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The Wandering Inn #1
The Wandering Inn
Enter the the massive epic fantasy world created by pirateaba that has become a LitRPG sensation, now for the first time in a physical edition!
“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.
“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.
626 pages, Paperback
Published August 11, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 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 11, 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]
August 27, 2026
I need to preface this review with the fact that I am not very well versed in the whole litRPG genre at all, nor have I really had any fascination or interest in it. That said, if a vast majority of the litRPG novels currently out now are anything like this one, I may just have to check them out as well.
I've heard many good things, as well as many not so good things, about this series. I've known about it for a few years but have never had the opportunity to actually start reading it. I much prefer reading physical books rather than ebooks or online books (such as this one), and that was one of my biggest detractors. Then I saw that these will be slowly released in physical form, and I jumped on it. I ordered this book a few months back and when it finally came in, I immediately dove in.
Going into this book knowing how vast the series is, I have to admit that I wasn't going to be too critical in terms of writing and such. Well, let me tell you... I was extremely impressed with Pirateaba's writing. The character development and world building is pretty incredible and convincing. It definitely takes quite a bit of time to pick up some momentum, but once you get there, it rolls on its own very nicely.
The only real complaint I have is the fact that our main character, Erin Solstice, gets plopped into a strange fantasy world and she never once even tries to figure out how to get back to her own world. She takes on an inn and just... dives right in. She mentions several times how much she hates this world, but never once even thinks about trying to leave.
Throughout the entire book, she consistently asks question after question about the world itself, the species within the world, and how (or why) the "level-up" works. Not one actually guesses that she is not from this world (unless that comes later in another volume).
Other than that, I really enjoyed this. It just kind of sucks that I now have to wait until October until the next book (part 2 of book 1) comes out.
I advise anybody who wants to read this, or has already started, to please hang in there. The beginning is a bit slow, but I promise you that there is a good payout as the book progresses. You just need to give it time.
I've heard many good things, as well as many not so good things, about this series. I've known about it for a few years but have never had the opportunity to actually start reading it. I much prefer reading physical books rather than ebooks or online books (such as this one), and that was one of my biggest detractors. Then I saw that these will be slowly released in physical form, and I jumped on it. I ordered this book a few months back and when it finally came in, I immediately dove in.
Going into this book knowing how vast the series is, I have to admit that I wasn't going to be too critical in terms of writing and such. Well, let me tell you... I was extremely impressed with Pirateaba's writing. The character development and world building is pretty incredible and convincing. It definitely takes quite a bit of time to pick up some momentum, but once you get there, it rolls on its own very nicely.
The only real complaint I have is the fact that our main character, Erin Solstice, gets plopped into a strange fantasy world and she never once even tries to figure out how to get back to her own world. She takes on an inn and just... dives right in. She mentions several times how much she hates this world, but never once even thinks about trying to leave.
Throughout the entire book, she consistently asks question after question about the world itself, the species within the world, and how (or why) the "level-up" works. Not one actually guesses that she is not from this world (unless that comes later in another volume).
Other than that, I really enjoyed this. It just kind of sucks that I now have to wait until October until the next book (part 2 of book 1) comes out.
I advise anybody who wants to read this, or has already started, to please hang in there. The beginning is a bit slow, but I promise you that there is a good payout as the book progresses. You just need to give it time.
September 8, 2026
What an incredible book. Not teeming with action but a nice cozy fantasy read with so much depth
Each of the characters is flawed in their own way but not enough to make them bad people, just nuanced and human. To be able to tow the line where they make mistakes but are still likable is an incredible feat.
The world feels deep and lived in. Erin may have just been dropped into 1 city but you can feel the influence from all the others, and the history especially in respect to the tension between different species.
And I love how each person gains a level in their class with different effort. If you're already an expert it's hard to learn but at the beginning there's so much hardship you can level much easier
Each of the characters is flawed in their own way but not enough to make them bad people, just nuanced and human. To be able to tow the line where they make mistakes but are still likable is an incredible feat.
The world feels deep and lived in. Erin may have just been dropped into 1 city but you can feel the influence from all the others, and the history especially in respect to the tension between different species.
And I love how each person gains a level in their class with different effort. If you're already an expert it's hard to learn but at the beginning there's so much hardship you can level much easier
August 19, 2026
DNF at 20%
I really tried to stick this out but who am I trying to fool I will never stick this series out.
Not only is this incredibly poorly written, cringey and in desperate need for an editor it has the absolute audacity to be boring as well.
I really tried to stick this out but who am I trying to fool I will never stick this series out.
Not only is this incredibly poorly written, cringey and in desperate need for an editor it has the absolute audacity to be boring as well.
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.
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.
September 19, 2026
I had an insane amount of fun reading this, but structurally it is a complete nightmare. About 400 pages in, a brand new POV is introduced and they use first person instead of third person AND they have sarcastic footnotes. Very, very confusing. Very cobbled together. The most confusing thing to me was the way that the leveling system had absolutely no affect on the characters. At most it was annoying for them to hear it before they could sleep but it didn't really affect the story or them as people in any real way. I'm wondering if will be more important in future books?
A huge point in this book's favor is the gravity given to death. I wasn't expecting a LitRPG book to actually question the morality of killing off monsters but I really respected how seriously Erin took death. I'm used to characters just committing mass murder to up their stats in this genre, but she acted like an actual human being would. Now was this part of a tonal issue where the book would go from cozy to gruesome gore? Yes. I still respected it though.
I might actually read the next one which is a crazy thing to say given that this is just a random book I got from a Goodreads giveaway.
A huge point in this book's favor is the gravity given to death. I wasn't expecting a LitRPG book to actually question the morality of killing off monsters but I really respected how seriously Erin took death. I'm used to characters just committing mass murder to up their stats in this genre, but she acted like an actual human being would. Now was this part of a tonal issue where the book would go from cozy to gruesome gore? Yes. I still respected it though.
I might actually read the next one which is a crazy thing to say given that this is just a random book I got from a Goodreads giveaway.
August 10, 2026
Cozy fantasy litRPG packed with emotional depth, high stakes plot and a dynamic cast of characters. I was unsure about this book for the first 25%, it read like a very lighthearted read and almost a bit silly but as the story progressed i started to realize how layered it was. I love the characters and even found myself shedding a few tears. Was very pleasantly surprised and can’t wait to get into part 2!
July 22, 2026
surprisingly bad
Surprising because despite being published by a mainstream press this book reads like self indulgent, self published, unedited twaddle. It’s long winded. The scenery is both overly detailed and confusing. There are even author self-insert footnotes. No redeeming qualities exist in the first four chapters. Deserves DNF.
Surprising because despite being published by a mainstream press this book reads like self indulgent, self published, unedited twaddle. It’s long winded. The scenery is both overly detailed and confusing. There are even author self-insert footnotes. No redeeming qualities exist in the first four chapters. Deserves DNF.
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
August 1, 2026
Buckle up bitches. I have a beef. Having read both the Dungeon Crawler Carl and He Who Fights With Monsters series, I had high hopes for this book series (it's surprisingly well recommended).
And I have to be honest, I REALLY struggled to get through this book. The worst part, is that I technically haven't finished the first book - just part 1.
I am just so frustrated with the main characters!
*Spoilers*
They are literally and magically plucked from earth and plopped in a new magical world. AND NEITHER OF THEM ARE CURIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE WORLD. They're both infuriating.
Erin is some kind of chess prodigy, but can't even make a list when she finally figured out she needed to go grocery shopping?? She imposes her beliefs on cultures and situations without thinking or bothering to ask about the culture and people around her. LIKE FOR REAL?! I know people have different experiences and ways to approach life - but come on! I spent more time rolling my eyes and frustratedly sighing at her than liking her character and whatever fucking growth she experienced (11 levels, a dead bodyguard, and 0 exposure or interest in THE MAGICAL WORLD AROUND HER. LIKE ??????). Also don't even get me started on the period chapter. I get it, it's cool to talk about menstruation in books now, but god was pointless and NOTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
Then we introduce Ryoka. I disliked her even more 🙃 "I like to run, and I don't like talking to people." That's it. That's her character. Tada.
Every time her chapters would come up, I wanted to lose my Kindle behind the couch. Such a stupid and frustrating character. I would like to write more about how much she annoyed me, but honestly i don't want to waste my time. Apparently I can't stand books where I don't like, or can't get interested in a main character.
Overall, complete waste of time. Why the fuck is this (entire) book 1300+ pages? 90% of this book was pointless and really didn't add to the story or convince me to want to invest time in these characters.
In fact, the most interesting characters are a side character goblin with no lines, an ant warrior (who dies - of course), annnnnd a rich noble lady who eats a shit ton of ice cream.
I'm struggling to figure out how there are *20* books in the series and how it's supposed to keep people's attention this long.
I might finish part 2 of the book, but it will literally only be out of obligation - and supposedly it gets better. If you want to read the series, skip book 1 and just read recaps until the story actually gets good.
Ugh.
And I have to be honest, I REALLY struggled to get through this book. The worst part, is that I technically haven't finished the first book - just part 1.
I am just so frustrated with the main characters!
*Spoilers*
They are literally and magically plucked from earth and plopped in a new magical world. AND NEITHER OF THEM ARE CURIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE WORLD. They're both infuriating.
Erin is some kind of chess prodigy, but can't even make a list when she finally figured out she needed to go grocery shopping?? She imposes her beliefs on cultures and situations without thinking or bothering to ask about the culture and people around her. LIKE FOR REAL?! I know people have different experiences and ways to approach life - but come on! I spent more time rolling my eyes and frustratedly sighing at her than liking her character and whatever fucking growth she experienced (11 levels, a dead bodyguard, and 0 exposure or interest in THE MAGICAL WORLD AROUND HER. LIKE ??????). Also don't even get me started on the period chapter. I get it, it's cool to talk about menstruation in books now, but god was pointless and NOTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
Then we introduce Ryoka. I disliked her even more 🙃 "I like to run, and I don't like talking to people." That's it. That's her character. Tada.
Every time her chapters would come up, I wanted to lose my Kindle behind the couch. Such a stupid and frustrating character. I would like to write more about how much she annoyed me, but honestly i don't want to waste my time. Apparently I can't stand books where I don't like, or can't get interested in a main character.
Overall, complete waste of time. Why the fuck is this (entire) book 1300+ pages? 90% of this book was pointless and really didn't add to the story or convince me to want to invest time in these characters.
In fact, the most interesting characters are a side character goblin with no lines, an ant warrior (who dies - of course), annnnnd a rich noble lady who eats a shit ton of ice cream.
I'm struggling to figure out how there are *20* books in the series and how it's supposed to keep people's attention this long.
I might finish part 2 of the book, but it will literally only be out of obligation - and supposedly it gets better. If you want to read the series, skip book 1 and just read recaps until the story actually gets good.
Ugh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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!
September 27, 2026
*3.75⭐️*
To be completely honest, the first couple hundred pages of this were pretty rough to get through. Almost entirely due to pacing, and needing editing like crazy. After that though it steadily gets better and better all the way to the end. So what started out as a 2.5 star book ended up much closer to a 4 star. I liked the world we were introduced to thus far. And the characters, for the most part, were interesting and varied enough to keep me engaged. After a rough start I’m looking forward to seeing where book 2 goes.
To be completely honest, the first couple hundred pages of this were pretty rough to get through. Almost entirely due to pacing, and needing editing like crazy. After that though it steadily gets better and better all the way to the end. So what started out as a 2.5 star book ended up much closer to a 4 star. I liked the world we were introduced to thus far. And the characters, for the most part, were interesting and varied enough to keep me engaged. After a rough start I’m looking forward to seeing where book 2 goes.
August 18, 2026
A little slow at the start, but by the end I was heavily invested in the characters.
August 19, 2026
Oh, this was so wonderful. I had no idea I would love this story and these characters so much already.
September 7, 2026
Started as a subtle and cozy adventure but evolved into much more! Great character and world development!
August 24, 2026
Right, I need to read the other parts as well.
August 31, 2026
I didnt even get that far into it. Im into litrpgs but the way this first 2 chapters were written I couldn't. I didnt have high hopes for thw rest of the book to bother to continue
September 19, 2026
Thoroughly enjoyed this and am smashing the series online. Easy to read, engaging, amusing, everything from breathless tension to tears. A huge world well imagined.
August 23, 2026
Like many, after bingeing DCC, I decided to take a look at some other highly-rated litRPG. This is my first, and it's a frustrating experience. The Wandering Inn started as a webserial in 2016, with the whole first book published over five months or so. It was revised in 2023 for better continuity, and the audiobook was updated at that time as well. Finally, the first book was split into two with a few more minor edits for paperback editions in 2026, as it would have been too long to squeeze into a single volume.
I frequently see this described as a "slice of life" story but it doesn't read like that to me. It is slow, but not cozy. It's a hundred pages before the main character speaks to another person, and most of that time is spent trying to figure out how to not be hungry and dirty. Lots of stream of consciousness, but this is more Paolini than Proust. The main character is a fairly sheltered and not-too-bright young woman (apparently 20 but comes across more like 15) so there's not much to the consciousness aside from a lot of "I'm hungry" and "it's not fair". Almost every character speaks like a child. There's a lot of redundancy and repetition. Also, the author doesn't seem to have any idea how far a mile is or how long it takes to walk one (the nearest city is a speck in the distance from the Inn, but is apparently about a forty-minute walk through tall grass, but also once you're within "a few miles" there are guard patrols, so your guess is as good as mine.)
All of which to say: it takes a while for this thing to get moving. But once it finally gets into gear, there are moments of surprising impact and power and humanity (as well as continued infodumps and redundancy), and it starts to feel like there's a shape to the thing, some bigger architecture that our characters are influencing and interacting with. In this moments I can understand why this is so popular.
But here's my radical wish: I wish that for the print editions they'd hired an editor to go to town. Done a Princess Bride-style "Good Parts" edition. Because there's no reason this whole novel couldn't fit into one book. The webversion is still there, unabridged, for those who prefer the maximalist, more-is-more approach. I wish for the traditionally published dead-tree versions they'd taken the opportunity to show us the power of a good editor in whittling something good into something special.
I frequently see this described as a "slice of life" story but it doesn't read like that to me. It is slow, but not cozy. It's a hundred pages before the main character speaks to another person, and most of that time is spent trying to figure out how to not be hungry and dirty. Lots of stream of consciousness, but this is more Paolini than Proust. The main character is a fairly sheltered and not-too-bright young woman (apparently 20 but comes across more like 15) so there's not much to the consciousness aside from a lot of "I'm hungry" and "it's not fair". Almost every character speaks like a child. There's a lot of redundancy and repetition. Also, the author doesn't seem to have any idea how far a mile is or how long it takes to walk one (the nearest city is a speck in the distance from the Inn, but is apparently about a forty-minute walk through tall grass, but also once you're within "a few miles" there are guard patrols, so your guess is as good as mine.)
All of which to say: it takes a while for this thing to get moving. But once it finally gets into gear, there are moments of surprising impact and power and humanity (as well as continued infodumps and redundancy), and it starts to feel like there's a shape to the thing, some bigger architecture that our characters are influencing and interacting with. In this moments I can understand why this is so popular.
But here's my radical wish: I wish that for the print editions they'd hired an editor to go to town. Done a Princess Bride-style "Good Parts" edition. Because there's no reason this whole novel couldn't fit into one book. The webversion is still there, unabridged, for those who prefer the maximalist, more-is-more approach. I wish for the traditionally published dead-tree versions they'd taken the opportunity to show us the power of a good editor in whittling something good into something special.
September 27, 2026
I'm a big fan of the audiobooks, so when I saw Pirateaba was finally getting a physical release, I leapt at the opportunity to support them.
Is this book a slow start? Yes. I'd say it takes about 150 pages or so to pick up--when Erin finally meets some of the locals and the story turns from a rather slow slice-of-life survival story into a cozy-feeling story with glimpses of the humor and heart that make it hard to put down. Give it another 100 pages and the story starts to hint at the pure breathtaking scope and depth yet to come. This is a series that rewards those who stick with it with laughter and tears, sometimes in the same paragraph.
But it does take an investment. Pirateaba's writing is simple, sometimes choppy, but very easy to digest. Eye-reading, the first 150, 200, 300 pages flew by, with only a little push to get through the initial hump. One thing I enjoy about this series is the realism--Erin's trials as she tackles running an inn in an alien world make sense. Down-to-earth common-sense style, with a healthy dose of optimism. I also like that Erin (and the other characters) all have their flaws, and grow without losing them entire. Ryoka is a good example of that--serious anger issues, a chip on her shoulder the size of a block, and convinced she knows better than everyone around her. That said--even in this book you start to see growth. But like in real life, growth is slow, and often requires painful experiences to take. All the characters in the world are whole people (though maybe not in the first book). Pirateaba has a remarkable skill in introducing a new character POV and making me care about them right away. They're also spectacular at introducing someone I instantly hate... and then cultivating that character into someone I love.
This entry--Wandering Inn, Vol. 1 Part 1, truly is just half of a book. Don't expect any sort of conclusion or closure. There are low-stakes stretches and high-stakes fights, a few epic moments and some great laughs. This first entry probably doesn't deserve the five stars I gave it, but I can't help it.
Is this book a slow start? Yes. I'd say it takes about 150 pages or so to pick up--when Erin finally meets some of the locals and the story turns from a rather slow slice-of-life survival story into a cozy-feeling story with glimpses of the humor and heart that make it hard to put down. Give it another 100 pages and the story starts to hint at the pure breathtaking scope and depth yet to come. This is a series that rewards those who stick with it with laughter and tears, sometimes in the same paragraph.
But it does take an investment. Pirateaba's writing is simple, sometimes choppy, but very easy to digest. Eye-reading, the first 150, 200, 300 pages flew by, with only a little push to get through the initial hump. One thing I enjoy about this series is the realism--Erin's trials as she tackles running an inn in an alien world make sense. Down-to-earth common-sense style, with a healthy dose of optimism. I also like that Erin (and the other characters) all have their flaws, and grow without losing them entire. Ryoka is a good example of that--serious anger issues, a chip on her shoulder the size of a block, and convinced she knows better than everyone around her. That said--even in this book you start to see growth. But like in real life, growth is slow, and often requires painful experiences to take. All the characters in the world are whole people (though maybe not in the first book). Pirateaba has a remarkable skill in introducing a new character POV and making me care about them right away. They're also spectacular at introducing someone I instantly hate... and then cultivating that character into someone I love.
This entry--Wandering Inn, Vol. 1 Part 1, truly is just half of a book. Don't expect any sort of conclusion or closure. There are low-stakes stretches and high-stakes fights, a few epic moments and some great laughs. This first entry probably doesn't deserve the five stars I gave it, but I can't help it.
July 5, 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 🩵
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Welp, I've stumbled into a new obsession. I went into this thinking it was going to be a run-of-the-mill fantasy. Before I had read any of previews, I was even (incorrectly) thinking this was going to be a story about an inn that teleported around the world. Instead, I found a Lit-RPG that might genuinely be a runner up with Dungeon Crawler Carl as great, modern fantasy. (I guess DCC is Sci-Fi, sue me) If you've read DCC and enjoyed it, The Wandering Inn is a
must-read
. In this world, humans are being randomly, and seeming indiscriminately, teleported into a realm that treats your skills/passions as classes that can be leveled up. While humans do already exist in this world, our PoV character(s) are people from the "real world" that were drawn into the fantasy world. What I found most charming about this book is, despite it keeping a solid pace throughout, the world still felt very lived-in. Things here were already established and understood before our characters arrived, and we get to learn about it and ask the same questions they might. If I had any gripe, I feel like it would only be that I don't like when characters blatantly go, "Oh, this is like D&D." There was also a similar line about Minecraft. At around 600 pages, these lines literally only happen once or twice and do not detract from the book in the slightest. It just felt like stubbing your toe on a Hollow-Stone Deceiver. Compared to a lot of other Lit-RPGs, this narrative is immensely heartfelt and wholesome, and I fell in love with almost every character. (With the exception of Pisces, sorry dude, you're just a bum)
August 28, 2026
I obviously can't review this with any level of objectivity because I've read over ten million words of the web serial, starting in my early teens. I caught up after a few years lapse in a herculean effort over one summer in college but I have fallen substantially behind in the past year, and will probably catch up... eventually... maybe when procrastinating my PhD applications.
I do genuinely think The Wandering Inn is pretty good, despite its many, many flaws. I can't say that any individual character, or plotline, or arc is the greatest thing I've ever read. Most are good, some are kind of abrasive, some are genuinely great. I'd like to say that sitting with characters for so long is something special, but to be quite honest so much has happened that I largely forget the earlier arcs characters had, and I think sometimes the author does too. The one unqualified compliment I will give is that the sheer scale of the world Pirateaba builds is incredible and substantially outruns the quality of the isekai'ed human characters within it. One of my recurring frustrations is how the entire world, and with all of its history and depth, repeatedly contorts like noneuclidean space to center Erin or our other protagonists.
But after all these years, I finished reading the first book (the print release) in the middle of the night and immediately got up out of bed to go pre-order the next one on Amazon. Somehow the whole of this giant unwieldy mess of a series forms something greater than its parts. At this point it's like an old friend to me. I can't in good faith recommend it to most people, as just getting to the good parts is already going to take you an entire fantasy series worth of paper. But, if you're ever really unemployed, maybe give it a shot?
I do genuinely think The Wandering Inn is pretty good, despite its many, many flaws. I can't say that any individual character, or plotline, or arc is the greatest thing I've ever read. Most are good, some are kind of abrasive, some are genuinely great. I'd like to say that sitting with characters for so long is something special, but to be quite honest so much has happened that I largely forget the earlier arcs characters had, and I think sometimes the author does too. The one unqualified compliment I will give is that the sheer scale of the world Pirateaba builds is incredible and substantially outruns the quality of the isekai'ed human characters within it. One of my recurring frustrations is how the entire world, and with all of its history and depth, repeatedly contorts like noneuclidean space to center Erin or our other protagonists.
But after all these years, I finished reading the first book (the print release) in the middle of the night and immediately got up out of bed to go pre-order the next one on Amazon. Somehow the whole of this giant unwieldy mess of a series forms something greater than its parts. At this point it's like an old friend to me. I can't in good faith recommend it to most people, as just getting to the good parts is already going to take you an entire fantasy series worth of paper. But, if you're ever really unemployed, maybe give it a shot?
September 21, 2026
I’ll first say this. I am currently 50% done with this book. I am not much of a reader. This book caught my interest and reminded of Jumanji and what it might be like living inside a game. Fantastic! And seeing how it read and was written made it nice for people who might not read all the time, or for new comers that are getting into fantasy books. So that being said. This book is great for beginners in fantasy, or just want an easy read! But!
Reading further into the book, and oh my goodness… It was about 200 or so pages into the that something big happened? This book drags. A lot! And the way it is written got on my nerves so much. Yes, I understand that the character hurts and is in pain. But to tell me that every other sentence gets annoying sometimes. I try to give the author the benefit of the doubt, but it just ruins the experience for me sometimes.
Then halfway through the book it just cuts into a different perspective for a few pages and then cuts back to the way it was before. The writing just confuses me at times and gets frustrating when things repeat over and over. Those are my main complaints so far about this book.
On the other hand this book is quite fascinating. Very interested in finding out more about the world and how things work. Im hoping it picks up now that a new character has entered the picture. Still going to read this and finish it, but not too sure if I continue the series. If the writing is much like this one I might have to pass. But if you’re looking for something that’s easy to read and just want to pass the time with, then this book is perfect.
Reading further into the book, and oh my goodness… It was about 200 or so pages into the that something big happened? This book drags. A lot! And the way it is written got on my nerves so much. Yes, I understand that the character hurts and is in pain. But to tell me that every other sentence gets annoying sometimes. I try to give the author the benefit of the doubt, but it just ruins the experience for me sometimes.
Then halfway through the book it just cuts into a different perspective for a few pages and then cuts back to the way it was before. The writing just confuses me at times and gets frustrating when things repeat over and over. Those are my main complaints so far about this book.
On the other hand this book is quite fascinating. Very interested in finding out more about the world and how things work. Im hoping it picks up now that a new character has entered the picture. Still going to read this and finish it, but not too sure if I continue the series. If the writing is much like this one I might have to pass. But if you’re looking for something that’s easy to read and just want to pass the time with, then this book is perfect.
September 29, 2026
3.75 rounded to 4 stars
an insanely (and perhaps unnecessarily?) long cozy litRPG book following multiple characters and storylines, but primarily a woman named Erin, who is somehow transported to this fantasy world where you can level up.
what I liked:
- the worldbuilding was slow but steady, and ultimately phenomenal
- i love the integration of chess
- i really liked Ryoka as a character and found myself flying through her chapters
- the Antinnium are lowkey so funny
- the little 'level up' and 'class' icons were a nice touch
what I disliked:
- this is a thicc book and could easily drop 100-200 pages without affecting the story
- Erin was giving Emily in Paris, main-character syndrome, and at one point I genuinely wanted to climb into the story and punch her because what do you MEAN no killing goblins
- Erin talks to herself way too much.. girl shut up
- I usually enjoy multiple storylines, but found that the book could have been formatted differently to better differentiate between the various characters, locations, and perspectives. it was all just jumbled together; some chapters were even written in both first and third person, separated only by a few spaces.
I liked it enough to read the next book (book 1, part 2), especially because I'm so invested in Ryoka's leg and all the storylines converging when they travel to Erin's location. i'm hoping the more i read, the more invested i'll become in the world and story, and i'll be able to up the rating a little higher
an insanely (and perhaps unnecessarily?) long cozy litRPG book following multiple characters and storylines, but primarily a woman named Erin, who is somehow transported to this fantasy world where you can level up.
what I liked:
- the worldbuilding was slow but steady, and ultimately phenomenal
- i love the integration of chess
- i really liked Ryoka as a character and found myself flying through her chapters
- the Antinnium are lowkey so funny
- the little 'level up' and 'class' icons were a nice touch
what I disliked:
- this is a thicc book and could easily drop 100-200 pages without affecting the story
- Erin was giving Emily in Paris, main-character syndrome, and at one point I genuinely wanted to climb into the story and punch her because what do you MEAN no killing goblins
- Erin talks to herself way too much.. girl shut up
- I usually enjoy multiple storylines, but found that the book could have been formatted differently to better differentiate between the various characters, locations, and perspectives. it was all just jumbled together; some chapters were even written in both first and third person, separated only by a few spaces.
I liked it enough to read the next book (book 1, part 2), especially because I'm so invested in Ryoka's leg and all the storylines converging when they travel to Erin's location. i'm hoping the more i read, the more invested i'll become in the world and story, and i'll be able to up the rating a little higher
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.
September 25, 2026
A breath of fresh air in the LitRPG genre. It stands at a tangent to Dungeon Crawler Carl, which I absolutely love, and brings in its own take of the genre. Pirateaba built a mesmerising world that has you curious about the stories of each continent, city and each character, and mystical creatures that push into their otherworldliness. Some characters that I cherish have died and some have evolved into completely different people without feeling unnatural.
At this point, I have read a lot of LitRPG and a lot of them seem more of less like the same. This one has an isekai feel, not as much of the jump into a gaming system thing with a hud in your peripheral.
It is a slow read, but damn does it get exhilarating at times... It sometimes feels like you are casually driving through a meadow enjoying the view, get a small curious whiff of burning wood and seconds later you are speeding through a burning forest, swerving through fallen trees with a raging fire devil right on your tail. After all the adrenaline, the writer actually gives you respite to mourn the loss of your dear car that got totaled through this ordeal.
The world she built feels so tangible and is so big, that a year later I am still not up to date with the latest updates.
At this point, I have read a lot of LitRPG and a lot of them seem more of less like the same. This one has an isekai feel, not as much of the jump into a gaming system thing with a hud in your peripheral.
It is a slow read, but damn does it get exhilarating at times... It sometimes feels like you are casually driving through a meadow enjoying the view, get a small curious whiff of burning wood and seconds later you are speeding through a burning forest, swerving through fallen trees with a raging fire devil right on your tail. After all the adrenaline, the writer actually gives you respite to mourn the loss of your dear car that got totaled through this ordeal.
The world she built feels so tangible and is so big, that a year later I am still not up to date with the latest updates.
October 3, 2026
Wow! Beyond being a little intimidated at the size of this series, im so glad I listened to the husband and gave it a try.
The story seems super interesting and reasonably easy to follow even when changing POVs. It starts out slow and honestly, I'm not entirely sure I even like the MCs but I'm hoping since I've only read part 1 of book 1, getting to know them more will change that. Ryoka especially i feel needed a little more explanation for why shes quite so standoff ish, was she like this on earth or is it just being plonked in a new, magical world thats done it? If so, why isnt she more curious about that new world? Erin does seem a little more open to getting to know her surroundings and other species but neither of them ever question getting home which i found strange. It definitely had me rolling my eyes, laughing out loud and even in tears at one point which I didnt expect but I didnt realise just how attached I was to the other characters more than the MCs!
It maybe could have done with an editor (or a different editor if one has been involved) before being printed but I've definitely read worse and it hasnt been so badly written enough to put me off continuing with book 1 part 2.
Im new to litRPG after only reading DCC before this and while this is totally different, im enjoying it just as much overall and cant wait to see where the rest of the 15million words take us!
The story seems super interesting and reasonably easy to follow even when changing POVs. It starts out slow and honestly, I'm not entirely sure I even like the MCs but I'm hoping since I've only read part 1 of book 1, getting to know them more will change that. Ryoka especially i feel needed a little more explanation for why shes quite so standoff ish, was she like this on earth or is it just being plonked in a new, magical world thats done it? If so, why isnt she more curious about that new world? Erin does seem a little more open to getting to know her surroundings and other species but neither of them ever question getting home which i found strange. It definitely had me rolling my eyes, laughing out loud and even in tears at one point which I didnt expect but I didnt realise just how attached I was to the other characters more than the MCs!
It maybe could have done with an editor (or a different editor if one has been involved) before being printed but I've definitely read worse and it hasnt been so badly written enough to put me off continuing with book 1 part 2.
Im new to litRPG after only reading DCC before this and while this is totally different, im enjoying it just as much overall and cant wait to see where the rest of the 15million words take us!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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