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Regret giving this series a second chance

Revisado: 12-05-24

I will fully agree with the other reviewers that this was finally a change of pace. It’s not just one long build up. Finally we get to see the pirates running around the galaxy enacting their plans rather than just talking through endless possibilities.

That said this series has worn out its welcome for me. It seems the author wants to reuse the exact same formula he used for book 15. Expect this time the final arc/battle is filled with so much contrivance and massive plot holes I don’t even care to know how it resolves.

The final battle is written soooooo obviously vague that he is just going to retcon everything in the next book. Long time readers already even know how that book is going to start “everyone is sad and desperately try and figure out how to salvage the situation. And oh guess what it all happened according to plan”. A twist is only satisfying if the readers haven’t experienced it before. Every major plot point in this series has resolved this way, it was fun the first 4 times and now it’s dragged out.

Such a shame the characters and world are so interesting. Wish we could have an entire series focused on the beetles.

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Really well crafted world and relationships

Revisado: 10-18-24

I picked this book up on a whim and I was beyond impressed. Like other reviewers have mentioned the obvious attention and reality to all the F1 racing intricacies really grounds this story. It’s not just a romance with an F1 shell around it.

Their romance could use some actual drama with stakes but that’s a small gripe. I hope the series continues.

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It’s missing something

Revisado: 09-11-24

Coming from reading Ard’s Oath and Dungeon Diving 101. This new series feel like it’s missing the grounded magic/progression system both those series absolutely nailed. It seems like bloodlines might be the core element of gaining power going forward but we are never really told why that’s impressive or interesting.

On a larger scale characters seem to make changes and gain level + abilities at a breakneck pace. It makes it really hard to care about their progression let alone follow it. Some reviews brought up the overwhelming amount of numbers, I think this is just a symptom it felt really hard to care about the stats when we have no scale to judge things on.

For example, an E rank shirt has the ability to stop everything short of a tank shell from hurting the wearer. But the MC who at that point has 300+ points in vitality is still having his skin punctured by mundane handguns??

The voice acting is amazing as always from these two actors. They always do the most to bring the story to life.

Unfortunately this seems like a step back for the author compared to the rest of his ongoing series.

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Trust me, this one is worth the listen

Revisado: 04-18-24

This is a true hidden gem that deserves way more recognition. Not only is the world building complete and engrossing but this book feels like a breath of fresh air no matter the genre you are coming from.

All the characters and especially the MC, Sal, have their own complexities and handle situations in a real way. Nothing feels hollow or phoned in about any character. It’s a bit of a trope at this point but Sal is one of the few main characters I’ve encountered that actually feels intelligent. There’s no stumbling through based off blind luck. Moreover so many characters are likable and you quickly find yourself picking out your favorites.

As many other reviewers have mentioned, it’s the sort of book you really can’t put down. There are just so many things to draw you in whether it’s the world building, characters, or just looking forward to the next challenge they have to overcome. Absolutely cannot wait for the next book!

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Dysfunctional does not equal deep

Revisado: 09-04-23

This book feels like what would happen if an author decided to write a novel only for critics rather than an actual audience. It exchanges anything of substance for a "deeper" meaning. And this is not a case of existentialism where the lack of meaning is a core point, no, it wastes 8 hours of your time and then tries to string together a over arching meaning in the last 2 chapters.

A small gripe to go over first, this is classified as a romance and this is just a lie. If you were hoping for a coming of age romance plot line, keep looking for other books because not only does this not have one. It actually feels like it is fighting tooth and nail not to have a single satisfying romantic interaction or growth.

The worst sin this story commits is that some of the characters are interesting but then literally nothing is done with them. In the first half of the story it hits a really interesting cross road where some very adult and real situations have to be dealt with. And after that, the story just backs off the gas and the same exact solution is used for all remaining conflicts the MC encounters. All of this waisted potential was sacrificed in the vain attempt to provide a "meaningful" ending. Without spoiling anything here is the simple reality. If you write an ending with only subtext, then it literally cannot be subtext. You need to have an actual ending first and then elements within that can hint towards the subtext you desire. But instead what we get is the MC doing the equivalent of turning to the camera at the end of the movie and saying "and this is where my story really began..." what a complete waste of time.

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Less is more

Revisado: 08-07-23

The premise and overall story for this series hold a lot of promise. That said the actual writing is painful to listen to at points. I am the kind of listener that never pays attention to reviews that try and point out extremely specific flaws in writing like the over use of a single word or something like that. I say this to provide context on how bad it has to be for me to actually notice and let it effect the experience.

At times the writing is solid and natural, but the overwhelmingly majority of the time the most insignificant things are described in long sentences that are absolutely packed with adjectives to the point where everything loses meaning. This happens so often with the most worthless details that it stands out that much more. It’s great to be verbose but, over describing every small thing like it’s life changing ruins the whole thing. An entire paragraph at one point is dedicated to describing a beer. Not what it’s tastes like or it’s meaning, literally the bottle of beer as the MC stares at it. No introspection or memories triggered by the action. Nope just a whole bunch of colorful adjectives.

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The dolls steal the show again

Revisado: 08-03-23

It really says a lot about a book when the interactions between main characters are what really keep you locked in. There are some conversations that can drag just a bit but those are few. The world building is top tier and the character progression feels satisfying because of it. Cannot wait for the next mystery set in this unique world.

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Intriguing world and excellent characters

Revisado: 07-11-23

It really goes along way when the setting and characters are what keep you drawn into a story. It essentially allows any sort of plot to work, both books have a very welcomed and interesting plot. But the characters and the world really are the staying factor that makes these books unique. Definitely worth checking out, just sad their aren’t more entires to this series

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Gripping character driven story

Revisado: 03-26-23

It is high praise when this worlds immersion feels like its neck and neck with its contemporaries like Altered Carbon. Each character interaction spins a balance between exploring the world they are in further and understanding who they are talking to that much more. The dolls are of course the stand out as they get even more time to stand apart from each other (ironically given they are part of a collective). You know you have a great story on your hands when bumper conversations on the way to important events feel just as important/rewarding as main plot developments. Couldn’t recommend this more, amazing world and a cast of characters grounded in the city around them.

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Great journey with a fitting ending

Revisado: 02-23-23

It truly was a treat listening through this book, the universe set up is what gives it a true pay off. Just about all of those threads that were setup in previous books have some sort of pay off. There were definitely some rushed sections and areas that felt as if they lacked the impact in the overall story. But the ending was satisfying and I felt like the entire ride was worth it as we finally learned the final aspects of the different characters personalities and how they've grow. Hopefully there is a spin off series as this universe has so much potential.

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