Kayla’s Review for HOW TO DEFEAT A DEMON KING IN TEN EASY STEPS–my first review for an audiobook!

Do you like videogames? More specifically, have you ever heard of a little game series called The Legend of Zelda? Well, Andrew Rowe certainly has, and he wrote this hilarious novel that both celebrates and parodies the series. It’s a sweet little homage that tenderly yet consistently pokes fun at its source material.

In this familiar fantasy world–which is definitely NOT called Hyrule–a Demon King attempts conquering the world every few centuries only for a Hero to be reborn to defeat him. It’s a fun cycle of burning farms, crying peasants, and crumbling civilizations followed by short bouts of peace between every Demon King. People seem pretty okay sticking with this status quo as long as the Hero saves them in the end. The current cycle, however, has produced a pretty formidable Demon King, who takes over the majority of the world within his first 23 years of coming into power, and the new Hero isn’t destined to be reborn for another 75 years.

Who will save the world without a hero?

Apparently, Yui Shaw, a Bag Mage with a couple of levels in the Slime-Killer class, is up to the task! Yui is a snarky, clever protagonist (voiced with perfect comedic timing by Suzy Jackson) with an ability to think outside the box. She is balanced well with an assortment of support characters, such as her sword-priest/fashionista friend, Ken, and her commentary keeps the story light and amusing.

If you are a fan of videogames such as Skyrim or The Legend of Zelda, or if you think you’ll enjoy a fusion of the fantasy/humor genres, you are going to love this 5-hour audio adventure! It’s short enough that it can be completed in one road-trip, and the content is suitable for the whole family, though not everyone may understand the jokes.

I give this one 4.5/5 stars only because it is a little too close to the source material in plot to get the full 5 stars.