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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.8 out of 10 stars
I had high hopes, but this book was slightly disappointing.
I had high hopes, but this book was slightly disappointing.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What started out as just a book starting with the letter Q for an alphabet challenge has turned out to be a new favorite that I will revisit many times. Questland is a story that has a unique blend of many fantasy components that was witty and magical from the start.
Addie is a professor who happens to be the ex-girlfriend of one of the tech team leaders on Miribilis, the high-tech, no expenses spared immersive fantasy island funded by Harris Lang. Dom, her ex, Tess, and Arthur are the three heads who Lang suspects of mutiny after a force shield goes up around the island, completely cutting them off from the mainland. Torres and his team recruit Addie to help them infiltrate and reset the island, but her past will make it a difficult task for her.
From the moment they enter the island, Addie and the rest of the team hired by Lang are faced with elements of fantasy intertwined with reality that are both beautiful and dangerous. Addie is faced with familiar puzzles and components of game play and is able to help get everyone further along in their quest. But she is soon met with a very difficult situation of having to choose between moving forward to shut it down and giving in to the world that Dom has created around her.
I really enjoyed the way the story was presented and how the characters were developed. They worked together despite an interesting start, and it made it feel like a true team oriented game. Everything involved was a part of the fantasy of the island, but what really drove it home for me was the links to reality that drew it back. It made it feel so much more real, like it could actually happen, and I think that was a powerful driving force of Mirabilis within the story itself as well.
It's definitely a great read for anyone who enjoys all things geeky or nerdy and enjoys seeing multiple fandoms integrated together to tell a story. I enjoyed it very much, and I look forward to returning to Mirabilis.
Addie is a professor who happens to be the ex-girlfriend of one of the tech team leaders on Miribilis, the high-tech, no expenses spared immersive fantasy island funded by Harris Lang. Dom, her ex, Tess, and Arthur are the three heads who Lang suspects of mutiny after a force shield goes up around the island, completely cutting them off from the mainland. Torres and his team recruit Addie to help them infiltrate and reset the island, but her past will make it a difficult task for her.
From the moment they enter the island, Addie and the rest of the team hired by Lang are faced with elements of fantasy intertwined with reality that are both beautiful and dangerous. Addie is faced with familiar puzzles and components of game play and is able to help get everyone further along in their quest. But she is soon met with a very difficult situation of having to choose between moving forward to shut it down and giving in to the world that Dom has created around her.
I really enjoyed the way the story was presented and how the characters were developed. They worked together despite an interesting start, and it made it feel like a true team oriented game. Everything involved was a part of the fantasy of the island, but what really drove it home for me was the links to reality that drew it back. It made it feel so much more real, like it could actually happen, and I think that was a powerful driving force of Mirabilis within the story itself as well.
It's definitely a great read for anyone who enjoys all things geeky or nerdy and enjoys seeing multiple fandoms integrated together to tell a story. I enjoyed it very much, and I look forward to returning to Mirabilis.
I recommend this book of you like ready player one.
Full of DND
Game and fandom refereneces.
Full of DND
Game and fandom refereneces.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Games gave me a world that had rules and made sense, where violence had well-defined parameters, clear and specific reasons for happening. Where magic could save us.
This book is pretty much "Jurassic Park, but make it D&D," and I'm absolutely digging the concept. It's fun and fast-paced, so it felt to me a lot shorter than it actually was. This is both a pro and a con in my book: on one hand, a quick, exciting read like this was exactly what I needed, but on the other hand, I think slowing down occasionally would have lent the story more depth.
Even so, this was fun! There are so many cool geeky references here—the story feels like a love letter to geek culture, really. In a way, it made me feel very seen. Also, the very concept of a military sci-fi following all the high fantasy tropes reminded me of a longterm TTRPG campaign I was once in, so that was a cool extra layer for me.
I admit the only character I connected to was Addie, but since she's the protagonist and the narrator, that felt like enough. The way she co-existed with her trauma and coped through games made her very relatable to me. Again though, I kinda wish the pace was slower at times, specifically when there was a focus on Addie's health involved—I feel that a subject like this deserves to be explored in a less shallow way.
So I guess in the end, my feelings are somewhat mixed, but I also had A LOT of fun with this little story, so I choose to err on the side of the positives. :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence
Moderate: Mass/school shootings
Jurassic Park meets D&D. The pacing was a little breakneck and I feel like there could have been a bit more depth here but this was definitely a fun ride from start to finish.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes