The Dark Realm

A LitRPG/Gamelit Series (Feyland, Book 1)

By: Anthea Sharp

Narrated by: Amy Landon

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

USA Today best-selling GameLit Fantasy

What if an immersive game was a gateway to the treacherous Faerie Realm?

WHEN A GAME....

Feyland is the most immersive sim-game ever designed, and Jennet Carter is the first to play the prototype. But she doesn't suspect the virtual world is close enough to touch - or that she'll be battling for her life against the Dark Queen of the faeries.

TURNS REAL....

Tam Linn is the perfect hero - in-game. Too bad the rest of his life is seriously flawed. The last thing he needs is rich-girl Jennet prying into his secrets, insisting he's the only one who can help her.

WINNING IS EVERYTHING....

Together, Jennet and Tam enter the Dark Realm of Feyland, only to discover that the entire human world is in danger. Pushed to the limit of their abilities, they must defeat the Dark Queen...before it's too late.

©2013, 2020 Anthea Sharp (P)2020 Aethon Audio

Enjoyable fantasy.

Overall I liked this book and it kept my attention and I finished it very quickly. I think it’s good overall. It wraps up nicely but it primed for starting a series which would likely be a good series. There were a few parts of the story or character traits I wasn’t crazy about but overall it was enjoyable.

Slow Burn, Enjoy the Ride!

Requested a free code in exchange for an honest review.

The author weaves an intriguing tale. I don't want to say too much because I could easily get into spoilers. I recommend you just listen and enjoy the ride. It didn't go the directions I thought it would and that was refreshing. It isn't a young adult romance but has elements of that genre. It was a complete story and had a satisfying ending. The book had a lot of world building and set up the next in the series. I will be interested to return to Feyland and see what the Dark Queen is plotting!

I enjoyed the narrator's interpretation of the characters.

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more than a litrpg

great fantasy book with lit rpg elements. this wasn't a usual pick for me and am really glad I tried it.

My Little Pony meets Bratz Dolls

Written by a 12 year old girl for 12 year old girls. Exceptionally descriptive, overly so, simplistic and pandering to gamer tropes, I found this book trite and shallow. The voice acting is meh.

Game that can influence reality

I was given a free copy of the book for an honest review. When I first saw the cover, I was a little worried about what I had agreed to. The story starts out similar to what I was worried about. I have to admit I even stopped and listened to another book. But I wanted to give it a solid amount of time, so I went back to it. After getting through a little more, the book started to pick up and I enjoyed it more. I can still recommend this book but I have to ask for patience at the beginning. After learning about the main characters and some of their background, we learn about a full immersion VR rig that even though it is supposed to go to beta Feyland game, it actually crosses over into the real fairy dimension where they can be influenced, hurt and even killed in that land.

The narrator did a good job with all the different characters. I would definitely check out some of her other books.

Fun Intro where Classic Lit meets Bleeding-Edge VR

The Dark Realm is a wonderfully enjoyable blend of classic literature and near-future VR gaming. The main character names give away a fair bit of the plot for fans of classic literature and Fae lore, but the updated twist on the blending f the Mortal and Fae realms within the gaming world is well done and does not feel trite. The characters are believable for their ages and circumstances and the story flows nicely. The Gamelit elements are extremely light, to the point where this is more Sci-Fantasy than LitRPG/Gamelit, which makes for a nice book to introduce a new listener to the genre without overwhelming them with stat blocks and details of people leveling constantly. The book can be read/listened to as a stand-alone story with a Life Goes On ending but is also a nice set up for the rest of the Feyland books (not yet available on audio at the time of this review, but available as e-books at Amazon). Overall: Recommended.

Disclaimer: I was given this a free review copy audiobook and have voluntarily left this review.

very good read... err... listen

I was hesitant at first but I really enjoyed this book. Very interesting premise and now I'm looking forward to see how this story progresses.

Good

Started a little slow for me but picked up after a couple of chapters and was quite good.

Good young adult fantasy novel

If your a young women that enjoys video games or fantasy, you'd probably enjoy this novel. I compare this to a romance version of "Ready Player One". I personally would have enjoyed it more if there was more gaming to it. Overall, it was entertaining and certainly had some interesting ideas. The character development was pretty good.

Lit RPG infused with Fey Lore.

The Dark Realm is the first book in an expansive Lit RPG series of stories. But as most first books go, it stands on its own well. No cliff hangers just a gentle inkling that there are more adventures to be had.

What I truly adored about this novel was that it wasn't straight RPG nor was it portal fantasy. The main characters are in a game. Yes, that much is true, complete with all the wonderful gaming tropes that make Lit RPG a fun genre. But the twist is that the Fey have taken other the game as Virtual Reality is the most between of between places. The previous sentence makes more sense if you are well versed in actual Fey lore from the eighteenth century.

Incorporating this Fey lore really drew me into the story. The book itself is actually a retelling of an old ballad titled Tam Lin and this realization really brought the ending to a satisfying conclusion for me.

Narrator Amy Landon was amazing in her role as every character. She varies her voice well and does a great job of emoting. I am looking forward to listening to her more as I continue the series.