strong female lead

a parallel story to books 1-3, delving into the player side of the world. Emma pulls you into her world of strength and personal fortitude, leading you through pautera with the joy of a first time gamer.

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even explains the real world side of Puatera

This is the sixth book I’ve read/listened to by this author. All the books have been in the Puatera series. These are books I would listen to again and again. I am really enjoying them!

Akillia is the name Emma has chosen for her character in the game Puatera. She spent a lot of money getting one of the sought after slots to test out the new VRMMORPG as an anniversary gift for her husband. Planning to surprise him with it, she is instead surprised when she returns home and finds him in bed with her sister. She decides the slot should not go to waste- she’ll use it. Emma has no experience gaming so everything is a learning curve. She becomes emotionally involved in the world of Puatera and whenever she feels overwhelmed, the though of her cheating husband (and the fact he’s started a real world bet against her succeeding in the game) encourages her to continue. She has been given an important quest.

The book is written so the experience gained and skills acquired by Akillia is mentioned as it happens. We hear the prompts the games gives her. Periodically Emma/ Akillia logs out, so we hear the interactions with the employees that support the people playing the game. Each player is housed at the companies complex and monitored every moment they are in or out of the game. Because of this, we learn about the workings of the company too. This book eventually leads to a connection between Akillia and Jessica, Dahlia and their other sister (from other Puatera books).

This is the second book (previously A Woman in the Shadows) I’ve listened to by this narrator ( Anneliese Rennie ) and I would listen to another. I love the voice she gives to Akillia. She brings out Akillia’s fears, strengths, uncertainty and convictions. Her reading made me loose myself in the story. I did not want to put the book down until I was finished.

There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or swearing.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

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4 people found this helpful

This does not start as a continuation from book 3

In fact, unlike books 1-3, this one starts in our world. The best part is that the character we are following is not a gamer. She bought this for her man knowing it was a VERY expensive gift. Then he proved that he did not deserve it. As it was not refundable, she chose to try it out herself. This is where the fun begins. We get introduced to Puatera Online as a new player that has never gamed before. She is learning this game as we are. The game starts with an in depth tutorial that is made fun by an AI tutor with a snarky attitude teaching a newby with lots of questions in trying to understand how all this works. The fun is just beginning.

Now that I have finished the book I can really appreciate the story. The first three books were short pieces of one story. Akilla’s Reign is longer than those first three combined and it shows. The story is much better filled out. It is very easy to get lost in this story. The characters are well developed and the character count keeps increasing as the story expands.

Although this story is not a continuation of the first three stories, we can see where they will tie together eventually. We are just not there yet. More world building is coming.
I am ready for the next book in this series.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Engaging Continuation around New Character

This book is a great continuation of an engaging and different LitRPG series, Puatera Online. The world makes sense and unlike many LitRPG/GameLit books, while there is acknowledgment of player stats and a leveling mechanic in the game, it does not get bogged down in the details of that end of the game mechanics. The main character is understandable in her motives and actions. The world has an interesting blend of fantasy, modern, near-future and even some far-future sci-fi technology all existing in balance, but in a way that feels right. There are unexpected twists and a rapid pace that makes you want to keep listening even when you have other things to do. Recommended for anyone looking for a different LitRPG listen. While this is the second arc of the series (books 1-3 revolve around a different character dealing with related issues in the world), it is not necessary to have listened to the first arc to enjoy this one (although it certainly helps understand nuances of other characters and events encountered).

Disclaimer: I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Same game, new characters

It was interesting to see another story set in Puatera Online. The premise was interesting in getting to the game world and the MC grows a lot through the book. I’m curious to see how the sequels connect to this book. The narration is very well done.

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Lady of the Sky and Water!

Volume four presents a thorough account of Emma Sanders’ first experience in a VRMMORPG; as Akillia. The first five chapters give a painfully detailed narrative of the game tutorial Akillia endures from her first encounter with an NPC. Akillia, not being a gamer, was not sure what she wanted to do, nor what she wanted to be. As it turned out, Akillia while being streamed, drew the interest of the non-gaming crowd. This was an unexpected boon for the Puatera Online creators, and it gave Akillia something to strategize on. As the tale proceeds, Akillia gains additional skills and more power. Soon she would be called Lady of the Sky and Water. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Awesome series

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I was sad to find out that we were no longer following Maddy but i really enjoyed this book. Anneliese Rennie did a good job with the narration.

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This novel is an excellent choice for women.

This novel is an excellent choice for women looking to try out Litrpg. It’s not too crunchy, and there are no ‘male fantasy’ overtones. I always say that gamelit is just a backdrop to tell a story or a stage for the actors to perform on. You could pluck out the plot of Akilla and drop it into any other genre. It was nice to see the novel focus on an emotionally driven plot instead of just character progression for its own sake. You don’t have to read the entire series to get this book.

Anneliese Rennie did a good job of narrating the novel. She was a good choice for a strong female main character. I did laugh at her AI voice, which was hilariously awkward.

Towards the middle and end of the novel there was a lot of wand waving going on. Like the novel is on rails, driving the character towards the climax. I had a few minor issues, but frankly, they didn’t stop me from enjoying the book. The tutorial was too long with more info dump than strictly necessary.

Give the book a try, you won’t be disappointed.

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FASCINATING!

Great story! Given I'm 50, grew up in the 80's BC (before computers), and started playing video games back in the day where Pac-Man was the biggest thing ever. It was cool to be around for the beginning of all that. To see where it is now, it literally blows my mind. I am not a gamer (other than the classics - Pac-Man, Centipede, Asteroids, Missle Command, lol you know those), but enjoyed this story as I can relate a bit to the heroine not knowing a lot going in. I was fascinated by the story, it kept my attention, and I also thought the new narrator to the series did an excellent job. I'd be interesting in reading/listening to more from this author and narrator any time. :)
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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GLAD I TRIED SOMETHING DIFFERENT!

I really enjoyed this book! This was my first Litrpg book and it was very fast paced. The narration was superb and gave the story that extra flair, it really kept you entertained. This author did a great job with the character builds and plot. This was my first book by this author but definitely will not be my last. I loved that you didn't have to read the previous books to understand and enjoy this one. I can't wait to read the other books in this series! I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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