This One Is Definitely for the Gamers
I really enjoyed Combat Healer: Red Oni Battlemage. I have listened to plenty of audiobooks, but this was my first real dive into something that felt this much like playing an RPG. The stats, character classes, abilities, and progression are all right there in the story.
It is gamey. Very gamey. Somehow, that worked for me.
The whole setup reminded me of a fantasy video game mixed with one of the anime shows my wife watches. It has a completely different style from the dark romance books we normally cover on Ink and Spice. Even with all those game mechanics, there was something comfortable about it. I could settle into the world, follow the characters, and enjoy watching everything develop.
Meet Allister
Allister is a combat healer who can treat injuries other healers cannot. He may even be the best healer in the kingdom, although that power comes with a past filled with some pretty dark experiences.
I liked him as the main character. His personality worked for me, and I appreciated that he puts other people first. He has plenty of power, but he is not another fantasy hero whose entire personality revolves around fighting and doing damage. Being a healer changes how he approaches people and problems, which gave me a good reason to root for him.
The story also throws him into a world filled with Oni, elves, monster girls, guilds, magic, and specialized character classes. If you have spent any time playing RPGs, much of that will feel familiar.
The RPG Mechanics Are Half the Fun
The progression system was probably my favorite part of the book. Stats and abilities are not sitting quietly in the background. They are a big part of how this world works.
Readers who do not care about game mechanics may find some of it a little heavy. For me, the game elements were what made the book different. I liked seeing how the classes worked and how Allister’s skills fit into the larger system.
The book has the feel of an anime-style fantasy adventure, and that makes it easy to picture what is happening. It knows exactly who its audience is.
Not Your Typical Romance
The relationships were decent, but they are not written like a standard romance. This is a men’s harem LitRPG, so anyone expecting a traditional couple or a familiar dark romance setup should know that going in.
I liked that the relationships brought a different twist to the story. They fit the exaggerated fantasy world and its anime influence. The romance and sexual content are also a major part of the book, which is why I landed at a 4.5 out of 5 for spice.
This will probably connect more with male readers than the average romance audience. That is not a criticism. It is simply written for a different crowd than most of the books we usually review.
How Was the Audiobook?
JD Tanner and Kitty Perrelli narrate the audiobook. I honestly thought I might have been listening to a single narrator at first because the performance felt so cohesive.
The character voices had good distinction, and I never had trouble figuring out who was speaking. Nothing about the narration pulled me out of the story. The performances let the characters and game mechanics come through clearly, which matters in a book with this much information to keep track of.
I would recommend the audio edition. The narrators made the different characters easy to follow without overdoing the voices.
The Verdict
Highly Recommended For: Gamers, geeks, anime fans, LitRPG readers, harem fantasy fans, and anyone who enjoys stats, magical abilities, monster girls, explicit romance, and a male-focused fantasy adventure.
Combat Healer: Red Oni Battlemage will not feel like the typical Ink and Spice book, and that is exactly why I enjoyed it. The LitRPG mechanics gave me something different from the other audiobooks I have listened to, while Allister was a solid main character I could actually root for.
It is gamey in a good way, spicy without pretending otherwise, and comfortable enough that I wanted to keep listening. If you are a gamer or anime fan who has been curious about LitRPG, this is a good place to jump in.
Audiobook Recommended: Yes
