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jbrooke1855's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.25
dlsmall's review against another edition
4.0
This had a lot of the planning that I enjoy so much in the Carl books…I guess Matt digs it as well.
antonism's review against another edition
3.0
3 / 5
The Hobgoblin Riot (THR) is the continuation of the story that started in Dominion of Blades. DoB is a great LitRPG book that introduced me to the LitRPG genre and made me love it. So THR is the second book in that story... and also the third according to the author. And to be honest, I thought this was a trilogy and it was the end of the story arc but it's not! We know there's at least one more book coming out but we're not sure when...
Coming to my review and critique, there's a lot in common with my review of the first book, DoB. You can read my review here!. So what are the differences then?
Positives:
+ Lots of secondary characters and NPCs that actually matter and are very interesting. In the first book, only the 3 protagonists mattered. Here, the book has so many interesting secondary that sometimes it's hard to keep track of!
+ Interesting reveals about the RL parallel plot. Can't say much more though in order to avoid spoilers.
Negatives:
- It's all defense... If defensive football, basketball and generally turtling strategies don't appeal to you then stay away. Other reviewers say it's mostly a tower defense game and they are not really far off. .. because it is!
- The pace is all over the place. Especially the middle part was very uneven and boring and slow. Bleargh!
- The constant switching of POVs does not really help things. Ok, we get to know the main characters better but this is at the expense of plot progression.
- The ending (or lack of!) was very disappointing and it felt very rushed! The last 20-30 pages read as if they were hastily put there just to make a deadline.
In conclusion, if you liked the first book, it's worth reading this one too, just to get to the next part of the story. If you didn't love the first then you'll probably like this one even less. I will read the next one when it comes out but with a lot of reservations.
Conditionally recommended!
3 / 5
The Hobgoblin Riot (THR) is the continuation of the story that started in Dominion of Blades. DoB is a great LitRPG book that introduced me to the LitRPG genre and made me love it. So THR is the second book in that story... and also the third according to the author. And to be honest, I thought this was a trilogy and it was the end of the story arc but it's not! We know there's at least one more book coming out but we're not sure when...
Coming to my review and critique, there's a lot in common with my review of the first book, DoB. You can read my review here!. So what are the differences then?
Positives:
+ Lots of secondary characters and NPCs that actually matter and are very interesting. In the first book, only the 3 protagonists mattered. Here, the book has so many interesting secondary that sometimes it's hard to keep track of!
+ Interesting reveals about the RL parallel plot. Can't say much more though in order to avoid spoilers.
Negatives:
- It's all defense... If defensive football, basketball and generally turtling strategies don't appeal to you then stay away. Other reviewers say it's mostly a tower defense game and they are not really far off. .. because it is!
- The pace is all over the place. Especially the middle part was very uneven and boring and slow. Bleargh!
- The constant switching of POVs does not really help things. Ok, we get to know the main characters better but this is at the expense of plot progression.
- The ending (or lack of!) was very disappointing and it felt very rushed! The last 20-30 pages read as if they were hastily put there just to make a deadline.
In conclusion, if you liked the first book, it's worth reading this one too, just to get to the next part of the story. If you didn't love the first then you'll probably like this one even less. I will read the next one when it comes out but with a lot of reservations.
Conditionally recommended!
3 / 5
squishies's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Super action packed - it's one thing after another. I should feel fatigued by how much happens, all the twists and turns, but somehow I wasn't. I needed to know how they were going to get out of this mess.
Though looking at how long it took me to read it - maybe I was fatigued! Haha oops. To be fair, I did pick up a new game and got a bit obsessed with it.
Super action packed - it's one thing after another. I should feel fatigued by how much happens, all the twists and turns, but somehow I wasn't. I needed to know how they were going to get out of this mess.
Though looking at how long it took me to read it - maybe I was fatigued! Haha oops. To be fair, I did pick up a new game and got a bit obsessed with it.
Spoiler
Aww no, Raj!! Poor guy. Absolutely had a sinking feeling when they couldn't find the Mapmaker that she would be where Raj was.jasonabbott's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
wimerek's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.0
moosmoo's review against another edition
4.0
As ever Matt Dinniman creates a wonderful and immersive storyline and world, I feel so attached to the characters and invested in their story and their struggles.
This instalment in the series sees twists and turns and betrayals and surprises that I didn’t see coming.
Looking forward to the next in the series!
This instalment in the series sees twists and turns and betrayals and surprises that I didn’t see coming.
Looking forward to the next in the series!
vailynst's review against another edition
3.0
Mini-Review:
1st) Ignore the story blurb and dive into the story. The only thing you need to know is that a good portion of it will be a little like a tower defense game.
2nd) Yay for more information about the "real" world.
3rd) Nice follow up to the first book and mostly reasonable leaps of power for the main trio and friends. I enjoyed the ending sequences a lot and hope the next book will come out within a year.
Fun LitRPG series with engaging characters. It's one of the better stories within this offshoot genre.
1st) Ignore the story blurb and dive into the story. The only thing you need to know is that a good portion of it will be a little like a tower defense game.
2nd) Yay for more information about the "real" world.
3rd) Nice follow up to the first book and mostly reasonable leaps of power for the main trio and friends. I enjoyed the ending sequences a lot and hope the next book will come out within a year.
Fun LitRPG series with engaging characters. It's one of the better stories within this offshoot genre.
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