Official Review: Souladonis by Michael Brock

[rachel_bruhn]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Souladonis" by Michael Brock.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Souladonis is an LitRPG novel by Michael Brock. The story follows the adventure of Souladonis on his journey through a world full of monsters, magic, and mages. The reader is introduced to Souladonis, or Soul, in the middle of his quest to find an elixir, or a cure for the petrification curse. He quickly meets the fun-loving character, Katherine. As he takes her on as his "servant" he begrudingly begins to teach her about how to become a mage. Soul quickly begins to learn that Katherine is not the girl he thought she was when they first met. As you read about their adventure, you also learn about the complex world of magic.

Brock is an exquisite writer. The story is written in the third person with some first person thoughts from Soul mixed in. The story flows from start to finish with no grammatical errors. Brock uses plenty of detail to paint pictures and help the reader understand this make-believe world. I was most impressed with the level of detail that was used during all of the action scenes. In between the action scenes, the reader maintains captivation by learning more about the classification system used for mages, wands, and other magic items. The descriptions and explanations are easy to follow.

This was my first LitRPG novel and I wasn't sure what to expect. I never could get into graphic novels and hoped that it would not be like that. I was surprised that it reads just like every other novel I've ever read, except it is about things that I have only seen in video games or TV shows, like Pokemon. I was quickly drawn into Soul's adventure and the world of mages. This book is perfect for the nerd at heart. There is some graphic content in the action scenes, so I would not recommend it to anyone under age 13 at the least.

I think the message in this story is about learning compassion and selflessness. Soul is a character driven by guilt and revenge over things that have happened in his past. Along his journey he learns about the benefits of forgiving people and doing something for someone else's benefit. These lessons make an important difference for Soul at the end of the book. From reading Soul's story, people can learn that instead of seeking revenge you should try forgiveness and instead of doing what you want, without regard for others, you should think of how your choices will impact others.

Souladonis by Michael Brock has earned 4 out of 4 stars for its captivating LitRPG adventure! I look forward to checking out Brock's blog and reading more of the adventures he has in store!

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Souladonis
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[gali]

Nice review. I am glad you enjoyed the book.

[rachel_bruhn]

I was actually pretty nervous about reading this book since I have never read any LitRPG books before. I was sort of expecting graphic comics or something. Growing up in the era I did, I am no stranger to the Pokemon video games. It was interesting seeing a game like that turned into a book. It was easy to read and understand and I could almost picture myself playing the game as I read. Brock really did a great job with this book.

[PashaRu]

Thanks for an interesting review. I'd never heard of this genre before. And congratulations to the author for a 4-star review!

[Rachaelamb1]

I've never heard of this genre either. Like you, I've never been able to get into graphic novels.
Sounds like a nice story!

[anonanemone]

Interesting pick! I have a couple of graphic novels but only ones related to books/shows I'm already a fan of. Thanks for the review. Is litRPG a subgenre within the graphic novel medium?

[rachel_bruhn]

It is not like a graphic novel. The story is not told with pictures or anything like that. It was written like a normal novel, but the content was like that of a graphic novel. It was written in a narrative style, so there was plenty of back story and character development. Brock did a great job adding details during the fight scenes, so the reader can picture exactly what is happening. The only difference in my mental images was that I pictured little animated characters and not real people.

[Tanaya]

Never head of LitRPG before this. Now I know. Sounds like an interesting approach and an interesting book. Thanks for the enlightenment

[Heidi M Simone]

Wonderful review! I'm glad you enjoyed it and that the author received such a wonderful review!

I have never heard of LitRPG either, but I always love learning about new books and genres, so thank you for introducing this genre to several of us

[rssllue]

Very nice review! Good job!

[Topcho]

Oh, I want to read this so badly! I fell in love with the cover from first sight and your review just made my feelings grow stronger!
I've never read a LitRPG either, but I am more than willing to try!

[rachel_bruhn]

You will not be disappointed! This was my first venture with this type of book and it did not disappoint. I have played a few games like this in my lifetime, so that helped give me an idea of what to visualize as I read, but Brock did such a great job adding details in all the right places to really make this story come to life!

[kimmyschemy06]

I didn't know there was LitRPG genre I like 'monsters, magic, and mages' and I'm into quests of any kind. I think I'm going to love this book. I hope I would have the chance to read it. Congratulations to Michael Brock for such a wonderful book!

[rachel_bruhn]

That is the genre that the author dubs his book as and I think it fits best. It's definitely a fantasy fiction book, but the characters aren't made to be imagined like real people; the cover alone depicts that. I think it works best in a more accurate genre style and perhaps it is opening up a new subgenre for fantasy fiction readers and/or graphic novel readers! He has a blog as well with more short works he has created. I encourage you to check that out as well.