How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe was my first foray into LitRPGs, and an-all around enjoyable one. I’m not sure if the genre is for me or not, but this was a fun, quick-paced, and witty adventure that felt very familiar, having spent untold hours playing WoW, Skyrim, and various other games that require farming hordes of low-level monsters and random side quests in service to the inexorable grind.

I really enjoyed the feel of the world, with that mythical game environment that feels immediately friendly and inviting. I liked the world-building, though it is more sketch-framed than I normally prefer. This is a function of the narrative type, as the characters and character development are the main focus. I really enjoyed the characters and how they sort of fell into one another’s company.

The MC, Yui Shaw, is idealistic in an entirely different way than what fantasy normally presents, being exasperated with the current world cycle (Demon King, Destruction, Hero, Intervention, Rinse and Repeat) and decides instead of waiting around for the Hero to organically arise, that she had better take matters into her own (of somewhat questionable suitability) hands. Gathering an accomplice and several other companions, she sets out to master the intricacies of the Bag Mage class, commit silver slime murders, and hack her way through the various dungeons and challenges required before she can take on the Demon King.

Fun, quick-paced, lighthearted, and entertaining, I enjoyed this foray into LitRPG and am interested in reading more from Rowe. I would recommend this title for people who enjoy sword-and-sorcery, epic, and cozy fantasy.

How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps is a sweet and fun story that serves as a great introduction to LitRPG. While the story is somewhat predictable, it makes this a very cozy read rather than boring. Yui is a humorous and wholesome main character you can't help but root for. We gather up companions along the way who are also lovable and interesting to get to know. The worldbuilding and leveling system are both easy to understand yet remain interesting to learn more about.

The one thing I'm curious about is how closely it relates to actual video games. I am only vagely familiar with the Legend of Zelda series, but even I was able to catch on to the references. I think discussing with someone who is more informed would be interesting, because I think there could be a conversation to be had about the line between original work that pays homage and fanfiction.

I still highly recommend this for those who like cozy fantasy, video games, want a quick, fun read, and those looking to try out the LitRPG genre. As for most novels in this genre, I highly recommend the audiobook. This one is fantastic.

This is Isekai flooding into the Western trad publishing market for better or for worse!

I have never read a LitRPG before but this one seems like a nice place to start to familiarize oneself with the game-ification of the Fantasy genre.

The digs at the Legend of Zelda cracked me up and I appreciated the creative solutions and cheeky jokes.

The issue that I foresee is readers familiar with LitRPG but unfamiliar with retro RPGS are going to have a lot of jokes go over their heads.

From a strictly visual perspective, the cover of this book reads like a regular fantasy, and the Netgalley description omits the context that the original audible description had. I definitely wasn't aware of the connection to those classic games until I started reading.

I also felt that the characters felt a little lacking but none more than the protagonist. If I didn't read the blurb it would have taken a bizarre amount of time reading to know her name. It's understandable that the tactics are going to be the center here but a little more detail couldn't have hurt.

There is also the matter of the stakes of this book not holding enough weight. Supposedly the antagonist is close to completing their goal but you wouldn't know it since the world of the protag seems absent of the effects during the

All the reader has is the protagonist’s word that this cycle of the Demon King is worse and more rapid than the others but is really never shown how. Just told.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: This was a really sweet and fun story. As someone who has played video games my whole life, I'm interested in LitRPG's. I found this one to be really endearing, wholesome and humorous at times. It is a quick and fast paced read. If you don't know anything about video games or RPG's this would be a good one to start with as everything is clearly laid out and explained well. I found the characters to be enjoyable and relatable. There were several moments I chuckled while reading.

I did find the story to be pretty simplistic and predictable. The writing is straightforward, and again, explains things well and often to the reader. I do think this would be good for someone who doesn't know a lot of about video games and for those who enjoy cozy fantasy.

All in all it was a good time.