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Fae Nexus #1
Black Dawn
Magic, mayhem, and moonshine.
Gage came home to the Ozarks to mend fences with the friends he’d left behind. But when a solar storm reconnects Earth to the Fae Nexus, the world is engulfed in magical energy, altering the laws of nature… violently. Fuel, ammunition, and electronics explode, leaving the world in a dark apocalypse.
As the flames die down, demons emerge through the Fae Nexus, swarming Gage’s hometown and enslaving the survivors.
To fight back, Gage and his reunited friends harness Fae powers, becoming the Wizard, Ranger, and Fighter they’ve always played in their favorite roleplaying game.
With the help of a pair of moonshiners turned Alchemists and the ghost of a long-dead gunslinger, Gage and his friends have to level up fast to free their families and defend their home against the demonic horde.
He may have walked away once, but this time the only thing Gage is leaving behind are his regrets and a pile of dead demons.
Gage came home to the Ozarks to mend fences with the friends he’d left behind. But when a solar storm reconnects Earth to the Fae Nexus, the world is engulfed in magical energy, altering the laws of nature… violently. Fuel, ammunition, and electronics explode, leaving the world in a dark apocalypse.
As the flames die down, demons emerge through the Fae Nexus, swarming Gage’s hometown and enslaving the survivors.
To fight back, Gage and his reunited friends harness Fae powers, becoming the Wizard, Ranger, and Fighter they’ve always played in their favorite roleplaying game.
With the help of a pair of moonshiners turned Alchemists and the ghost of a long-dead gunslinger, Gage and his friends have to level up fast to free their families and defend their home against the demonic horde.
He may have walked away once, but this time the only thing Gage is leaving behind are his regrets and a pile of dead demons.
- GenresFantasy
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 5, 2021
577 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
January 17, 2021
Lacking
The pros:
The writing is clean, few proofreading or grammatical errors.
The ‘system’ is fully realized.
The cons:
Over half way through and some key information hasn’t been addressed - why did the MC leave? It was brought up in the first scene and mentioned several other times.
Super crunchy, to the point of boredom. Combat sequences take several pages to resolve because *everything* is considered and discussed. That may work playing a tabletop game, but it functions poorly in a story.
None of the character ‘voices’ have any more depth than they tell you. And they only seem to exist to drive the narrative, which limps forward slowly.
Reading this was exactly like watching someone else play a game.
The pros:
The writing is clean, few proofreading or grammatical errors.
The ‘system’ is fully realized.
The cons:
Over half way through and some key information hasn’t been addressed - why did the MC leave? It was brought up in the first scene and mentioned several other times.
Super crunchy, to the point of boredom. Combat sequences take several pages to resolve because *everything* is considered and discussed. That may work playing a tabletop game, but it functions poorly in a story.
None of the character ‘voices’ have any more depth than they tell you. And they only seem to exist to drive the narrative, which limps forward slowly.
Reading this was exactly like watching someone else play a game.
February 6, 2021
This one is bad for several reasons.
The characters are in no way likable. I think they were meant to be "real" with flaws and defining traits but instead come off as idiotic and rash. At no point do you side with them or really feel like they could win. The game mechanics are nice but everything just barely works out fine and time again making it feel railroaded. There is horrible flow to the writing, the story advancement is so slow and once there you don't know how you arrived. It is a tedious read.
The characters are in no way likable. I think they were meant to be "real" with flaws and defining traits but instead come off as idiotic and rash. At no point do you side with them or really feel like they could win. The game mechanics are nice but everything just barely works out fine and time again making it feel railroaded. There is horrible flow to the writing, the story advancement is so slow and once there you don't know how you arrived. It is a tedious read.
January 24, 2021
I had had enough by the time they spent a whole page describing in precise detail the ingredients of a kebab and the type of skewer it was going to be cooked on. Some people might love this! Felt tedious to me, though.
May 15, 2022
3 1/2 stars.
December 6, 2021
*Audiobook Review*
These types of apocalypse litrpg are my favorite. People try to combine old world know how and magic to push back the alien invasion. As usual, they either become slaves or survivors to fight back the evil. Black dawn takes this and makes it boring, tedious and uninteresting. The problem? The characters are hollow and dull. The MC keeps asking questions, cultivate and research and not really do anything. They fight their first bad guy and after he dies you think the characters are going to start doing anything. Instead, they stand around the the body and makes plan to leave BUT instead they loot and just standing around. They do this a few more times; never mind the urgency in saving the town for invasion. I mean, the side characters actually stand around instead of gather things while they wait for the MC; like a real npc. Every time they make their plan to leave they stand around the baddie and the MC just ends up talking about something or another. Like Colombo, I expected an "Oh, one more thing...". In the audiobook, they spend 1 hour standing around asking stupid questions and for me that was a flag. The author spends so much time detailing useless information as if he is the GM to a tabletop. The MC spends too much time with his head up his ass wondering about magic ...all the while crying like a little bitch about how his grandma might be dead and he needs to save her. The other characters are bland and uninteresting. It took 3 hours and 40 minuets from integration to walking down their mountain camp and into the city. There was a 20 minuet fight and rest...was just pure boredom.
I am sure the writer has an amazing story, but he fails in the delivery and keeping the audience attention. I got the feeling that he was reading out a tabletop game he and his buddies played rather than come up with story.I am sure the author needed to explain the new world and stats but you can't do it in a way that bores the reader. Especially, when your MC doesn't sound like hero material but a complete flake.
These types of apocalypse litrpg are my favorite. People try to combine old world know how and magic to push back the alien invasion. As usual, they either become slaves or survivors to fight back the evil. Black dawn takes this and makes it boring, tedious and uninteresting. The problem? The characters are hollow and dull. The MC keeps asking questions, cultivate and research and not really do anything. They fight their first bad guy and after he dies you think the characters are going to start doing anything. Instead, they stand around the the body and makes plan to leave BUT instead they loot and just standing around. They do this a few more times; never mind the urgency in saving the town for invasion. I mean, the side characters actually stand around instead of gather things while they wait for the MC; like a real npc. Every time they make their plan to leave they stand around the baddie and the MC just ends up talking about something or another. Like Colombo, I expected an "Oh, one more thing...". In the audiobook, they spend 1 hour standing around asking stupid questions and for me that was a flag. The author spends so much time detailing useless information as if he is the GM to a tabletop. The MC spends too much time with his head up his ass wondering about magic ...all the while crying like a little bitch about how his grandma might be dead and he needs to save her. The other characters are bland and uninteresting. It took 3 hours and 40 minuets from integration to walking down their mountain camp and into the city. There was a 20 minuet fight and rest...was just pure boredom.
I am sure the writer has an amazing story, but he fails in the delivery and keeping the audience attention. I got the feeling that he was reading out a tabletop game he and his buddies played rather than come up with story.I am sure the author needed to explain the new world and stats but you can't do it in a way that bores the reader. Especially, when your MC doesn't sound like hero material but a complete flake.
January 18, 2021
I struggled at the beginning when volatile substances reacted. In this case, that meant gas and gun powder. Which led me down a rabbit hole to figure out if the various oil fields would have exploded and if the earth could have survived the different and many explosions that would have taken place. Taking a break from that I wondered if the glucose in our veins would have combusted. That was more interesting to me than the rest of the book.
The book itself was fine. I liked how it felt that dice were rolled. Not everything was a success, though failure never seemed too bad. But the characters didn't really engage me, wizards felt more powerful than any other class due to their versatility, and the book ended before I thought it should have. The climax was a fight with the sheriff when it felt like it was going to be a prison break.
The book itself was fine. I liked how it felt that dice were rolled. Not everything was a success, though failure never seemed too bad. But the characters didn't really engage me, wizards felt more powerful than any other class due to their versatility, and the book ended before I thought it should have. The climax was a fight with the sheriff when it felt like it was going to be a prison break.
May 17, 2021
What starts out as a decent entry into the RPG side of things quickly disintegrates into a strictly RPG system.
In the background screaming for air you can hear the story that was supposed to be told be strangled to death.
1) This is not a novel, it is ONLY an RPG system: All writing is only about making spell, getting spell, spell failing
2) What could have been interesting in the world winds up with a kid moving, then moving, then moving some more. No world-building. even though they come to a cave. Nothing is added to the story, you must just accept that now we know MC's family were once the same class he has chosen and that somehow we should all think this is cool.
3) It reads like a first write, you can feel the story go bland as the author runs out of steam.
Gave up at 64% author gave up at 50%
In the background screaming for air you can hear the story that was supposed to be told be strangled to death.
1) This is not a novel, it is ONLY an RPG system: All writing is only about making spell, getting spell, spell failing
2) What could have been interesting in the world winds up with a kid moving, then moving, then moving some more. No world-building. even though they come to a cave. Nothing is added to the story, you must just accept that now we know MC's family were once the same class he has chosen and that somehow we should all think this is cool.
3) It reads like a first write, you can feel the story go bland as the author runs out of steam.
Gave up at 64% author gave up at 50%
January 10, 2021
Started out ok but once again another litRPG that has a Male Mary Sue character. When everything works out for him it gets incredibly boring. Learn a Ice bolt SUCCESS, Lightning bolt SUCCESS, heal SUCCESS, its non stop easy SUCCESS, SUCCESS, SUCCESS, SUCCESS ,SUCCESS, SUCCESS, SUCCESS etc The only failures is short lived because 2 seconds later you guessed it.. SUCCESS!
Writers for the love of god stop writing Mary Sue characters they are so boring. Have them struggle and earn the accomplishments.. Only made it about 3/4 of the book before I gave up on it..
Writers for the love of god stop writing Mary Sue characters they are so boring. Have them struggle and earn the accomplishments.. Only made it about 3/4 of the book before I gave up on it..
January 7, 2021
Black dawn is right! Gage had just returned to his home town in the Ozarks, after a long period of being away and was looking forward to seeing his Grandma but he only got to meet up with his older brother Seth and his friend Peri when the fae nexus, through a massive storm, joined up with Earth and turned his home town into an apocalyptic desolate one, where magical powers were running rampant. He, Seth and Peri survived because they were up in the mountains but they too barely made it when all electronics, fuel and ammunition exploded taking anything in the surrounding areas with them. Suddenly they were fighting for their lives and trying to save those they loved who were now imprisoned in a camp surrounded by a deadly sentient fence and many demons. Some humans had turned traitor and were betraying those they were meant to protect, their friends and neighbours, as they sided with the demons and were now acting as wardens at the camp. Namely the worst of these and most powerful was the one time sheriff, who had turned into pure evil. Gage, Seth and Peri took on the identities of ranger, wizard and fighter, joined up with two alchemists and a ghost gunslinger as they settled down at the old speakeasy doing their best to level up, acquire more magical powers and enhancements in order to fight the demon horde and the powerful woman in charge of all this mess. I loved this very thrilling first book in a new LitRPG series and look forward to our next book which I hope will be out soon as that cliffhanger ending demands the next book be read asap!
January 10, 2021
Wow to much!!
To much about rolling dice and not enough story ..the writer? Or whoever thought that rolling dice while a demon is attacking you is a good story.If he had just wrote about the characters stats and developed the story it would have been a good book!!
To much about rolling dice and not enough story ..the writer? Or whoever thought that rolling dice while a demon is attacking you is a good story.If he had just wrote about the characters stats and developed the story it would have been a good book!!
August 7, 2021
Black Dawn is the first book in the Fae Nexus series by Nathan Ameye.
4.5 Everyone Who Idiotically Consumed Demon Flesh And Survived Will Receive The Following Feats: Stars
This was certainly a very intriguing introduction to this version of Dungeons & Dragons-esque apocalyptic/ world-changing LitRPG tale. I’m slightly disheartened that we didn’t progress as far into their rescue efforts (not much at all) than I had hoped would be accomplished. That our initial foray into the new settings this System has brought with the introduction of concentrated Fae to the Earth’s atmosphere touches on societies fixation to the fiery depths of Hell isn’t all that surprising. Honestly, a more justified starting point for hidden worlds does not come to mind, at this time.
The story thus far only takes place in Clearwater, home to our main characters Gage, Seth, and Peri. As they attempt to locate their missing family and friends, come to terms and grapple with the new measure of strength in this changed world, and worry over the state of the entire planet and what they’ll face after this first abomination from Irkalla. I think it’ll be a few books (most likely two) before we reach out into the survivor rates of the rest of the world. Along these lines, I’m left wondering whether this demon infestation is planet wide or solely focused on their small town.
The most interesting aspect displayed thus far in these pages related towards the two brothers past relatives and their underground Speakeasy, along with their hidden professions as Demon Hunters having been prevalent even while the Fae influx was so low. This pairs in with Tasch’s purpose, or rather access as the controlling power that guides their new base of operations. And further, if and how they can save him from the fate Lennox inflicted on him in their final battle of this book. Also, merely supposition, but I believe Gage’s connection to the Dream Fae and subsequent nightmares while in the Speakeasy has more prevalence than known at this time.
4.5 Everyone Who Idiotically Consumed Demon Flesh And Survived Will Receive The Following Feats: Stars
This was certainly a very intriguing introduction to this version of Dungeons & Dragons-esque apocalyptic/ world-changing LitRPG tale. I’m slightly disheartened that we didn’t progress as far into their rescue efforts (not much at all) than I had hoped would be accomplished. That our initial foray into the new settings this System has brought with the introduction of concentrated Fae to the Earth’s atmosphere touches on societies fixation to the fiery depths of Hell isn’t all that surprising. Honestly, a more justified starting point for hidden worlds does not come to mind, at this time.
The story thus far only takes place in Clearwater, home to our main characters Gage, Seth, and Peri. As they attempt to locate their missing family and friends, come to terms and grapple with the new measure of strength in this changed world, and worry over the state of the entire planet and what they’ll face after this first abomination from Irkalla. I think it’ll be a few books (most likely two) before we reach out into the survivor rates of the rest of the world. Along these lines, I’m left wondering whether this demon infestation is planet wide or solely focused on their small town.
The most interesting aspect displayed thus far in these pages related towards the two brothers past relatives and their underground Speakeasy, along with their hidden professions as Demon Hunters having been prevalent even while the Fae influx was so low. This pairs in with Tasch’s purpose, or rather access as the controlling power that guides their new base of operations. And further, if and how they can save him from the fate Lennox inflicted on him in their final battle of this book. Also, merely supposition, but I believe Gage’s connection to the Dream Fae and subsequent nightmares while in the Speakeasy has more prevalence than known at this time.
August 20, 2021
Black Dawn is a gritty LitRPG that happens in the “real” world as opposed to in a game. The premise of the plot is that aliens screw with earth’s physics to make them follow game mechanics—a process that kills the vast majority of earth’s population. The suggestion is that five or six thousand years ago, this is how the world functioned and for some reason that stopped. Now it’s back and demons have begun to populate the world. Three friends are camping when the event happens and they manage to survive character creation and their first encounter with a demon. Then they set about finding out what’s happened to their town.
This is an action-packed, fast-moving adventure which is frankly lots of fun. It mixes the need for the heroes to combine solid real-world tactics with game strategies. It captured and held my interest throughout the novel. The only thing I didn’t like is that dice are actually rolled when the characters try and use their skills. While it’s true that dice are rolled in RPGs, my friends and I always saw that as an approximation of the chance that our characters could perform an action. If we were actually trying to perform said action instead of pretending to while we sat around a table, the dice would be unnecessary. We would succeed or fail. I thought the dice were just a little too much RPG in the LitRPG, but other than that, I loved the book.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
This is an action-packed, fast-moving adventure which is frankly lots of fun. It mixes the need for the heroes to combine solid real-world tactics with game strategies. It captured and held my interest throughout the novel. The only thing I didn’t like is that dice are actually rolled when the characters try and use their skills. While it’s true that dice are rolled in RPGs, my friends and I always saw that as an approximation of the chance that our characters could perform an action. If we were actually trying to perform said action instead of pretending to while we sat around a table, the dice would be unnecessary. We would succeed or fail. I thought the dice were just a little too much RPG in the LitRPG, but other than that, I loved the book.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
January 6, 2021
An Enjoyable Read
A portal opens and the Earth is invaded by demons. It falls to our intrepid group of MCs to save both the day, and their townsfolk who have been enslaved and used as forced labour.
The storyline is unique and revolves around a game our MCS used to play being real and the world that they find themselves in is based on that. It does remain unclear though how the change got implemented or why which is a little disappointing. The gaming system and dice rolls are frequently mentioned and in the end I found myself skipping the blow by blow account of how the die fell. The story is easy to read and does not contain any bad language or sexual content. It also ends in a mild cliffhanger which is annoying.
Worth a try.
A portal opens and the Earth is invaded by demons. It falls to our intrepid group of MCs to save both the day, and their townsfolk who have been enslaved and used as forced labour.
The storyline is unique and revolves around a game our MCS used to play being real and the world that they find themselves in is based on that. It does remain unclear though how the change got implemented or why which is a little disappointing. The gaming system and dice rolls are frequently mentioned and in the end I found myself skipping the blow by blow account of how the die fell. The story is easy to read and does not contain any bad language or sexual content. It also ends in a mild cliffhanger which is annoying.
Worth a try.
January 12, 2021
Book one
Mistakes: While I didn't find anything wrong, I was disappointed that the story ends in a cliffhanger at 95%.
Plot: Magic, systems, levels, demon hunting, and ghost cowboy bartenders. This is what you get when the world ends.
The explanation for why there are other demon hunters and magic before the system can along was rather weakly explored. The ghost bartender wasn't explained at all. To me it just doesn't for the rest of the story. Maybe it will be explained in book two and make sense?
Characters: None of them have much depth.
5/10 Fast read that could use more depth.
Mistakes: While I didn't find anything wrong, I was disappointed that the story ends in a cliffhanger at 95%.
Plot: Magic, systems, levels, demon hunting, and ghost cowboy bartenders. This is what you get when the world ends.
The explanation for why there are other demon hunters and magic before the system can along was rather weakly explored. The ghost bartender wasn't explained at all. To me it just doesn't for the rest of the story. Maybe it will be explained in book two and make sense?
Characters: None of them have much depth.
5/10 Fast read that could use more depth.
January 24, 2021
Alert
First, my review: “This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
Second, I am not a bot...at least I don’t think I am. Yes this is copy pasta (just learned that term, so fun!) simply because I feel like any book I read deserves acknowledgement but at the same time my feelings on reviews conflict with the normal review process.
I enjoyed this book, so my goal is to promote it and help the author. If you are a potential reader, just stop reading now and take the above as all you need to know. I am not going to share my reasoning, thoughts on the book, or any opinions that would influence your decision to read it. It is my opinion that Art needs to be experienced at an individual level. You are the only one that can determine what you like and don’t like. Don’t let others make that decision for you. You should definitely read the book and completely ignore all of the reviews. Or not if you don’t think this book is for you. That choice is all yours and the beauty of art appreciation. You are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
If you are a member of the IAK Guild (thanks, Jason) or part of the review police, feel free to criticize me and challenge my philosophy on reviewing art. I think we all love a good debate. The forums are open and I welcome your comments. I was wrong in my previous request to get you to stop. Your blatant disregard for that request has led to some fun discussions. Growth is important for us all.
Cheers
First, my review: “This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
Second, I am not a bot...at least I don’t think I am. Yes this is copy pasta (just learned that term, so fun!) simply because I feel like any book I read deserves acknowledgement but at the same time my feelings on reviews conflict with the normal review process.
I enjoyed this book, so my goal is to promote it and help the author. If you are a potential reader, just stop reading now and take the above as all you need to know. I am not going to share my reasoning, thoughts on the book, or any opinions that would influence your decision to read it. It is my opinion that Art needs to be experienced at an individual level. You are the only one that can determine what you like and don’t like. Don’t let others make that decision for you. You should definitely read the book and completely ignore all of the reviews. Or not if you don’t think this book is for you. That choice is all yours and the beauty of art appreciation. You are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
If you are a member of the IAK Guild (thanks, Jason) or part of the review police, feel free to criticize me and challenge my philosophy on reviewing art. I think we all love a good debate. The forums are open and I welcome your comments. I was wrong in my previous request to get you to stop. Your blatant disregard for that request has led to some fun discussions. Growth is important for us all.
Cheers
March 3, 2021
Far, Demons, & your favorite RPG rules come to life? Life will never be the same
Gage, Seth, and Peri are camping when life changes forever and Fae magic returns to Earth with demons riding the wave of magic and game elements.
I enjoyed the story, interactions of the characters and how it all came together. It’s not perfect but it is fortuitous for sure. Can our small group prevail again let a demon invasion? Not likely, but that does not mean they are helpless to attack the invaders. Including the many turncoats that were humans like the corrupt sheriff who had the right people supporting him. Now to include the leader of the demons he made a deal with.
An interesting magic system that has a lot of wide open potential, with crafting as well. I’m looking forward to seeing more of what the group does, how they attempt their quest to defeat the invaders and what other allies they may find.
Gage, Seth, and Peri are camping when life changes forever and Fae magic returns to Earth with demons riding the wave of magic and game elements.
I enjoyed the story, interactions of the characters and how it all came together. It’s not perfect but it is fortuitous for sure. Can our small group prevail again let a demon invasion? Not likely, but that does not mean they are helpless to attack the invaders. Including the many turncoats that were humans like the corrupt sheriff who had the right people supporting him. Now to include the leader of the demons he made a deal with.
An interesting magic system that has a lot of wide open potential, with crafting as well. I’m looking forward to seeing more of what the group does, how they attempt their quest to defeat the invaders and what other allies they may find.
February 20, 2021
Fantastic!
Very well edited. Good plot, with characters who show their different motivations and personalities. Extremely descriptive world with the cataclysmic events and creatures. It really engages the imagination, and the villains are actually terrifying. Detailed progression system and the author really pays attention to keeping the details consistent and believable. Honestly, this deserves a top 3 spot in apocalyptic litrpg.
My only complaint is that the author could have done a little work trying to weave a couple of plots together, as currently the plot is singular and a bit linear. But, in this genre, the main plot is survival, and that is linear by necessity. So, it is understandable and expected. Further in the series more plot lines may emerge as the author gains experience and puts even more thought into his fictional world.
Very well edited. Good plot, with characters who show their different motivations and personalities. Extremely descriptive world with the cataclysmic events and creatures. It really engages the imagination, and the villains are actually terrifying. Detailed progression system and the author really pays attention to keeping the details consistent and believable. Honestly, this deserves a top 3 spot in apocalyptic litrpg.
My only complaint is that the author could have done a little work trying to weave a couple of plots together, as currently the plot is singular and a bit linear. But, in this genre, the main plot is survival, and that is linear by necessity. So, it is understandable and expected. Further in the series more plot lines may emerge as the author gains experience and puts even more thought into his fictional world.
December 26, 2021
I passed this book over, but it popped up again.... and I'm feeling adventurous (didn't like what I saw in the blurb).
This book has an okay story, but I think I would have enjoyed it more without the dice rolls.
No matter what, at the end of this book I'm dropping the series.
I can't read a book where everything you do depends on a dice roll. No matter your smarts or cleverness, you have to roll some stupid dice. Not my cup of tea.
The bad guy is powering up / doing something. Let's stop attacking him so he can raise the dead and get a minion.
Yeah. I'm done with this series.
2.5/5 Stars
This book has an okay story, but I think I would have enjoyed it more without the dice rolls.
No matter what, at the end of this book I'm dropping the series.
I can't read a book where everything you do depends on a dice roll. No matter your smarts or cleverness, you have to roll some stupid dice. Not my cup of tea.
The bad guy is powering up / doing something. Let's stop attacking him so he can raise the dead and get a minion.
Yeah. I'm done with this series.
2.5/5 Stars
March 7, 2021
A really good book.
I loved the book and can't wait for the next one. I really liked the magic system that the author came up with. It is interesting and fun.
Now the only reason it didn't get 5 stars from me is the use of profanity in the book. There isn't a lot of sweating but the F word was used.
The use of profanity is very distracting. It does not add to the story at all. In fact it would have been a much better story if the author would have found other ways to express the characters feelings without using profanity.
That said I can't wait for the next one.
I loved the book and can't wait for the next one. I really liked the magic system that the author came up with. It is interesting and fun.
Now the only reason it didn't get 5 stars from me is the use of profanity in the book. There isn't a lot of sweating but the F word was used.
The use of profanity is very distracting. It does not add to the story at all. In fact it would have been a much better story if the author would have found other ways to express the characters feelings without using profanity.
That said I can't wait for the next one.
July 6, 2021
Interesting!
I loved the way this story starts out in current times and on earth. I also enjoyed the overall end of the world invading forces storyline. What I didn’t like was the amount of stats that was continuously updating. It seemed there was more character building than story. I understand the reason but I couldn’t keep track & for me it was a bit much.
The narration was fantastic. I’m a huge fan of Steve Campbell but this was my first book with Marli Watson and I thought she did a wonderful job.
This is book 1 and is a continuing story.
Sisters Spotlight 💜
I loved the way this story starts out in current times and on earth. I also enjoyed the overall end of the world invading forces storyline. What I didn’t like was the amount of stats that was continuously updating. It seemed there was more character building than story. I understand the reason but I couldn’t keep track & for me it was a bit much.
The narration was fantastic. I’m a huge fan of Steve Campbell but this was my first book with Marli Watson and I thought she did a wonderful job.
This is book 1 and is a continuing story.
Sisters Spotlight 💜
February 9, 2023
I just could not finish this book in it’s entirety. I must have started and stopped this book 3 times in the last few years because I remember really liking the characters and story, but the *dice rolls* and LOOONG discussions amongst characters about choices and mechanics feels so out of place. And let me say, i read between 100-200 litRPG books every year, so the fact that this was too crunchy for me is saying something.
Long story short, this book shoots itself in the foot in terms of verisimilitude— despite having a pretty good and engaging plot.
Long story short, this book shoots itself in the foot in terms of verisimilitude— despite having a pretty good and engaging plot.
January 8, 2021
A new and enjoyable voice in LITRPG
Most of this very enjoyable suitably crunchy story takes place in what is called a system or LITRPG apocalypse. Two estranged brothers and their lifelong friend meet up in the mountains near their home and the world is suddenly engulfed in a catastrophe involving demons, stats and classes.
The setting, in bootlegger country, and the characters with the author’s RL hunting experience, is different and feels very authentic.
Most of this very enjoyable suitably crunchy story takes place in what is called a system or LITRPG apocalypse. Two estranged brothers and their lifelong friend meet up in the mountains near their home and the world is suddenly engulfed in a catastrophe involving demons, stats and classes.
The setting, in bootlegger country, and the characters with the author’s RL hunting experience, is different and feels very authentic.
November 24, 2021
Pretty enjoyable!
Blatant rip off of D&D system with some additional rules and some that should have been left out (like the rolls). The different Fae realms and what we done with it was fun.
I liked the group a lot and their interactions seemed real and enjoyable, even if they didn’t really seem to care too much that the world was ending. Also didn’t seem to have any qualms with killing sentient beings.
Still interesting enough to read the next book.
Blatant rip off of D&D system with some additional rules and some that should have been left out (like the rolls). The different Fae realms and what we done with it was fun.
I liked the group a lot and their interactions seemed real and enjoyable, even if they didn’t really seem to care too much that the world was ending. Also didn’t seem to have any qualms with killing sentient beings.
Still interesting enough to read the next book.
June 27, 2022
LitRPG is a new genre for me, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this entry in it! Though it is true that sometimes the rules stuff bogged me down a little (I personally take a VERY freewheeling approach to D&D rules, so I got a little lost in the stats), I loved this book. The characters were fun, the adventure was lively, and the broader worldbuilding was fabulous. Plus, how cool a phrase is "fae nexus?"
July 24, 2022
Great GameLit Apocalypse Story
I loved the story and overall setting. There are some noticable differences to other GameLit/Apocalypse stories.
There is not really one MC but three and the approach to attacks, skills and magic is the most game-like I have come across with the use of target scores for successful dice rolls.
I could not quite get behind the use of "fae" in the manner it was used here, but that was a minor issue.
Now of to start the second one.
I loved the story and overall setting. There are some noticable differences to other GameLit/Apocalypse stories.
There is not really one MC but three and the approach to attacks, skills and magic is the most game-like I have come across with the use of target scores for successful dice rolls.
I could not quite get behind the use of "fae" in the manner it was used here, but that was a minor issue.
Now of to start the second one.
January 9, 2021
Pretty good
I normally don't like the dice rolling style in the writing. With this one it was done pretty descent. Their were moments I needed to reread them. Otherwise I was a go world built and hope he compounds on it in the future. I would recommend this to a litrpg fan but I would make sure they know how to work a 20 side die.
I normally don't like the dice rolling style in the writing. With this one it was done pretty descent. Their were moments I needed to reread them. Otherwise I was a go world built and hope he compounds on it in the future. I would recommend this to a litrpg fan but I would make sure they know how to work a 20 side die.
January 14, 2022
A unique entry in the litrpg genre
Black Dawn is a wonderful starting book in a litrpg series that seems both familiar and yet amazingly new. Combining elements of table top RPGs as well as an apocalypse storyline involving demons and magic it is a brilliant start. Twists and turns and mysteries abound and I can't wait to see where the series goes.
Black Dawn is a wonderful starting book in a litrpg series that seems both familiar and yet amazingly new. Combining elements of table top RPGs as well as an apocalypse storyline involving demons and magic it is a brilliant start. Twists and turns and mysteries abound and I can't wait to see where the series goes.
September 28, 2022
Good start
It was a good start to the series but the ending seemed a bit abrupt and at the beginning was a summary which made me thing I had grabbed a book later into the series. Also noticed a few errors throughout such as wrong characters being listed, grammar and some spelling issues. The story itself is good and the characters are well developed.
It was a good start to the series but the ending seemed a bit abrupt and at the beginning was a summary which made me thing I had grabbed a book later into the series. Also noticed a few errors throughout such as wrong characters being listed, grammar and some spelling issues. The story itself is good and the characters are well developed.
September 1, 2023
I didn't finish because of the dice rolling mid-combat. At first it was pretty cool, but it got annoying and really threw me out of the story. I'm sure big D&D fans will love it though, just not for me.
Other than that, I thought it was a creative and well-written story. I especially thought the way the main character was starting to build spells was interesting.
Other than that, I thought it was a creative and well-written story. I especially thought the way the main character was starting to build spells was interesting.
January 12, 2021
A fun story
I enjoyed this book, and am very much looking forward to the rest of the series.
The characters are likeable, the setting, the backwoods mountains, is a favorite of mine.
The action is well written, and fairly quick paced.
I hope more books follow soon!
I enjoyed this book, and am very much looking forward to the rest of the series.
The characters are likeable, the setting, the backwoods mountains, is a favorite of mine.
The action is well written, and fairly quick paced.
I hope more books follow soon!
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