Reviews

Red Gambit by Luke R. Mitchell

churrocharizard's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

readwithzayy's review against another edition

adventurous funny tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This was my first time reading a book in this genre and I found it entertaining! The story was packed with action, supernatural elements, and humour. The characters Jarek and Rachel, as well as some side characters, were enjoyable to follow and their various abilities kept things interesting. I found the post-apocalyptic setting imaginative and added an extra layer of originality. The plot moved along at a great pace, always keeping me engaged. Any reader looking for an adventure with likeable heroes and aliens will find a lot to enjoy here.

After finishing this book, I'm eager to start the next book in the series and see where the characters and storylines go from here. I highly recommend this book if you want a fun, medium to fast-paced read in an imaginative science fiction/fantasy setting.

neighbor_reads's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

3.0

larabp's review against another edition

adventurous funny fast-paced

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

3.0

mohammadoswso's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

punkhazard's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring 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

meenazl's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense 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

5.0

paulthegrizzly's review

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

eliza_book_'s review against another edition

adventurous funny fast-paced

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

2.75

⭐️ 2.75 stars

CAWPILE Rating System:

Characters = 6/10

Atmosphere = 4/10

Writing Style = 5/10

Plot = 5/10

Intrigue (drive to keep reading) = 2/10

Logic = 6.5/10

Enjoyment = 3/10

Trigger Warnings:

• Moderate - kidnapping
• Moderate - violence
• Moderate - mature language

⛰ What It's About

• Set after the majority of the earth is destroyed and a race of aliens, the Raknoth, is taking over. Jarek is a mercenary whose high-tech body suit (similar to the one Iron Man has - the fact that Luke Mitchell made a real-life Iron man suit says a lot) has been stolen. He embarks on a mission to retrieve it, becoming entangled with a badass arcanist, Rachel & her brother in the rebel organisation which is trying to overthrow the Raknoth.

🔍 How I Discovered It

• I won this from a giveaway on Storygraph as an audiobook.

🧠 Thoughts

• This book feels like an early version of Guardians of the Galaxy. The humour & the main male protagonist acting exactly like Peter Quill - I couldn’t stop thinking this was GOTG fan-fiction set on earth instead of in space. Action books are just not my genre & overall I just felt like this book was a little flat for me. I think it could make an interesting movie though. Unfortunately, I will not be continuing the series.

What I Liked About It

• The quippy humour was funny at times - it felt kind of high-school boy humour in parts.
• I listened to this on audiobook and it was very well done. The narrator had different voices and voice effects overlayed for AI and anything being muffled over transmissions. Very impressed with the audiobook quality.

What I Didn't Like About It

• I feel like women in this book are portrayed a little simply. I believe it would have benefitted the story more if the women were more complex in their personalities.
• The detail and complexity of this book felt a little like middle-grade, but this was a bit inconsistent.
• Even though there was a lot of action in this book, it felt kind of boring. I believe this is because there was a lack of character development to make me care about the characters’ well-being during combat - so there was very little tension.
• This first book felt like a full book was cut in half and this was the first half. The whole premise of the book of identifying and understanding the function of the egg everyone is fighting over, was unfinished. I believe this was done to leave the book on a cliff-hanger but in all honesty, it felt like all this leading up to a big conclusion & then the book ends. I feel like there isn’t enough plot left to write an entire second book.

🥰 Who Would Like It?

• Anyone who likes a fast-paced action adventure book with iron suits, a sprinkle of magic and Guardians of the Galaxy vibes.
• This book also felt very video-game & Dungeons & Dragons esc. - so if you like that type of storytelling is something you love, then you might enjoy this book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and Kidnapping

demonicinfidel's review

adventurous tense medium-paced

3.25