Reviews

Perception Check by Astrid Knight

kellenk's review against another edition

3.0

Pretty good, I am still not much for fantasy books, but it scratched an itch I had to play D&D.

gwenythepooh's review

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

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

2.0

the story has promise but it needs massive developmental edits and to be cut by at least 200 pages. 

vlandau's review against another edition

5.0

I saw this on tiktok, and decided to give it a shot and I am so glad I did. I am a pretty quick reader and I ended up devouring the book in a single evening. Absolutely perfect for DnD and fantasy/adventure lovers. It really does pay special attention to the problems to what a 21st century person would face getting thrown into a fantasy world without modern transportation, which I absolutely loved as I feel like. this is a detail that gets largely glossed over.

All in all, I cannot wait for the next book, please don't take too long.

kevinscorner's review

5.0

Perception Check was a whole lot of fun to read. D&D meets Jumanji as an RPG comes to life in this quest fantasy. When she was 13, Violet was attacked by demons and witnessed her friend being abducted through a portal. Now 10 years later, she believes her traumatized mind imagined the whole scenario when she discovers her friend and the demons within the mythology of a popular tabletop roleplaying game Mages of Velmyra. Along with her best friend, they hunt down the creator of the game and discover that Velmyra is very real. What follows is the first installment in an epic quest to rescue her best friend as Violet and some friends enter Velmyra and find allies along the way.

I really enjoy quest fantasies as well as these games-come-to-life stories (even though I don’t usually ever play any video games nor RPGs) so this was right up my alley. The book was action-packed and perfectly paced with simple prose that made it infinitely readable and a breeze to get through. The world of Velmyra felt well thought-out with its own history, peoples, and mythology. And the whole epic fantasy is grounded by likable but realistic and flawed characters that form a dysfunction found family of sorts.

Violet is still traumatized by what she went through and suffers from panic attacks and PTSD and is sometimes unable to see past her own trauma. Alongside her are her best friend Eddie (a pansexual man who loves stories and dreams of being a hero) and her frenemy Jackson (a trans man with his own issues). Game creator Adrian is a gay man with a secret and a past best left behind. Melandrich is a demisexual half fey bound by honor and an identify that always falls in between. Smooth-talking Kai and their companion muscle Gren are two conwomen who find themselves part of the quest. Each brings something to the table and make for some fun interactions, banter, and bickering. They are also mostly queer but it is never a defining characteristic for any of them.

Perception Check is a quest fantasy series starter about an RPG come to life with a queer cast that is fun, action-packed, and charming.

*I read this as a judge for the Indie Ink Awards and my rating here may not directly reflect how I scored it there.

_tomeraider's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

misskate96's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious relaxing sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Sexual assault

alex_and_ria's review

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.25

mattysbooks's review

adventurous emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.5

claudiearseneault's review

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

witchireads93's review

I like critical roll and D and D but there was terminology I wasn’t used to so it made it confusing. Also I don’t think i was in the right mood for this book