I've read a lot of LitRPGs and was delighted when this one took a different turn than all I've read so far. Not only does the RPG world stay on (an altered) earth, but also the Main Character's daughters come along for the adventure. This caused a lot of unique and interesting plot points and I really enjoyed it. I also really loved the character dynamics- how they all interacted together and Loc's desire to do right by his daughters and let them make their own choices. I found this group delightful and the character development great.

I didn't love the extremely overpowered trope- though it was funny (the first few times) when it was pointed out by Sari or Loc himself. When characters start out zooming through levels and strength it sets the whole plot up for BIGGER STRONGER MORE! it gets old, fast. I also grew tired of hearing how the world/system want them to level /power up and progress. We get it- it doesn't have to be repeated a million times.

There were a lot of characters introduced through interludes- not sure how I felt about that either- personal preference, but I don't love huge casts I have trouble keeping up with who's who.

All in all this was a fun read- the world and the system and characters are fun and likable- I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series, but I would definitely recommend this one.

Dungeons and Dragons, battles, and a constant quest to level up. Some moments felt long. The underlying story and world building is good. Another interesting addition for LitRPG.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance copy of this audiobook!

I enjoyed this being a family adventure.

Netgalley Review

Star Rating: ★★★★★
Narrator Rating : ★★★★

I thought this was fantastic! Maybe because I'm a fan of the whole Isekai troupe, and an avide gamer, but I think this was great and can't wait for the next two (June and September) .

It's an interesting twist on a very used idea. Some people complain that they spend a lot of time in a dungeon. Clearly these people have never played a video game. Some dungeons are long. Especially when your levels are low. Those people would've also been the ones to complain if they hadn't gone in the dungeon and instead walled around weak the whole book.

The narrator was fantastic on this one, The author was fantastic on this one. Everything was fantastic. I will definitely do my best to grab the next two books and will look for more Troy Osgood to read.

Read it and make a decision for yourself!

As always a special thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Disclaimer I read/listen to an unhealthy amount of progressive fantasy. This means I tend to be more lenient on the genre. However I’m also more inclined to notice a trope. With that in mind. This book unfortunately is bogged down with apocalyptic lit rpg tropes. Read only if you don’t mind minor spoilers! (Standard setup, MC who is a former soldier and plays video games. Has a special bloodline that grants extra power. Sponsored by a god.). The family dynamic does add something interesting to the genre. I do wish the daughters had a bit more personality than I like sports and I like to draw. Overall I’m captivated enough to want to continue and think the author can give his audience a more original story.

Man, I can't get into this one. I tried but it's just not the kind of gamelit I usually enjoy. Too much too quickly.

Warbreaker’s Rise, the first book in Troy Osgood’s new The Connected System series surprised me in a few ways. It reminded me quite a bit of another LitRPG series I read last year. It’s the second LitRPG series I’ve read where instead of people entering and getting caught in a digital world, the Earth itself is altered by outside forces and game mechanics (leveling/abilities/skills/magic, etc.) are thrust upon the surviving population. I don’t know if this is a new trend or not, but it’s fun and works fairly well. What I found odd is that it also starts very much like that other book I’d read with the main character accidentally ‘killing’ a high level enemy right fromm the start thus getting a serious stat boost before the rest of the world’s survivors. Those are where the similarities of the two books end (sorry at the moment I can’t recall the name of that other book). The early part of the book is quite interesting, we get only glimpses of who is behind it and I liked the viking gods aspects/references. After the intense action packed opening, things kind of shift into neutral. It’s not that I didn’t like spending so much time with Loch and his daughter (though the early part where we get a brief glimpse of what has happened to his wife really left you wanting to know more at the time) it’s just once they entered that first dungeon…well the story really ground to a halt. It’s scene after scene/chapter after chapter of them clearing out monsters. And while there was nothing wrong with the action in these chapters, it didn’t really do anything to truly advance the actual story. Sure Loch is leveling, but it felt like leveling for the sake of leveling. In that way it felt very much like many actual video game rpgs that just seem to have endless random encounters thrown in to pad the game or in this case the book. Which I found odd as I’ve read other books by Troy in the past and don’t remember them being anything like this. Don’t get me wrong, I did end up enjoying the book, but there was so much that could have been cut out. There is definitely an interesting story unfolding, I just wish it had moved along at a quicker pace and that some of the padding had been cut. I hope when book two arrives it will be more streamlined. I’d still give it 3.5 stars. I’d like to thank Dreamscape Media, Dreamscape Lore, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced audio copy of Warbreaker’s Rise.

I enjoyed the audio performance and I enjoyed the book.
The book was a good length and the storyline and mechanics were interesting.