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looking forward slime dungeon point of view well written magic system dungeon core next book fun read really enjoyed highly recommend dakota krout well done great book dungeon born forward to the next world building character development main characters forward to reading rest of the series
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Dylan Schnabel
5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh twist on a familiar concept
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2016
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Preface: In the interest of full disclosure, I would like to say I personally know the author, but if anything, it would cause me to be more critical of his work.

Preface II: Author originally had some mechanical and consistency errors, but edited them out. This review has changed to reflect the current state of the book (after 10/20/16).

I'd also like to start out with highly recommending this book, especially if you're into video games like World of Warcraft or role-playing games in general, role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, or even just the fantasy/dungeon diving genre. It is a fresh twist on a familiar concept which is really needed in fantasy as a whole.

Overall, I felt the premise was very promising. It was different in that it (often) focuses on dungeon diving from the viewpoint of the dungeon rather than the diver. This provides an interesting outlook while still providing the otherworldly fights we fantasy readers crave. For someone who doesn't want spoilers, the best description/review I can give of the book is that it is a story about a dungeon, from conception to a place filled with death and danger. It is also a story of character evolution from both the dungeon and some of the divers which enter its maw.

Spoilers ahead

Pros: The author found an interesting concept and ran with it. He didn't allow himself to be too bogged down in the gimmick of making the dungeon sentient. Using Dale as a secondary main character works well to get us out of the dungeon from time to time. The premise is mostly unique and pays off beautifully. The magic system is actually my favorite part of the book and is extremely intricate while still easy for the reader to understand. The concept of runic symbols/inscriptions vs enchantments vs incantations keeps things balanced in that magic can be done by anyone but can be extremely dangerous at worst and extremely taxing at best and in that it provides both flavor and diversity to the magic. The creatures in the dungeon and the way they are created is incredibly insightful. The humor lines up directly with the author's humor and made me chuckle (if not flat out laugh) at work a handful of times. The world is incredibly well described and detailed, although it still feels as though we learn new things throughout the book. The characters are typically likable when they are supposed to be and unlikeable in the same token.

Cons: The cons in this book are more about personal style than actual poor writing and are better described in the mixed bag section below. Honestly, the part about this book that made me the least not happy was the last page. Nothing about the content on said page, but that it was the last page. I wasn't ready to transition into a second book quite yet and felt some loose ends were left a bit too loose, but then looking at the length of the book, I can understand why the writer wrapped it up. In fact, I feel like the ending itself was a great way to spur on the sequel, even if there are some questions burning in my mind.

Mixed Bag: There is a ton of exposition, or world building, in this novel. I quite enjoy it, but many do not enjoy this level of exposition. Also, there is very little physical movement in the book. The only places the story takes place is the Phantom Mountains (specifically the mountain Cal is in), inside of Cal, and a short bit in the capital city. Cal, being a dungeon and all, doesn't move much at all. Again, I feel the author does a good job spicing up the environment and flat out changing it to keep things from getting stale. Other than that, some people may point to rapid character development as a flaw, but that is clearly explained as the side effects of the refinement of essence and the ranking up of characters, and I feel it is well thought out and well explained.

When it comes down to it, I give the book a 10/10 focusing on the concept, the actual narrative told, the wonderful world that is built, the magic system, and the humor while the only knocks against this book are those listed in the Mixed Bag section, and I personally enjoyed those parts of the book. Out of a 5 star system, a 10/10 obviously equates to a 5/5

I highly recommend this book and look forward to learning more about this world and the characters in it in Book 2.
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larry
3.0 out of 5 stars Slow paced
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2017
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A typical human as a dungeon core book - a bit faster paced than watching paint dry, but not by much.
Told from two perspectives, neither very likeable. Cal, the dungeon, is focused only on his growth and survival. Dale, the property owner, is naive and unfocused. Together, along with numerous trips through the same dungeon layout, makes for a boring book...
The most interesting character is the dungeon wisp, one of many side characters.

Countless opportunities for improvement were missed. Carl's uniqueness as the only sentient human-souped dungeon could have been leveraged. His growth in level could have allowed him to regain far more human emotion and insight.
The book walks a line between cultivation and RPG but commits to neither. RPG elements could have been made useful or cultivation elements could have focused interest on technique. The characters could have been developed in depth rather than left with a bare minimum of background, motivations, etc.
All in all, the book leaves much to be desired.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Similar Yet Different
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2016
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For readers familiar with the series "The Slime Dungeon". The description of this book may sound very familiar, and in a way it is. You have a person who becomes a Dungeon and who must work to challenge adventurers. The difference lies in the mechanics of the world. Gone are the Rpg like abilities that Doc has to choose from, instead things occur due to the dungeons own innovation and brilliance. He must work to discover every improvement or mob. The Divine Dungeon provides a much more fluid experience, keeping the reader immersed in the story. I loved this book and read it in one go, spending several hours ignoring everything else. I cannot wait for the next one!

On that note, the Slime Dungeon series provides a different more traditional lit Rpg style of story which lends to itself in its own right. if you enjoy the Slime Dungeon series I would strongly suggest you give this a try. If you enjoyed this book, give the Slime Dungeon series a serious consideration as they are both amazing books!
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C. Aus
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun story from the dungeon's point of view
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2016
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This was a pretty cute story about a guy who dies and gets his soul sucked into a crystal, becomes a baby dungeon, and learns all about how to level up with the help of his funny sidekick wisp friend. It is also about a young man who realizes an opportunity when he sees it and cleverly buys the whole mountain where this new dungeon of possibilities is located. It is also about the group of adventurers he becomes friends with who help him level up so he can become strong enough to keep his profitable discovery. And it is about the sometimes funny, sometimes nail biting leveling of both the human adventurers and the mobs inside the dungeon and the mistake that just might be the end of them all.

While parts of the dungeon design got a little boring in places (pacing was a tad slow in spots), the rest was a very interesting, fairly light-hearted look at a dungeon's point of view in how he creates monsters, levels them up, and tries to make them formidable even when annoyingly powerful groups come a crawling. The writing was well done with a witty humor that kept me chuckling throughout. Allowing one of the POV characters to be a human allowed the reader a glimpse of what was going on outside the dungeon which gave the story a nice variety. The ending was especially awesome and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Overall, I'd probably rate this a 4.5 due to the slow bit there in the middle, but I definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy, especially dungeon crawling - either on computer or old fashioned pen and paper D&D like games.
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Andrew Millar
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2019
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A great read that is well written and edited. I love the characters and that includes the dungeon itself. Dale seems well rounded and although the blurb says he’s a lord that doesn’t seem official from the book.

The story is well thought out and the development of the plot and characters seems smooth and not OP and this first book has left me wanting more. Thankfully there is and I’m glad I’ve found Mr&Mrs Krout 😁
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Paul Blaney
5.0 out of 5 stars A Dungeon Born.....
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 28, 2020
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This is the first book of this genre that I have read and I really enjoyed it. Good character development and a suitable pace for the non litrpg initiated. The book has certainly whetted my appetite to read on in the series.
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Salman Hasan
2.0 out of 5 stars Premise good, writing not so much
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 25, 2021
Verified Purchase
The world and magic rules were very interesting to me. However, the execution was not to my liking. The dialogue and character interaction is like a written out manga, and not in a good way. Anything you dislike about anime writing is in this book.

No spoilers but the book's ending felt like the author realizing too late into the book that he hasn't set up a rising action for a confrontation, and throwing in something with entirely no buildup.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Born Divine
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2018
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Really good litrpg book. Looking forward to book 2. Strange to have the "hero" stay in one place. A few mistakes (spelling wise) but nothing serious.
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S Larcher
5.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly enjoyable read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 29, 2018
Verified Purchase
A thoroughly enjoyable read. I was a little unsure about whether I would like a dungeon based book, it being a slight departure from my usual type of novel, but having read this, I will now be looking out for more like it, especially the sequel.
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