Starter

A Monster-Battling LitRPG (Djinn Tamer - Bronze League, Book 1)

By: Derek Alan Siddoway, A.J. Cerna

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Tame. Train. Battle.

Fans of Pokémon, Digimon, and Monster Rancher love this monster-battling series!

Jackson Hunt wants nothing more than to be a professional monster tamer - skilled trainers who raise and battle magical creatures called Djinn. He longs for the day when he comes of age and can leave home to pursue his dreams of taming Djinn.

Unfortunately for Jackson, dreams and reality don’t always coincide.

To help his grandmother make ends meet, Jackson spends his days doing manual labor on a breeder’s ranch - just about as far removed from the bright lights and roaring crowds of the DBL (Djinn Battle League) as it gets. But no matter how hard Jackson and his grandma try, it’s never enough.

Facing bank foreclosure, Jackson is desperate to save his home but has no idea how…until he discovers a young, untrained Djinn left behind for him by his dead mother.

As time runs out, Jackson works tirelessly to raise and develop a bond with his Djinn. But monster taming isn’t as easy as the pros make it look. Along the way, Jackson and his friends will delve into the shady world of underground fighting, experience the agony of defeat and learn what it takes to be a true monster tamer.

Will Jackson and his Djinn level up fast enough or is his dream destined to die before it even truly begins?

©2019 Joseph Antonio Medina and Derek Alan Siddoway (P)2019 Aethon Books

Pokemon in a grittier world

Anyone who loves or loved Pokemon will immediately recognize what this book is going for, and probably be drawn to it like I was. The book is a bit barebones in its worldbuilding, but sprinkles tidbits here and there, while largely focuses on the characters. It avoids a cliffhanger while clearly leaving a lot of space for exploring the protagonists backstory and expanding from Starter to Bronze, etc. (though I guess the series name implies Bronze is going to be its own sequence of books).

Cons: The main character goes through a horribly annoying phase around the middle of the book where I kept wanting to punch him the face, but this sort of "growth focus" isn't rare in this type of story, so I pushed through the urges and focused on my interest in the other characters. MC is also completely obsessed with Djinns but lacking in a lot of very basic seeming info, which I'm sure was done for the purpose of exposition, but felt strange.

The narration is well-done- I enjoy Wyman's work after listening to MHI in the past, though I continue to be a bit divided on his voicing of female characters. Overall I was happy to listen to it.

A Narration That Kept Me Coming Back For More

When I first heard the comparisons to Pokemon and Digimon I wasn't sure how to feel about this story. However, after having listened to this novel, Siddoway and Cerna do an excellent job at entering the listener to a world that isn't too hard to believe could be our own. This is further emphasized by the absolutely marvelous narration of Wyman. I had not heard of this gentleman before, but I definitely have to find other projects he's participated in.

The main antagonist can seem a little dense at times, but given his age his actions and behaviors are understandable. He has relateable issues with family and money, and the side characters help him to be more than one-dimensional. Overall, this was a pleasant listen and I look forward to more.

Better than Pokemon

I really enjoyed this LitRPG story. it reminded me of classic pokemon and I really could not put it down. The narration brought the story to life and really connected the characters. I can not wait for the next in this series to be released.

This title was provided free for review, however, the thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

At the time of this review, audible did not have chapter titles listed for chapters.

Awesome read

The book was awesome. Great story and awesome performance by Oliver Wyman. Can't wait for the next installment.

If you are looking for monster battling you came

This was not the most original story but that is okay since it is fairly well polished. all the characters were interesting enough and the main character really does grow and makes believable choices when facing certain situations. The narration was really good as well. I am looking forward to the next one
I received a free copy for review

Too much like fanfic

After four chapters, I had to call it quits. It felt too much like a Pokemon spinoff. It lacked enough originality in concept. The writing wasn't that bad, but the story left a bit to be desired. The authors went through some detail on what happened to Jackson's mom, but never accounted for his dad. It felt unoriginal and uninspired. Or, maybe overly inspired by Pokemon. Nothing about the characters stuck in my mind. They were flat and cliche. On a better note, the performance had life to it. The characterization was distinct and emotional. The authors have a talent for writing, but need to find their own material.

Come get your pokemon fix

First and formost: I was given a free copy of this book at my request in exchange for an unbiased review.

It's good. That is what you should take from my review. not mind blowing. Not the best of all time. But very good. it's got allthe things a good pokemon story needs. No father figure, a snarky competitive rival, a reliable companion, and of course monsters fighting each other in competition.

If none of that got you, then maybe this isn't the book for you.

Gotta read 'em all

Excellent beginning to a more realistic pokemon/digimon universe. The main character isn't just sent out on his own but instead needs to deal with money and relationships and find his way into the professional leagues along with the unofficial, underworld of the sport.

The narrator Oliver Wyman turns in another amazing read where he brings the characters to life.

Fun book

Not a huge Pokémon fan but I enjoyed this a lot. Jackson can be a little dense but you end up rooting for him and Asina.

monster battles

If pokemon was written for adults this Litrpg would doubtlessly be the outcome. Engaging characters, real life problems thrown in with the idea of training animals for combat. I've read all the books but enjoyed the narration even more. I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.