Review: Time to Play by Erin Ampersand

Time to Play (Apocalypse Parenting, #1)

by Erin Ampersand

Release Date: August 18, 2026 (Originally published independently in 2022)

2026 HarperCollins 

Ebook & Hardcover Editions; 375 Pages

ISBN: 978-0008857172

ASIN: B0H1DTBVXJ

Audiobook: B0BRBSG6BL

Genre: Fiction / Fantasy / LitRPG

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

4 / 5 Stars 

 

Summary

Congratulations! Your planet has been selected!

And just like that, Earth becomes the newest unwilling participant in a high-stakes intergalactic game show competition. What that means becomes terrifyingly clear as monsters drop onto the front lawn, an interface appears in your field of vision, and you—and your nine- and six-year-old sons and three-year-old daughter—are each offered a choice of supernatural abilities.

Part of you wants to laugh. Your husband’s away on business, coming home late tonight. Well, he was. But you clamp down on your rising panic. It doesn’t matter how much harder it will be. You’re a mom. Your kids need you; it’s up to you to keep them safe. You can do this.

Then, in quick succession, you discover: 1) your toddler has unilaterally decided her supernatural power should be for her beloved turtle stuffie to come alive. 2) every person on Earth will have to fight, no matter their age. You're going to have to teach your kids to stand on their own—and yourself to let them.

 

My Thoughts

Time to Play is one of those LitRPG book I've been meaning to read since it was first published several years ago, but never really had the time to read so when the publisher reached out and offered the first three books in the series, I was thrilled. And the first one did not disappoint.  And while I definitely enjoyed the LitRPG elements to the story, what I especially enjoyed was the way the MC navigated some difficult times while trying to keep her young children alive and healthy. 

 

Megan is the MC and everything is told through her perspective.  Personally I couldn't even imagine the terror and the other thoughts ripping through her head when the apocalypse happened and she lost all of the technology in her house and in the neighbourhood. Megan is tough, resourceful, a problem solver, and one who is willing to help others, but at the same time, she is cautious and doesn't take unnecessary risks. I like how she interacts with her kids and the conversations feel natural and at their level, but she doesn't accept everything at face value as we often see with her interactions with Pointy, a stuffed AI turtle who has an interesting story line with her three-year-old daughter. The secondary characters were interesting and I definitely hope to see more of them in the next couple of books as I would like to learn more about their backgrounds as well as what they are capable of in the context of this story. 

 

The plot moved rather quickly and I was glad it wasn't overwhelmed with stats and other things that can be typical in LitRPG books. It's not that I dislike stats as I find them fascinating, but the relationship between Megan and her children as well as how Megan interacts with the neighbourhood was the focus of this book and I liked that it wasn't overwhelmed with too many stats. There was just the right amount of tension in this book and there were some secondary story lines building within the main one that could prove interesting as the story progresses. There were lots of twists and turns, and I liked the countdown to when the next dangerous creature would be released as it raised the tension and the interest as I was reading. The actual skills were interesting and I liked how confusing they were for everyone. And there were some funny moments that occurred because of those skills.  Megan was far more stoic than I would have been by then as I think I would have sat down and just bawled my eyes out with frustration.  There were some things happening that do make you realize that indicate future events will be quite serious and potentially dangerous so I am curious as to how it will all play out.

 

Verdict

Time to Play was a fun book to read and while it was serious in tone, there were definitely some comic relief moments that made me laugh out loud.  The MC was somewhat sarcastic and I loved the snide comments that were made when her children laughed at her for the things she said, did, or wore. Kids will be kids even in a moment of crisis!!  While there were elements in the story that did slow down the overall pace and tension, overall I really enjoyed watching Megan struggle to figure out how to protect her family and interact with her neighbours while learning how to navigate the new system. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book in this series.  

 

 

 

Review: Jake's Magical Market by J.R. Mathews

Jake's Magical Market (Jake's Magical Market, #1)

by J.R. Mathews

Release Date: June 30, 2026 (Originally published independently in 2021)

2026 Aethon; Vault 

Hardcover & Ebook Editions; 576 Pages

ISBN: 978-1638493464

ASIN: B09HWX11N9

Audiobook: B09MDLDT2C

Genre: Fiction / Fantasy / LitRPG

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

4.5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Jake is working at the neighborhood market under his apartment when the world ends. He expected nuclear war, a computer virus, or even climate change burning everyone to a crisp to bring about the downfall of civilization. But cruel and arbitrary gods from another world? Who would have guessed that?

Jake, wasting his day slacking off in the cooler, as he usually did, found himself alone in a completely new and very dangerous world. Can he learn to survive? Can he collect enough cards and create a good enough deck to fight back against the monsters that have overtaken his former home? And why are these strange people that look a lot like elves knocking on the door of the market he is hiding in and asking to buy some of his goods?

 

My Thoughts

Jake's Magical Market was quite a bit different from what I was expecting.  I have read a lot of LitRPG from progression fantasy to portal fantasy to cozy ones to dungeon-core ones, but what I first thought was going to be a nice slice-of-life fantasy turned out to be something a bit different.  Yes, I was drawn in by the more cozy elements at the beginning of the novel, but that did change when Jake's life took a major turn about a third of the way into the book, and I was there for the ride.  

 

One of the things I enjoyed was Jake's personal growth. You can have all the great worldbuilding you want, but if the characters don't grow and develop, the book always falls short for me. Jake is one of those characters who was at a crossroads in his life, not really caring about his job and not really sure where his ambitions lay after leaving college to take care of his mom. With the collapse, Jake was forced out of his comfort zone to do things he would never have done and we see him slowly develop from this lackadaisical figure to one who takes charge and takes chances. He also reflects on his growth as a person and discards those things he doesn't like about himself and works on improving himself so he can do better in the future.  He learns to cultivate friendships and to understand how his depression impacted his life. I actually thought the theme of depression was very well depicted in this novel as well as trust and Jake struggled with both throughout the book.  And some of the things that happened to him definitely would have impacted both of these.  It was interesting to see how Jake dealt with a lot of the things that happened to him in this novel and I thought the author did a great job at showing his growth as well as the challenges his faced while dealing with things. Yes, he may have done some questionable things while suddenly dealing with new threats, but he was the type of character who didn't really do stupid things and learned from his mistakes so I liked that about him.  

 

The secondary characters were also well done, and while not quite as well developed as Jake, were still interesting in their own right.  

 

And now, the plot.  I understand why the author chose to do things the way they were done and I understand the title of the book is more of a play on words as it certainly led me into a false sense of what was going to happen in this book. But that is what reading is all about, isn't it? To get caught off guard. To be unpredictable? And the story definitely sent me in a spiral and caught me off guard. But it was fun!!! I didn't know what to expect from about one-third of the way in and just enjoyed the journey Jake was on and the characters that were introduced.  I thought the world-building was great and liked how the story and what was happening developed. Yes, he does some questionable things in order to do what needs to be done, but Jake also develops as a person as he realizes he doesn't want to be the person who does these things and makes choices that are good for him.  Of course he makes mistakes, otherwise how would he learn for the future. That whole concept bothers me to no end as there is not one person in this world who doesn't make mistakes. It's how we learn from them that shows our character and our growth. The only thing I found to be a problem is that I never really felt that Jake was in real danger or worried that anything would happen to him, and he definitely developed his powers quickly.  But that is more a me issue than an issue with the book. There are a lot of themes to unpack in this book as well, including depression, self-isolation, loss, death, growth, family, trust, found family, abuse of power, and the list goes on. 

 

Verdict

Jake's Magical Market was a fun read, and yes, it totally caught me off guard, but that was why it was so much fun.  I expected a slice-of-life book and got something a bit different; once I wrapped my head around that fact, I really enjoyed the world-building and the characters.  I would have liked to have seen a bit more use of the cards as I found them fascinating, and I did think Jake's growth in the second half was a bit much, but I personally like the struggle as much as I like the action so it's probably just a me issue. Highly recommend this book if you are looking for an interesting post-apocalyptic fantasy litrpg.  

 

Review: Rune Seeker by J.M. Clarke and C.J. Thompson

Rune Seeker (Rune Seeker, #1)

by J.M. Clarke, Carter J. Thompson

Release Date: March 24, 2026 

2026 Atheon: Vault (Previously published independently by author)

Hardcover ARC & Ebook Editions; 704 Pages

ISBN: 978-1638493242

ASIN: B0CBSQZMW4

Audiobook: B0CDMVD1YM

Genre: Fiction / LitRPG / Fantasy

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

4.25 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Hiral is the Everfail, the weakest person on the flying island of Fallen Reach. He trains harder than any warrior. Studies longer than any scholar.

But all his people are born with magic powered by the sun, flowing through tattoos on their bodies. Despite having enormous energy within, Hiral is the only one who can’t channel it; his hard work is worth nothing.

Until it isn’t.

In a moment of danger, Hiral unlocks an achievement with a special Access a Dungeon to receive a Class-Specific Reward.

It’s his first—and maybe last—chance for real power. Just one all dungeons lay in the wilderness below the flying islands that humanity lives on, and there lay secrets and dangers that no one has survived.

 

My Thoughts

Rune Seeker is the first book in the Rune Seeker series and it's one of those series I've been meaning to read, but just haven't had the time to start, so when the publisher reached out and offered me copies of the first three books when they are available, I jumped at the chance.  This book probably dropped on my lap at the right time as I found it addictive and I had trouble putting it down, but still found the character development to be somewhat one-dimensional.  The pacing however, kept me entertained and I really enjoyed the dungeon elements quite a bit.

 

Hiral is the main character and the story is told from his viewpoint. Hiral struggled growing up as he seemed to have a lot of potential, but simply could not unlock it despite the efforts of his parents and the intense training regimen he put himself through.  Because of his struggles, he developed relationship issues with his mother, something I feel will be addressed in future books, but I hope the author doesn't make Hiral accept anything from her simply because he has unlocked his powers. I am always amazed when parents don't support their children because they don't turn out the way they want them to be.  As a result of his issues growing up, he has trouble trusting himself in situations as well as trusting others. While he could come across as sulky at times because of this, I think it does ring true to his character and the issues he had growing up. 

 

The secondary characters were actually quite interesting, but weren't fully developed in this book.  I am looking forward to learning more about them as the story progresses. 

 

The plot and the pacing are two of the reasons why character development was sort of shunted to the background as both of these were relentless in this book.  As soon as something happened, then was resolved, something else came up almost immediately.  I didn't mind this too much as the 'battles' were actually quite creative and used the leveling up system as well as the magical system in an interesting way.  There were a couple of things that weren't fully explained however, and I do have questions, questions that I hope will be answered in future books.  I love dungeon-based reads, but I love it when there are big mysteries and ancient secrets much more, and this one hints at the discovery of some of those ancient mysteries in the future.  And the sword inked in Hiral's back. Can't wait to discover how that one plays out. 

 

Verdict

Rune Seeker was a fun read and I enjoyed it tremendously. There was an issue with character development and I did feel like the authors glossed over some things that happened or did not take the time to explain them when they occurred perhaps knowing the issue will come up in future books or thinking the reader would not notice.  In any case, the pace was relentless and very action-heavy, but I didn't mind.  Because I am anal and have to read to the end of any chapter, that posed a problem in this book as the end of each chapter was written in a way that made you want to read the next chapter, something I did often until the wee hours of the morning.  I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.

 

Review: Dungeon Crawl Carl by Matt Dinniman

Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book #1)

by Matt Dinniman

Release Date: August 27, 2024 

2024 Ace

Hardcover ARC; 464 Pages

ISBN: 978-0593820147

ASIN: B08BKGYQXW

Audiobook: B08V8877BY

Genre: Fiction / Fantasy / LITRPG

5 / 5 Stars

Summary

You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what.

Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game–like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show.

 

My Thoughts

Dungeon Crawler Carl is the first book in the incredibly popular LITRPG series featuring Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat Princess Donut.  It took me awhile before writing this review because I wasn't sure how to describe it.  When I received a hardcopy version of this book, I had already listened to it twice, so it gave me an opportunity to listen to it again as honestly, it is probably one of the best audiobooks around and I would have used any excuse to go back to that world. So I listened and read at the same time. And although this was my third go-through, it was still as funny as the first time I listened/read.

 

This book is such a unique blend of humour, sarcasm, and serious moments that you never know what to expect from one moment to the next. I was literally laughing out loud, then gasping in shock from one scene to the next, realizing that although this book doesn't take itself seriously, there are some serious things going on with the themes and in the background, only some of which is revealed in this book.  

 

Carl and Princess Donut are so much as main characters and feed off each other so well. The dialogue is witty and fun, and there is also the inclusion of other NPC included in the story, something that often throws a wrench into Carl's plans.  Because I have already read the first six books in this series, I paid more attention to what was not said and done this time round, realizing the depth to the story I missed the first time through.  While it appears to be a dungeon-style maze with the requisite stats you would expect in a LITRPG, you quickly realize how much Carl and Donut are being led around by something else entirely.  However, it's well-balanced and quite nuanced, so I didn't really pick up on how much until I read the later books.  

 

I really love the fact that this book makes fun of itself through the inclusion of pop cultures comments and quotes, and considering the world has collapsed around him, it seems fitting for Carl to rely on these quips to keep himself going and keep himself sane in what must be absolute chaos.  Although the first book covers a couple of levels of the maze, you quickly realize there is way more depth and complexity that at first appears, with factions and rivalries that should play a role in future books, something that sounds intriguing and fun.  

 

Verdict

Dungeon Crawler Carl is a breath of fresh air from those grimdark epic fantasy novels I had been reading, and the audiobook is a standout in audiobooks.  It is one of the few I could listen to over and over again, that's how well it is done, and I am not one to re-read books.  If you are looking for something with humour and sarcasm, but still has a lot of depth to it, I highly recommend this series.