Crimson Dust

The Crimson Dust Cycle, Books 1-3

By: J.S. Arquin

Narrated by: J.S. Arquin

Length: 22 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

To save his family...he has to be quick. But can he survive the game?

Twist’s parent’s died in a prison colony on a hostile planet. He has to save his sister from the same fate. To escape, he and his crew must do the impossible and defeat the children of the ruling class within the deadly world of The Game.

Where the line between virtual and reality blurs and danger lurks around every corner. Fighting for his life, Twist uncovers dark secrets. Secrets that cut deeper than the blade of his warp knife. Secrets that will shake Canyon City to its core.

And that’s just book one.

After that, the adventure crosses light speed. If you enjoy action-packed sci-fi like Star Wars, Red Rising, or Ready Player One, you will love this thrilling trilogy. Because, everyone loves an underdog, and impossible is just a word. Get it now!

©2021 J.S. Arquin (P)2021 Words on the Wind, LLC

Decent

Initially, I wasn't sure what to expect. This is the first title I've listened to by this author. The first book did well to capture my attention, though Twist (main character) does come off as a bit whiny, but he's consistent through the three books about that. In the second book, seeing the rock horrors being more than how they were described in the first book was a nice change of pace, and they started to resemble hook horrors from d&d to me, as well as the centipede creatures coming off as Carrion crawlers. The third book rounds off nicely, though the last ten chapters do feel a bit rushed. The majority of the read time comes from the first book, which is a little sad. Overall, I enjoyed the story and want some resolution about a few things. Gonna look to see if there's more in the series.

Great story

The story was great. Lots of action and conflict. There were a few obvious things that it seemed the main character missed or could have done when he finds his true nature but that’s just my rational brain thinking out load. With that being said it doesn’t take from the story at all. Would highly recommend and can’t wait until book 4 is released

fast paced ride!

Narrator: ok, differentiations could be more obvious.
Language: none
Violence: murder, space age battles,
Sexual Content: brief reference to female anatomy, crude your mama jokes with string innuendo
Parents: 16 or older for book 1.
Story: this review encompasses all three books.

Ascent book 1: relatively fast paced and intriguing. The complications seem a little too easily overcome, like to the point of almost blatant convenience. Outside of that glaring problem the adventure and world are well described along with the slow unveiling of the public discontent. Some of the twists are scary similar to Ender’s Game but overall it’s a fun read.

Slide book 2: buckle up as things get rough in this book! Think of the adage “climbing a gravel mountain” 3 steps forward, 5 steps back. Well written, extremely action and drama packed. A fantastic intermediate book of the trilogy. You could read this without the first book but obviously I’d recommend starting with book one.

Peak book 3: enjoyable close to the series. Decent twists, lots of action, gives solid hunger games/Enders game vibes.

Overall I would recommend this series as its dramatic, action packed, and just an enjoyable fast paced read/listen.

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

Great Read

It took a while to get thru, but it was an amazing read. Reminds me of a mecha fallout world.