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Freehaven Online #1
Dragonsbane
Freehaven Online is more than a game to Justine. By day, she creates monsters for the world, by night she's raiding dungeons. Most importantly, it's her one connection to her dead brother whose buffs still linger within the game.
When his virtual shrine is threatened by an update Justine reforges his guild to complete the Dragonsbane quest in his honor. As an experienced tank, she's no stranger to the bandit attacks, PvP combat, and dragons Freehaven will throw at her.
Little does she know, a hacker organization known as Archangel tampers with the update, leaving thousands of players, including Justine, stranded in full immersion virtual reality. As if that weren't strange enough, NPCs are getting smarter, and some marooned players don't want to escape. They're ready to jump at the chance for virtual immortality.
Justine must temper the fervent emotions stirring in her guild and unite them to complete the quest. If she doesn't, friends will break from sanity, and others will die in real life.
When his virtual shrine is threatened by an update Justine reforges his guild to complete the Dragonsbane quest in his honor. As an experienced tank, she's no stranger to the bandit attacks, PvP combat, and dragons Freehaven will throw at her.
Little does she know, a hacker organization known as Archangel tampers with the update, leaving thousands of players, including Justine, stranded in full immersion virtual reality. As if that weren't strange enough, NPCs are getting smarter, and some marooned players don't want to escape. They're ready to jump at the chance for virtual immortality.
Justine must temper the fervent emotions stirring in her guild and unite them to complete the quest. If she doesn't, friends will break from sanity, and others will die in real life.
586 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 16, 2018
49 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 18, 2018
This is my first foray into LitRPG, and what a nice surprise! Stepping out of my comfort zone was fun, and I believe I have found a new genre to add to my favorites list! If all LitRPG is this much fun, it may become my new obsession. My sons, both early 20s, listened in a bit while I was enjoying this audiobook in the car, and they thought it held up well to similar books in the genre.
That said, I do think a good part of my excitement here comes from this particular novel, Dragonsbane. The held-hostage-in-a-VR-world premise, the world building, the endearing characters (especially Justine/Mel), the audio narrator, the writing in general -- it all came together into a thrilling and fun adventure. The fact that I've finished and am still insanely curious to find out what happens to the new guild and what happened to the original Toxic Muffin guild members proves this was a story well done. I do hope the originals appear in the next book.
For those of you wondering, I don't believe it would take a gamer to enjoy this novel, but it certainly requires a bit of knowledge about high fantasy role playing games to understand all the lingo. And while the narrator definitely gave a valiant effort to the multitude of voices and accents, you might need to let go of some expectations of authenticity. Maybe 1% of the narrators out there could hit all those accents out of the park, and Amy is really good, but she's not *that* good.
Bottom line: The next in the series is a definite yes, as soon as the audiobook is released. I know it's in print already, but I'm happy to stay on the audio train for this series.
That said, I do think a good part of my excitement here comes from this particular novel, Dragonsbane. The held-hostage-in-a-VR-world premise, the world building, the endearing characters (especially Justine/Mel), the audio narrator, the writing in general -- it all came together into a thrilling and fun adventure. The fact that I've finished and am still insanely curious to find out what happens to the new guild and what happened to the original Toxic Muffin guild members proves this was a story well done. I do hope the originals appear in the next book.
For those of you wondering, I don't believe it would take a gamer to enjoy this novel, but it certainly requires a bit of knowledge about high fantasy role playing games to understand all the lingo. And while the narrator definitely gave a valiant effort to the multitude of voices and accents, you might need to let go of some expectations of authenticity. Maybe 1% of the narrators out there could hit all those accents out of the park, and Amy is really good, but she's not *that* good.
Bottom line: The next in the series is a definite yes, as soon as the audiobook is released. I know it's in print already, but I'm happy to stay on the audio train for this series.
November 5, 2018
I’ve never read LitRPG before… mainly because I never knew it was a thing. But if the rest of the genre is anything like this book, I AM IN.
The main character, Justine, is a computer game developer and gamer. Her younger brother has passed away and she’s taken to playing in his favourite VR game to feel closer to him and to try to contact his old guild members to let them know why he suddenly disappeared from their game. She’s a very sympathetic and likable character, though she can be a little over sensitive at times.
This was an amazingly immersive read, exploring the new world with Justine and discovering her capabilities within it as she did. She meets a variety of new people from different walks of life and creates her own guild, which felt very personal to me.
I enjoyed this book in audio format so discovering that the book is actually 600+ pages long after I’d finished it blew my mind, I was easily listening to 3 hour chunks while doing housework and trying to drag it out as long as possible near the end so I wasn’t going to have to say goodbye to the characters.
The audio format did make listening to the stat read outs a bit tedious, I probably would have skimmed those bits in a print edition but there weren’t so many that it was a problem.
I’ve listened to a few audiobooks by Amy Landon before and I love her first person narration and pacing, but this time I’m going to have to say that the accents she used in this book are not her strong suit.
As an audio listener, I’d rather hear a narrator use the wrong accent than one they haven’t mastered – making me giggle does ruin the immersion a bit!
Thankfully all the characters start using American accents around halfway through the story so it does become less distracting.
After getting to the end of this audio, I learnt that the sequel is already available to read in print so now I have to decide whether or not to jump right in or hang about for the audiobook…. Decisions, decisions
The main character, Justine, is a computer game developer and gamer. Her younger brother has passed away and she’s taken to playing in his favourite VR game to feel closer to him and to try to contact his old guild members to let them know why he suddenly disappeared from their game. She’s a very sympathetic and likable character, though she can be a little over sensitive at times.
This was an amazingly immersive read, exploring the new world with Justine and discovering her capabilities within it as she did. She meets a variety of new people from different walks of life and creates her own guild, which felt very personal to me.
I enjoyed this book in audio format so discovering that the book is actually 600+ pages long after I’d finished it blew my mind, I was easily listening to 3 hour chunks while doing housework and trying to drag it out as long as possible near the end so I wasn’t going to have to say goodbye to the characters.
The audio format did make listening to the stat read outs a bit tedious, I probably would have skimmed those bits in a print edition but there weren’t so many that it was a problem.
I’ve listened to a few audiobooks by Amy Landon before and I love her first person narration and pacing, but this time I’m going to have to say that the accents she used in this book are not her strong suit.
As an audio listener, I’d rather hear a narrator use the wrong accent than one they haven’t mastered – making me giggle does ruin the immersion a bit!
Thankfully all the characters start using American accents around halfway through the story so it does become less distracting.
After getting to the end of this audio, I learnt that the sequel is already available to read in print so now I have to decide whether or not to jump right in or hang about for the audiobook…. Decisions, decisions
October 27, 2018
I really enjoyed this first book in series. The characters are well developed, had losses and problems you can relate to and you soon become attached to them. The entertaining storyline has lots of action, scenes that touch your heart and others that make you laugh. I enjoyed the mix of real world and game world; how in-game actions had an impact on the characters' real lives. You care about these characters and want them to achieve their aims and to survive. The narration suited the book well, drawing you into the world and giving the characters individual voices. I look forward to the next book in the series.
May 20, 2018
This is a fast read that kept me up until late. It doesn't feel like almost 600 pages because one thing keeps flowing on to the next, and you don't really want to stop because the plot is always moving.
This book solves a problem that I've noticed in the few other LitRPGs I've read, in-game actions have a meaningful impact on the characters' real lives. All of the characters have well developed personalities, and you can imagine yourself meeting up and having a conversation with them. I care about everyone in the core group of five. There's lots of action mixed with touching scenes that made me laugh or pulled at my heartstrings.
I love that this book has a powerful female MC. Having read Jun's other novel, he does an awesome job getting into the heads of his female characters. I can't wait for book two!
This book solves a problem that I've noticed in the few other LitRPGs I've read, in-game actions have a meaningful impact on the characters' real lives. All of the characters have well developed personalities, and you can imagine yourself meeting up and having a conversation with them. I care about everyone in the core group of five. There's lots of action mixed with touching scenes that made me laugh or pulled at my heartstrings.
I love that this book has a powerful female MC. Having read Jun's other novel, he does an awesome job getting into the heads of his female characters. I can't wait for book two!
July 1, 2018
Excellent first in a series.
This was a great book with a relatable MC who doesn't seem ridiculously OP or infallible. The tech of how the game works is glossed over, which I don't mind one bit as it helps keep the story flowing smoothly. The supporting characters are interesting and have enough depth that they feel like people and not cheap cliches or archetypes. The game world feels familiar and interesting. I look forward to the characters exploring more of both game worlds. Heck, honestly, the only problems I had involved something that happened to one of the characters towards the end of the book and the price. I won't get into the character thing to avoid spoilers but the price... maybe I'm just cheap, but I find it incredibly frustrating to have to pay more than 2-3 dollars for an e-book.
This was a great book with a relatable MC who doesn't seem ridiculously OP or infallible. The tech of how the game works is glossed over, which I don't mind one bit as it helps keep the story flowing smoothly. The supporting characters are interesting and have enough depth that they feel like people and not cheap cliches or archetypes. The game world feels familiar and interesting. I look forward to the characters exploring more of both game worlds. Heck, honestly, the only problems I had involved something that happened to one of the characters towards the end of the book and the price. I won't get into the character thing to avoid spoilers but the price... maybe I'm just cheap, but I find it incredibly frustrating to have to pay more than 2-3 dollars for an e-book.
January 5, 2020
Audio book review
This is a great story that Jun wrote . It took a lot of imagination and detail . Jun wrote a story full of action and mystery . Jun took the time to explain how the game in the story flows . The main character is a female heroine.
Amy Landon performance was great. She voice is perfect for a Litlpg . Amy voice is smooth and strong
This is a great story that Jun wrote . It took a lot of imagination and detail . Jun wrote a story full of action and mystery . Jun took the time to explain how the game in the story flows . The main character is a female heroine.
Amy Landon performance was great. She voice is perfect for a Litlpg . Amy voice is smooth and strong
June 15, 2018
Great book
Great book. Lots of adventuring and dragon slaying. Great female lead character and I will purchase the next book too.
Great book. Lots of adventuring and dragon slaying. Great female lead character and I will purchase the next book too.
October 29, 2018
I really liked the characters and their story. The game/virtual world is more or less a normal MMORPG environment and at first nothing special, but it evolved in an enjoyable "home".
The grinding and leveling isn't the main focus of the book, but the story is nice.
The grinding and leveling isn't the main focus of the book, but the story is nice.
September 24, 2018
This book was pretty interesting. Although I have to say WHERE are the old toxic muffins. Will she ever find them?
October 29, 2018
Heckin great read!
This book was so much fun to read I just couldn’t bring myself to put it down! Definitely recommend it to litrpg lovers!
This book was so much fun to read I just couldn’t bring myself to put it down! Definitely recommend it to litrpg lovers!
October 7, 2020
Loved it
Love the real online and table top D&D aspect of this. Brings back memories of late night gatherings around the table and hours of playing online and with little to no sleep going to work.
Love the real online and table top D&D aspect of this. Brings back memories of late night gatherings around the table and hours of playing online and with little to no sleep going to work.
July 5, 2018
Hmm among the better ones I would say, I liked the character well enough. I consider the stuck in game plot because people hacked it bullshit from a technical point but tech that works in magical ways is pretty much the norm for litrpgs with trapped in game elements if there is no actual magic.
But I will say some things about it anyway
I wonder whether the author watched SAO and log horizon, sao because of the announcement scene reminding me of it and log horizon because of the food thing. Anyway enjoyable reads, not the best litrpg I know but far from the worst.
But I will say some things about it anyway
I wonder whether the author watched SAO and log horizon, sao because of the announcement scene reminding me of it and log horizon because of the food thing. Anyway enjoyable reads, not the best litrpg I know but far from the worst.
June 20, 2019
While the book starts off a bit slow it's necessary for character building and it doesn't take too long to really get going. The main character is developed pretty well and her motivations are solid, several of the supporting characters are developed pretty well and fleshed out motivations but there are also a few who haven't been built up yet, probably so they can be built up in the next book. The world building is fantastic and it's the first time I've ever seen a story where a developer is combining two games this way. The characters skills, (some) items, and (some) quests being (mostly) unique are all explained in ways that are new to me and make a lot more sense than Oh the character got lucky and found this ultra rare top secret quest. This book handles it much better and it's clearly well thought out. There are a few points in the book where my brain went wait why were those numbers and or rolls even necessary there and I wasn't catching the authors intent but eventually picked up on it representing the ongoing changes to the world. The overall trope of being trapped in a game is the standard affair and hasn't been fully fleshed out but it's done in an alright way so far. I can see obvious inspiration from some other books and light novels or anime including one of my favorites Log Horizon. Part of the end of the book is a little predictable and you can see it coming but it still hit me emotions for a little while after finishing the book. Honestly I can't understand why I don't see this book recommended more the author did a fantastic job, and the narrator was on point though I did recognize her voice slip a little into a character shes done in another book for a few seconds. I highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading / listening to the next one.
January 1, 2019
Securely above the trash found within the litrp genre, but not exceptional, yet. Except a for having a decent female main character, which is a sad rarity in litrpg. Around half way through there were a noticeable amount of grammar/spelling issues that disturbed the reading flow, but again, there is a lot worse in litrpg.
In total, I will continue reading this series, if I find someone to gift me the next book.
In total, I will continue reading this series, if I find someone to gift me the next book.
December 7, 2022
So I dnf this book. I just couldn't like the main character. She is suppose to be a game developer and plays a game everyday online but basically does a leroy jenkins when she groups up? Don't even get me started how the other players take over. I get she is a little socially awkward but come on. No thanks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2023
So i read the book blurb.
Is the Main Character Female or male? Because you keep using both "He" and "SHE".
Now mind you i don't care one bit if the MC is Male or Female. But i have to consider that if you couldn't get the blurb for the book right. What is the books content going to be like?
Is the Main Character Female or male? Because you keep using both "He" and "SHE".
Now mind you i don't care one bit if the MC is Male or Female. But i have to consider that if you couldn't get the blurb for the book right. What is the books content going to be like?
September 24, 2018
I don't know what it was about this book, but most of the time it just didn't do it for me.
April 2, 2025
Excuse any spelling mistakes I make. I listened to this one
There are more than a few light throwaways to anime like SAO and Log Horizon, so if those are your thing, you'll probably like those references
The story was fun, but left a lot to be desired.
I couldn't stand Frobod and the fact that nobody told him to shove a sock in his mouth while he is being an unhinged asshole was deeply frustrating. Mel didn't need to reveal Mirae's IRL condition to tell Frobod he was being a dick and to can it.
Also, it felt like the gnome girl (I don't remember her name) was set up as a punching bag in the story for no reason at all? Mel didn't like her, for no reason at all. She got the shit end of the stick constantly, for no reason at all. Like her date at the banquet. I wouldn't say she was likable, but she certainly wasn't unlikable so it all felt forced and out of place
There are more than a few light throwaways to anime like SAO and Log Horizon, so if those are your thing, you'll probably like those references
The story was fun, but left a lot to be desired.
I couldn't stand Frobod and the fact that nobody told him to shove a sock in his mouth while he is being an unhinged asshole was deeply frustrating. Mel didn't need to reveal Mirae's IRL condition to tell Frobod he was being a dick and to can it.
Also, it felt like the gnome girl (I don't remember her name) was set up as a punching bag in the story for no reason at all? Mel didn't like her, for no reason at all. She got the shit end of the stick constantly, for no reason at all. Like her date at the banquet. I wouldn't say she was likable, but she certainly wasn't unlikable so it all felt forced and out of place
September 20, 2018
The audio book is awesome.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews