Anisse's Dump

This book was sitting on my pile to read from the library and the idea was for it to be a sort of palate cleanser, as I haven't read some pure fantasy for a while. I really wanted to like it, I really did, but man it was a drag to read. It took me way longer than it should have to get through this and it was a relief to be done.

All that said I didn't hate the book, I think it did a lot of things well. I found the premise to be quite intriguing I thought the world was also well built. I was really into the idea of lost magic being tied to indigenous people and the power they hold because of their faith and connection to the world. The whole story provided an interesting commentary on colonialism and what happens when someone falls in the middle. What is right what is wrong, and how we have to keep moving even if we seriously fuck up. I also thought, though not particularly flowery the prose was well done. I found that the structure of dual POV added a nice touch too.

On to my issues. It was so slow, I feel like so much of the book literally nothing was going on and a lot of exciting moments occur off the page. I am all for a book that is slow paced and revels in the more quiet moments, but this one just didn't do it for me. Part of that was likely attributed to my general indifference to the main characters. I in all honesty did not care much for anything Luca and Touraine did. Once again I really wanted to like them but I just wasn't feeling it. Their whole forbidden romance felt like an odd undertone to add to what is a pretty sad story about colonialism and attempts at rebellion.

Matt Dinniman is very skilled at making me think it could be a three star read, and then making it a four star read by writing the most insane finale ever. That being said part of the reason his finales are so showy is because they're meant to be the finale of a floor for the show, but my god did this finale hit. I mean there was this suspicious lull in the middle of the book that is completely explained by the shit that goes down in the last 150ish pages. Like damn they were hiding so much and had me suspecting nothing. Which is crazy because it's all written in first person. I was not expecting Carl to pull a fast one on me, but in a way it's so clever because it reminds readers what watching the crawl is like.

Moving on that epilogue, my god. I can't say I was expecting any of that but I am absolutely sat for whatever it's going to bring. Also leave it to Dinniman to make something fucked up even more fucked up but also make it so damn entertaining. Which I guess is also the point.

This was the first book of the series I almost contemplated giving 3/5 but I changed my mind after the last 200 pages knocked it out of the park. I knew trying to figure out the Iron Tangle would be fun but would also drive me up a wall, so as stated in the author's note I chose to be blissfully ignorant when it came to any of the train system. Maybe too ignorant but oh well. This book did a few things for me, including solidifying Katia as one of my favorites, made me love Carl and Donut more, and made me even sadder about how fucked up and tragic the whole situation is.

So Katia, honestly I had very few feelings about her until this book. She really came into herself and became an important member of the crew. I liked how it was her who solved the whole mystery of the Iron Tangle rather than it being Carl. She officially became a favorite after she flipped him off with her tongue, c'mon what's not to love.

I find it so cool that Carl surrounds himself with so many powerful and smart women and isn't afraid to listen to them and isn't emasculated by the fact half of them could beat his ass. I mean come on, Donut, Imani, Elle, Li Na, Katia, let's give it up for the ladies. Behind every great man is a bunch of women who call him an idiot.

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario 4/5

Really loved this one as well, maybe even liked it more than the first one. I was a big fan of the quest plots and how they gave NPCs and the dungeon some time to shine. I also really have been enjoying the many *wink wink* this will be important later moments. I feel this book did a good job of just letting Carl and Donut go for it now that readers a more familiar with the world.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I happen to be a big fan of the kind of zany but clever sci-fi in the vein of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and DCC definitely has that vibe. I was a bit worried that I would get bored with the repetitive nature of the RPG style leveling up and grinding but I didn't find that to be the case very often in part because of the really interesting world building and Carl's entertaining inner monologue.

On the topic of Carl I wasn't super taken with him at first, MMCs tend to be hit or miss for me, but he really grew on me as the story progressed. I found his mantra of 'You will not break me' to be really powerful alongside his struggle to keep hold of his humanity in a system that doesn't give a shit about those values. I was afraid that he would be rather dense and oblivious to the point of being annoying but I was happy to discover how intelligent and good hearted he is. Also his relationship with Princess Donut was so sweet to read. Donut is a diva and I adore her. I am looking forward to her character developing more as the story goes on.