Starter

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

By: Derek Alan Siddoway, A.J. Cerna

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

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

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.

Great story and audio

If you like Pokemon and litrpg, you'll love this too. The story of a boy who's always wanted to be a pro Tamer, but didn't have the means to get there. It's full of great characters and their companions and the challenges they face to train and become stronger.

The audiobooks production is too notch. I haven't listened to this narrator before, but was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the voice acting.

Definitely with picking up as your next book.

Great Start to the Series

Starter is a great start to this series that I think fans of Pokemon and similar monster-battling fandoms will love. I haven't been a huge fan of things like Pokemon (although I have nothing against it), but I do enjoy LitRPG elements and stories. This was a fun listen and Oliver did a great job of narrating the story.

Jackson Hunt was a good main character. I was definitely frustrated at times with his arrogance and unwillingness to listen to people with good advice, but that's not unusual in a Book 1. He does show some growth by the end of the story and I'm interested to see how his character will be in Book 2. The rest of the characters were great for a supporting cast. I really didn't have any complaints with how they were written or portrayed.

If you're a fan of LitRPG or monster-battling stories, you will likely enjoy this one as well. It could almost be a story for the whole family, though there are a few more adult conversations (a couple swear words, mistaken adult interaction), so you might want to listen first and determine if it fits with your family. Overall, the authors did a great job with this story and I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series to see where Jackson goes from here.

I received a free copy of this story and am leaving an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Monster trainer and fighting at it's best

In this story, there are elemental monsters that are part of every day life called Djinn. Jackson is a young man who is a worker at a Djinn ranch that wants to be a trainer more than anything. When a financial crisis arises, he comes up with a plan to help his family.

This story is perfect for anyone that grew up playing or watching a certain pocket monster game. It is done incredibly well and is friendly for a younger reader. I’m excited to read the next in this series.

I did request a review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

this story makes me question the author on pets

simply said the main character is like a moron... you spend your life with these creatures and have no idea how they work but every day you worked with them ... i’m sorry but what you wrote is unbelievable...

Fun, "Realistic" Take on Pokemon/Digimon/etc Idea

This book is a promising and fun start to the Djinn Tamer series. The basic concept is highly reminiscent of Pokemon, Digimon, etc, but with a more serious and realistic take. No sending small children out into the world with petty cash and a small, barely controlled creature here! Instead, there are set Leagues (complete with sponsorships, profit motives, etc), Trainers have to be legal adults to compete (they can own creatures when younger, but *gasp* battle competition is reserved for adults!), illegal, underground battles and the people and creatures can be permanently hurt or killed in competition. I loved that this book actually seriously dealt with how such creatures would impact the world. The use of Oliver Wyman for the narrator definitely added to the gravitas of the more serious situations. Recommend for older fans of Pokemon, Digimon, or LitRPG, but not recommended for younger listeners given that there are some scenes and situations that I would not want to have to explain to anyone under 8th grade at least.

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

Very puerile but decent

The main character will disappoint you over all not a bad story. pretty unique in a way. If your looking for an easy listen with a less than complex storyline go for it. Overall very Y-A pokemon, digimon type story.