Overall: 🐢🐢🐢🐢
Storyline:
Writing Style:
Character Development:
World-building:
“True heroism is when someone fought for what is right, regardless of the risk to themselves.”
How To Defeat a Demon King in 10 Easy Steps
The Story:
The world is being taken over by the newest generation of Demon King and everything good is perishing. As everyone waits for the 100 year marker to reveal the next Great Hero, the one individual who can save everyone from certain doom. However, tried of waiting for just a hero to save the day, a young bag mage takes on the quest of saving the world. Even though she isn’t the hero and isn’t in the hero class, Yui Shaw heads out on a grand quest to accomplish the impossible. Her 10 steps to achieve saving the world is her only hope and just might help her survive if she sticks to her plan. It’s time gather your party, gain those experience points, level up your classes, and learn some new spells! And hope that we are strong enough to take on the bosses.
Key Elements:
Science Fiction, Fantasy, Gaming, Adventure, RPG
Why This Rating?
Have you ever played a RPG (Roll-playing game) before? Some game that is similar to Skyrim or World of Warcraft. If I could embody these games into a fun, lighthearted story this would be the book. I was a bit hesitant at first when I realized what the author was attempting and didn’t see how someone could actually write about a person leveling up and working on quests essentially; however, I was very surprised. I felt that Andrew Rowe did a very nice job at creating a strong balance of gaming jargon and a relatable story to keep the reads involved. I have not run across a story that incorporated a leveling system and class skills before this book. And being that I am a gamer, I was able to picture just how some of the mechanics would work and the ‘pop-up’ screens would be functioning during the game.
There were moments that I was having a hard time trying to figure out how I should be reading the story. I couldn’t decided in some situations if I should be seeing these characters as real people or simply characters that people are playing in a game. I feel that a little part of that is supposed to be the charm of the story. Always keeping you on your toes and making you think about what is in a game and what isn’t; however, having some key phrases and random jumps with the story bounce between a person or a player threw me off. It kept me from really getting full into the story because I was trying to figure it out during some chapters.
I would say that if you are not much of a gamer or at least haven’t played something that involves a skill and level grinding process, this book probably isn’t the best option for you. Rowe does rely a little on his readers to have at least a base knowledge of how some properties work in a game environment. Don’t get me wrong, he does a fantastic job at describing some of the advanced spells, or fights. But with a gaming background, I feel that I was able to appreciate the story a bit more and fill in some of the blanks that are created.
Time to get lost in the next story!
