The Carnelian Fox: A Monster Catching Gamelit Adventure

Maiyamon, Book 1

By: Kay MacLeod

Narrated by: Savy Des-Etages

Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Monsters don’t exist. At least, they didn’t until we created them.

Maiyamon was once merely a game. Now, it's a global reality. After dozens of hit monster collecting games raked in billions of credits per year, it was inevitable someone would create real ones. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so obvious how many people would dump them in the wild....

Sam Wentworth grew up with nothing. She’s worked tirelessly just to get through college and earn her first monster. Bankrupt and exhausted, she sets her sights on fame and fortune in Maiyamon arenas. Instead, Sam’s caught between battling the rampaging elemental creatures abandoned by their owners and standing up to a toxic group intent on ending the game forever.

With her flame fox cub, Finn, at her side, Sam sets out to build a team capable of protecting both innocent people’s lives and the creatures she loves. That’s the easy part.

Monsters may fill the world, but it’s humans she fears the most....

©2019 Kayleigh MacLeod (P)2020 Kayleigh MacLeod

A great mostly YA monster trainer adventure

Sam and her best friend have just completed training as a Prime and head out to get their license. This is where everything goes sideways.

The story is very well done and makes a lot of sense about how such a world could come about. The odd thing is that this entire book is completely YA friendly except for a fade to black sex scene and a few comments about it. I’m really looking forward to the next book!

Excellent monster catching/battling story.

Loved the origin of the monsters and the story threw for a loop more than once. Can't wait for the next one.

really brings back the pokemon feels

i liked this book. really brings me back to my pokemon playing days. worth the credit.

a good story

when I first started this I almost didn't finish, because the narrator's accent was so strong I had a hard time understanding, but a bit in I found the accent gave the characters personality. the story felt a bit rushed at times and I felt could have been fleshed out more, but it kept me wanting more with the ensemble of eclectic characters and a lovely world they live in, I will definitely get the second book which is my biggest endorsement, that I like the adventure so much that I want more and need more.

Loved it

Team Rocket is really taking it too far this time. They need to chill.

Interesting

The world was much darker than I anticipated. It was a good surprise tough. The narration was also good quality.

Fun & Games

This was the first book from this author and first Gamelit Adventure that I've ever had the pleasure to hear. I enjoyed this story immensely and recommend it for those who like action filled books or like role playing games. Kay MacLeod's prose flows and her characters are well developed. Savy Des-Etages does a great job with the narration providing voices that seem to fit the characters that were created by the author. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.

ok

This was overall an enjoyable title, My rating reflects my distaste for an overused narrative device. The ending was abrupt.

hardcore Pokemon

if you love Pokemon and would like it to be a bit more mature. this is the legally distinct book for you

Monster Collecting with surprising depth

I love Pokémon. I love monster collecting games in general, and have tracked down a bunch on Steam and other platforms. I’ve always craved books that capture (hah!) that same feel of excitement, exploration, and bonding with creatures of games like Pokémon. Kay MacLeod’s The Carnelian Fox is a fantastic book that does exactly that.

In the world of Maiyamon, some corporation made real life monsters that could be caught out of everyday creatures. Of course, this included giving them stats, bonuses, and other things that go along with monster catching games. The company faded and interested in the ‘mons faded along with it, but the ‘mons remained, and became a problem for the real world to deal with.

Jump forward in time, and we get to follow Sam, a Maiyamon trainer who wants to better herself and her team as she sets out to become a great trainer. She gets paired with Lucy, a wealthy young woman who wants to use her Maiyamon(s) for show (think of dog shows), in order to protect her and earn some money. From there, readers follow a series of adventures, competitions, and more as we get exposed to the world of Maiyamon.

MacLeod has created a beautiful experience with this book. The battles feel just like what I had hoped for–real time, epic battles between ‘mons that still have a kind of pseudo rock-paper-scissors aspect to them. The battles are one of the major highlights of the book. I also quite enjoyed the bonding between the Maiyamon and trainers that happened. Sam cares for her critters, and their interactions are sometimes touching. I didn’t expect to feel emotional in this book, but I did. MacLeod’s characterization is great, and genuine (often witty) dialogue is the name of the game.

I was surprised by the depth of the plot, too. Characters that could have been superficial had much more going on behind the scenes. There's also plenty more story to go, as MacLeod has made a world and storyline that has branches going well beyond the immediate novel.

For audiobook lovers, I should note I listen to books at between 2 and 3 times speed. I did slow down to 1x speed to listen for a bit and I thought the reading was slower than normal, but that is possibly just my own being used to 2-3x. It does read well at 2-3x speed, and I might recommend speeding it up if the reading seems slow to you.

The Carnelian Fox is a great indie read that absolutely, at last, scratches that Pokémon itch. If you like monster training games and have longed for a novel that can give you that same feeling with a great story, you should run and grab this book. I recommend it.