2.75

Very well narrated audiobook with background sounds etc that was very much like a graphic audiobook. That was the best part.

The story is character driven but is action packed - which I do enjoy , however sometimes the action scenes felt rushed with the MC just overcoming things rather without difficulty. The overall story also felt predictable. The characters also a little one dimensional and lacked complexity, not to mention that the romance felt forced.

The world building took me a while to really sink into but once that was solidified, it was great. 😊

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC

Review 26/01/2025
3,5 ⭐

Tabula Rasa by Paul L. Centeno is a real adventure through multiple planets and universes full of magic and technology. Drawn into this quest, you are introduced to Ordulis Cavo and his epic journey against evil.

This audiobook is full of music and background sounds that made it feel like a movie and you are along with all the adventurers and individuals Cavo encounters on his journey.

Whereas at times I myself seemed a little lost in the world building and all the places, I found the magic system just a little less grandly developed. Whereas I don't quite know how I feel about the protagonist and antagonist yet, I quickly found that I was totally a fan of the side characters! I especially liked the great variety in these.

Despite this being one of my first really Comic fantasy reads, I really enjoyed the humor woven into this book. Especially with the way our main character sometimes doesn't want to believe it all himself and reacts like a normal human would.

One of the lesser points is that the MC seemed a bit too overpowered at times in my opinion. Some battles seemed to be just a little too easily won over and over again, only to have others happen again and again through yet another escape. Always just a little too easy if you asked me.

I also found the romance a little too forced, after all, for me it didn't even need to be in there! In fact, I think I would have liked it more without it.

The narration was very interesting. It had background sounds that made it more immersive. I did not enjoy the music between chapters much though. It was a little too loud and messed up the flow in my opinion.

As for the story itself, I enjoyed the scifi elements a lot. Atlas was very interesting as a character.

Loved most of the characters (especially Atlas), except the antagonist I found her too 2-d for my tastes.

Loved the scifi elements, I could have read a whole book just on our MC's past, it'd make for a great space opera.

I didn't enjoy the circus scene, it felt superfluous but the break dancing bit was a lot of fun.

Sadly I didn't really enjoy the fantasy side of this novel, which is a shame cause fantasy is my bread and butter. For me it just felt too stereotypical and I don't mean in the sense that nothing felt new or different, I mean in the sense that it felt like we'd been dumped in a facsimile of a world rather than a real one.

I wouldn't read this book again but I would read another by the same author, especially if it was scifi.

Very interesting science fiction style fantasy book, Definitely keeps you interested. It is captivating and addicting. The audiobook has background sounds. Almost like a graphic audio, It is done very well.