How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe

This is the first LitRPG book that I’ve read and I’m not a gamer, but I’ve read similar Japanese light novels and manga of adventurers and heroes on a quest to conquer dungeons and defeat the final boss. In the world of this book, Demon King arises every hundred years, followed by a hero who will (almost) always defeat him. The cycle has been unchanging for millennia, but now something’s different. Demon King is advancing faster than usually, but a hero hasn’t emerged out of schedule to defeat him.

Yui Shaw knows something has to be done and fast. Lacking better candidates for a hero, she decides to become one herself. She sets out a simple ten step plan for herself. She has to be accepted into an adventurer class, become stronger by levelling up enough times, clear some dungeons for important artefacts, obtain the hero’s sacred sword, build an adventuring party, and finally defeat the Demon King.

From the beginning, her path is unconventional. She chooses to become Bag Magician, which is basically a porter with some magical help. She does consider orphan class, but her parents refuse to disown her. Her new class comes with overlooked advances that she sets out to make the most of.

She befriends Ken, a low-class priest with a side class as a fashionista, who guards the sacred sword, and together they start levelling up by killing slimes. Soon, it’s time to start clearing the dungeons, but not like the heroes usually do it. Along the way, they have help from a fairy and definitely not a missing princess.

Demon King seems to be a step ahead of them all the time, but Yui is resourceful and clever. With her unconventional skills and unwavering belief in herself and her companions, she prepares for the final battle. The outcome is surprising for everyone.

This was a fun book. It’s exactly as advertised, a LitRPG with a clear path set out for the characters and the reader that is followed to the letter. The fun comes from watching Yui overcome her disadvantages, the biggest one being that she’s not the hero and the story is stacked against her. The story doesn’t in any way try to deepen her character or tell anything about her that isn’t necessary. I don’t even know her age. Ken remains similarly distant, but he’s a good supporting character. The additional side characters work well too.

If you like LitRPG stories, or even if you simply like good adventure stories, this is for you. Nothing truly bad happens, so it’s suitable for younger readers too. The ending hints at more adventures for Yui and Ken. I’d read those.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.