"This audiobook was so much fun!

Carl wakes up during the night and his girlfriend’s cat jumps out the window. He goes outside to fetch her, wearing only boxers and his girlfriend’s too small pink sandals. Once he’s outside, every building on earth collapses. From there on out, this creative story goes off the rails and never comes back.

An alien corporation takes control and herds any and all survivors to a dungeon, where a dangerous game ensues. Make it through all levels of the dungeon without dying and you live. In spite of the seriousness of the situation, this is the funniest audio I’ve ever listened to.

RPG games aren’t my thing-I barely even know what they are, so I never thought I’d actually enjoy this. I was so wrong. From the moment when Princess Donut, (the cat), starts talking in a prissy English accent and shoots lazer beams from her eyes, I was hooked. When Carl and the princess stop to help some nursing home residents, much to their own detriment, I realized this story also has a lot of heart and a sense of fairness.

It’s the humor and the narrator that elevated this even more. The somewhat deranged AI and his increasingly disturbing announcements, (and a growing foot fetish), the fame hungry Princess Donut, unique enemies like the Krakaren, tv hosts that are crab-taurs, (did I mention this “game”is televised to all planets?), the whole thing is insane!

Thanks to my friend Richard for his enthusiastic recommendation of this audio. I would not have tried it if it hadn’t been for him. I haven’t laughed this much since before the last election. If you need a laugh or to escape from the daily news, this is the audio for you!"

"The blurb says this book is perfect for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing. I disagree. I was not a fan of Crawdads and I personally see no similarities between the two books.

This book has all the elements of a love story and a literary thriller with a murder trial, but this description fails to capture what makes this book special. The impossible choices and consequences when faced with the dilemmas these characters face makes it a propulsive and heartbreaking read.

I am NOT a fan of love triangles but the writing and characterization elevate it far above books with similar themes. I was pulled into their lives from the first page to the last. We know from the beginning someone was killed but we don’t know who or the details until later.

A few plot developments could be seen as predictable but did I care? No! The writing and emotional depth more than compensated for it. And there was still an unexpected surprise (or two) in store.

Set in a rural English village in the 1960s the environment is in itself a character in this story. I loved the descriptions of life on an English farm. The before chapters set in the 1950s gives context to the dilemma which these characters will face in the future.

I was completely captivated with this emotional, heartbreaking story, and finished it in less than 24 hours. I closed the last page with tears in my eyes and a sigh of satisfaction.

* I received a digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own"