Holo Writing

Authors Jacob & H.P. Holo

LitRPG Review

Cinnamon Bun – Book Review

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I’m slowly making my way through my massive LitRPG backlog, and this month’s book was Cinnamon Bun by RavensDigger! šŸ˜€

Cinnamon Bun Audiobook Cover

Admittedly, it took me a while to get into this one. It bills itself as a wholesome LitRPG, and itā€™s definitely that.

In fact, despite being eager to embark on the adventures promised by the new world sheā€™s been dropped into, the main character Broccoli Bunch is initially hesitant to kill monsters out of a general discomfort with the idea of killing things, and spends a significant chunk of the early book literally leveling up her Cleaning skill. She discovers some neat uses for said Cleaning skill ā€“ for example, itā€™s unexpectedly useful against the undead ā€“ but itā€™s still just ā€¦ cleaning.Ā šŸ˜ HoursĀ of it.Ā šŸ˜šŸ˜šŸ˜

Still, Broccoli Bunch herself is such a sweetly endearing character that I powered through that part of the book. (And honestly, I do a lot of my audiobook listening while Iā€™m doing chores anyway, so it felt strangely appropriate.)

Iā€™m glad I did, too, because once she starts meeting other characters and exploring different areas of the world sheā€™s in, the reader is introduced to a genuinely fun fantasy setting with one of the more interesting magic systems Iā€™ve encountered in LitRPG. I generally donā€™t pay attention to stats and other such details in LitRPGs because they just donā€™t interest me, but RavensDigger works that information into the story in such a way that it feels natural, as opposed to a numbers and information dump, which I appreciated.

Despite my initial impression, I now actually consider it one of my favorite LitRPGs and will probably continue to the next once Iā€™m in the mood for it ā€“ and youĀ doĀ have to be in the mood for a story of its type.

Itā€™s very gentle LitRPG for readers who mostly just want a cute, relaxing read, as opposed to an action-packed adventure. However, within those limitations, it does what it aims to do very well, and I appreciate that about it, too. Also, aside from some mild bad language, itā€™s clean enough that it could easily be recommended to kids (even though it doesnā€™t necessarily feel like it was written for kids), so it could be a good book to hand to a youngling you want to introduce to LitRPG.

I donā€™t considerĀ Cinnamon BunĀ a LitRPG must-read, but I do recommend it highly to readers who are looking for a story of its unique type. šŸ˜„

Dungeon Crawler Carl – Book Review

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I just finished listening toĀ Matt Dinniman’sĀ Dungeon Crawler Carl, and Y’ALL. If you have not experienced the audio version of this bookĀ specifically, you’re missing out on a treat.Ā 

Dungeon Crawler Carl Audiobook Cover

Dungeon Crawler Carl is a LitRPG series-starter in which, in the blink of an eye, most of Earth’s population is obliterated and the planet is converted into a massive dungeon. Why? So the aliens about to claim its resources can watch, reality show style, as the last humans scramble for survival.

While it’s primarily an action-adventure novel, there’s a healthy dose of absurd comedy in it, too, and that balance of serious struggle and wacky humor is what makes it soar.

I knew this book was going to be a new favorite the moment I learned that Carl has a cat companion named Princess Donut. Who has better stats than him. And talks. With the accent of a pampered 19th Century British aristocrat. For that matter, the voice that narratorĀ Matt HaysĀ assigns to Carl’s inner monologue reminds me vaguely of Patrick Warburton – best known to me as Kronk fromĀ The Emperor’s New GrooveĀ – and that alone was reason enough for me to start the book.Ā 

What kept me listening, though, was how unexpectedly complex this book became. Sure, there’s plenty of crazy dungeon-crawling antics. But there’s also a fair amount of moral complexity to it, and an underlying question of how many terrible deeds a person can commit before they cease to be human (even if those deeds are necessary for survival).

And as the story goes on, you realize that there’s far more to the novel’s world than it first seems. Not all of the aliens helping to run the dungeon are there because they want to be. And Carl learns that his some of his actions in this dungeon might be influencing intergalactic politics whether he wants them to or not.

In every single one of my LitRPG Facebook groups, this book dominates recommendation discussions, and now that I’ve experienced it, I can say it deserves every single one of those recommendations. If you like LitRPG, or just a hilarious adventure with a surprising bit of depth, you should absolutely read Dungeon Crawler Carl.