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Guild of Tokens
She wants to level up her humdrum existence. But her next quest could spell life or death.
All Jen Jacobs has achieved in life is loneliness. So when she stumbles across a real-life game of epic quests on the streets of New York, she jumps at the chance for some excitement and gold tokens. Little does she know that the items she strives to collect hold a darker purpose…
After a particularly harrowing quest pairs her up with Beatrice Taylor, a no-nonsense and ambitious mentor, Jen hopes she’s on the path to becoming a big-time player. But as she dives deeper into the game’s hidden agenda, she realizes Beatrice has her sights set on the Guild, the centuries-old organization that runs the Questing game. And the quests Jen loves are about to put both of them in grave danger.
Will Jen survive the game before powerful forces cut her real life short?
Guild of Tokens is a thrilling new twist on conventional urban fantasy. If you like determined heroines, gritty cityscapes, and vampire-free adventures, then you’ll love Jon Auerbach’s rollercoaster tale.
All Jen Jacobs has achieved in life is loneliness. So when she stumbles across a real-life game of epic quests on the streets of New York, she jumps at the chance for some excitement and gold tokens. Little does she know that the items she strives to collect hold a darker purpose…
After a particularly harrowing quest pairs her up with Beatrice Taylor, a no-nonsense and ambitious mentor, Jen hopes she’s on the path to becoming a big-time player. But as she dives deeper into the game’s hidden agenda, she realizes Beatrice has her sights set on the Guild, the centuries-old organization that runs the Questing game. And the quests Jen loves are about to put both of them in grave danger.
Will Jen survive the game before powerful forces cut her real life short?
Guild of Tokens is a thrilling new twist on conventional urban fantasy. If you like determined heroines, gritty cityscapes, and vampire-free adventures, then you’ll love Jon Auerbach’s rollercoaster tale.
410 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 25, 2019
51 people are currently reading
274 people want to read
About the author
Jon Auerbach
13 books45 followersJon Auerbach's love of fantasy began at the tender age of six, when his parents bought him the classic 1977 animated version of The Hobbit.
Jon hopes to pass on his stories to the next generation, including his kids, who have their own copy of The Hobbit that they lovingly call "the Bilbo book."
Sign up for Jon's newsletter at www.jonauerbach.com/newsletter to get two free short stories!
Jon hopes to pass on his stories to the next generation, including his kids, who have their own copy of The Hobbit that they lovingly call "the Bilbo book."
Sign up for Jon's newsletter at www.jonauerbach.com/newsletter to get two free short stories!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
September 10, 2019
* This is one of the #SPFBO entries I am reading as a judge *
I have to admit, this one drew me in a whole lot more quickly than some of the other titles I have so far read for the competition and I really enjoyed it. I do think that there are quite a few missing words/grammatical amends needed to make it a really solid title, and some editing to make the book flow a little better, but the premise and general ideas worked well for me.
This story follows Jen, a coder with a life she's rather bored of. Her boyfriend is long-distance, her friends vain and shallow, and she is always stressed by her job. However, even with all of that it seems like she's missing some sense of adventure, and when a spam email keeps appearing in her inbox talking about real-life questing, she finally opens it to see what it offers.
Welcome to the real world, the behind-the-scenes of everything which has happened up to this point. Jen didn't know magic was real or that there was a Guild and a Council and people all over the world completing odd quests for tokens. She embarks on a journey in the unknown, following strange leads and weird magic.
What I really liked about this is that it felt modern and relevant and down to earth, but there was magic. It felt like the relationships had by the main character were solid, and I liked seeing how she dealt with the trials which kept coming to her. I do believe it was a realistic enough world even with the magic thrown in.
I think the pacing of the book feels a little odd and one of the reviews I read after having finished mentioned that the book used to be a few novellas which are now one story. To be honest that would make sense as it felt as though there were a couple of parts/phases in the storyline and the story took some interesting turns.
I liked the magic elements and the way that the story unfolded with the characters having to figure out solutions to cryptic messages and puzzles. There was a lot to enjoy from the book, and I think I found a rhythm quickly within the pages and could enjoy it as everything got explained. Sometimes with Urban fantasy I find it goes too quick and it's all battle scenes, but this was a good balance of real-life, relationships, magic, and mayhem.
Overall, a solid beginning to a very promising series. I think the book does need editing work to be able to stand alongside books generated through traditional publishing, but in terms of content I liked it a lot! 4*s overall, 8/10.
I have to admit, this one drew me in a whole lot more quickly than some of the other titles I have so far read for the competition and I really enjoyed it. I do think that there are quite a few missing words/grammatical amends needed to make it a really solid title, and some editing to make the book flow a little better, but the premise and general ideas worked well for me.
This story follows Jen, a coder with a life she's rather bored of. Her boyfriend is long-distance, her friends vain and shallow, and she is always stressed by her job. However, even with all of that it seems like she's missing some sense of adventure, and when a spam email keeps appearing in her inbox talking about real-life questing, she finally opens it to see what it offers.
Welcome to the real world, the behind-the-scenes of everything which has happened up to this point. Jen didn't know magic was real or that there was a Guild and a Council and people all over the world completing odd quests for tokens. She embarks on a journey in the unknown, following strange leads and weird magic.
What I really liked about this is that it felt modern and relevant and down to earth, but there was magic. It felt like the relationships had by the main character were solid, and I liked seeing how she dealt with the trials which kept coming to her. I do believe it was a realistic enough world even with the magic thrown in.
I think the pacing of the book feels a little odd and one of the reviews I read after having finished mentioned that the book used to be a few novellas which are now one story. To be honest that would make sense as it felt as though there were a couple of parts/phases in the storyline and the story took some interesting turns.
I liked the magic elements and the way that the story unfolded with the characters having to figure out solutions to cryptic messages and puzzles. There was a lot to enjoy from the book, and I think I found a rhythm quickly within the pages and could enjoy it as everything got explained. Sometimes with Urban fantasy I find it goes too quick and it's all battle scenes, but this was a good balance of real-life, relationships, magic, and mayhem.
Overall, a solid beginning to a very promising series. I think the book does need editing work to be able to stand alongside books generated through traditional publishing, but in terms of content I liked it a lot! 4*s overall, 8/10.
July 13, 2020
4.5 tokens
Incredibly imaginative!
The book that keeps on giving.
Guild of Tokens is one of the most imaginative and ingeniously choreographed novels I have ever read. I had the pleasure to listen to this novel on audio and was blown away by its dimensions. Elements from history, fantasy, and fiction all play in concert to create a uniquely crafted plot filled with surprises and suspense.
Jen works in the gaming industry and leads a lackluster life. Days in and out are just mundane. She's in a long-distance relationship, overworked and under-appreciated. Then, one day comes an email, she casually discards, like advertising. Upon receiving it, again and again, she wonders what it's all about: Join the Quest and receive tokens for it.
It turns out that this is a real-life RPG game in which questors collect items or do challenges to gain tokens. Jen is at a prime location in NYC, and her quests start from collecting rats and apples at the beginning and range to tracking down old texts, dodging blows by other players, and ultimately lead to a haunt of life and death.
Somewhere midway in the story, Beatrice, a high-level expert at the game becomes Jen's mentor and they enter a binding contract to work together in this game. What they are after is the centuries-old guild and it hurls them into an adventure of epic proportions.
This novel was amazing and I can't quite wrap my head around how one can think this all up and put it on paper. There was a bit of magic, friendship, heartache, and funny moments that added up into an exciting and dangerous adventure, entertaining and captivating to read.
I liked Jen's character, she is a tenacious one and catches on quickly, but it wasn't until Beatrice entered the novel that everything really revved up. Beatrice is a no-nonsense person, almost blunt or to the point of disregard. She practically takes command of the situations until Jen follows through and they become a team. However, they are not always on the same page and their own agendas don't always line up. The added tug of war complements a hair raising plot with missed chances, backstabs, and secrets.
The idea of questing in real life (role-playing / RPG) may not be far fetched, but Auerbach took that concept to a whole different level when he added historical bits and the old guild in this treasure hunt of clues and mystery combined with what's at stake for the players.
Initially, I had no idea if I would get on with this premise. I never was a gamer but it really wasn't intimidating at all. I'm glad it stayed on the path of a quest, say like geo-caching in a sense on a much bigger scale. It's definitely an exciting story, and I seriously want more people to read this.
Definitely recommend it :)
I received the audiobook of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you.
More of my reviews here:
Through Novel Time & Distance
Incredibly imaginative!
The book that keeps on giving.
Guild of Tokens is one of the most imaginative and ingeniously choreographed novels I have ever read. I had the pleasure to listen to this novel on audio and was blown away by its dimensions. Elements from history, fantasy, and fiction all play in concert to create a uniquely crafted plot filled with surprises and suspense.
Jen works in the gaming industry and leads a lackluster life. Days in and out are just mundane. She's in a long-distance relationship, overworked and under-appreciated. Then, one day comes an email, she casually discards, like advertising. Upon receiving it, again and again, she wonders what it's all about: Join the Quest and receive tokens for it.
It turns out that this is a real-life RPG game in which questors collect items or do challenges to gain tokens. Jen is at a prime location in NYC, and her quests start from collecting rats and apples at the beginning and range to tracking down old texts, dodging blows by other players, and ultimately lead to a haunt of life and death.
Somewhere midway in the story, Beatrice, a high-level expert at the game becomes Jen's mentor and they enter a binding contract to work together in this game. What they are after is the centuries-old guild and it hurls them into an adventure of epic proportions.
This novel was amazing and I can't quite wrap my head around how one can think this all up and put it on paper. There was a bit of magic, friendship, heartache, and funny moments that added up into an exciting and dangerous adventure, entertaining and captivating to read.
I liked Jen's character, she is a tenacious one and catches on quickly, but it wasn't until Beatrice entered the novel that everything really revved up. Beatrice is a no-nonsense person, almost blunt or to the point of disregard. She practically takes command of the situations until Jen follows through and they become a team. However, they are not always on the same page and their own agendas don't always line up. The added tug of war complements a hair raising plot with missed chances, backstabs, and secrets.
The idea of questing in real life (role-playing / RPG) may not be far fetched, but Auerbach took that concept to a whole different level when he added historical bits and the old guild in this treasure hunt of clues and mystery combined with what's at stake for the players.
Initially, I had no idea if I would get on with this premise. I never was a gamer but it really wasn't intimidating at all. I'm glad it stayed on the path of a quest, say like geo-caching in a sense on a much bigger scale. It's definitely an exciting story, and I seriously want more people to read this.
Definitely recommend it :)
I received the audiobook of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you.
More of my reviews here:
Through Novel Time & Distance
June 23, 2020
So wow, what a ride.
Meet Jen, a 28 year old New Yorker who has a coding job at a start up, a boyfriend she never sees because he works in Hong Kong; and friends who are shelf adsorbed, shallow and catty but are her longest friends and all she has. Her life is normal albeit lackluster. Until the emails come with
"Epic Questers wanted!"
Little did Jen realize what she was getting herself into when she clicked the link and was sent to the Quest Board. Lists of quests to retrieve items, drop offs with rewards, wooden tokens. A video game come to life. But what Jen doesn't know is that this click was going to send her spiraling down the rabbit hole and everything she thought was real is much more then it seems.
There is SO much going on this this novel.from the action and adventure of the quests to the real world/life toll it takes on the actual lives of our MC. Her normal life before the quests wasn't the best but little did she realize just how much her reality was going to be shaken to it's core.
I absolutely thought that this book was fantastic. We are tossed in from the start and wow. Like I stated earlier there is more going in this book then I could have even imagined. A mixing of the past and present, so many geeky references that my little heart was a giddy for. My geek flag happily flying. This definitely is NOT your typical urban fantasy and I am here for it, sign me up and take my money. Sinister at times, we have some darker moments, while Jen leads her two lives. Twists up on twists and turns up on turns....and that ending....
Fans of well written science fiction and fantasy will be in for a roller-coaster ride when they crack open the Guild of Tokens.
Now Jon Auerbach I would really love book 2
Enter the giveaway at my blog https://icanhasbooks.blogspot.com/202...
Meet Jen, a 28 year old New Yorker who has a coding job at a start up, a boyfriend she never sees because he works in Hong Kong; and friends who are shelf adsorbed, shallow and catty but are her longest friends and all she has. Her life is normal albeit lackluster. Until the emails come with
"Epic Questers wanted!"
Little did Jen realize what she was getting herself into when she clicked the link and was sent to the Quest Board. Lists of quests to retrieve items, drop offs with rewards, wooden tokens. A video game come to life. But what Jen doesn't know is that this click was going to send her spiraling down the rabbit hole and everything she thought was real is much more then it seems.
There is SO much going on this this novel.from the action and adventure of the quests to the real world/life toll it takes on the actual lives of our MC. Her normal life before the quests wasn't the best but little did she realize just how much her reality was going to be shaken to it's core.
I absolutely thought that this book was fantastic. We are tossed in from the start and wow. Like I stated earlier there is more going in this book then I could have even imagined. A mixing of the past and present, so many geeky references that my little heart was a giddy for. My geek flag happily flying. This definitely is NOT your typical urban fantasy and I am here for it, sign me up and take my money. Sinister at times, we have some darker moments, while Jen leads her two lives. Twists up on twists and turns up on turns....and that ending....
Fans of well written science fiction and fantasy will be in for a roller-coaster ride when they crack open the Guild of Tokens.
Now Jon Auerbach I would really love book 2
Enter the giveaway at my blog https://icanhasbooks.blogspot.com/202...
January 5, 2020
3.5 Stars
This was an incredibly unique and addicting Lit RPG. I loved the premise because I would also love to quest in real life. The magic in the novel was also particularly cool.
The beginning of the story initially pulled me in with the mysterious setup. However I found the middle of the narrative to be a bit muddled and could have been tightened up a bit. Overall, this was a really fun story that I would recommend to fans of lit RPGs looking for fantastical adventure.
I received a free digital copy of this book through an Instagram giveaway.
This was an incredibly unique and addicting Lit RPG. I loved the premise because I would also love to quest in real life. The magic in the novel was also particularly cool.
The beginning of the story initially pulled me in with the mysterious setup. However I found the middle of the narrative to be a bit muddled and could have been tightened up a bit. Overall, this was a really fun story that I would recommend to fans of lit RPGs looking for fantastical adventure.
I received a free digital copy of this book through an Instagram giveaway.
June 25, 2020
I will say right now this is one of the most enjoyable reads of this year, as much as I enjoyed this a huge wave of nostalgia washed over me reading this, as a player of several MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) this book was brilliant. This has been my first work of urban fantasy for some time, a sub - genre of fantasy that I enjoy and this was no exception. Told in the first person, everything happens from Jen’s perspective as she slowly becomes enveloped in a real world questing.
There are relatively few characters that you encounter across the book, Jen and Beatrice being the main characters with several supporting characters popping in and out as required and needed. This again was a refreshing aspect of the book, as keeping track of characters in some fantasy books can be a real challenge. I connected with Jen in many ways, she is a bit of a suppressed geek and appreciates her Whiskey, as well as being an under-appreciated employee at her company developing a pretty cool sounding MMORPG at the same time. It is through Jen we discover the secret world of questing, the Guild and dangerous secrets. I loved the short chapters, sometimes dealing with minor incidents or several chapter long incidents, Jon has an accessible writing style that eases you into his world.
It is fairly low on the fantasy for a while, until Jon introduces Beatrice and some of the weirder aspects including the awesome alchemy. The characters can create temporary boots or buffs as they are called in the book, they can make them think and act faster, run faster, they have vitality buffs for picking you back up again and again the wave of nostalgia washed over me. Being set in modern day New York also keeps the fantasy low, but it is there in the book hidden away in plain sight and this is one of it’s greatest strengths. The familiar and the unfamiliar collide together brilliantly in Guild of Tokens, Jon has delivered a fantastic book which is worthy of your attention.
Well, we are nearly at the end but this really was a fantastic read for me. A different approach to urban fantasy awaits, the familiar and unfamiliar will collide with some great characters. See if you can spot the cool geek elements that make up this book, the chapter titles for one, and all the wonderful elements Jon has mixed together and out came this book, even the little swipes at Kickstarter. This has been another 10/10 from me, my only complaint is when can I read book 2 because I need to read more!
July 2, 2020
"I felt something grasping my shoulders and I struggled to stay in the moment. The power that had been at my command was unlike anything I had experienced before. It wasn't borrowed or siphoned or tapped, it was raw and it was mine."
Guild of Tokens is the debut novel and start of a new series, self-published by Jon Auerbach. Storytellers On Tour is promoting the book in celebration of the release of the audiobook!
Jen Jacobs is a video game developer for a startup. She's in a long-distance relationship, her "friends" are too absorbed with themselves to show any interest in Jen's likes and dislikes. She's basically a doormat, both in her professional and personal life.
Then the emails start. At first she assumes they are spam, because of course. After multiple deleted emails and many months have passed, Jen is prompted to open one that has her name in the header. Within the body of the email, it states that these Quests that the Guild (an ancient organization) have been sending her are real.
As her computer screen goes black, she worries that she has been hacked. That these people are taking over her work desktops and that shit is about to hit the fan. Instead, a graphic appears with three rules to follow for Questers:
1. Wait three days between Quests.
2. Finish what you start.
3. Always Quest alone.
Prompted to enter a handle, Jen becomes JadePhoenix42, as a Quest Board with a list of numbered Quests materializes. It's essentially the Craigslist of Quests.
"We had won the war but lost half the Guild in the process."
Jen wanted to escape the normalcy, find a bit of adventure to spice up her mundane life. And boy howdy does she find it!
Missing books and stolen tattoos and coding and rat spleens and mind-wiping fuckery and DRAGONS!!
Guild of Tokens is a twisty turny, fast-paced puzzle of a story. Peppered with gloriously nerdy references and humor to weave in and out of the darker moments, Guild of Tokens is a helluva good time!
ENJOY THE RIDE, ADVENTURERS!
(Big thanks to Storytellers on Tour for inviting me to be a part of the Guild of Tokens Bookstagram/Blog tour! Be sure to checkout the rest of the rad reviews, author interviews & spotlights! If you are interested in becoming a future roadie for this fantastic new service promoting indie SFF books to a broader audience, you can sign up on the website. DO THE DAMN THING!!)
Guild of Tokens is the debut novel and start of a new series, self-published by Jon Auerbach. Storytellers On Tour is promoting the book in celebration of the release of the audiobook!
Jen Jacobs is a video game developer for a startup. She's in a long-distance relationship, her "friends" are too absorbed with themselves to show any interest in Jen's likes and dislikes. She's basically a doormat, both in her professional and personal life.
Then the emails start. At first she assumes they are spam, because of course. After multiple deleted emails and many months have passed, Jen is prompted to open one that has her name in the header. Within the body of the email, it states that these Quests that the Guild (an ancient organization) have been sending her are real.
As her computer screen goes black, she worries that she has been hacked. That these people are taking over her work desktops and that shit is about to hit the fan. Instead, a graphic appears with three rules to follow for Questers:
1. Wait three days between Quests.
2. Finish what you start.
3. Always Quest alone.
Prompted to enter a handle, Jen becomes JadePhoenix42, as a Quest Board with a list of numbered Quests materializes. It's essentially the Craigslist of Quests.
"We had won the war but lost half the Guild in the process."
Jen wanted to escape the normalcy, find a bit of adventure to spice up her mundane life. And boy howdy does she find it!
Missing books and stolen tattoos and coding and rat spleens and mind-wiping fuckery and DRAGONS!!
Guild of Tokens is a twisty turny, fast-paced puzzle of a story. Peppered with gloriously nerdy references and humor to weave in and out of the darker moments, Guild of Tokens is a helluva good time!
ENJOY THE RIDE, ADVENTURERS!
(Big thanks to Storytellers on Tour for inviting me to be a part of the Guild of Tokens Bookstagram/Blog tour! Be sure to checkout the rest of the rad reviews, author interviews & spotlights! If you are interested in becoming a future roadie for this fantastic new service promoting indie SFF books to a broader audience, you can sign up on the website. DO THE DAMN THING!!)
September 12, 2020
I have a read a bunch of urban fantasy books in my years, but this one is definitely one of the more unique takes on the concept. I didn’t know what to expect with this but I had a good time with it. A young woman named Jen, who’s a game developer, gets a strange email about a game she’s never played before. It kind of feels like geocaching mixed with low level grinding levels of games like WoW. She was asked to pick up random ingredients from all over the city and deliver them to different parts of the city and gets small rewards for doing so. While playing the game, she meets a young girl named Polly who mocks her for being a noob, but Jen still manages to beat the girl at a game and in return, she asks for answers to some of her questions about the questing game she’s been playing. What she was shown and told blows her mind. Magic is real, this young girl can perform it, and that the game she’s been playing (collecting all these ingredients) are actually ingredients to magic potions and the like for other higher level players.
While trying to make sense of this new and mind melting information, she accepts a weird quest that requires apples and a pie to be baked. She does this while her long distance boyfriend is visiting, and as it turns out, they’re magic apples and she can now hear the inner thoughts of anyone who has eaten the pie. Including this woman who she later teams up with, a woman named Beatrice. Things REALLY take off from here, Beatrice is a high level player and magic user who has been around for a long time. She basically strong arms Jen into being an assistant and helping her with higher level quests. One of those quests turns out to be a set up for something much bigger than themselves and things get very complicated very quickly.
I was able to sink into the story fairly quickly, the bulk of the story is from Jen’s perspective but there are interlude chapters where you get to see Beatrice’s past assistants – I really did not like Doug from beginning to end (you’re not really supposed to like him). His chapters were thankfully pretty short. Since it’s set in our modern world without much deviation I didn’t have to spend much time trying to ‘get to know the world’ like I do in high fantasies so I was able to move quickly through the beginning chapters without much lag time to get my footing.
As far as drawbacks, there’s a bit of info dumping around the topic of magic. There were a couple too-coincidental things that happened, like meeting the father of Polly ‘by chance’. It’s a big city, the likelihood of that happening is very low. I know it’s a fantasy book but things like that dig at me a little. The biggest thing that really got under my skin though was Jen’s long distance relationship. I didn’t like the guy from the start, I didn’t understand the relationship dynamics. The guy lives in Hong Kong and they rarely see each other, I didn’t understand why he proposed or why they were together at all. I’m also not a romance person so take that as you will.
I did think the magic system was pretty neat. Magic isn’t something you’re born with, magic is something that’s a part of the earth and runs through the earth like a river. It can be a part of anything, anyone can use it, and yet most of the world doesn’t know it exists. In this world, the pioneers didn’t come to America for religious freedom, they were trying to find a new source of magic. Kind of like oil or fresh water, magic in this world is a consumable resource, and people are always looking for new sources.
I liked the “voice” of Jen. She was a likable character and the prose was quick and light. I do wish we had gotten to know some of the side characters a little better. The villian at the end was a little mustache twirling for my liking but it wasn’t so bad that I didn’t enjoy the book.
The pacing was a little odd. Every once in a while we would get a little synopsis of the story so far like we were picking up after the ‘last episode’ in a TV show. I read some of the reviews for this after I finished and it turns out this was several novellas put into a book – which makes sense now. There’s a definite ending although it leaves room for the next book while wrapping up the events of this one.
I’d recommend this for people who enjoy urban fantasy with a unique twist, magic is hidden around us trope, quick reads, relatable and likable characters, and those who like audio books.
Ratings:
Plot: 11/15
Characters: 11.5/15
World Building: 11/15
Writing: 11/15
Pacing: 10/15
Originality: 12.5/15
Personal Enjoyment: 7.5/10
Final Score: 74.5/100
While trying to make sense of this new and mind melting information, she accepts a weird quest that requires apples and a pie to be baked. She does this while her long distance boyfriend is visiting, and as it turns out, they’re magic apples and she can now hear the inner thoughts of anyone who has eaten the pie. Including this woman who she later teams up with, a woman named Beatrice. Things REALLY take off from here, Beatrice is a high level player and magic user who has been around for a long time. She basically strong arms Jen into being an assistant and helping her with higher level quests. One of those quests turns out to be a set up for something much bigger than themselves and things get very complicated very quickly.
I was able to sink into the story fairly quickly, the bulk of the story is from Jen’s perspective but there are interlude chapters where you get to see Beatrice’s past assistants – I really did not like Doug from beginning to end (you’re not really supposed to like him). His chapters were thankfully pretty short. Since it’s set in our modern world without much deviation I didn’t have to spend much time trying to ‘get to know the world’ like I do in high fantasies so I was able to move quickly through the beginning chapters without much lag time to get my footing.
As far as drawbacks, there’s a bit of info dumping around the topic of magic. There were a couple too-coincidental things that happened, like meeting the father of Polly ‘by chance’. It’s a big city, the likelihood of that happening is very low. I know it’s a fantasy book but things like that dig at me a little. The biggest thing that really got under my skin though was Jen’s long distance relationship. I didn’t like the guy from the start, I didn’t understand the relationship dynamics. The guy lives in Hong Kong and they rarely see each other, I didn’t understand why he proposed or why they were together at all. I’m also not a romance person so take that as you will.
I did think the magic system was pretty neat. Magic isn’t something you’re born with, magic is something that’s a part of the earth and runs through the earth like a river. It can be a part of anything, anyone can use it, and yet most of the world doesn’t know it exists. In this world, the pioneers didn’t come to America for religious freedom, they were trying to find a new source of magic. Kind of like oil or fresh water, magic in this world is a consumable resource, and people are always looking for new sources.
I liked the “voice” of Jen. She was a likable character and the prose was quick and light. I do wish we had gotten to know some of the side characters a little better. The villian at the end was a little mustache twirling for my liking but it wasn’t so bad that I didn’t enjoy the book.
The pacing was a little odd. Every once in a while we would get a little synopsis of the story so far like we were picking up after the ‘last episode’ in a TV show. I read some of the reviews for this after I finished and it turns out this was several novellas put into a book – which makes sense now. There’s a definite ending although it leaves room for the next book while wrapping up the events of this one.
I’d recommend this for people who enjoy urban fantasy with a unique twist, magic is hidden around us trope, quick reads, relatable and likable characters, and those who like audio books.
Ratings:
Plot: 11/15
Characters: 11.5/15
World Building: 11/15
Writing: 11/15
Pacing: 10/15
Originality: 12.5/15
Personal Enjoyment: 7.5/10
Final Score: 74.5/100
June 24, 2020
Guild Of Tokens. An urban fantasy that gives you everything you didn’t know you were craving. A plot that warrants its highly ambitious execution, Auerbach has created a world that chews you up and spits you back out with his rich and vibrant world building. It certainly didn’t take long to be transported into the world of questing, tokens and mystique. I typically know if a book is going to be for me within a few chapters, but it was even shorter with Guild Of Tokens. Auerbach quick paced prose keeps the dramatic stimulus rocketing forward.
We meet our protagonist, Jen, sick and fed up with life. Dissatisfied with her lot in life. She’s searching for more. Needing something that will give her a sense of excitement. Jen’s coding job isn’t what you would call exciting. Her boyfriend is a long-distance tool. He doesn’t treat her right and some, okay a LOT, of his actions are highly questionable. Jen’s friends are self-absorbed, bitchy females that can’t see beyond their own fakeness. You immediately get a sense of why she is sick of this monotonous life. When a spam email keeps reappearing in her inbox could this be the key to leaving that life behind?
The Guild Of Tokens is highly engaging and often humorous. You get a real feel for his love and affection for his characters. They are close to his heart – an obvious outpouring of love. Jen is introduced to a world she didn’t know existed. Just how could magic exist without there being any evidence of it ? was she just blind to it or was it protected and only given glimpses to the chosen few?
Quests, tokens and a strange council was beyond anything she expected to encounter when she opened those emails all those months ago. The crux of the story is just that – falling into the unknown.
I enjoyed Guild Of Tokens so much because of the realism I felt whilst immersing myself within its pages. It’s not outwit the realms of possibility that this could be possible. The narrative engaged with me on such a personal level – its tone was assured. A story about assertiveness, responsibility and power and was effortlessly expressive. I also picked up on a feministic feel to the writing – we didn’t have the girl propping up the hero she was one in her own right. It came full circle and complimented the elements perfectly and it was spellbinding.
Guild Of Tokens is one of those rarities – it grips you and will not let go until the very end. It’s an entirely fresh and addicting tale. The originality and the attention to detail had me hooked. Auerbach has written something worth the temporal investment. Read it now!
Huge thanks once again to The Storytellers On Tour for another incredible blog tour.
We meet our protagonist, Jen, sick and fed up with life. Dissatisfied with her lot in life. She’s searching for more. Needing something that will give her a sense of excitement. Jen’s coding job isn’t what you would call exciting. Her boyfriend is a long-distance tool. He doesn’t treat her right and some, okay a LOT, of his actions are highly questionable. Jen’s friends are self-absorbed, bitchy females that can’t see beyond their own fakeness. You immediately get a sense of why she is sick of this monotonous life. When a spam email keeps reappearing in her inbox could this be the key to leaving that life behind?
The Guild Of Tokens is highly engaging and often humorous. You get a real feel for his love and affection for his characters. They are close to his heart – an obvious outpouring of love. Jen is introduced to a world she didn’t know existed. Just how could magic exist without there being any evidence of it ? was she just blind to it or was it protected and only given glimpses to the chosen few?
Quests, tokens and a strange council was beyond anything she expected to encounter when she opened those emails all those months ago. The crux of the story is just that – falling into the unknown.
I enjoyed Guild Of Tokens so much because of the realism I felt whilst immersing myself within its pages. It’s not outwit the realms of possibility that this could be possible. The narrative engaged with me on such a personal level – its tone was assured. A story about assertiveness, responsibility and power and was effortlessly expressive. I also picked up on a feministic feel to the writing – we didn’t have the girl propping up the hero she was one in her own right. It came full circle and complimented the elements perfectly and it was spellbinding.
Guild Of Tokens is one of those rarities – it grips you and will not let go until the very end. It’s an entirely fresh and addicting tale. The originality and the attention to detail had me hooked. Auerbach has written something worth the temporal investment. Read it now!
Huge thanks once again to The Storytellers On Tour for another incredible blog tour.
September 1, 2019
Guild of Tokens is a clever twist on the urban fantasy genre, with a unique premise and a compelling mystery.
The book takes place in New York, and it seems clear to me that author Jon Auerbach is intimately familiar with the setting. The city in the book feels intricate and real, like Auerbach has a map sitting out on the table while he writes--or better yet, is going out into the city himself to garner inspiration for the book and plan out scenes in the actual places his characters end up gallivanting around.
I also admire how complexly plotted the novel is. Everything has its purpose in the story, a series of Chekov's guns that continually go off throughout the tale. And not to mention the puzzles that Auerbach has composed for his characters, covering both logic puzzles as well as taking the aforementioned setting into account, letting himself and the characters use their knowledge of New York City's geography aid them on their quest.
If I had to knock the book for something, it would probably be the pacing/structure. This was previously three separate novellas, and that feels obvious at times. More so when you get to part 2 than 3, but there are moments when the narrator Jen is relaying info that we already know--stuff that happened in just the previous chapter. Which makes sense when you're waiting a few months in between novellas, giving the reader a quick refresher, but in the context of going from one chapter to the next and getting a recap of what just happened, it was odd. Several of the chapters also start in medias res, which I found deflated the tension a lot of times, most notably early in part 2 when we start a chapter with Jen in the middle of a gym class and then we cut to earlier, finding out she has several obstacles getting in the way of infiltrating the class, which we now know she's going to get through just fine.
Guild of Tokens is a fun, quick read that explores a unique, tantalizing premise about what is essentially a real-life RPG playing out on our city streets. It sets up a huge conflict for book 2 that is at odds with all the character development from book 1, which is exciting--can't wait to see how it plays out!
The book takes place in New York, and it seems clear to me that author Jon Auerbach is intimately familiar with the setting. The city in the book feels intricate and real, like Auerbach has a map sitting out on the table while he writes--or better yet, is going out into the city himself to garner inspiration for the book and plan out scenes in the actual places his characters end up gallivanting around.
I also admire how complexly plotted the novel is. Everything has its purpose in the story, a series of Chekov's guns that continually go off throughout the tale. And not to mention the puzzles that Auerbach has composed for his characters, covering both logic puzzles as well as taking the aforementioned setting into account, letting himself and the characters use their knowledge of New York City's geography aid them on their quest.
If I had to knock the book for something, it would probably be the pacing/structure. This was previously three separate novellas, and that feels obvious at times. More so when you get to part 2 than 3, but there are moments when the narrator Jen is relaying info that we already know--stuff that happened in just the previous chapter. Which makes sense when you're waiting a few months in between novellas, giving the reader a quick refresher, but in the context of going from one chapter to the next and getting a recap of what just happened, it was odd. Several of the chapters also start in medias res, which I found deflated the tension a lot of times, most notably early in part 2 when we start a chapter with Jen in the middle of a gym class and then we cut to earlier, finding out she has several obstacles getting in the way of infiltrating the class, which we now know she's going to get through just fine.
Guild of Tokens is a fun, quick read that explores a unique, tantalizing premise about what is essentially a real-life RPG playing out on our city streets. It sets up a huge conflict for book 2 that is at odds with all the character development from book 1, which is exciting--can't wait to see how it plays out!
November 21, 2019
Guild of Tokens is a thrilling and highly imaginative urban fantasy tale of adventure, secrets, magic, and betrayal. Set in an alternate version of our own modern world, there are plenty of things that appear familiar and relatable, but even more to discover beneath the veil of normalcy. Within its pages, author Jon Auerbach takes us on a massive and dangerous scavenger hunt for vastly coveted tokens and the truth, presenting an account that perfectly portrays the concept that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, displayed through shocking consequences upon consequences. Transportation portals, relics, heists, risk and peril, this book has a little bit of everything, and it’s been a long time since I’ve had this much fun with a story.
Auerbach presents us with a fascinating and complex plot dominated by incredible and unexpected twists and turns. His planning is absolutely astounding, and we’re gradually offered pieces of a grand puzzle that slowly but surely begin to fall into place as the story progresses. What begins as gently wading into the world of real-life questing, quickly converts to diving into the deep-end of a mystifying world hidden beneath our own, one richly defined by history and magic. Emotionally charged and action-packed, the revelations I felt I should’ve seen coming left me stunned and craving more.
In addition to pristine plotting, Guild of Tokens depicts some pretty excellent character involvement and development. We roam the streets of New York City alongside Jen Jacobs, an overworked and under-appreciated game developer at a startup. Oftentimes pitied or taken advantage of, she’s initially hesitant and unwilling to rock the boat, but we witness as she transforms into a strong and self-sure problem-solver the deeper she descends into the questing game. The interactions between characters are organic, complete with sarcasm, banter, and genuine heartfelt concern, allowing me to easily connect with the cast. Each person introduced, no matter how small a part, plays a key role in not only Jen’s progression, but also in the evolution of the story, as well.
The entire foundation of this story is built upon the the idea that magic exists in our world, and a huge aspect of this is alchemy. Everything from convenient focus boosts and strength buffs, to the most important hangover cures, most living things within the city contain some amount of innate magic that can be tapped into. Tying the acquisition of these items to the quests given to beginner questers is a particularly nice touch. I personally appreciated and enjoyed being introduced to and steadily educated on this mysticism alongside Jen, imbuing this story with another immersion factor. I would love to tell you more, but I feel this is one element of this story that you have to experience yourself.
Manhattan is a city we’re all familiar with in some way, shape, or form, but this book details a variant of the city with a secret past that has survived the test of time to completely forge the present. Auerbach demonstrates a rooted and wide knowledge of NYC, and as someone who spends most of her days down in NoHo, I can’t even begin to express how relatable this story’s setting truly is – in fact, my reading notes are aptly peppered with “the struggle is real”. Sharply illustrated, encapsulating the naturally magical ambience of the hidden treasures the city has to offer, everything seems realistic…until it doesn’t, and I thought this was wonderfully executed.
Guild of Tokens is a lively and entertaining adventure, steeped in enough mystery to keep you guessing until the very end. Urban fantasy isn’t a subgenre I necessarily gravitate towards, but this book hooked me from the start. I learned after finishing the final page that this is a collection of three novellas, and while the content flows nicely, it does account for the slight shift in pacing. If you’re looking for something fast-paced and remarkably unique, I highly recommend giving this one a try.
Note: A huge thank you to Jon Auerbach for providing me with a complementary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Auerbach presents us with a fascinating and complex plot dominated by incredible and unexpected twists and turns. His planning is absolutely astounding, and we’re gradually offered pieces of a grand puzzle that slowly but surely begin to fall into place as the story progresses. What begins as gently wading into the world of real-life questing, quickly converts to diving into the deep-end of a mystifying world hidden beneath our own, one richly defined by history and magic. Emotionally charged and action-packed, the revelations I felt I should’ve seen coming left me stunned and craving more.
In addition to pristine plotting, Guild of Tokens depicts some pretty excellent character involvement and development. We roam the streets of New York City alongside Jen Jacobs, an overworked and under-appreciated game developer at a startup. Oftentimes pitied or taken advantage of, she’s initially hesitant and unwilling to rock the boat, but we witness as she transforms into a strong and self-sure problem-solver the deeper she descends into the questing game. The interactions between characters are organic, complete with sarcasm, banter, and genuine heartfelt concern, allowing me to easily connect with the cast. Each person introduced, no matter how small a part, plays a key role in not only Jen’s progression, but also in the evolution of the story, as well.
The entire foundation of this story is built upon the the idea that magic exists in our world, and a huge aspect of this is alchemy. Everything from convenient focus boosts and strength buffs, to the most important hangover cures, most living things within the city contain some amount of innate magic that can be tapped into. Tying the acquisition of these items to the quests given to beginner questers is a particularly nice touch. I personally appreciated and enjoyed being introduced to and steadily educated on this mysticism alongside Jen, imbuing this story with another immersion factor. I would love to tell you more, but I feel this is one element of this story that you have to experience yourself.
Manhattan is a city we’re all familiar with in some way, shape, or form, but this book details a variant of the city with a secret past that has survived the test of time to completely forge the present. Auerbach demonstrates a rooted and wide knowledge of NYC, and as someone who spends most of her days down in NoHo, I can’t even begin to express how relatable this story’s setting truly is – in fact, my reading notes are aptly peppered with “the struggle is real”. Sharply illustrated, encapsulating the naturally magical ambience of the hidden treasures the city has to offer, everything seems realistic…until it doesn’t, and I thought this was wonderfully executed.
Guild of Tokens is a lively and entertaining adventure, steeped in enough mystery to keep you guessing until the very end. Urban fantasy isn’t a subgenre I necessarily gravitate towards, but this book hooked me from the start. I learned after finishing the final page that this is a collection of three novellas, and while the content flows nicely, it does account for the slight shift in pacing. If you’re looking for something fast-paced and remarkably unique, I highly recommend giving this one a try.
Note: A huge thank you to Jon Auerbach for providing me with a complementary copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 3, 2020
This is an urban fantasy that's more MMO than murder-mystery, and a bazillion times more engrossing for it. I don't think I've ever read one quite as self-referentially sneaky that doesn't go too far into humour territory. It's all a bit point-n-click adventure, only with more grit.
In this strange tale we follow Jen Jacobs, coder and geek extraordinaire. Underappreciated by her startup bro colleagues, she's all up for the mysterious Quest Board that appears on her computer screen one evening. OK, so it asks her to do some strange tasks IRL, but she's rewarded with tokens and XP, so other than having to kill a rat how bad could it be? The answer: Bad. Ish. A run-in with a more experienced (and more psychopathic) Quester puts Jen in a tricky position: blue pill it back to reality complete with catty friends and fickle boyfriend, or to keep Questing and get to the bottom of this hidden world where magic just might be real (even if it does involve harvesting rat spleens #eww)?
It's safe to say this rabbit hole goes deep, and that's what I loved about this book. It. Is. So. Strange. You honestly can't predict it because, much like a 90s point-n-click, it has a bizarre logic to it that felt so satisfying to follow (fan theory #1: Roberta Williams and George Lucas were affiliated with the Guild???). That and the pop culture references/Easter egss scattered throughout - not to the heavy Ready Player One level, but just enough to make a geek smile.
Originally released as novellas, the pacing can feel a bit odd as I did notice how Jen reminded us of earlier events like refreshers that made sense when the story arcs were separate. Conjoining them by introducing interludes did help a lot though, giving us a breather between conclusions. Don't get me wrong, it's strange but not a bad thing. In gaming terms think satisfyingly grindy to get to the dopamine payoffs without becoming a slog.
I like that Jen is different from your usual, self-obsessed butt-kicker of an urban fantasy protagonist. Yes, she can dish sarcasm, but it's not over the top unrealistic. Sort of antagonist Beatrice is one of my favourite creations here, being rather dark and unstable but also more complex than you might expect.
I could find Jen (and through her, Bea) a little hard to understand at times though. Jen's lack of ability to gauge other people's emotions and how they will react to her actions can make her a bit cold sounding at times even though it's clear she wants to understand at least certain people. Her relationship with her college friends and boyfriend Duncan were strange because they didn't seem to mean that much to her until she tells you that they meant everything. Although fan theory #2: Jen's on the autistic spectrum so finds these things difficult? Regardless, her character growth is really something as she becomes more confident and more in control.
Fan theory #3: Jen is like the stand in for your usual adventure game AFGNCAAP (Ageless/Faceless/Gender Neutral/Culturally Ambiguous Adventure Person) first person avatar. Given enough identity and agency so that she's actually like a real a person, she's leading you through the plot actively rather than making you just follow along #NotAWalkingSimulator #OverthinkingThis
And really that's the thing that intrigued me so much, this alt-reality of the Guild and the whole "magic is real - go kill me a pigeon!" stuff. As Jen works it all out, I didn't mind that I was discovering it at the same pace they were. Does Bea know more than she's letting on? Of course. Would you want her to tell you and spoil the surprise? Probably not - she's an unreliable source with motives of her own anyway.
Character-related nitpicks aside, there are twists and turns aplenty that (along with the thinly veiled LOTR references) made me grin with the ingenuity of it all. The twist at the end had me ready to find out just what's going to go down between the improved Jen 2.0 and her newly minted frenemies.
The Guild awaits; if only we didn't have to!
In this strange tale we follow Jen Jacobs, coder and geek extraordinaire. Underappreciated by her startup bro colleagues, she's all up for the mysterious Quest Board that appears on her computer screen one evening. OK, so it asks her to do some strange tasks IRL, but she's rewarded with tokens and XP, so other than having to kill a rat how bad could it be? The answer: Bad. Ish. A run-in with a more experienced (and more psychopathic) Quester puts Jen in a tricky position: blue pill it back to reality complete with catty friends and fickle boyfriend, or to keep Questing and get to the bottom of this hidden world where magic just might be real (even if it does involve harvesting rat spleens #eww)?
It's safe to say this rabbit hole goes deep, and that's what I loved about this book. It. Is. So. Strange. You honestly can't predict it because, much like a 90s point-n-click, it has a bizarre logic to it that felt so satisfying to follow (fan theory #1: Roberta Williams and George Lucas were affiliated with the Guild???). That and the pop culture references/Easter egss scattered throughout - not to the heavy Ready Player One level, but just enough to make a geek smile.
Originally released as novellas, the pacing can feel a bit odd as I did notice how Jen reminded us of earlier events like refreshers that made sense when the story arcs were separate. Conjoining them by introducing interludes did help a lot though, giving us a breather between conclusions. Don't get me wrong, it's strange but not a bad thing. In gaming terms think satisfyingly grindy to get to the dopamine payoffs without becoming a slog.
I like that Jen is different from your usual, self-obsessed butt-kicker of an urban fantasy protagonist. Yes, she can dish sarcasm, but it's not over the top unrealistic. Sort of antagonist Beatrice is one of my favourite creations here, being rather dark and unstable but also more complex than you might expect.
I could find Jen (and through her, Bea) a little hard to understand at times though. Jen's lack of ability to gauge other people's emotions and how they will react to her actions can make her a bit cold sounding at times even though it's clear she wants to understand at least certain people. Her relationship with her college friends and boyfriend Duncan were strange because they didn't seem to mean that much to her until she tells you that they meant everything. Although fan theory #2: Jen's on the autistic spectrum so finds these things difficult? Regardless, her character growth is really something as she becomes more confident and more in control.
Fan theory #3: Jen is like the stand in for your usual adventure game AFGNCAAP (Ageless/Faceless/Gender Neutral/Culturally Ambiguous Adventure Person) first person avatar. Given enough identity and agency so that she's actually like a real a person, she's leading you through the plot actively rather than making you just follow along #NotAWalkingSimulator #OverthinkingThis
And really that's the thing that intrigued me so much, this alt-reality of the Guild and the whole "magic is real - go kill me a pigeon!" stuff. As Jen works it all out, I didn't mind that I was discovering it at the same pace they were. Does Bea know more than she's letting on? Of course. Would you want her to tell you and spoil the surprise? Probably not - she's an unreliable source with motives of her own anyway.
Character-related nitpicks aside, there are twists and turns aplenty that (along with the thinly veiled LOTR references) made me grin with the ingenuity of it all. The twist at the end had me ready to find out just what's going to go down between the improved Jen 2.0 and her newly minted frenemies.
The Guild awaits; if only we didn't have to!
Read
January 27, 2021[Update: 1/27/21] The Guild of Tokens special hardcover edition is now live on Kickstarter!
[Update: 6/25/19] Guild of Tokens is out now!
[Update: 6/18/19] One week til release! Guild of Tokens is also an entry in SPFBO5! Check out Mark Lawrence's blog here for all the details.
[Update: 6/12/19] Check out the cover reveal for Guild of Tokens here!
[Update: 6/25/19] Guild of Tokens is out now!
[Update: 6/18/19] One week til release! Guild of Tokens is also an entry in SPFBO5! Check out Mark Lawrence's blog here for all the details.
[Update: 6/12/19] Check out the cover reveal for Guild of Tokens here!
July 26, 2019
Intriguing as always. All Jen wants out of life, is something more than disappointment. She does, but not exactly what she expected. Don’t miss out.
October 28, 2019
Find this review at Forever Lost in Literature!
Guild of Tokens is an inventive, adventurous, and highly compellng urban fantasy with a dash of litRPG elements and an exciting plot. Urban fantasy is still one of those subgenres that I haven't read extensively in, so I was excited to check out this book and explore some more urban fantasy, and I'm happy to say that I had a blast with this one.
In Guild of Tokens, we follow Jen, a woman who is looking for something more in her life. It's not that her life is bad, but it's also not exactly exciting or particularly happy and she's looking for something a bit more in the way of adventure, which is pretty much exactly what she gets once she joins a real-life questing game. I love this premise and was constantly looking forward to see the quests Jen would have to have take on, as well as how as how she would be able to take on all of them.
In addition to Jen are a variety of other characters that we run across with her while embarking on the various quests, all of which I found to be executed particularly well. Auerbach definitely knows how to create interesting, developed characters with real flaws and personalities that make them seem like real people I might run across in New York. There are also a lot of important topics handled in really smooth, almost quiet ways that stand out to me as effortless and talented writing.
The setting of this book is in New York and although I've only ever visited it once, it seems obvious that Auerbach has captured the essence of the city where the majority of the events take place. It felt authentic and fresh, the real and normal mixing easily with the more fantastic elements at play. This really seemed like it could be real and actually happen at any time in the real New York of our world, which added to my enjoyment immensely.
The only areas I tended to have issues with were in regards to the pacing. I believe that this book was once released in three parts as three separate novellas, and I find that slightly apparent in relation to how the narrative flowed throughout the book. There were a few moments that felt slightly repetitive or just had awkward pacing jumps that stood out to me and I'm not sure if the previous novella format is the problem or if the pacing itself had some minor issues. Regardless of the cause, it's something that stood out to me enough that I wanted to mention it, but it didn't take away from the excitement of the plot itself.
Overall, I've given Guild of Tokens four stars! This was an extremely entertaining urban fantasy with litRPG elements that I would easily recommend to any fantasy fan.
Guild of Tokens is an inventive, adventurous, and highly compellng urban fantasy with a dash of litRPG elements and an exciting plot. Urban fantasy is still one of those subgenres that I haven't read extensively in, so I was excited to check out this book and explore some more urban fantasy, and I'm happy to say that I had a blast with this one.
In Guild of Tokens, we follow Jen, a woman who is looking for something more in her life. It's not that her life is bad, but it's also not exactly exciting or particularly happy and she's looking for something a bit more in the way of adventure, which is pretty much exactly what she gets once she joins a real-life questing game. I love this premise and was constantly looking forward to see the quests Jen would have to have take on, as well as how as how she would be able to take on all of them.
In addition to Jen are a variety of other characters that we run across with her while embarking on the various quests, all of which I found to be executed particularly well. Auerbach definitely knows how to create interesting, developed characters with real flaws and personalities that make them seem like real people I might run across in New York. There are also a lot of important topics handled in really smooth, almost quiet ways that stand out to me as effortless and talented writing.
The setting of this book is in New York and although I've only ever visited it once, it seems obvious that Auerbach has captured the essence of the city where the majority of the events take place. It felt authentic and fresh, the real and normal mixing easily with the more fantastic elements at play. This really seemed like it could be real and actually happen at any time in the real New York of our world, which added to my enjoyment immensely.
The only areas I tended to have issues with were in regards to the pacing. I believe that this book was once released in three parts as three separate novellas, and I find that slightly apparent in relation to how the narrative flowed throughout the book. There were a few moments that felt slightly repetitive or just had awkward pacing jumps that stood out to me and I'm not sure if the previous novella format is the problem or if the pacing itself had some minor issues. Regardless of the cause, it's something that stood out to me enough that I wanted to mention it, but it didn't take away from the excitement of the plot itself.
Overall, I've given Guild of Tokens four stars! This was an extremely entertaining urban fantasy with litRPG elements that I would easily recommend to any fantasy fan.
June 22, 2020
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It's so hard for me to begin this review, because I enjoyed this book so much! This is a self-described unconventional urban fantasy, which a tantalizing mystery, an all knowing secret organization, and a secret that runs so deep through the heart of New York City.
Jen is a coder by day and Quester by night, but also day sometimes too. In the beginning, we get glimpses of Jen's regular life as a resident of NYC, but the reader is quickly introduced to the Quest Board and the infrastructure that holds it all together. With every chapter, Auerbach gives us a tiny morsel of information that will, we hope, eventually be part of the bigger picture of what's going on in the story. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to solve the puzzle with Jen as she navigates through the world of Quests, tokens, requesters, etc. It takes an incredible amount of skill to keep your reader guessing at every turn and I commend Auberbach for this achievement.
The relationships between the characters are carefully developed, and I really enjoyed the dynamic between Jen and Beatrice, which doesn't develop fully until about 1/4 of the way into the book. Another point is that some urban fantasy books can be nonstop action, but this book is action threaded through a fantastic puzzle, with a splash of magic. I was glad that every scene was not an action sequence, but there is absolutely danger in this book, though subtle at points.
The plot and pacing kept me engaged from cover to cover. Overall, this is a great urban fantasy with a unique premise! Guild of Tokens is on tour with Storyteller's On Tour to celebrate the release of the audiobook! Be sure to order your copy today, enter the giveaway below, and see all of the other great stops on this tour!
Thank you to Jon Auerbach and Storyteller's on Tour for having me on this tour! I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a pleasure to read!
It's so hard for me to begin this review, because I enjoyed this book so much! This is a self-described unconventional urban fantasy, which a tantalizing mystery, an all knowing secret organization, and a secret that runs so deep through the heart of New York City.
Jen is a coder by day and Quester by night, but also day sometimes too. In the beginning, we get glimpses of Jen's regular life as a resident of NYC, but the reader is quickly introduced to the Quest Board and the infrastructure that holds it all together. With every chapter, Auerbach gives us a tiny morsel of information that will, we hope, eventually be part of the bigger picture of what's going on in the story. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to solve the puzzle with Jen as she navigates through the world of Quests, tokens, requesters, etc. It takes an incredible amount of skill to keep your reader guessing at every turn and I commend Auberbach for this achievement.
The relationships between the characters are carefully developed, and I really enjoyed the dynamic between Jen and Beatrice, which doesn't develop fully until about 1/4 of the way into the book. Another point is that some urban fantasy books can be nonstop action, but this book is action threaded through a fantastic puzzle, with a splash of magic. I was glad that every scene was not an action sequence, but there is absolutely danger in this book, though subtle at points.
The plot and pacing kept me engaged from cover to cover. Overall, this is a great urban fantasy with a unique premise! Guild of Tokens is on tour with Storyteller's On Tour to celebrate the release of the audiobook! Be sure to order your copy today, enter the giveaway below, and see all of the other great stops on this tour!
Thank you to Jon Auerbach and Storyteller's on Tour for having me on this tour! I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a pleasure to read!
June 26, 2020
Rating: 7.0/10
Thanks to the author for an audio copy of Guild of Tokens for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.
Guild of Tokens is an enjoyable little romp that mixes LitRPG with Urban Fantasy and a tidbit of mystery. It is fast-paced, full of tongue-in-cheek humor, and produces plenty of nostalgic moments which is pretty par for the course when it comes to the LitRPG genre. Having said all that, Auerbach spins a very unique tale that I believe will appeal to a ton of readers.
When it comes to the LitRPG genre, it is all about escapism. Escaping into a world very unlike your own and faced with monumental tasks with very little experience. What Jon does is flip that on its head and puts it in a urban setting, namely New York, and produces a one-of-a-kind read. Rather than the humdrum of forests, caves, and castles, our heroine puts boots to pavement on the streets she has known for years. Pair her up with a demanding and determined mentor, and you have yourself a very interesting duo.
Escape from a mundane life is always nice, and the way Jen takes the reigns and goes 100% into this journey shows just how in the can her life has been for a time. Thing is, she cannot just jump in with two feet and start mowing down questions. No siree Bob, there are rules afoot:
1. Wait three days between Quests.
2. Finish what you start.
3. Always Quest alone.
What lies ahead are puzzles aplenty, an array of quirky characters, and an adventure unlike any you have seen before. My only quibbles would have to be a sort of slow start with a muddied middle and the way in which chapters ended/started where they didn’t always fit succinctly with one another (i.e. starting the sequential chapter many moments ahead of the previous with flashbacks to the in-between). Otherwise, I quite enjoyed my time in Jen’s head!
Thanks to the author for an audio copy of Guild of Tokens for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.
Guild of Tokens is an enjoyable little romp that mixes LitRPG with Urban Fantasy and a tidbit of mystery. It is fast-paced, full of tongue-in-cheek humor, and produces plenty of nostalgic moments which is pretty par for the course when it comes to the LitRPG genre. Having said all that, Auerbach spins a very unique tale that I believe will appeal to a ton of readers.
When it comes to the LitRPG genre, it is all about escapism. Escaping into a world very unlike your own and faced with monumental tasks with very little experience. What Jon does is flip that on its head and puts it in a urban setting, namely New York, and produces a one-of-a-kind read. Rather than the humdrum of forests, caves, and castles, our heroine puts boots to pavement on the streets she has known for years. Pair her up with a demanding and determined mentor, and you have yourself a very interesting duo.
Escape from a mundane life is always nice, and the way Jen takes the reigns and goes 100% into this journey shows just how in the can her life has been for a time. Thing is, she cannot just jump in with two feet and start mowing down questions. No siree Bob, there are rules afoot:
1. Wait three days between Quests.
2. Finish what you start.
3. Always Quest alone.
What lies ahead are puzzles aplenty, an array of quirky characters, and an adventure unlike any you have seen before. My only quibbles would have to be a sort of slow start with a muddied middle and the way in which chapters ended/started where they didn’t always fit succinctly with one another (i.e. starting the sequential chapter many moments ahead of the previous with flashbacks to the in-between). Otherwise, I quite enjoyed my time in Jen’s head!
July 12, 2019
Guild of Tokens is an inventive urban fantasy that is rife with fun, quick pacing, and morally grey characters. With references to The Matrix and Alice in Wonderland, this is a piece that is self-aware and has chosen an engaging tone, that is at once lighthearted and a serious look at relationships and life. Auerbach tells part of the story through a leap-frog plot device. He tells a little concluding plot point and then backs up to relate how the characters got there. It’s a good way to tease the reader and it definitely got me involved.
Jen’s introduction to the world of questing is a risk… a parting of ways from the steps she is taking in the ‘real’ world to live a “normal” life… Will it be worth it? Read Guild of Tokens to find out!
4 out of 5 stars.
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2019/07/09/gu...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
Jen’s introduction to the world of questing is a risk… a parting of ways from the steps she is taking in the ‘real’ world to live a “normal” life… Will it be worth it? Read Guild of Tokens to find out!
4 out of 5 stars.
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2019/07/09/gu...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
October 1, 2021
I won a copy of Guild of Tokens in a twitter contest. Thank you so much to Jon Auerbach for the paperback! And to Justine over at Whispers & Wonder @__its_justine__ for hosting the @CalltoArms contest.
What an enjoyable read! This was just what I needed to get me back in the groove.
Guild of tokens is an easy access not-quite litrpg, quest fantasy, which actually reminded me more of geocaching than litrpg. The story does well at blending the fun of collecting items to level up, without the grinding away to upgrade your stats feel that you occasionally find in the genre.
Jen Jacobs, a code-writer at a small company begins playing the game as a distraction from her ho-hum life. Jen is likeable and very relatable. I enjoyed her pov a lot, and the humorous edge to some of her inner thoughts helped to keep the tone lighter, even during the surprisingly darker moments of this story.
Beatrice, the other character, had to grow on me. She can be a bit harsh but after awhile I started to understand her bluntness, and even root for the unlikely friendship that grew up between her and Jen.
The world is a ‘here and now’ urban setting, allowing easy access to the story with only the characters, and the game/magic to learn about. Everything is so nicely paced; with each piece of the puzzle revealed we gain knowledge until we eventually see the entire picture.
Of course, the game and magic are where the story has a bit of a rpg feel, with the collecting and levelling up tokens. There are also edible power-ups made from alchemy, that give the user temporary status changes, like speed, smarts, or strength- which was a really fun touch.
The Guild was the only thing is the story that gave me pause. Everything to do with them for the bulk of the story, was offscreen. Their presence and or any threats from them, felt impersonal and lowered any tension or fear that I may have had towards the characters fate from their existence. At one point, I even wondered if they were real, or if they were all in Beatrice’s head because any information or perceived danger from them came second-hand through her, and she didn’t always come across as a ‘together in the head’ kind of person.
All in all, I had a great time with this book. It was easy to dive-in. I loved the questing; the characters were great and the mystery kept me interested while the darker moments in the story added just a little bit of an edge to the fun.
What an enjoyable read! This was just what I needed to get me back in the groove.
Guild of tokens is an easy access not-quite litrpg, quest fantasy, which actually reminded me more of geocaching than litrpg. The story does well at blending the fun of collecting items to level up, without the grinding away to upgrade your stats feel that you occasionally find in the genre.
Jen Jacobs, a code-writer at a small company begins playing the game as a distraction from her ho-hum life. Jen is likeable and very relatable. I enjoyed her pov a lot, and the humorous edge to some of her inner thoughts helped to keep the tone lighter, even during the surprisingly darker moments of this story.
Beatrice, the other character, had to grow on me. She can be a bit harsh but after awhile I started to understand her bluntness, and even root for the unlikely friendship that grew up between her and Jen.
The world is a ‘here and now’ urban setting, allowing easy access to the story with only the characters, and the game/magic to learn about. Everything is so nicely paced; with each piece of the puzzle revealed we gain knowledge until we eventually see the entire picture.
Of course, the game and magic are where the story has a bit of a rpg feel, with the collecting and levelling up tokens. There are also edible power-ups made from alchemy, that give the user temporary status changes, like speed, smarts, or strength- which was a really fun touch.
The Guild was the only thing is the story that gave me pause. Everything to do with them for the bulk of the story, was offscreen. Their presence and or any threats from them, felt impersonal and lowered any tension or fear that I may have had towards the characters fate from their existence. At one point, I even wondered if they were real, or if they were all in Beatrice’s head because any information or perceived danger from them came second-hand through her, and she didn’t always come across as a ‘together in the head’ kind of person.
All in all, I had a great time with this book. It was easy to dive-in. I loved the questing; the characters were great and the mystery kept me interested while the darker moments in the story added just a little bit of an edge to the fun.
July 23, 2022
Fantasy set in modern New York in which two women are drawn into the guild of alchemists. The characters are not all straightforward, and all have secrets. They’re all searching for hidden knowledge from the 18th century, and some characters appear to have survived all the time since then- although not with all their memories. It’s an interesting and confusing read, leaving you wanting to know more.
September 15, 2019
Thank you to the author for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. It’s available to purchase now.
If you enjoy RPG’s, read this book. If you’ve ever spent hours on end trying to defeat the end boss in a video game, read this book. If you enjoy scavenger hunts, adventure, mystery, and excellent writing, read this book.
I had so much fun with this one! Poor Jen just wanted a bit of escapism, but ended up wondering what was going to do her in first: the Guild or her mentor. At the beginning of the book I thought that it would be a blast to go Questing, but I changed my mind right around the time that, as the movies say, “sh– got real.”
Things escalated the further into the book I got. I was on the edge of my seat for the last half of the book. There are some short stories involving my favorite character that I am planning on checking out as well. Just like Jen, I’ve found myself drawn into the game.
The characters were interesting, the plot fascinating, and the way it all came together was fantastic.
Trust me on this one: you need to grab this book and join the Quest.
If you enjoy RPG’s, read this book. If you’ve ever spent hours on end trying to defeat the end boss in a video game, read this book. If you enjoy scavenger hunts, adventure, mystery, and excellent writing, read this book.
I had so much fun with this one! Poor Jen just wanted a bit of escapism, but ended up wondering what was going to do her in first: the Guild or her mentor. At the beginning of the book I thought that it would be a blast to go Questing, but I changed my mind right around the time that, as the movies say, “sh– got real.”
Things escalated the further into the book I got. I was on the edge of my seat for the last half of the book. There are some short stories involving my favorite character that I am planning on checking out as well. Just like Jen, I’ve found myself drawn into the game.
The characters were interesting, the plot fascinating, and the way it all came together was fantastic.
Trust me on this one: you need to grab this book and join the Quest.
July 26, 2020
Guild of Tokens took me by surprise. It is a deep, engaging and complex urban fantasy novel blessed by an instantly enjoyable main character, immersed in a fascinating world. I've been reading it and chuckling, on the Edge of my seat till the end.
Very funny, very well written, it deserves a high budget Netflix Tv show as fast as possible.
Full review coming soon.
Very funny, very well written, it deserves a high budget Netflix Tv show as fast as possible.
Full review coming soon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2019
I received a review copy of this novel from the author. This has not impacted my review.
Jon Auerbach treats us to a rousing litRPG-like adventure through Manhattan. Guild of Tokens is a unique blend of genres, one-part urban fantasy, one-part litRPG, and one-part mystery. There’s a lot to like in Auerbach’s first novel.
Guild of Tokens has one of the most unique and interesting concepts I’ve ever encountered. Our main character, Jen Jacobs, discovers what is essentially a Craigslist for weird quests in New York City. Of course, there is something deeper going on, and Jen discovers secrets about herself and the world and the way the world works that are absolutely mind boggling. I was immediately drawn into this world and while the ideas here are absolutely fantastical the entire concept also seems incredibly believable. That may be, at least partially, down to the relatable main character Auerbach gives us in Jen Jacobs. You care about her immediately, and find many of your own thoughts echoed in her viewpoint as she is discovering this hidden world. Her emotions as she uncovers mystery upon mystery also seem very authentic and real-to-life. Yet it’s not only the world that shines here, but Jen as a character. She’s hurting and broken in some ways, just trying to get by. As readers, we can empathize with her. She’s obviously trying to work through things. It’s very fun to read about, but there are also moments of pain because we see her making poor decisions, or at least decisions we know will end up bringing her more pain. The book, without being at all preachy, feels at times as if it’s a warning about the dangers of addiction. With both the MC and several of the side characters, Auerbach has given us textured, deep, morally grey characters that are excellent fun. It’s impressive to find characters that are so morally gray and yet feel so relatable.
One of the weaknesses for the book, from my perspective anyway, was a tendency to begin chapters by jumping forward in time from the end of the last chapter and then having a flashback to fill in the missing time. A few times, instead of a flashback, we simply have the character thinking about what happened. For me, this absolutely destroyed the tension inherent in the ending of some chapters. I wanted to know what happened next, and instead jumped forward several hours, days, or even weeks, and then had to have all the rest backfilled. It’s a method I’m never thrilled with and I don’t think it worked at all for the pacing of the novel. There are also a couple moments that strain credulity in terms of some of the characters and their ability to sort of just ignore friends, family, or jobs in order to give themselves fully to quests. Yes, I know, I’m willing to believe magic exists in a novel, but I’m picking on the believability of someone ignoring a job? It does seem a bit hypocritical, but for me some of that just didn’t seem to fit.
Guild of Tokens is a fun read that keeps you engaged. The sense of mystery and discovery is second to none and the main character is highly relatable. If you enjoy urban fantasy and morally grey characters this is one for you.
7.0/10
3.5/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
Jon Auerbach treats us to a rousing litRPG-like adventure through Manhattan. Guild of Tokens is a unique blend of genres, one-part urban fantasy, one-part litRPG, and one-part mystery. There’s a lot to like in Auerbach’s first novel.
Guild of Tokens has one of the most unique and interesting concepts I’ve ever encountered. Our main character, Jen Jacobs, discovers what is essentially a Craigslist for weird quests in New York City. Of course, there is something deeper going on, and Jen discovers secrets about herself and the world and the way the world works that are absolutely mind boggling. I was immediately drawn into this world and while the ideas here are absolutely fantastical the entire concept also seems incredibly believable. That may be, at least partially, down to the relatable main character Auerbach gives us in Jen Jacobs. You care about her immediately, and find many of your own thoughts echoed in her viewpoint as she is discovering this hidden world. Her emotions as she uncovers mystery upon mystery also seem very authentic and real-to-life. Yet it’s not only the world that shines here, but Jen as a character. She’s hurting and broken in some ways, just trying to get by. As readers, we can empathize with her. She’s obviously trying to work through things. It’s very fun to read about, but there are also moments of pain because we see her making poor decisions, or at least decisions we know will end up bringing her more pain. The book, without being at all preachy, feels at times as if it’s a warning about the dangers of addiction. With both the MC and several of the side characters, Auerbach has given us textured, deep, morally grey characters that are excellent fun. It’s impressive to find characters that are so morally gray and yet feel so relatable.
One of the weaknesses for the book, from my perspective anyway, was a tendency to begin chapters by jumping forward in time from the end of the last chapter and then having a flashback to fill in the missing time. A few times, instead of a flashback, we simply have the character thinking about what happened. For me, this absolutely destroyed the tension inherent in the ending of some chapters. I wanted to know what happened next, and instead jumped forward several hours, days, or even weeks, and then had to have all the rest backfilled. It’s a method I’m never thrilled with and I don’t think it worked at all for the pacing of the novel. There are also a couple moments that strain credulity in terms of some of the characters and their ability to sort of just ignore friends, family, or jobs in order to give themselves fully to quests. Yes, I know, I’m willing to believe magic exists in a novel, but I’m picking on the believability of someone ignoring a job? It does seem a bit hypocritical, but for me some of that just didn’t seem to fit.
Guild of Tokens is a fun read that keeps you engaged. The sense of mystery and discovery is second to none and the main character is highly relatable. If you enjoy urban fantasy and morally grey characters this is one for you.
7.0/10
3.5/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
October 20, 2019
Rating and review based on a free copy of the book provided by the author.
Final Rating: 3.5/5 Stars - Liked it!
Jen Jacobs' life is going nowhere fast, so when she receives an email inviting her to partake in real live questing, she decides to give it a try. At first, things are simple enough. Log onto the Quest Board and choose a quest. Complete the test, get wooden tokens. Do enough of those, and you can start earning iron tokens, etc. It's harmless fun, with quests ranging from leaving a subway ticket at a certain mailbox to killing a rat and delivering it to an address within an hour. But eventually, Jen finds herself bored of the quests and more curious about the mysterious, anonymous group that actually assigns them. She begins to dig and soon discovers that the quests are actually a front, that the runners of the "game" actually are using it to gather resources for their own secret agenda - and some members will kill to keep their secrets.
GUILD OF TOKENS is a fun mystery adventure that suffers at times from a too-nebulous villain. The early half of the book was my favorite, as Jen enters the mysterious world of questing and begins what are known to the video game community as "fetch quests." Go pick up an item and bring it back. Watching Jen grow from accepting these quests as just a silly way to pass the time, to delving into who is organizing these quests to begin with was intriguing, especially as she discovers the truth behind the Guild. This being a LitRPG, other video game tropes made their way into the plot, from alchemical buffs that heighten strength and speed, to a clever trick that made digital avatars a real world mechanism. Once Jen meets up with a woman named Beatrice, the stakes become increasingly dangerous, but it was also where the story got a little murky for me.
The moment-to-moment adventures of GUILD OF TOKENS were engaging throughout the book, and I enjoyed the puzzle aspects as Jen and Beatrice race to find a relic before the Guild does. My issue was that the Guild largely remains an offscreen presence for most of the book; everything we know about who is potentially interfering with Jen and Beatrice we learn second-hand from Beatrice, who has been navigating the world of the Guild for years. It's Beatrice who has a history with certain Guild members, so it's not a threat that feels personal to Jen and that blunted the threat level a bit for me.
I also felt that there was some missing tension when it came to Jen balancing this new life of questing with her work/social life. What roadblocks there are are easily overcome. On top of that, her friends and boyfriend aren't great people to begin with, and because they weren't great, it never felt like an agonizing choice when Jen had to choose between them and whatever new problem had arisen in her questing life, despite Jen's words to the contrary.
GUILD OF TOKENS is an enjoyable romp, especially for those who like LitRPG style books that play on classic video game tropes in the "real world." It's a fun puzzle adventure, a race to decipher clues from history to find a final legendary object. Although some tension was missing in the latter half of the book, I still enjoyed the read overall and would recommend to fans to the genre!
Final Rating: 3.5/5 Stars - Liked it!
Jen Jacobs' life is going nowhere fast, so when she receives an email inviting her to partake in real live questing, she decides to give it a try. At first, things are simple enough. Log onto the Quest Board and choose a quest. Complete the test, get wooden tokens. Do enough of those, and you can start earning iron tokens, etc. It's harmless fun, with quests ranging from leaving a subway ticket at a certain mailbox to killing a rat and delivering it to an address within an hour. But eventually, Jen finds herself bored of the quests and more curious about the mysterious, anonymous group that actually assigns them. She begins to dig and soon discovers that the quests are actually a front, that the runners of the "game" actually are using it to gather resources for their own secret agenda - and some members will kill to keep their secrets.
GUILD OF TOKENS is a fun mystery adventure that suffers at times from a too-nebulous villain. The early half of the book was my favorite, as Jen enters the mysterious world of questing and begins what are known to the video game community as "fetch quests." Go pick up an item and bring it back. Watching Jen grow from accepting these quests as just a silly way to pass the time, to delving into who is organizing these quests to begin with was intriguing, especially as she discovers the truth behind the Guild. This being a LitRPG, other video game tropes made their way into the plot, from alchemical buffs that heighten strength and speed, to a clever trick that made digital avatars a real world mechanism. Once Jen meets up with a woman named Beatrice, the stakes become increasingly dangerous, but it was also where the story got a little murky for me.
The moment-to-moment adventures of GUILD OF TOKENS were engaging throughout the book, and I enjoyed the puzzle aspects as Jen and Beatrice race to find a relic before the Guild does. My issue was that the Guild largely remains an offscreen presence for most of the book; everything we know about who is potentially interfering with Jen and Beatrice we learn second-hand from Beatrice, who has been navigating the world of the Guild for years. It's Beatrice who has a history with certain Guild members, so it's not a threat that feels personal to Jen and that blunted the threat level a bit for me.
I also felt that there was some missing tension when it came to Jen balancing this new life of questing with her work/social life. What roadblocks there are are easily overcome. On top of that, her friends and boyfriend aren't great people to begin with, and because they weren't great, it never felt like an agonizing choice when Jen had to choose between them and whatever new problem had arisen in her questing life, despite Jen's words to the contrary.
GUILD OF TOKENS is an enjoyable romp, especially for those who like LitRPG style books that play on classic video game tropes in the "real world." It's a fun puzzle adventure, a race to decipher clues from history to find a final legendary object. Although some tension was missing in the latter half of the book, I still enjoyed the read overall and would recommend to fans to the genre!
June 27, 2020
Check out my blog post here: cosmiclattesandbooks.com/2020/06/24/b...
This book had me interested from the start. The premise is interesting and something that I have never seen before. The idea is that Jen Jacobs gets an email to start doing quests in real life. She completes the quest and in return gets tokens. The quests range from easy and mundane, such as getting blueberries and popsicles and leaving them at a certain location, to difficult and seemingly impossible, such as stealing a certain kind of pocket watch. Think your average RPG game, but in real-life. Jen embarks on a journey into the unknown, a world of magic, Councils and Guilds that have been hiding in plain sight the whole time.
The world built in Guild of Tokens felt real and well built. It was a solid and realistic world with a believable magic system built in. The magic had stakes. There aren’t overpowered villains or heros here. Each use of the magic takes a toll on the user, which is something that I greatly appreciate when we are talking about a magic system.
The RPG elements were interesting to someone who loves to play video games. The fact that it features a female coder is cool too. As a woman in the tech field, I felt some of the issues that Jen faced in her workplace.
The characters felt very varied and so did their relationships. They were flawed as well as morally gray at times. All of the characters who are introduced here play a vital role in the plot and move the story forward in a cohesive and important way. Their interactions are organic and there aren’t any “cop-out” moments where a character is just used as a device to forward the plot, as each character is important in their own way. They are all fleshed out and are easy to connect with. Sometimes I felt bad for Jen as I felt like nothing was really working in her favor.
That being said, the middle felt like it could have used a little bit of tightening up, as the plot felt like it jumped around a little too much and I couldn’t catch the direction of it until later in the book. There were also some small typos and grammatical errors that the aforementioned tightening up could fix, but none of those detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
The end was very fast paced and interesting and I had to read the last 100 pages very quickly, as I needed to know exactly what happened in the end. I still have some questions about things that were not answered in this book, but I plan on reading the second book when it comes out later in 2020!
Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who loves Urban Fantasy or loves MMORPG games.
Again, my many thanks to the author, Jon Auerbach and Storytellers on Tour for providing me with a copy of Guild of Tokens in exchange for an honest review!
This book had me interested from the start. The premise is interesting and something that I have never seen before. The idea is that Jen Jacobs gets an email to start doing quests in real life. She completes the quest and in return gets tokens. The quests range from easy and mundane, such as getting blueberries and popsicles and leaving them at a certain location, to difficult and seemingly impossible, such as stealing a certain kind of pocket watch. Think your average RPG game, but in real-life. Jen embarks on a journey into the unknown, a world of magic, Councils and Guilds that have been hiding in plain sight the whole time.
The world built in Guild of Tokens felt real and well built. It was a solid and realistic world with a believable magic system built in. The magic had stakes. There aren’t overpowered villains or heros here. Each use of the magic takes a toll on the user, which is something that I greatly appreciate when we are talking about a magic system.
The RPG elements were interesting to someone who loves to play video games. The fact that it features a female coder is cool too. As a woman in the tech field, I felt some of the issues that Jen faced in her workplace.
The characters felt very varied and so did their relationships. They were flawed as well as morally gray at times. All of the characters who are introduced here play a vital role in the plot and move the story forward in a cohesive and important way. Their interactions are organic and there aren’t any “cop-out” moments where a character is just used as a device to forward the plot, as each character is important in their own way. They are all fleshed out and are easy to connect with. Sometimes I felt bad for Jen as I felt like nothing was really working in her favor.
That being said, the middle felt like it could have used a little bit of tightening up, as the plot felt like it jumped around a little too much and I couldn’t catch the direction of it until later in the book. There were also some small typos and grammatical errors that the aforementioned tightening up could fix, but none of those detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
The end was very fast paced and interesting and I had to read the last 100 pages very quickly, as I needed to know exactly what happened in the end. I still have some questions about things that were not answered in this book, but I plan on reading the second book when it comes out later in 2020!
Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who loves Urban Fantasy or loves MMORPG games.
Again, my many thanks to the author, Jon Auerbach and Storytellers on Tour for providing me with a copy of Guild of Tokens in exchange for an honest review!
August 14, 2019
Guild of tokens works as both an entertaining fantasy story and a fantastic love letter to New York City.
John Auerbach has crafted an intriguing fantasy world that feels lived in and authentic.
The novel takes Jen Jacobs from her life as a video game developer into a realm of urban fantasy that’s hidden in plain sight, a sort of mmorpg meets craigslist that plays out in real life. The novel slowly takes Jen from her life of conformity to a literal scavenger hunt in search of purpose, answers and agency. The New York of the novel is palpably ours, yet strange. We might recognize it, until its details reveal hidden purposes to simple landmarks and mundane objects. Like the real New York City, nothing in this version is what it seems.
This fantasy world that Auerbauch has built is the book’s most realized achievement. “The Guild”, as they are known, is equal parts pyramid scheme, secret society and an intriguing take on the trope of the “powers that be”. It’s through this trope that the novel makes a thinly veiled commentary on predatory systems of power, wether it’s the fantasy cabal type, or the all-too-real consumerist culture we live in.
Although the characters surrounding the protagonist are not much more than archetypes at best, Jen’s quest feels real and earnest; she’s just another millennial trying to find meaning in the big apple, avoiding the burnout of our generation.
John Auerbach has crafted an intriguing fantasy world that feels lived in and authentic.
The novel takes Jen Jacobs from her life as a video game developer into a realm of urban fantasy that’s hidden in plain sight, a sort of mmorpg meets craigslist that plays out in real life. The novel slowly takes Jen from her life of conformity to a literal scavenger hunt in search of purpose, answers and agency. The New York of the novel is palpably ours, yet strange. We might recognize it, until its details reveal hidden purposes to simple landmarks and mundane objects. Like the real New York City, nothing in this version is what it seems.
This fantasy world that Auerbauch has built is the book’s most realized achievement. “The Guild”, as they are known, is equal parts pyramid scheme, secret society and an intriguing take on the trope of the “powers that be”. It’s through this trope that the novel makes a thinly veiled commentary on predatory systems of power, wether it’s the fantasy cabal type, or the all-too-real consumerist culture we live in.
Although the characters surrounding the protagonist are not much more than archetypes at best, Jen’s quest feels real and earnest; she’s just another millennial trying to find meaning in the big apple, avoiding the burnout of our generation.
October 5, 2022
This book was fun! I think that anyone who liked The Matrix, National Treasure, and gaming would like this book. It’s a bit of an odd mix, but somehow it works.
The story centers around Jen, a software developer for a startup video game company living in New York City. Looking for a little excitement, she gets drawn into the world of questing, and discovers a hidden world of magic controlled by the Guild, a secretive organization. There are apples which let you read someone’s mind, a knife that will turn you to stone, magic tattoos, ink that will compel someone to do anything you write down—it just keeps getting wilder and wilder.
Along the way the quests become more difficult and dangerous, and Jen becomes the somewhat unwilling protégé of Beatrice, who she believes is a violent and dangerous psychopath (although Beatrice has quite a lot of depth to her). Beatrice wants to destroy the Guild and Jen just wants to learn more about alchemy, and it’s an uneasy partnership which I loved.
Throughout it all is the search for the Compendium (sort of like a spell book), and searching for clues from the diary of a Guild member from the time of the Revolutionary War. It was like a dangerous magical treasure hunt, complete with a heist at the Met.
I think one of the things I liked the most were the characters. There were consequences and fallout from their actions, and the guilt they felt made them seem so real. Characters that were first introduced as minor side characters came back later in the story as very important characters, which was surprising. I might need to read this again to see what little clues I missed the first time around.
The version of this story that I read also included four prequel novellas, which I highly recommend tracking down (read them after the main story, though). They are mostly stories about Beatrice before the main story begins, but they are not just filler. They left me with more questions and excited for the second book.
The story centers around Jen, a software developer for a startup video game company living in New York City. Looking for a little excitement, she gets drawn into the world of questing, and discovers a hidden world of magic controlled by the Guild, a secretive organization. There are apples which let you read someone’s mind, a knife that will turn you to stone, magic tattoos, ink that will compel someone to do anything you write down—it just keeps getting wilder and wilder.
Along the way the quests become more difficult and dangerous, and Jen becomes the somewhat unwilling protégé of Beatrice, who she believes is a violent and dangerous psychopath (although Beatrice has quite a lot of depth to her). Beatrice wants to destroy the Guild and Jen just wants to learn more about alchemy, and it’s an uneasy partnership which I loved.
Throughout it all is the search for the Compendium (sort of like a spell book), and searching for clues from the diary of a Guild member from the time of the Revolutionary War. It was like a dangerous magical treasure hunt, complete with a heist at the Met.
I think one of the things I liked the most were the characters. There were consequences and fallout from their actions, and the guilt they felt made them seem so real. Characters that were first introduced as minor side characters came back later in the story as very important characters, which was surprising. I might need to read this again to see what little clues I missed the first time around.
The version of this story that I read also included four prequel novellas, which I highly recommend tracking down (read them after the main story, though). They are mostly stories about Beatrice before the main story begins, but they are not just filler. They left me with more questions and excited for the second book.
August 4, 2019
I read Trainee and Enforcer, the two Guild of Tokens Origins prequels to Jon Auerbach’s Guild of Tokens, which is the first full book in the series of the same name. As a result I knew to expect a complex tale with betrayals and plots galore. Add in to that a neat concept of effectively a real life RPG - with actual magic - plus a great lead in Jen Jacobs and a complex and really well-crafted character in Beatrice Taylor (and that’s all I’m gonna say about her as I don’t want to spoil anything). The result is a heck of a great yarn. It’s also a different yarn depending on whether or not you read the prequels (available for free from the author) first. It will be just as fun though, either way. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. The book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.
June 27, 2020
"This is not a game. The Quests are real. The rewards are real. The glory is real. Do you have what it takes?"
I always choose carefuly what novels I read in English besides my own mother tongue and I have to say, it was very worth reading Guild of Tokens because not only is the story terribly enjoyable, but also special and has potential in it.
Guild of Tokens is a refreshing urban fantasy full of action and adventure. The world of the volume itself is a bit gloomy, a little dark, but very enjoyable. If it had to be funny, and if I was hungry for mysticism, I got it. The main character was very sympathetic, I could fully identify with her and for a minute I didn’t feel like her character had been pushed too far. An enjoyable, adventurous read that takes many readers off their feet.
The baseline itself is pretty interesting and caught my attention after the first pages. I was wondering what was going to emerge by the end of where the story was going and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed at all. I lost in his world and enjoyed every minute of it. Captivating style, full of twists, mystique and a great deal of curiosity. I’m glad I was able to read and look forward to more.
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I always choose carefuly what novels I read in English besides my own mother tongue and I have to say, it was very worth reading Guild of Tokens because not only is the story terribly enjoyable, but also special and has potential in it.
Guild of Tokens is a refreshing urban fantasy full of action and adventure. The world of the volume itself is a bit gloomy, a little dark, but very enjoyable. If it had to be funny, and if I was hungry for mysticism, I got it. The main character was very sympathetic, I could fully identify with her and for a minute I didn’t feel like her character had been pushed too far. An enjoyable, adventurous read that takes many readers off their feet.
The baseline itself is pretty interesting and caught my attention after the first pages. I was wondering what was going to emerge by the end of where the story was going and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed at all. I lost in his world and enjoyed every minute of it. Captivating style, full of twists, mystique and a great deal of curiosity. I’m glad I was able to read and look forward to more.
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
November 17, 2024
I imagine another version of me might enjoy this more than I did. It wasn't poorly written or executed per se, just not quite suited to my own interests at this time.
I'd call this a B-movie version of a fantasy fiction story. Some cheese, some cringe, some eye-rolling-levels of theatrics... but still entertaining in its own right.
Would I recommend this to someone else? Yes, actually. I can think of a lot of people that might truly enjoy this story, so I wouldn't take my own personal feedback to heart. Judge it with your own eyes and sentiments.
I'd call this a B-movie version of a fantasy fiction story. Some cheese, some cringe, some eye-rolling-levels of theatrics... but still entertaining in its own right.
Would I recommend this to someone else? Yes, actually. I can think of a lot of people that might truly enjoy this story, so I wouldn't take my own personal feedback to heart. Judge it with your own eyes and sentiments.
September 20, 2019
Guild of Tokens is filled with twists, turns and surprises. Poor Frankie, I was shocked and disturbed by her plight. Mr. Auerbach has an imagination that is sometimes delightful and sometimes terrifying but almost always entertaining. There are a couple of times when the action slows down but it picks up in just a few pages. And I absolutely loved the ending. I highly recommend it and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Read via Kindle Unlimited
Read via Kindle Unlimited
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