Hero Trial (Dungeon Runners #1)
by Kieran Larwood (Goodreads Author), Joe Todd-Stanton (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Kit is half-gnome and half-dwarf, making his whole family “gnorfs” – a small race of people in this magical land. In fact, only one gnorf in history has ever entered the dangerous Dungeon Runner games, but Kit is determined to put together a team and try to complete the trials so that he can compete. His teammates are a sea hag who can only do one spell, and a vegan vampire. Kit is supposed to be the fighter in their group, but he only has a useless wooden sword. Everyone laughs, thinking that this team is too small and too young to survive the dangerous competition, but Kit and his new friends discover that the Dungeon hides more surprises than anyone bargained for.

I loved this cute chapter book! The illustrations are so adorable, and I liked that the characters have statistic cards that show their combat skills, magic powers, and cleverness points. There is also a cool map at the beginning!

The whole plot in the Dungeon is so brilliant! I loved all the obstacles they have to face, and it was so imaginative how they make it through the Dungeon.

Kit is such an optimistic character! I loved that he has this bright inner confidence, and he’s just going to make it work no matter what obstacles come around. He does have some moments of doubt, but his friends rally around him. I especially liked that his morals are tested, and he realizes that doing the right thing is more important than winning. Really great character development!

One of the best things about this book is the code that they have to solve to get through the Dungeon. There is even a code at the back of the book that gives you a clue about the next book in the series! Such a cool detail!

I also really liked that the book does not have any really scary monsters or bad violence. It’s age appropriate for kids 6-11. Like there are some competitors that get “eaten” by a monster, but it spits them out again. Very kid-friendly, but you still get all the fun of the monster stuff without it being too scary or violent.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.

This book has been screened on Screen It First. https://screenitfirst.com/book/dungeon-runners-hero-trial-2594400