Today will not be a full book review. I’ve been reading several books, and I’ve just finished Dungeon Crawler Carl. I will say that I will continue with the series. Even though I do play RPGs, I’ve never read the books. I love Book 1 and enjoyed the audiobook that accompanied it. My favourite character is Princess Donut. I love her sassiness.
The book wasn’t the one I wanted to read at the moment because I have several others to get through before starting Dungeon Crawler Carl. I was reading a book that someone recommended, and I discovered that it is a series with 4 books altogether.
24690 is a dark romance which is darker than most of the books I’ve been reading. I picked up the audiobook instead on Libro.fm. Even though I was aware of the trigger warnings, I still continued reading. Within 5% of the book, the book was punchy, and I was excited for the rest of the book. However, the pitch-black vibe slowly decreased. The trigger warnings are there like other dark romance books, but I was fine with it. I wasn’t triggered.
I picked up the rest of the books in the series. I opted for the digital copies instead of physical ones and audiobooks. I started having images in my mind with Book 2 but managed to suppress and control them. I was engaged, and my curiosity got the better of me, so I immediately continued with Book 3. However, the images from Book 2 started to reappear along with images I conjured in Book 3. It didn’t stop, and my bad memories started to merge with the images. Soon, my nightmares started.
The nightmares got worse, and one night, I woke up with chest pains, and my heart was beating so fast and hard that I thought it was going to pop. I hadn’t woken up that badly before. I looked for Freya because I had lost her in my nightmare and hugged her so much in the middle of the night. I knew I had to stop and sort out my little issues or pick up a new book. Hence, I picked up Dungeon Crawler Carl, and I ended up loving it. It pretty much saved my psyche in that moment. I know it’s a plaster because it made me think I was fine and that my small issue wasn’t an issue.
I decided to continue with Book 3. After a few chapters, I had another nightmare. I was screaming nonstop in my sleep, and I woke myself up. The weather didn’t help because it was so hot that the central air seemed useless. I got up and went to sleep in the living room with all my furbabies following me. This bookgirl is the real-life Cinderella who actually lives among the pack.
The question now is, why do I even read books of that particular genre, and do I recommend the series? The genre is not for everyone. I have to admit that I was hesitant when I first read a book of that genre. However, I didn’t want a book or a genre to rule over me. What happened in the past is the past, and I’m stronger than it. I took my time with books under that genre and constantly reminded myself nothing would take me down. I noticed that I only got triggered when I read them in a row without breaks.
The 24690 series is probably the first pitch-black story that I’m curious about because of the female lead, Everleigh. She was taken when she was a young child and turned to a sex slave in a very private underground syndicate that caters to exclusive members who might be members of the government, celebrities, etc. No one can escape, and the only way a member or a slave may leave is through death. She went through a lot of trauma and was programmed by the masters. Her ‘saviour’, the main master named Bram, died, and she was claimed by the new main master, West. She went through challenges, and it broke her bit by bit. She’s the first slave who managed to escape, but now, Bram, who is alive, wants her back.
The story did take a turn and the detailed trauma and events lured me in. Everyone’s trigger warnings differ, and if you think you can brave the trigger warnings, I do recommend the series.
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