Reviews

Emissary by E.B. Brooks

karcherj's review

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

tayandloudmaxpd's review

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I can not sing my praises for this book enough. The characters are really well written. The love that builds between the two main characters feels genuine. The tone is also perfect when it needs to be, blending happier scenes, with sadder and darker ones perfectly. Also blending action, adventure and little romance excellently. The world building is also phenomenal. To avoid spoilers, the first half of this book is great, the second half is amazing. This was definitely one of those books for me that I couldn't put down, especially the last fourth. Very excited to check out more work from this author

 

catsy2022's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

mamastrong2825's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

For 2022 I wanted to expand my reading horizons <-- is that a thing, anyway I wanted to expand the genres I read this year. I believe while we all have our favorite genre, it doesn't mean we can't discover others that we enjoy just as much.

Emissary did that for me. The book sucks you in and you really get wrapped up into this new world the author created. I love when that happens. Anything to get out of the world we're trapped in now.

I loved the video game aspect of it and the beginning didn't really take me there right away, but once I realized what was going on (about 3% into the book) I was hooked! I've already purchased book 2 and it's on my reading list for this month.

For readers who love video games and virtual reality <---meaning putting yourself IN the story, this will have the vibe you're looking for.

I won't got into what the book is about, because that's for you to find out...but def worth the read.

jferrell526's review

5.0

Heroes save the day!

A pair of young adults take on the saving of earth with some unusual twists and turns. It took me a long time to figure their truths. This is the kind of book you get lost in trying to figure who is on which side.

carolbanderson's review

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Emissary is a genre mashup—it’s got the magic of a fantasy novel, with sci-fi elements, in a gamelit / LitRPG setting. E.B. Brooks juggled these genres well, resulting in a fun story and two settings (both of which are truly intriguing in their own way).

Ewan and Tree, the main characters, are both likable, and I was rooting for them from the start. Kate, Ewan’s sister, is a fantastic character too. The book has terrific villains with some great secrets revealed plus hints of much bigger secrets coming in book 2.

This is quality indie fiction, well edited with worldbuilding that clearly goes even deeper than we see on the page. 

As far as content, I’d call it “mild PG-13.”  It stays away from swearing and steamy romance. It does have quite a bit of violence that’s necessary for the plot but stays away from anything overly gory.

Recommended for readers of gamelit looking for a new series to jump into!

krobnovelist's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book promises to essentially be YA's answer to "The Matrix" (or maybe more like "Tron"?), and it definitely delivers. The banter is witty, and entertaining, and the adventure can certainly said to be sprawling. While I can't say I was totally blindsided by many of the story developments, and the romance between the two young protagonists admittedly moves a bit fast, the vision and realization of the worlds described in this book are fascinating and extremely well thought-out and written, in a way that I only hope I can create in my own fantasy worlds! The concepts of various video games are so seamlessly integrated into the story in ways that I'd never considered and that seem completely natural for the setting. It's really quite brilliant, and I've never read anything like it! While I wish we had a bit more time to get to know some of the other characters, the leading duo of Tree and Ewan carry the story with no problems at all, and they always kept me guessing. Would definitely recommend and I can't wait to see what comes next!