Review: Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

 

Book two read and done. I got an email from audible offerin 3 months free and I was like sold. I also had this and the next book from Netgalley, so I had to read this immediately. I gave the first book 4 stars and I read that physically. I listened to this and while it was good and more entertaining, I still give this a 4 star because it just didn't make me belly laugh. I was also very annoyed by the narration of Donut whenerver she talked in all caps. I do think this would have been better with a full cast audio. 

This books is set all in one floor and by the end, they reach the 4th floor. But on the 3rd floor, they are in a town like setting where there is a traveling circus in the middle. They also get to choose their races at the very beginning. Donut stays a cat and Carl stays a human. Mordecai becomes an incubus or succubus and he becomes Donut's manager. He is ready for them to survive so he can finally be free of the dungeon forever.

This floor also introduces quests and there is a number of them that Carl and Donut have to partake in. Carl gets into it with an elite who puts Donut into a poisoned state. Mongo is growing at an alarming rate every time he levels up. There is also a quest whre Carl and Donut have to figure out what is happening to the local prostitutes and why they are dying. 

The title makes sense in this quest and I am really intrigued when he will use this particular item. Carl's boxers become a powerful item and this power makes it so if he gets a pair of pants to put on, it will change his stats. There is also interference from the outside empires and they are basically starting a war.

Review: The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden *SPOILERS*

 

Freida McFadden is a fomo for me. I have been wanting to read her books for a while, but she puts out so many and she is a very polarizing author. People love her and people hate her writing. I have heard that she used Ai to write her books and while reading this, I was trying to keep an open mind, but there were just paragraphs of scientific text that read like a copy and paste from a search research. It did not sound like the character at all.

The only reason I picked this up was because I wanted to complete a goodreads challenge for one of the bookmarks. I ended up giving this 4 stars because it did keep me interested. I was more interested in the Tom chapters. I was talking to my hubby and telling him about this book and the main female character's name completely slipped my mind. That has to tell you how flat and basic a character she was. I did not like her a bit. She was such a bland character that she could have been a piece of printer paper.

The book starts with a Tom chapter and how he is obsessed with this girl named Daisy and how he has loved her since he was 4 years old and that he wonders how her neck would feel in his hands. Right away, the book gives away suspense. But we have more character growth from Tom than Sydney. Sydney is the bland printer paper and she is on a date with this guy who is just a god awful person. He tries to sexuall assault her and Tom saves the day. She is immediately attracted to Tom. Like how does that happen. You are almost raped by one guy and then you are saved by a mysterious guy and you instantly have the hots for him. 

The Tome chapters are set when he was in high school and he has an abusive dad and he only has one best friend. His friend is a guy named Slug and he is a peeping Tom. Tom gets into a relationship with Daisy and her friend Allison is against it. She tries to blackmail Tom into breaking up with Daisy or she is going to tell her that Tom was last seen kissing the missing girl Brandi, who eventually turns up dead.

Throughout the Tome chapters, we get more and more hints that maybe Slug is behind the deaths of Brandi and evetually Allison. I mean he does help get rid of Tom's dad's body. Sydney finds her friends body slashed and mutilated and she thinks it is a slew of people. Her ex is on the case solely because she lives in the building which is a conflict of interest but that is not a plot point. Sydney gets so fed up with her ex because there has been no arrest in the murder. She starts dating again and she sees the mysterious guy again one day when she is on a date and has a horrible nosebleed.

We learn Tom is the mysterious guy and they start going on dates. Months go by and Syney is starting to get suspicious because Tom's lies are unraveling. He refuses to meet her friends and go to the same place twice. He has two different phones. She eventually learns that he was the one dating her murdered friend.

So much shit goes down and we learn who the real killer is in the past and present chapters and they are the same person. At the end of the Tom chapters, I was so sure that it would be Slug behind the killings because his character description reminded me of Real Kevin, the guy who tried to rape and kept stalking Sydney. Tom makes a weird decision at the end and him and the killer never get caught.

The Tom chapters are what made this book for me and if they weren't included, I don't think I would have finished this or given it the rating I did. 

Review: Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland *SPOILERS*

 

Once again, I am still obsessed. I borrowed this from the library immediately after reading Five Broken Blades and then I got a Book Outlet email and I saw that this book was on sale for 10.00. Like excuse me!

I immediately made an order and when this came, I squealed. I was sad that I had to put it to the side to prioritize my library books that I got when I originally picked this up. I took my time reading this once again and I am so glad I did because I enjoyed every second of it. I liked that it had a recap of the first book even though I didn't need it because I read the first book not long ago. 

This picks up right where the first leaves off with our characters on a boat on the way to Khitan to try to steal the Gold Ring of the Dragon Lord from Queen Quilimar. Everyone is against Aeri because she lied about her lineage and that she is King Joon's daughter. Royo is at ends with himself because he hates that she lied to him but he has some deep feelings for her. Euyn and Mikhail are at odds because reasons and Sora is trying to get the group back on track while grieving the loss of Tiyung to the Idle Prison and wondering about her sister Daysum.

 They make it to Khitan and have to figure out how to arrange a meeting with the queen who was a victim of a recent assassination plot after our group left King Joon. They have to figure out how to get the Rule of Distance and they split up. Aeri and Royo go look for an egg, while Euyn, Mikhail and Sora go try to decapitate a head in a glass coffin.

Aeri and Royo are successful while the other three are almost killed by the Marmans. This is the point where I start taking an immense dislike to Euyn because he is just becoming the worst of the worst and his misogynistic and sexist side is coming out. He calls Sora just a woman and he calls Queen Quilimar who is his sister, a common whore who has an inferior female brain. I was hoping that he would die and thankfully he gets murdered by Queen Quilimar.

Tiyung learns some things while in prison. He learns that Hana who was also a poison maiden at his father's school is actually alive and acting spymaster for King Joon. He learns that Daysum was sold to his uncle's awful pleasure house and has died from an overdose. He is in a cell with Ailor who we know is Mikkhail's adoptive father but Tiyung doesn't know this and Ailor gives his life for Tiyung.

King Joon has gathered the three of the four realms to go against Khitan. He has come to the shores of Khitan and Euyn has died. Aeri gathers the Gold Ring that Mikhail took from Euyn's finger and she wears it. She also has the Sands of Time relic so she has two of the four relics. Her eyes turned golden and she is becoming powerful which is dangerous. Everyone finds out when she uses her new power and at the end, Royo finds out that she lied to him again.

We also get some mic drop news about Mikhail. He gathers the water sceptor of Wei from the bearer when the ship sank and he intends to present it to Gambria. He believes that they are descended from the Royal family of Gaya. Turns out, it is really Mikhail who is royal and his is the rightful heir to the water sceptor. Our group is now the owners of three of the relics. War is upon them and there is a lot to gear up for.

I am honestly scared to read the third because the title has my heart palpitating. I am expecting another major character death. I am hoping beyond hope that it is not Royo or Aeri because this series started with three groups of 2. Tiyung and Sora, Mikhail and Euyn, Royo and Aeri. Tiyung went to prison. Euyn was murdered.... thankfully. The title implies that something heartbreaking will happen.