I will be continuing. It just isn’t something that I am invested enough to physically read, if that makes sense. I do see the vision, and how each of these characters can make a big impact later, so I am sticking around for a little longer to see how it plays out.
Thank you pirateaba for building such a large and intense world, and NetGalley & Harper Voyager for sharing it with me ahead of time 🩵
I started this audiobook a couple years ago. The narrator did a great job with all the voices, but I couldn’t get into the story, so I stopped it.
When I saw this was being published I was super excited for the editing process and the rewrites that were happening. Unfortunately, I don’t think this writing is for me.
This book is VERY wordy. Like, too much. I know there is a lot going on, but it seemed to hash out a lot of details that were not relevant to the growth of the plot or storyline at all. I understand we are using the character dialogue to find information out and world build that way, but it felt as if we were talking in circles almost every time. There are numerous POVs throughout this story, and I know these characters all play their own role in the world as the series progresses. The difficulty I had was the constant switching of how those POVs were portrayed. Sometimes it’s in 3rd person from an all-knowing narrator, or sometimes it’s from that character, but that could also be in 3rd person or 1st person…it switches many times within the same paragraph even. That could be due to the format of the eARC I was reading, but it was a little exhausting without being clear enough.
I have heard this series gets very intense as it goes on. I do have multiple of the audiobooks already purchased, so I will be continuing. It just isn’t something that I am invested enough to physically read, if that makes sense. I do see the vision, and how each of these characters can make a big impact later, so I am sticking around for a little longer to see how it plays out.
Thank you pirateaba for building such a large and intense world, and NetGalley & Harper Voyager for sharing it with me ahead of time 🩵
May 30, 2026
I absolutely flew through the first few books of The Wandering Inn and remember thinking, wow… this series is something special. The world feels huge, alive, and incredibly well thought out, with so many storylines and characters somehow all weaving together into something that just works.
What really kept me hooked early on was Erin and Ryoka (forgive me if I’m spelling that wrong 😅). Their stories pulled me in fast, and I loved how the series balances emotional moments, humour, chaos, adventure, politics, and genuinely wild worldbuilding. There’s always something happening, and the cast becomes massive in a way that somehow still feels fun rather than overwhelming.
Books 1–3 completely grabbed me. Book 4 felt slower for me, and I actually drifted a bit during book 5 and ended up taking a break. After reading other things and coming back to it though, I found myself enjoying it again and remembered why I liked the series so much in the first place. Even when it slowed down, the world and characters were still enough to keep me invested.
These audiobooks are absolutely gigantic (seriously, they are a commitment 😅), but they feel like living in a world for a while rather than just reading a story. Not every section hooked me equally, and I missed having more Erin in later parts, but overall this has been such a fun, ambitious, character-filled series that I’m still excited to continue. Onto the next one.
What really kept me hooked early on was Erin and Ryoka (forgive me if I’m spelling that wrong 😅). Their stories pulled me in fast, and I loved how the series balances emotional moments, humour, chaos, adventure, politics, and genuinely wild worldbuilding. There’s always something happening, and the cast becomes massive in a way that somehow still feels fun rather than overwhelming.
Books 1–3 completely grabbed me. Book 4 felt slower for me, and I actually drifted a bit during book 5 and ended up taking a break. After reading other things and coming back to it though, I found myself enjoying it again and remembered why I liked the series so much in the first place. Even when it slowed down, the world and characters were still enough to keep me invested.
These audiobooks are absolutely gigantic (seriously, they are a commitment 😅), but they feel like living in a world for a while rather than just reading a story. Not every section hooked me equally, and I missed having more Erin in later parts, but overall this has been such a fun, ambitious, character-filled series that I’m still excited to continue. Onto the next one.
July 10, 2026
I made it about 30% into this book before unfortunately deciding to DNF it. I really wanted to enjoy this story, especially because the premise and world had a lot of potential, but the pacing was much slower than I was able to connect with.
One of my biggest struggles was that many elements were introduced without immediate explanation. While I understand that some mysteries are meant to unfold over time, I found myself becoming frustrated by constantly trying to piece together how everything connected and where the story was heading.
Once more details were revealed, I found the characters and the world itself to be interesting. However, I wasn't able to get past the feeling that I was missing too many pieces to fully immerse myself in the story.
Readers who enjoy extremely detailed world-building and experiencing a world alongside the characters as they slowly uncover its secrets will likely appreciate this book. Unfortunately, the pacing and gradual reveals made it difficult for me to fully engage with the story.
Pros: Very detailed, great RPG elements
Cons: SLOW pacing, delayed explanations
One of my biggest struggles was that many elements were introduced without immediate explanation. While I understand that some mysteries are meant to unfold over time, I found myself becoming frustrated by constantly trying to piece together how everything connected and where the story was heading.
Once more details were revealed, I found the characters and the world itself to be interesting. However, I wasn't able to get past the feeling that I was missing too many pieces to fully immerse myself in the story.
Readers who enjoy extremely detailed world-building and experiencing a world alongside the characters as they slowly uncover its secrets will likely appreciate this book. Unfortunately, the pacing and gradual reveals made it difficult for me to fully engage with the story.
Pros: Very detailed, great RPG elements
Cons: SLOW pacing, delayed explanations
May 7, 2026
ehhh
This book was slightly interesting but not enough. It moved at a snails pace, and everything bad seems to happen to the main character. The book also switches perspectives from character to character with no warning or headings, so I would think I was reading about one character when it was in fact another. It also randomly introduces a character 50 percent within the book doesn’t explain the persons purpose and just continues with the main character afterwards. I just don’t understand this book at all. The main character isn’t even enjoyable. There’s nothing wandering about the inn and she does very little in keeping at all. Mostly wandering around facing various issues. It was a chore to get through.
This book was slightly interesting but not enough. It moved at a snails pace, and everything bad seems to happen to the main character. The book also switches perspectives from character to character with no warning or headings, so I would think I was reading about one character when it was in fact another. It also randomly introduces a character 50 percent within the book doesn’t explain the persons purpose and just continues with the main character afterwards. I just don’t understand this book at all. The main character isn’t even enjoyable. There’s nothing wandering about the inn and she does very little in keeping at all. Mostly wandering around facing various issues. It was a chore to get through.
May 15, 2026
Bait and switch
This book series is a apparently 22 books long and the first four are available on Kindle unlimited. They're decent quality LITRPG And I felt that they were generally worth reading and I was looking forward to the fifth book. But now I see it only is available for purchase for 10 bucks. It's not worth 10 bucks. So I would recommend that you save the frustration and don't even start. I don't know if they're going to change that or they're going to just charge $10 for every book going forward. But not worth the candle.
This book series is a apparently 22 books long and the first four are available on Kindle unlimited. They're decent quality LITRPG And I felt that they were generally worth reading and I was looking forward to the fifth book. But now I see it only is available for purchase for 10 bucks. It's not worth 10 bucks. So I would recommend that you save the frustration and don't even start. I don't know if they're going to change that or they're going to just charge $10 for every book going forward. But not worth the candle.
June 27, 2026
“All those that Think—Feel. From Feeling do we Act. It is in Action that we Level. All those who Think have a Class. And it is in that Class which we find destiny.”
This started off a bit slow, but I could immediately feel it had promise. I am so glad I didn't put it down.
I have no idea how I have never come across Pirateaba before now!
I was SOBBING 70% in.
I will definitely continue reading in this series.
Highly recommend for fantasy fans with a slice of life driven plot line.
This started off a bit slow, but I could immediately feel it had promise. I am so glad I didn't put it down.
I have no idea how I have never come across Pirateaba before now!
I was SOBBING 70% in.
I will definitely continue reading in this series.
Highly recommend for fantasy fans with a slice of life driven plot line.
June 7, 2026
Main character is incredibly annoying
This girl is a complete idiot. Oh woe is me, I can’t get my crap together and do much of anything. I heard the series was good so I’ve been slogging through it. The pacing is slow. Very little happens. If you like action and adventure, this is not for you.
This girl is a complete idiot. Oh woe is me, I can’t get my crap together and do much of anything. I heard the series was good so I’ve been slogging through it. The pacing is slow. Very little happens. If you like action and adventure, this is not for you.
April 26, 2026
Okay Read
It was a well written book. The main character just didn't click with me. I didn't find her actions acceptable for someone that finds themselves transported to a different world.
It was a well written book. The main character just didn't click with me. I didn't find her actions acceptable for someone that finds themselves transported to a different world.
May 3, 2026
A slow start but quickly gains steam
A friend of mine whose recommendations i trust suggested this book. The first chapter or two were slow but it quickly picked up steam and woven a really intriguing story. Im headed to book 2 now.
A friend of mine whose recommendations i trust suggested this book. The first chapter or two were slow but it quickly picked up steam and woven a really intriguing story. Im headed to book 2 now.
June 21, 2026
I enjoyed this, though I can see there are some elements that might annoy people. The two main characters are both unrealistically good at stuff. Maybe that's on purpose? I guess I'll have to keep reading to find out.
June 28, 2026
My second read of this series. The first book in this series is a little rough around the edges but it is still a page turner. It develops into one of the most sprawling and interesting series I've ever read.
April 16, 2026
A 3.5 star read. Overall good but a little wordy in places. I will definitely read more!
May 21, 2026
Huh
Got 64% done. Started out strong. The weird jumps among groups were so hard to figure out. Really likes the bits with Etin, but the other stuff made it impossible to follow
Got 64% done. Started out strong. The weird jumps among groups were so hard to figure out. Really likes the bits with Etin, but the other stuff made it impossible to follow
May 31, 2026
A whole new world. Also, I am glad I started chess lessons 4 months ago
May 31, 2026
Just finished rereading this book. I love this series so much. I forgot how much happens in the first installment. I am about to reread the whole series again.
June 30, 2026
I needed another Lit RPG after Dungeon Crawler Carl and gave this a shot. Loved it! This author is a fabulous world builder and has distinctive characters.
June 30, 2026
Imaginative world transfer of a woman of Earth to a world of monsters and an Abandoned Inn, told in a humorous mode.
Unlimited Kindle book, read with the Alexa audio application.
Unlimited Kindle book, read with the Alexa audio application.
July 2, 2026
Like it, but since when did muai thai have dan-grades?
May 29, 2026
I am not a fan of LITRPG this was my first and last. It was slow and not my type of book I enjoyed the fantasy aspects of the story but all of the focus on the mundane was annoying.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
The Wandering Inn is the first part of a -massive- serialized epic crossworlds fantasy by PirateAba. Originally published (and ongoing) from 2018, this reformat and re-release by Harper Avon (HarperCollins) is due out 11th Aug 2026. This volume is 688 pages and will be available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other books in the series are also currently available on KU.
Started as an online serial fiction LitRPG self-published series, it took off in a big way and has a massive active fan following; there's even a fandom wiki fanbase with character entries (there are thousands).
With a word count in literal millions, this is not a super fast-paced action driven speedfest. It's slow, stately, occasionally exciting (getting chased by cannibalistic goblins, singed by a dragon, etc).. but mostly it's an innkeeper, thrust into a fantasy setting, and learning how to survive, set up her inn, and gain [innkeeper] levels.
Five stars with a hefty codicil: this is not a fast easy read, the cast numbers in hundreds (maybe thousands?), it's been going on for years and is still actively being written. There's 8 -years- of background and a gargantuan canon. On the other hand, it's easy and accessible (and potentially free to access online) to get started.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Wandering Inn is the first part of a -massive- serialized epic crossworlds fantasy by PirateAba. Originally published (and ongoing) from 2018, this reformat and re-release by Harper Avon (HarperCollins) is due out 11th Aug 2026. This volume is 688 pages and will be available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other books in the series are also currently available on KU.
Started as an online serial fiction LitRPG self-published series, it took off in a big way and has a massive active fan following; there's even a fandom wiki fanbase with character entries (there are thousands).
With a word count in literal millions, this is not a super fast-paced action driven speedfest. It's slow, stately, occasionally exciting (getting chased by cannibalistic goblins, singed by a dragon, etc).. but mostly it's an innkeeper, thrust into a fantasy setting, and learning how to survive, set up her inn, and gain [innkeeper] levels.
Five stars with a hefty codicil: this is not a fast easy read, the cast numbers in hundreds (maybe thousands?), it's been going on for years and is still actively being written. There's 8 -years- of background and a gargantuan canon. On the other hand, it's easy and accessible (and potentially free to access online) to get started.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
When I first tried out The Wandering Inn years ago, I decided it wasn't for me. The writing was a little awkward, the main character a little...pathetic.Then I kept hearing great things and got stubborn and tried it again and read thousands of pages past the first volume.
This volume one has the same soul, but more polish (and a lot fewer pages).
Erin Solstice finds herself in a strange, hostile world. Burned by a dragon, chased by goblins, menaced by giant crab things disguised as rocks. This story follows her, and eventually a LARGE cast of characters, as she adjusts to a world that's completely alien to her. She makes mistakes. She makes friends. She makes a lot of pasta.
This is "litrpg," I guess, but not in the annoying way that gives you a ten page list of stats and skills every time the main character levels. The classes and skills are more slice of life than life or death for most of the characters. That doesn't mean there's no danger and no action, but it's a lot less grating than the standard litrpg experience.
Give it a shot. If it doesn't work for you, come back and give it another. It's charming and funny and heartbreaking and frustrating and just a good time.
This volume one has the same soul, but more polish (and a lot fewer pages).
Erin Solstice finds herself in a strange, hostile world. Burned by a dragon, chased by goblins, menaced by giant crab things disguised as rocks. This story follows her, and eventually a LARGE cast of characters, as she adjusts to a world that's completely alien to her. She makes mistakes. She makes friends. She makes a lot of pasta.
This is "litrpg," I guess, but not in the annoying way that gives you a ten page list of stats and skills every time the main character levels. The classes and skills are more slice of life than life or death for most of the characters. That doesn't mean there's no danger and no action, but it's a lot less grating than the standard litrpg experience.
Give it a shot. If it doesn't work for you, come back and give it another. It's charming and funny and heartbreaking and frustrating and just a good time.
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