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Puatera Online #2
Desert Born
With her charge, Alex, safely delivered, Maddie drowns her pain in a local bar. Leaving later that night only to discover Alex has been beaten and robbed, his own quest failed. Politics and cash aside, she aids him. Once more they cross the desert, this time where Tromoal and enemies are born.
111 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 8, 2017
21 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Dawn Chapman
60 books178 followersDawn Chapman has been creating sci-fi and fantasy stories for thirty years. In 2005, her life and attention turned to scripts, and she started work on The Secret King (TSK), a 13-episode science fiction television series, with great passion for this medium.
In 2010, Dawn returned to her first love of prose. She has been working with Coach EJ Runyon, who has encouraged her away from fast-paced script writing, to revel in the world of TSK and Letháo as an epic prose space journey.
This year, her experience of working with producers/directors from the United States and Australia has expanded. From drama and science fiction to action, Dawn has built a portfolio of writing, consulting, and publishing.
In 2010, Dawn returned to her first love of prose. She has been working with Coach EJ Runyon, who has encouraged her away from fast-paced script writing, to revel in the world of TSK and Letháo as an epic prose space journey.
This year, her experience of working with producers/directors from the United States and Australia has expanded. From drama and science fiction to action, Dawn has built a portfolio of writing, consulting, and publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 16, 2018
I read Desert Runner. What's next? Desert Runner 2, of course! Or, rather, Desert Born.
It was loads of fun! Like this:
Still, not as captivating as the first part of the series. I knew the world by now, and now I needed things done with it.
Although the writing is good, and narration again awesome, I needed something more to justify the 5* score. If I went solely with the "audio" part in the "audiobook", since I listened to it and Andrea was super-pleasant to my ears, I would have gone with the maximum score.
However, the story lacked some kick. It wasn't boring, but I felt it dragged out a bit. I did enjoy it though and will certainly go for the third part. Books are ~4 hours long, and at 1.3x listening speed, it compresses into 3 hours. Those were well-spent 3 hours.
As with any of my reviews, take this one with a grain of salt as well. I tend to over-rate something when I enjoy it. But I suppose that's the point of the subjective rating :)
Desert Born (Puatera Online #2)
by Dawn Chapman (Goodreads Author), Andrea Parsneau (Narrator)
Verdict - A very good sequel. Looking forward to next installment.
It was loads of fun! Like this:
Still, not as captivating as the first part of the series. I knew the world by now, and now I needed things done with it.
Although the writing is good, and narration again awesome, I needed something more to justify the 5* score. If I went solely with the "audio" part in the "audiobook", since I listened to it and Andrea was super-pleasant to my ears, I would have gone with the maximum score.
However, the story lacked some kick. It wasn't boring, but I felt it dragged out a bit. I did enjoy it though and will certainly go for the third part. Books are ~4 hours long, and at 1.3x listening speed, it compresses into 3 hours. Those were well-spent 3 hours.
As with any of my reviews, take this one with a grain of salt as well. I tend to over-rate something when I enjoy it. But I suppose that's the point of the subjective rating :)
Desert Born (Puatera Online #2)
by Dawn Chapman (Goodreads Author), Andrea Parsneau (Narrator)
Verdict - A very good sequel. Looking forward to next installment.
Overall
Performance
Story
January 26, 2020
Notes:
Yay dragons! After reading the author bio, it totally makes sense that these books are like TV show episodes. =)
Yay dragons! After reading the author bio, it totally makes sense that these books are like TV show episodes. =)
March 14, 2018
3.5 stars
In book one, the world-building was what captured my attention the most. In book two, the thing that captured my attention the most were the plot twists! I won't go into too many details here so I don't spoil too much, but the thing that surprised/interested me was what a character named Riezella (forgive me if I spelt the name wrong!) did to Maddie. Technically, the event happened in book one, but we don't find out about it until book two and I think the strongest plot point of this book was finding out all of the details of what that meant for Maddie, our MC-who's-actually-an-NPC.
That, and Alex. As I said in my review of the first book, I hoped we would find out what would become of him and Dawn Chapman did, indeed, deliver. His details were revealed a little quickly which surprised me, but not so much as the fact that a certain character whom we were introduced to in the first book ends up coming after Alex. Now that, I was not expecting. Talk about jealousy.
Now, my rating of this book is more or less the same as the rating of the first book, but I do feel inclined to knock it down a few points. Other than the details I mentioned above, I feel like this book was...slightly less captivating than the first one? It's not a lot by any means, however I do prefer the first book overall - perhaps because* of the world-building or perhaps because of something else, like getting to know Maddie. This book was nothing but action - which is GOOD, considering the length and the genre - but I did appreciate how book #1 slowed things down just a little bit and let us (and by us I mean me) appreciate the characters for who they are, not just the cool/intense things they do, if that makes sense. Overall though, the amount of detail that Dawn Chapman is able to fit into such a short book is absolutely INSANE and still, by far, the best thing I like about her writing.
I know this review is a tad shorter than that of the first book (mainly because of all the introduction done in book #1+I don't want to spoil too much of the plot in book #2), but I think my opinion/rating of the two so far is, more or less, the same. Desert Runner may be my favorite so far, but - considering what I've read up until this point - this series seems like a good, strong read for any lover of LitRPG!
In book one, the world-building was what captured my attention the most. In book two, the thing that captured my attention the most were the plot twists! I won't go into too many details here so I don't spoil too much, but the thing that surprised/interested me was what a character named Riezella (forgive me if I spelt the name wrong!) did to Maddie. Technically, the event happened in book one, but we don't find out about it until book two and I think the strongest plot point of this book was finding out all of the details of what that meant for Maddie, our MC-who's-actually-an-NPC.
That, and Alex. As I said in my review of the first book, I hoped we would find out what would become of him and Dawn Chapman did, indeed, deliver. His details were revealed a little quickly which surprised me, but not so much as the fact that a certain character whom we were introduced to in the first book ends up coming after Alex. Now that, I was not expecting. Talk about jealousy.
Now, my rating of this book is more or less the same as the rating of the first book, but I do feel inclined to knock it down a few points. Other than the details I mentioned above, I feel like this book was...slightly less captivating than the first one? It's not a lot by any means, however I do prefer the first book overall - perhaps because* of the world-building or perhaps because of something else, like getting to know Maddie. This book was nothing but action - which is GOOD, considering the length and the genre - but I did appreciate how book #1 slowed things down just a little bit and let us (and by us I mean me) appreciate the characters for who they are, not just the cool/intense things they do, if that makes sense. Overall though, the amount of detail that Dawn Chapman is able to fit into such a short book is absolutely INSANE and still, by far, the best thing I like about her writing.
I know this review is a tad shorter than that of the first book (mainly because of all the introduction done in book #1+I don't want to spoil too much of the plot in book #2), but I think my opinion/rating of the two so far is, more or less, the same. Desert Runner may be my favorite so far, but - considering what I've read up until this point - this series seems like a good, strong read for any lover of LitRPG!
February 28, 2018
Stuff Got Real In Desert Born!
Beaten within an inch of his life and left for dead, Alex’s life hangs in the balance. Maddie must find out more about her new powers and her new status within the changing world. In the process, they find out that the Tromoal are in trouble and need their help.
I will tell you one thing about Chapman – she knows how to build a world AND write characters that you believe are completely real. The Puatera world is a place that I want to go (or play) and it’s something that isn’t always easily attainable in LitRPG type novels. And the characters, man, they are incredibly likable and you end up feeling for them even though they aren’t real (sometimes in two different ways – a book and an “NPC”).
I’m pretty new to the LitRPG world but I’m not new to the gaming world. I love the story arcs and the little digs into the “real world” vs the game world. Chapman pulls the curtain back a little in Desert Born and it really gave me the chills when you find out about things outside of the game world (from an “NPC-type” players point of view.
As I said in my title, stuff (I would never use that word in real life, but for Audible, I’ll edit it; shit got real. There was a lot of stuff that happens in this story that tugged at my heartstrings and made me fall for these characters even more than I already did.
Being a nice switch from my normal “doom and gloom” post-apocalyptic genre – this has been a nice change of pace and I’ve been really enjoying the series. Look forward to my post for book three since that’s going to jump pretty high on my list after finishing this one.
Beaten within an inch of his life and left for dead, Alex’s life hangs in the balance. Maddie must find out more about her new powers and her new status within the changing world. In the process, they find out that the Tromoal are in trouble and need their help.
I will tell you one thing about Chapman – she knows how to build a world AND write characters that you believe are completely real. The Puatera world is a place that I want to go (or play) and it’s something that isn’t always easily attainable in LitRPG type novels. And the characters, man, they are incredibly likable and you end up feeling for them even though they aren’t real (sometimes in two different ways – a book and an “NPC”).
I’m pretty new to the LitRPG world but I’m not new to the gaming world. I love the story arcs and the little digs into the “real world” vs the game world. Chapman pulls the curtain back a little in Desert Born and it really gave me the chills when you find out about things outside of the game world (from an “NPC-type” players point of view.
As I said in my title, stuff (I would never use that word in real life, but for Audible, I’ll edit it; shit got real. There was a lot of stuff that happens in this story that tugged at my heartstrings and made me fall for these characters even more than I already did.
Being a nice switch from my normal “doom and gloom” post-apocalyptic genre – this has been a nice change of pace and I’ve been really enjoying the series. Look forward to my post for book three since that’s going to jump pretty high on my list after finishing this one.
December 10, 2018
These are the third to fifth books I’ve read/listened to by this author and I can’t wait to listen to another. I first listened to Jessica’s Challenge then Dahlia’s Shadow.
All the books in the series are ones I would listen to again.
Maddie is a self-aware NPC. Although she has a difficult time going against her programming, it is possible. Throughout these books, Maddie learns a lot about the truth about herself (one of which I found awkward at first, but then it started to make sense) and the world of Puatera. These books have a story thread separate from the other Puatera books, until near the end when we gets hints how they will merge.
Book 1: Desert Runner
Maddie is a Desert Runner. She accepts high risk retrieval jobs for pay. She’s getting paid well for this job, but soon learns why all other desert runners before her declined this job. Constantly in pain from an old trauma, she has little choice now but to take her unwanted passenger with her, across dangerous Tromal breeding grounds, to his destination to complete this job.
Book 2: Desert Storm
Maddie and Alex learn the food supply usually given to the Tromal is not enough to get them through the birthing season. The local people’s lives are now at risk. After learning more about the Tromal, Maddie gathers the other desert runners in an attempt to gather enough food for them. To add to the troubles, they find a stolen Tromal egg and there is a herd of zombie cattle.
Book 3: Desert Born
Maddie finds out that, after she’s safely delivered Alex to his destination, he’s been beaten up and not completed his quest. Feeling compelled to help, she assisted him on his quest. They soon learn there is little choice but to go back to the desert and search out the Tromal or everything they know shall be threatened.
These are the first to third books I’ve listened to by this narrator ( Andrea Parsneau ) and I would listen to another. She does a great voice for Maddie. In fact, she does all the voices really well. Her narration brings the characters and story to life. The books are great, but her narration is also why I could hardly stop listening until the books were done.
There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or swearing.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.
Story 5/5
Narration 5/5
All the books in the series are ones I would listen to again.
Maddie is a self-aware NPC. Although she has a difficult time going against her programming, it is possible. Throughout these books, Maddie learns a lot about the truth about herself (one of which I found awkward at first, but then it started to make sense) and the world of Puatera. These books have a story thread separate from the other Puatera books, until near the end when we gets hints how they will merge.
Book 1: Desert Runner
Maddie is a Desert Runner. She accepts high risk retrieval jobs for pay. She’s getting paid well for this job, but soon learns why all other desert runners before her declined this job. Constantly in pain from an old trauma, she has little choice now but to take her unwanted passenger with her, across dangerous Tromal breeding grounds, to his destination to complete this job.
Book 2: Desert Storm
Maddie and Alex learn the food supply usually given to the Tromal is not enough to get them through the birthing season. The local people’s lives are now at risk. After learning more about the Tromal, Maddie gathers the other desert runners in an attempt to gather enough food for them. To add to the troubles, they find a stolen Tromal egg and there is a herd of zombie cattle.
Book 3: Desert Born
Maddie finds out that, after she’s safely delivered Alex to his destination, he’s been beaten up and not completed his quest. Feeling compelled to help, she assisted him on his quest. They soon learn there is little choice but to go back to the desert and search out the Tromal or everything they know shall be threatened.
These are the first to third books I’ve listened to by this narrator ( Andrea Parsneau ) and I would listen to another. She does a great voice for Maddie. In fact, she does all the voices really well. Her narration brings the characters and story to life. The books are great, but her narration is also why I could hardly stop listening until the books were done.
There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or swearing.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.
Story 5/5
Narration 5/5
June 9, 2018
I’d read the first book, Desert Runner and absolutely enjoyed it, and so I was looking forward to reading the second one in the series. While Desert Born was still enjoyable, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations after reading the first book. I felt that it lacked some detail that would have helped flesh out the story a bit better, as there were several plot twists which were interesting, but would have been nice to have seen a bit more foreshadowed. (It is possible I was reading too quickly, since it was fast-paced, and thus missed something).
Though we finally start to have an idea of what’s going on with Maddie, and we see the continued story with Alex (which is why I really wanted to read the second book), some of the details are still vague and confusing. If you go with the flow, the story and world are interesting, and it’s really fast-paced (a short read, which is nice if you’re pressed on time), but maybe a bit too fast.
This is a light LitRPG story, so if you’re looking for a fast-paced, science fantasy adventure that eases you into the game mechanics, this might be a good series to start with. Just be warned that it sometimes feels like key setting details are left out, leaving you to piece together parts of it on your own. Still, it was interesting enough for me to move on to reading the third book in the series, and I did enjoy it.
Though we finally start to have an idea of what’s going on with Maddie, and we see the continued story with Alex (which is why I really wanted to read the second book), some of the details are still vague and confusing. If you go with the flow, the story and world are interesting, and it’s really fast-paced (a short read, which is nice if you’re pressed on time), but maybe a bit too fast.
This is a light LitRPG story, so if you’re looking for a fast-paced, science fantasy adventure that eases you into the game mechanics, this might be a good series to start with. Just be warned that it sometimes feels like key setting details are left out, leaving you to piece together parts of it on your own. Still, it was interesting enough for me to move on to reading the third book in the series, and I did enjoy it.
April 14, 2018
Review originally published at: http://www.lomeraniel.com/audiobookre...
Alex is back in Maddie’s world but in real life he is in terrible danger. Somehow his life is tied to the Tromoals’ success, without him knowing. Maddie will use her new powers to make them Tromoals succeed and Alex survive.
I’m loving this series. I think one of the things I like the most are the references to the real world and see how they play in Maddie’s world. Nothing is what it seems, and the game has become alive.
The characters are gaining more and more depth with each book, and despite I found the story in this book a little bit less appealing than the previous one, the series arc and Maddie’s world in general have completely amazed me.
Andrea Parsneau’s narration was just perfect, with a nice cadence and impressive character interpretations. The audio production was spotless.
I’m glad that I gave this series a try, I’m looking forward to see how it goes on.
I received a copy of this book in audio format from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Alex is back in Maddie’s world but in real life he is in terrible danger. Somehow his life is tied to the Tromoals’ success, without him knowing. Maddie will use her new powers to make them Tromoals succeed and Alex survive.
I’m loving this series. I think one of the things I like the most are the references to the real world and see how they play in Maddie’s world. Nothing is what it seems, and the game has become alive.
The characters are gaining more and more depth with each book, and despite I found the story in this book a little bit less appealing than the previous one, the series arc and Maddie’s world in general have completely amazed me.
Andrea Parsneau’s narration was just perfect, with a nice cadence and impressive character interpretations. The audio production was spotless.
I’m glad that I gave this series a try, I’m looking forward to see how it goes on.
I received a copy of this book in audio format from the author in exchange for an honest review.
February 18, 2018
Audiobook review: Desert Born picks up where Desert Runner leaves off. Maddie & Alex have gone their separate ways...until Maddie finds a pair of boots. In a very short period of time Ms. Chapman once again supplies us with a wild ride that contains passion, action, and intensity inside a game’s world...or is it? Great character, plot, and storyline development along with story progression. We see a softer side of Maddie, is it because of the interest that was developed with Alex in book 1...or a death?? In this book her runs across the desert are due to emotional connections and not money related. I really like the Tromoal (dragon) connection in this book. Book 2 could be a standalone but I’d recommend starting with book 1. The narrator did a great job with providing unique voices for each character, appropriate tone inflections, and speed of reading. I received a free copy of this audiobook and have voluntarily left this review.
October 19, 2019
In volume two we find Maddie, still in Port Troli soothing her sorrow over losing Alex, in a local bar. Upon leaving the bar, she finds Alex near-death after a terrible beating. Maddie takes Alex to local healer Chelise who once healed her. The ring given to Maddie by Dale is very powerful, possessing a legendary history. The Matriarch Tromoal noticed it, resulting in their spiritual union, and so did Chelise. Through the ring, Maddie was able to heal Alex. The tale continues with additional background on Alex, the purpose of his quest to Port Troli, and the reason for the assault on himself. We learn more about Maddie’s destiny, Alex’s future, and the Tromoals as well. The Tromoals are in their breeding season and are in a bind not finding enough food for their numbers. It’s fallen upon Maddie to find a solution to the problem. The tale becomes much more interesting as we continue. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
October 8, 2019
OMG I never thought I'd find a book series better than Outlander. Sure, ok, it's a completely different genre. But maybe it's because I am a gamer. But this story spoke to me. It's every gamer's dream to end up in a game world like Miss Chapman describes. I was so hyped about it I actually even posted it on Facebook urging others to read it. And the only other time I've ever done this was with Outlander.
Well I personally didn't read it, I listened to it. And in my opinion, no matter how good the story is, in audiobooks the narrator Makes or breaks the story. This narrator fully made this story. She's amazing.
This book does not belong to a game, the game world Puatera is fictional. But you will perfectly be able to orientate yourself in the story. A big A+ from me.
Well I personally didn't read it, I listened to it. And in my opinion, no matter how good the story is, in audiobooks the narrator Makes or breaks the story. This narrator fully made this story. She's amazing.
This book does not belong to a game, the game world Puatera is fictional. But you will perfectly be able to orientate yourself in the story. A big A+ from me.
November 6, 2017
LOVE IT!!! This story picks up right where the book one ends. It’s full of action from the beginning. It does end with the knowledge there is definitely more to come. I can’t wait to read the third book.
I am new to Ms. Chapman’s stories (as of the first book in this series) and I have to admit I’m hooked like a bad junkie! She writes with such passion, intensity and action, yet not failing to connect with emotion. I’ll shut up…but you MUST READ!!
I am new to Ms. Chapman’s stories (as of the first book in this series) and I have to admit I’m hooked like a bad junkie! She writes with such passion, intensity and action, yet not failing to connect with emotion. I’ll shut up…but you MUST READ!!
November 28, 2017
Kept me on the edge of my seat!
Although this book may be short, the content inside made up for it. This was an amazing sequel! Great character development and story progression! Can't wait for the next book!
Although this book may be short, the content inside made up for it. This was an amazing sequel! Great character development and story progression! Can't wait for the next book!
Read
October 8, 2019As this reads more as a serial than a series, I reviewed the compilation of the first three books as one. You can find the review here here.
August 20, 2020
Part 2 Just as Good
Continuing the tale of a strong female NPC who is trying to save her world from meddling players, some of whom are bent on breaking the game so it is closed down. I enjoyed it. Enough that I bought the sequel. Recommended.
Continuing the tale of a strong female NPC who is trying to save her world from meddling players, some of whom are bent on breaking the game so it is closed down. I enjoyed it. Enough that I bought the sequel. Recommended.
February 9, 2018
A great sequel to the first book, I enjoyed reading it!
June 19, 2018
A review of the first 3 books in the series, as an omnibus, is here on my blog. :)
December 28, 2019
Much the same as the first of the arc. Not the sort of thing I usually like, but I found myself compelled to finish it. Will read the last of the three in the arc, but doubt I'll look for more.
February 17, 2024
I was going to read all 3 books because I bought a set, but I can't stand how bad this series is.
March 21, 2018
Don't ask me how but this author fits so much in such little space.
Performance is perfect again !
I truly love how this story comes alone and where it's going.
Fun this is what we search in a book, we want to enjoy it and this trilogy or series does it.
I really can't wait for the next one to come out, I really want to see what happens with that twist which came out of nowhere.
Con: way to short.
Pro: excellent story and performance.
Recommendations: Yes I do recommend the series, the author got a beautiful mind he is a true story teller !
Got this audiobook for free for reviewing.
Performance is perfect again !
I truly love how this story comes alone and where it's going.
Fun this is what we search in a book, we want to enjoy it and this trilogy or series does it.
I really can't wait for the next one to come out, I really want to see what happens with that twist which came out of nowhere.
Con: way to short.
Pro: excellent story and performance.
Recommendations: Yes I do recommend the series, the author got a beautiful mind he is a true story teller !
Got this audiobook for free for reviewing.
April 23, 2019
I was hoping it would pick up after the 1st book, but it didn't.
Characters are just to inconsistent and some are just plain annoying. Also, the book it was a little to short to really get the story going so parts feel rushed.
Characters are just to inconsistent and some are just plain annoying. Also, the book it was a little to short to really get the story going so parts feel rushed.
April 28, 2020
The addition of dragons was cool. These are not your typical dragons though and that interaction is cool.
March 21, 2018
OMG this story has definitely been a ride that I wasn't expecting I love Maddie and need to know what happens next. Such a great read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews