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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
This book was everything I needed to get myself out of my reading slump. It was fast paced, incredibly interesting, and left me wanting more!
I’ve seen this book described a couple of ways in other reviews, and agree that this book is a cross between Westworld, Jurassic Park, and Lord of the Rings. The author borrows elements from a lot of different worlds, books, and lore, but always credits them which I thought was awesome to see. This book had me jotting down notes on interesting lore to look up and books to add to my TBR. To me, that is writing done right!!
Questland revolves around a multi-billion dollar “theme-park” that institutes insane technology to create a game world. You want to hang out with elves? Done. See an actual unicorn in person? Alrighty! This theme park is set up on an island and funded by a big tech company.
After months of work, a force field goes up around the island/world, blocking all signals and traffic from the outside. The tech company that is funding the new world is less than pleased, and hires a team to infiltrate the island and return control of it to them. Questland follows their journey to an epic conclusion!
I absolutely adored this book as a quick and very fun read. I got elements of The Hike by Drew Magarty from this (although less vulgar and comical.)
Definitely check this out if you love fantasy, Scifi, RPGs, gaming in general, and fun adventure reads!
**Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the eARC of this awesome title!**
I’ve seen this book described a couple of ways in other reviews, and agree that this book is a cross between Westworld, Jurassic Park, and Lord of the Rings. The author borrows elements from a lot of different worlds, books, and lore, but always credits them which I thought was awesome to see. This book had me jotting down notes on interesting lore to look up and books to add to my TBR. To me, that is writing done right!!
Questland revolves around a multi-billion dollar “theme-park” that institutes insane technology to create a game world. You want to hang out with elves? Done. See an actual unicorn in person? Alrighty! This theme park is set up on an island and funded by a big tech company.
After months of work, a force field goes up around the island/world, blocking all signals and traffic from the outside. The tech company that is funding the new world is less than pleased, and hires a team to infiltrate the island and return control of it to them. Questland follows their journey to an epic conclusion!
I absolutely adored this book as a quick and very fun read. I got elements of The Hike by Drew Magarty from this (although less vulgar and comical.)
Definitely check this out if you love fantasy, Scifi, RPGs, gaming in general, and fun adventure reads!
**Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the eARC of this awesome title!**
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book is essentially Ready Player One for thirtysomething women who have been in every vaguely popular 'geek' fandom except Marvel Comics. That could have been fine, except it's also incoherent, boring and unimaginative with an obnoxious main character.
I wanted badly to be sympathetic to Addie because she survived a school shooting as a kid, leaving her with anxiety and PTSD, but she's just... So. Annoying. She has the attention span of a gadfly and the depth of a kiddie pool. Her loop throughout the whole book is 'oh i'm so sick and tired and miserable. OOOOH LOOK A SPARKLY THING! let me run at the sparkly thing full speed without any caution! oh no that made something bad happen. panic attack crying time. OH LOOK ANOTHER SPARKLY-' You get the idea. She's too busy making Star Wars and LOTR references in the same breath to have any real genuine thoughts about what might be the themes of the book, aka 'hm magic island nice, but capitalism... bad?' Also something something escapism as a response to trauma, although it feels like if there's anything said on that subject, it's just 'oh it's sad that this place isn't my perfect escapist fantasy where i Belong and nothing bad happens' not 'maybe blindly burying yourself in fantasy to avoid reality is... not great'. There's also a theme about people shielding her and her having survivor's guilt about it, but it comes to nothing. People just keep sacrificing themselves for her and she keeps crying about it, the end.
Also, as a trans person, I was SQUINTING REAL HARD at the 2021 publishing date and the endless Harry Potter references. Not only is that jarring to see alongside Tolkien-esque fantasy (although so is Star Wars! remember what i said about no coherence?) but really Carrie? You're really happy with your book going out there after JKR's full mask-off TERF rants with people going 'hehe it's like this island is run by Ravenclaws and Slytherins!'
If none of that is enough, the plot is paper-thin and boring, the climax unexciting, and none of the characters fleshed out enough to care about. The .75 is for the mere fact of this being a completed work of fiction with readable text. Skip this one HARD.
I wanted badly to be sympathetic to Addie because she survived a school shooting as a kid, leaving her with anxiety and PTSD, but she's just... So. Annoying. She has the attention span of a gadfly and the depth of a kiddie pool. Her loop throughout the whole book is 'oh i'm so sick and tired and miserable. OOOOH LOOK A SPARKLY THING! let me run at the sparkly thing full speed without any caution! oh no that made something bad happen. panic attack crying time. OH LOOK ANOTHER SPARKLY-' You get the idea. She's too busy making Star Wars and LOTR references in the same breath to have any real genuine thoughts about what might be the themes of the book, aka 'hm magic island nice, but capitalism... bad?' Also something something escapism as a response to trauma, although it feels like if there's anything said on that subject, it's just 'oh it's sad that this place isn't my perfect escapist fantasy where i Belong and nothing bad happens' not 'maybe blindly burying yourself in fantasy to avoid reality is... not great'. There's also a theme about people shielding her and her having survivor's guilt about it, but it comes to nothing. People just keep sacrificing themselves for her and she keeps crying about it, the end.
Also, as a trans person, I was SQUINTING REAL HARD at the 2021 publishing date and the endless Harry Potter references. Not only is that jarring to see alongside Tolkien-esque fantasy (although so is Star Wars! remember what i said about no coherence?) but really Carrie? You're really happy with your book going out there after JKR's full mask-off TERF rants with people going 'hehe it's like this island is run by Ravenclaws and Slytherins!'
If none of that is enough, the plot is paper-thin and boring, the climax unexciting, and none of the characters fleshed out enough to care about. The .75 is for the mere fact of this being a completed work of fiction with readable text. Skip this one HARD.
A story with a great concept, dnd meets scifi mystery. The beginning started off fairly strong but about halfway through, the cracks started to show. Uneven pacing and a foolish protagonist made this story drop from a 4 to a 2. I DNFed at about 80% when (spoilers) the main character slept with the villain even though she constantly said, up to that point, that she hated him. Her trauma also wasn't addressed in a very logical way. Her reactions to guns ranged from scared to willing to jump in front of one. The MC also walked into dangerous situations repeatedly for no logical reason. Overall, the book wasn't for me. However, as I said, it was a cool concept that I would have liked to see handled a little differently.
Interesting premise, but not what I was expecting at all.
I really struggled with this one. I am a big fan of fantasy novels, adventure stories, and all things dungeons and dragons. The premise gave me the idea that this would be an epic adventure from the perspective of characters in a tabletop role-playing game, but in reality it was quite different.
Perhaps it was the military aspect, or the fact that I could not get attached to any characters, but I just did not enjoy this story, as much as it pains me to say.
It may be the fact that I was expecting something else that lead me to not feel like I was getting what I wanted. It could also be that I had just finished reading Ready Player Two before this one (with a vague similarity of people adventuring through “virtual” realities on a quest) that was a different level of writing entirely.
I personally could not wrap my head around this one, but I hope some people will enjoy this book as it is an original idea with fun references to the world of fantasy tabletop role playing games.
Thanks to the netgalley team and the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book. I appreciate the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
I really struggled with this one. I am a big fan of fantasy novels, adventure stories, and all things dungeons and dragons. The premise gave me the idea that this would be an epic adventure from the perspective of characters in a tabletop role-playing game, but in reality it was quite different.
Perhaps it was the military aspect, or the fact that I could not get attached to any characters, but I just did not enjoy this story, as much as it pains me to say.
It may be the fact that I was expecting something else that lead me to not feel like I was getting what I wanted. It could also be that I had just finished reading Ready Player Two before this one (with a vague similarity of people adventuring through “virtual” realities on a quest) that was a different level of writing entirely.
I personally could not wrap my head around this one, but I hope some people will enjoy this book as it is an original idea with fun references to the world of fantasy tabletop role playing games.
Thanks to the netgalley team and the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book. I appreciate the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed the first 35% of this, when they got there, the actual adventure. Then it turned into a SLOG. I was so bored through the middle to the end, then I actually hated the end. From about 35% on there was little to no adventure, a lot of boring talking, and way way way too much tea. Enough already. Geeesh.
Wouldn't recommend. Only not a 1 because I did like the first 1/3 of it. I kept hoping it'd get better. It didn't.
Wouldn't recommend. Only not a 1 because I did like the first 1/3 of it. I kept hoping it'd get better. It didn't.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is full of so much YES. My gamer heart is full and my fantasy-nerd soul is nourished. I related to Addie probably a little more than I should, but listen, I TOO WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE UNICORNS. Anyway, this book is bizarre and brilliant and makes me yearn for Ren Faire and a Lord of the Rings marathon, in the best ways.
DNF at p. 135 (46%). This is poorly constructed and patronizing to anyone who likes nerdy stuff.