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Newt and Demon #3
Newt and Demon 3
Trouble brews in the north, an old friend comes calling, and Broken Tusk must seize its chance to rise to greatness.
Theo has his work cut out for him. As the small town of Broken Tusk expands, striking deals with neighboring towns, attention from the north drifts southward. The Kingdom of Qavell, which has long-since neglected the southlands, threatens to bring them all to heel. But the locals aren’t willing to give up their slice of independence so easily and an elven trader seems all too willing to help throw a wrench into the works.
When a mysterious figure appears on the beaches outside of Broken Tusk, things kick into motion faster than expected. The Season of Blooms is ending, giving way to the torturously hot Season of Fire. Theo will need to use both his alchemy skills and the ever-expanding skills of his citizens to bolster the quaint town. But every turn he takes reveals a little more of what happened before he was brought to this world.
Perhaps their newest arrival has answers.
Book 3 in this cozy, low-stakes LitRPG featuring town building and management, charming characters, and a detailed Alchemy System. It's perfect for fans of slice of life progression fantasy like Small-Town Crafter, Village Manager, and Legends & Lattes!
Theo has his work cut out for him. As the small town of Broken Tusk expands, striking deals with neighboring towns, attention from the north drifts southward. The Kingdom of Qavell, which has long-since neglected the southlands, threatens to bring them all to heel. But the locals aren’t willing to give up their slice of independence so easily and an elven trader seems all too willing to help throw a wrench into the works.
When a mysterious figure appears on the beaches outside of Broken Tusk, things kick into motion faster than expected. The Season of Blooms is ending, giving way to the torturously hot Season of Fire. Theo will need to use both his alchemy skills and the ever-expanding skills of his citizens to bolster the quaint town. But every turn he takes reveals a little more of what happened before he was brought to this world.
Perhaps their newest arrival has answers.
Book 3 in this cozy, low-stakes LitRPG featuring town building and management, charming characters, and a detailed Alchemy System. It's perfect for fans of slice of life progression fantasy like Small-Town Crafter, Village Manager, and Legends & Lattes!
- GenresFantasy
676 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 28, 2025
161 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 10, 2025
This is the third in a LitRPG series. Read in order.
You know what you're getting, only with extra authorial intrusion. Okay, who am I kidding. It's the same amount of authorial intrusion, just with an elevated power manifestation because that's how power fantasies work.
I will say that this answered my previous question on whether the author was satirizing communism or idealizing it. Yeah, it's the idealizing one. Or, at least, the slogans all track. I think the clincher for me on that determination was the neighboring town being overrun with capitalist parasites with a merchant class driving the economy into the ground for their own privilege and rule. Satire would have to work harder not to be so on the nose and unselfconscious about its depictions. Or maybe I mean more clever?
Though honestly, if you look beyond the slogans, Theo is your average benevolent dictator in effect. We're in his head so we know he's earnestly seeking the best for all and since he has the resources to throw at problems, he's the one in charge. Everyone has to do what he says, but because he's benevolent and wise, that works out for the best. The human ideal, really. Or is that just for us Christians?
Anyway, the story progresses with the world around Broken Tusk driving off a cliff and Theo attempting to build a stable port for the coming storm. The author puts some actual deus in the machina in this book so we're still confident things will work out. There's an even bigger assassination attempt, but if authorial intrusion is counted, sure, we're still in low-stakes territory.
I don't mean that sarcastically. I'm in the mood for low-stakes power fantasy and this definitely qualifies. This book is a small improvement in terms of plot and creative developments so I'm going to give it four stars it doesn't really deserve. It's all about maintaining my interest with this one. Feel free to judge me. I deserve it.
A note about Chaste: Theo made a promise to abjure all romance. That is still in effect. So this is very chaste.
You know what you're getting, only with extra authorial intrusion. Okay, who am I kidding. It's the same amount of authorial intrusion, just with an elevated power manifestation because that's how power fantasies work.
I will say that this answered my previous question on whether the author was satirizing communism or idealizing it. Yeah, it's the idealizing one. Or, at least, the slogans all track. I think the clincher for me on that determination was the neighboring town being overrun with capitalist parasites with a merchant class driving the economy into the ground for their own privilege and rule. Satire would have to work harder not to be so on the nose and unselfconscious about its depictions. Or maybe I mean more clever?
Though honestly, if you look beyond the slogans, Theo is your average benevolent dictator in effect. We're in his head so we know he's earnestly seeking the best for all and since he has the resources to throw at problems, he's the one in charge. Everyone has to do what he says, but because he's benevolent and wise, that works out for the best. The human ideal, really. Or is that just for us Christians?
Anyway, the story progresses with the world around Broken Tusk driving off a cliff and Theo attempting to build a stable port for the coming storm. The author puts some actual deus in the machina in this book so we're still confident things will work out. There's an even bigger assassination attempt, but if authorial intrusion is counted, sure, we're still in low-stakes territory.
I don't mean that sarcastically. I'm in the mood for low-stakes power fantasy and this definitely qualifies. This book is a small improvement in terms of plot and creative developments so I'm going to give it four stars it doesn't really deserve. It's all about maintaining my interest with this one. Feel free to judge me. I deserve it.
A note about Chaste: Theo made a promise to abjure all romance. That is still in effect. So this is very chaste.
June 24, 2025
This was a miss for me. It has lost its coziness, while the core story is too similar as the last two entries in the series. the formula appears to be: bad thing happens and they benefit, good thing happens and they benefit, everyone is amazing and those few who aren't are dealt with off screen with no consequence.
I liked the upped stakes of trying to become a regional power with eyes on an eventual larger goal. But the politics boil down to " I stood up for my town and made one bluff on its strength, now we are defacto head of the alliance".
Theo goes full unaware despot in this one, which came across as tone death power fantasy; minor spoilers:
Rebels against his kingdom (as far as i can tell) purely for committing the unforgivable crime of charging him slightly more taxes (which he could make in a few days work) because they are at war and under a zombie invasion.
He decides not to sell or even trade his anti undead potions to the kingdom currently under attack from said undead and acknowledges in doing so he is dooming millions to die, then just moves on.
Replacing an employee with their subordinate because they let one of the myriad of projects he dumped/delegated to them slip rather than acknowledges he has more responsibility as a leader and manager.
Allows himself to receivepreferentual treatment and prime seats at the tavern / bath house seemingly without a thought beyond "Well, of course I get privilege, I'm me".
He takes in refugees, who have just survived a harrowing ordeal, are starved and desperate after hiding from genocide in a cave for an unstipulated amount of time, the last 250 or so out of thousands of their house. Then, gets them all to sign a magically binding contract that will kill them if they don't follow it the same day the arrive, before even feeding them. Even The Land series was more understanding of refugees than that, even if only marginally.
I liked the upped stakes of trying to become a regional power with eyes on an eventual larger goal. But the politics boil down to " I stood up for my town and made one bluff on its strength, now we are defacto head of the alliance".
Theo goes full unaware despot in this one, which came across as tone death power fantasy; minor spoilers:
Rebels against his kingdom (as far as i can tell) purely for committing the unforgivable crime of charging him slightly more taxes (which he could make in a few days work) because they are at war and under a zombie invasion.
He decides not to sell or even trade his anti undead potions to the kingdom currently under attack from said undead and acknowledges in doing so he is dooming millions to die, then just moves on.
Replacing an employee with their subordinate because they let one of the myriad of projects he dumped/delegated to them slip rather than acknowledges he has more responsibility as a leader and manager.
Allows himself to receivepreferentual treatment and prime seats at the tavern / bath house seemingly without a thought beyond "Well, of course I get privilege, I'm me".
He takes in refugees, who have just survived a harrowing ordeal, are starved and desperate after hiding from genocide in a cave for an unstipulated amount of time, the last 250 or so out of thousands of their house. Then, gets them all to sign a magically binding contract that will kill them if they don't follow it the same day the arrive, before even feeding them. Even The Land series was more understanding of refugees than that, even if only marginally.
July 22, 2025
I tried so hard to like this one
Have you ever been in a relationship that was pretty much over, but you stayed around thinking about how much you used to love them? This is like that. I don't want it to be over, but my mind wanders when I try to read it, and I lose track of what I just read, and I strongly suspect this whole thing was AI generated or ChatBot or what ever, and I kinda' don't care anymore.
-but I used to really love this series, and when I think Newt & Demon I think "Hey, I love those books!". Sigh. Here's what went wrong.
Book 2 ended on a mild cliff hanger, and book 3 starts with no mention of it. None at all. There is no reference to how much time has passed since the end of book 2 and so I was left to puzzle it out.
...and that's not a good idea if you might have had anything to hide. Because as I pondered this newest book, certain facts came to light.
Newt & Demon 1 November 19, 2024
559 pages
Newt & Demon 2 February 19, 2025
644 pages
Newt & Demon 3 May 28, 2025
676 pages
Newt & Demon 4 announced for August 27, 2025.
No page count yet,
but if it comes in at the low end of 550, That's 2,430 pages in less than year. Even if that's not AI generated, that's a ton of words to bang out and tells me the author isn't thinking very hard about where any of it is going.
And then the second thing, This just feels off. The emotional harmonics of the characters is wonky. From flat and emotionless to out of the blue out-bursts that don't match or correspond with any triggering event.
The randomness of the progression of events is another stutter step that feels off. Don't get me wrong, I did notice this and I kinda' liked it in books 1 & 2. The Wonkyness was kinda twangy like fresh pineapple, the writing here was a unique flavor and the randomness felt a little like improv. I wondered if it was ChatGPT but I didn't care.
Yet the whole thing was balanced on a knife's edge and the start of book 3 just tipped it over for me. And that problems was: there was no bridge from book 2 to book 3. I felt like I was missing a few episodes from the show. It threw me off, and I never got it back.
Around one third of the way into the book it is revealed that no time has elapsed at all. that only three days have gone by, but they feel longer in this book than that. Everything feels off now.
And that's how I lost the thread, stuck in the uncanny valley where nothing feels right but I can't point to one thing and say "There it is".
Or maybe Edwin M. Griffiths is neurodivergent and doesn't have a firm grasp on human emotions, or liner progression, or cause & effect. Who knows.
What I do know is I've been trying to make myself like this book for two months and I think it's time we start seeing other people.
Have you ever been in a relationship that was pretty much over, but you stayed around thinking about how much you used to love them? This is like that. I don't want it to be over, but my mind wanders when I try to read it, and I lose track of what I just read, and I strongly suspect this whole thing was AI generated or ChatBot or what ever, and I kinda' don't care anymore.
-but I used to really love this series, and when I think Newt & Demon I think "Hey, I love those books!". Sigh. Here's what went wrong.
Book 2 ended on a mild cliff hanger, and book 3 starts with no mention of it. None at all. There is no reference to how much time has passed since the end of book 2 and so I was left to puzzle it out.
...and that's not a good idea if you might have had anything to hide. Because as I pondered this newest book, certain facts came to light.
Newt & Demon 1 November 19, 2024
559 pages
Newt & Demon 2 February 19, 2025
644 pages
Newt & Demon 3 May 28, 2025
676 pages
Newt & Demon 4 announced for August 27, 2025.
No page count yet,
but if it comes in at the low end of 550, That's 2,430 pages in less than year. Even if that's not AI generated, that's a ton of words to bang out and tells me the author isn't thinking very hard about where any of it is going.
And then the second thing, This just feels off. The emotional harmonics of the characters is wonky. From flat and emotionless to out of the blue out-bursts that don't match or correspond with any triggering event.
The randomness of the progression of events is another stutter step that feels off. Don't get me wrong, I did notice this and I kinda' liked it in books 1 & 2. The Wonkyness was kinda twangy like fresh pineapple, the writing here was a unique flavor and the randomness felt a little like improv. I wondered if it was ChatGPT but I didn't care.
Yet the whole thing was balanced on a knife's edge and the start of book 3 just tipped it over for me. And that problems was: there was no bridge from book 2 to book 3. I felt like I was missing a few episodes from the show. It threw me off, and I never got it back.
Around one third of the way into the book it is revealed that no time has elapsed at all. that only three days have gone by, but they feel longer in this book than that. Everything feels off now.
And that's how I lost the thread, stuck in the uncanny valley where nothing feels right but I can't point to one thing and say "There it is".
Or maybe Edwin M. Griffiths is neurodivergent and doesn't have a firm grasp on human emotions, or liner progression, or cause & effect. Who knows.
What I do know is I've been trying to make myself like this book for two months and I think it's time we start seeing other people.
June 16, 2025
I love Newt and Demon! A sweet slice-of-life cozy adventure. And the break you need after reading several action-packed litRPG adventures! Tresk and Theo are working hard to level and strengthen their cores. Tresk is dungeon diving while Theo is crafting potions inorder to strengthen both herbalism and potion cores. He's always making improvements to Broken Tusk the town he calls home now, as earth is but a bad memory. As mayor he's building up his Governance Core too! But first there's a bridge to build, and a harbor to dig! A lot to do, since the sea is miles away! It's gonna take earth eating potions and Stone Masons, and maybe even a guy who's kinda sorta a god to shore up the muddy earth!
So yeah grab the book sit back and enjoy...
Here's a couple of quotes:
"...they seemed to get a thorough run of educational pillars. Writing, reading, skinning animals, fighting. Normal things."
“Did you teach your people Russian?” Theo asked, mouth hanging open in shock. Khahar burst out laughing, slapping the wall. After a while, he wiped tears from his eyes. “I told them it was the holy language,”
“We need to name the war with the undead,” Ziz said, watching the dockhands work below. “Gotta be something flashy.” “Do you have anything in mind?” Ziz offered a weak shrug. “How to get boned in 44 simple steps?”
So yeah grab the book sit back and enjoy...
Here's a couple of quotes:
"...they seemed to get a thorough run of educational pillars. Writing, reading, skinning animals, fighting. Normal things."
“Did you teach your people Russian?” Theo asked, mouth hanging open in shock. Khahar burst out laughing, slapping the wall. After a while, he wiped tears from his eyes. “I told them it was the holy language,”
“We need to name the war with the undead,” Ziz said, watching the dockhands work below. “Gotta be something flashy.” “Do you have anything in mind?” Ziz offered a weak shrug. “How to get boned in 44 simple steps?”
May 31, 2025
Wonderful Read
There was so much good stuff going on in this one. Fennian, the elves, the Gods, Theo's new core and skills, etc; and all of it was still well written and flowed at a good pace. But it left me questions and guessing about what's getting ready to happen with the Kingdom, Broken Tusk, Theo, Fennian, and who's the Herald???
There was so much good stuff going on in this one. Fennian, the elves, the Gods, Theo's new core and skills, etc; and all of it was still well written and flowed at a good pace. But it left me questions and guessing about what's getting ready to happen with the Kingdom, Broken Tusk, Theo, Fennian, and who's the Herald???
June 10, 2025
Even for a cosy fantasy, this just didn't seem to go anywhere. There was all the fuss about a harbour and nothing to do with it. a couple of pages of a long foreseen clamour and... that was it. It wasn't bad, so I'll round my ranking up to 3 stars. But it also just wasn't interesting, so this will be the end of this series for me I suspect.
August 16, 2025
Keep getting better.
I really loved reading this book. It was fun and engaging, and the cause for many sleepless nights. The story and characters were incredibly interesting and highly entertaining. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. This book and series are definitely worth checking out.
I really loved reading this book. It was fun and engaging, and the cause for many sleepless nights. The story and characters were incredibly interesting and highly entertaining. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. This book and series are definitely worth checking out.
June 8, 2025
Kingdom bound
As the central government fades Theo pushes the local powers to band together to face the coming storm.
New citizens, new buildings, and, of course, new potions. Theo and Tresk gain a new special friend, and Theo meets up with an old one. Tom out
As the central government fades Theo pushes the local powers to band together to face the coming storm.
New citizens, new buildings, and, of course, new potions. Theo and Tresk gain a new special friend, and Theo meets up with an old one. Tom out
June 8, 2025
This had an extremely slow start that drags on and on. By the time you start to get revelations in the second half, it is already too late. I was disengaged and just skimming. The pacing and focus really let down this book
August 17, 2025
A happy and entertaining read
It makes me smile reading these books and not because they are super easy or simple. Its the characters, the story, and the general layout of these books that keep drawing you (or rather me, hopefully you as well) in.
It makes me smile reading these books and not because they are super easy or simple. Its the characters, the story, and the general layout of these books that keep drawing you (or rather me, hopefully you as well) in.
July 8, 2025
Continues to be fun, though it is getting complicated with all of the gods getting involved.
July 31, 2025
Went back and reread the series to get ready for this one coming out. Too busy and run down, so I paused and took awhile getting back to it. Looking forward to the next book!
August 8, 2025
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews