Tyler Sparr

While there were definitely some big events that happened that are key to moving the plot along, this overall felt like more of a setup book. Still enjoyable and I’m looking forward to continuing, but not my favorite entry.

Another excellent entry in the series. It’s great to finally see some storylines come to a satisfying conclusion though of course we get plenty more starting up. Can’t wait to see where this one goes!

What a cool start to a new series! Obviously Will Wight is no stranger to writing about powerful characters after Cradle, but wow does this one just come out punching! Part sci-fi, part magic, all entertaining. Looking forward to reading this whole series!

Having never read the book before and only seen the movie, I wasn’t super sure what to expect from this and largely chose it due to length. Turns out the movie was pretty close to the book. Fun listen and Scarlett Johansson did a good job of doing all the voices.

This book was just so lovely. All of the characters are charming, the setting is delightful, and the plot whisks you along on a magical, little journey. A+ work.

While this is set in the Halo universe, you really don't need to be familiar with Halo at all to appreciate the story on offer which is an incredible take on the morality and ethics of true AI. A very short read that was well worth it.

The second book in a series disappoints so often that it's almost taken as a given when going into it. This book does not dissapoint though. If anything, it's quite a bit better than the first. Getting to see more of the world and the lore around this world was very satisfying and I felt like I was able to connect with the characters much more. Really looking forward to seeing where this series goes.

This book was truly a masterpiece of slow burn horror. It probably could have stood to be just a little bit shorter with some snappier pacing in a few parts and some really crucial scenes were much shorter than expected, but still probably the best example of this genre I’ve ever read. Absolutely worth the read.

Like most book 1’s, there’s a lot of info-dumping going on, but it’s done in a way that feels relatively natural. The storyline itself feels familiar while having its own unique spin. My only minor grip is that the magic system is so soft that it’s really hard to say what everyone’s capable of. Maybe that’ll firm up in the sequels, but regardless a great start to a new series.

The audio quality and immersion in this is absolutely top notch, but the story itself is so disjointed. My understanding is that’s also how the comics are, but at least that has visual cues to help you follow things. I still really enjoyed it and if more come out, I’ll give them a listen, but not sure I’d actively recommend it to anyone who wasn’t already interested.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to! It took a little bit for me to get into the swing of things and understand the landscape, but once I did, I was hooked! Every little revelation will have you constantly turning the pages to figure out just what’s going on.

Overall, I liked this book and it was well written, but I just wanted more from it. There was a lot of talking about things happening and very little of it actually happening. That aside, the plot was interesting and the characters felt fully realized. Worth a read.

There’s really not much to set this one apart from other entries in the series. If you’re really looking at reviews of book 13 to decide whether to continue on, probably best to just drop it. A decent entry, but really minimal forward plot movement.

Another solid entrance in this series. I appreciate that unlike many writers in this genre, there aren’t too many extended side quests. Everything just keeps moving forward.

Aside than being far too long, still a solid entry in the series. Definitely one that I’ll see through to the end.

9 books in and I’m still enjoying this series. Numbers go up and monsters go down. It’s all in the title - dude just wants to hunt monsters. Not his fault people won’t just let him focus on it.

Overall, I can’t say this book is anything more than fine. Much like the author’s other book, Sword of Kaigen, this one is severely overhyped. The pacing is poor, the stakes aren’t real, the plot’s relatively predictable, and the ending isn’t all that satisfying. Certainly not something I regret reading, but not one I’d actively recommend.

Well this one really went off the rails. Without getting into spoiler territory, vampires seem to be acquiring powers to fit every situation like they’re Superman. It feels like there’s simultaneously no stakes at all while they’re doing their best to build tension. Quite a disconnect. Still an interesting story that I’m curious to hear how it ends though I’d prefer to just read it.

This was overall a fun book, but I think this is one of those rare cases where the movie is actually better than the book. For some reason, all of the various events felt even more ridiculous on paper than on screen. There's definitely better thrillers out there, but I don't regret the read. Probably not going to seek out anything further from the author.

It's not often that the 7th book in a series is the best one yet, but here we are! There was just so much going on in this one that it was hard to put down! If you want a fun, magic school story that just keeps getting wilder and wilder, I highly recommend picking this one up.

What isn’t there to love about Jurassic Park? There’s some interactions that feel a little dated these days, maybe Malcolm is a little too preachy, and Lex could probably talk about baseball a little bit less, but there’s dinosaurs! Just such a fun, easy read that anyone should be able to pick up and enjoy.

This was so, so close to being a 5-star read and has the feel of a book that might end up being 5-stars after further reflection. The ending felt just slightly rushed to me and some of the plot was a little more predictable than I’d like, but I was just so engaged with every second of it. I think everyone should read this book if even just to broader your own horizons.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It reminded me a lot of Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s The Strain trilogy in a very good way. The audio was very well done and the story was very engaging. What I just kept coming back to though was the thought “I wish this were just a book”. You’re not going to get the same descriptions and insight from an audio drama as you’d get from the written word. Overall, still pretty good and I’ll listen to the next one when there’s no new podcast episodes.

If you like The Gentleman Bastards, I highly recommend you pick this book up! It's got heists, it's got swordplay, it's got banter. What's not to like? At times this read more like a thriller than a fantasy book in all the best ways. I don't remember the last time I looked down and saw I'd accidentally read for hours without noticing it. Was completely sucked in! While there's always a chance the rest of this series will be a letdown, this is such a strong start that I'm ready for the ride!

While this isn't the best book I've ever read, I think the world and the concepts behind it have a ton of promise! The world is very Roman-coded if not just outright Rome with the names changed, but it's done in a way that doesn't make it feel too limiting. There's also a lot of Eragon vibes to the journey which I enjoyed. If you're going into this book with a critical mind, maybe don't? Because overall there's a lot of fun to be had if you can just let yourself be swept along by the story. Looking forward to the next book in the series.