of reviewers recommend it
9 BookTubers · 2 glowing, 6 positive, 1 mixed
BookTubers say: Most reviewers really liked this second Dungeon Crawler Carl book and still felt it kept the humor and fun from book one. The biggest debate is about the story shape: some loved the shift to open-world quests, while others missed the tighter dungeon-crawl feel and the Carl-Donut duo being together the whole time.
This book did what every great sequel does and just further builds upon the already fantastic framework of its predecessor.
The reviewer loved how this sequel adds new depth, quests, and world-building compared to the first book, though he felt the second quest dragged a bit and the mystery wasn't as strong. He immediately bought the third book after finishing.
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Overall the second book is solid and it continues where the first one left off.
The reviewer really enjoyed this second book, though the shift from tight dungeon crawling to a more open-world quest structure caused some mixed feelings about pacing and lost tension. Despite minor gripes, the humor, action, and Carl-donut dynamic kept it a fun, worthwhile read.
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I loved the first book and the second book was just as entertaining.
Brian says this second book is just as fun and funny as the first, with wild quests, a zombie-filled Over City, and absurd humor. He loved it just as much as book one and gives it a perfect score.
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I gave this one a 3.75 I thought it was also very good book.
Both hosts really enjoyed this second Dungeon Crawler Carl book, praising its fun action, humor, and the way Carl bends the dungeon's rules to survive. They feel the book is mostly setup for future payoffs, so they held back from giving it a perfect score even though they loved the ride.
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This is a huge step down from book one for me.
Mike liked the first book much better because it had Carl and Donut together, but this book splits them up early and loses a lot of the humor and fun energy. He's still enjoying it enough to continue the series, and says the second half picks back up once the duo reunites.
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This book was more chaotic than the first one and more side questy on a technical sense. But side quest that I think worked for the overall point of what we're doing and exploring what's been happening up to this point and will have repercussions further on.
Merphy loved book two just as much as the first, even though it felt more chaotic and packed with side quests. She was moved by Carl's moral struggles, his bond with Donut, and the darker reveals about how the game manipulates the players.
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It felt more like a traditional story. It felt less like the Carl from the first book and it felt more like a lot of other fantasy books that I've read before.
Matt really enjoyed this second book and loved the characters and the incredible audiobook narration, but he had some issues with the plot direction moving away from the traditional dungeon-crawl format into an open-world quest structure. He's a little worried future books will keep doing more open-world quests instead of returning to what made the first book special, but still highly recommends the series.
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I fell in love with the characters more, and I loved the way Matt Dinniman expanded the world.
Laura enjoyed the second book and loved seeing more of the characters and world, but felt the concept started to feel repetitive compared to book one. She still recommends the series overall.
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I do have a lot of love for book two since I think this is what really starts establishing where Denimman's going with the series
The reviewer says book two is the one that convinced her to keep reading the series and first showed where the story was really heading. She ranks it low only because the later books are even better, not because she dislikes it.
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Most reviewers loved this one for its humor, worldbuilding, and audiobook narration, calling it a fun surprise. One reviewer found it mean-spirited and shallow, and a couple others needed time before it clicked or before they wanted to continue.
Good character growth, but the Iron Tangle train and map mechanics were confusing even with the author's warning not to worry about them.
The first book that hit hard emotionally, balancing real sadness with the series' usual humor.
A reviewer's favorite in the series, earning a full five stars for its top-tier emotional moments, especially involving Prepatience.
Strong floor mechanics and emotional beats, but one particularly crass scene kept it from being a five-star read for some; a new card mechanic also didn't land for one reviewer.
A satisfying, emotional conclusion to a long-building dungeon level, though a couple of readers got a bit lost near the end, partly due to listening on audiobook.
