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The Whims of Gods #1
Protagonist
Tess was hoping for some major life changes. Somehow, getting chosen by a god wasn't what she had in mind.
After going through her quarter-life crisis and quitting her job, Tess wasn't exactly sure what her future would hold. That only becomes doubly true when she's abruptly plucked from her life on Earth and whisked away to a new world.
With nothing but a somewhat cryptic blessing from a god, Tess will have to carve out a new life for herself in a land where magic, monsters, and character levels are all par for the course. Unfortunately, it doesn't help that dark forces are stirring, she's woefully unprepared, and spiders keep trying to turn her into dinner.
Follow Tess as she gets embroiled in the affairs of gods, embarking on a journey through blighted deadlands, bustling cities, and merciless dungeons.
Protagonist is a classic LitRPG novel with character levels, classes, and stats, ideal for existing fans of the genre and newcomers alike.
After going through her quarter-life crisis and quitting her job, Tess wasn't exactly sure what her future would hold. That only becomes doubly true when she's abruptly plucked from her life on Earth and whisked away to a new world.
With nothing but a somewhat cryptic blessing from a god, Tess will have to carve out a new life for herself in a land where magic, monsters, and character levels are all par for the course. Unfortunately, it doesn't help that dark forces are stirring, she's woefully unprepared, and spiders keep trying to turn her into dinner.
Follow Tess as she gets embroiled in the affairs of gods, embarking on a journey through blighted deadlands, bustling cities, and merciless dungeons.
Protagonist is a classic LitRPG novel with character levels, classes, and stats, ideal for existing fans of the genre and newcomers alike.
781 pages, ebook
First published April 12, 2022
391 people are currently reading
204 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
December 22, 2025
As an isekai LitRPG this stands out in some ways but is otherwise pretty typical. Tess is a weird dead-end person in her original life. A therapist who gave it up to work stupid jobs and form a nonsensical attachment to a gross dog made me wonder what I was supposed to engage with or find admirable. I mean, talk about random virtue signaling. Fortunately, this is one of many instances where the characterization is paper-thin.
This shallow characterization is the biggest weakness for my tastes. Tess just flows with things, jumping from one activity to another with little pause or caution. And this lack of depth extends to the side characters. The trainer who hates her for some reason, the bartender who gloms onto her for some reason, the king who gives her a random quest for some reason. It's all very surface. At best.
The benefit, if I may stretch for a virtue, is that the plot flows fast and the action is good. So Tess doesn't bog down where a more grounded protagonist would. So the pace keeps up strong and with only enough pause to give variety. I do consider this a virtue, just to be clear. I liked each new setting and characters and the resulting action. Some developments come out of left field, but since I wasn't terribly attached to the status quo, it was easy to just roll with it.
World building that was interesting, a system gimmick for Tess's development that gave some good twists (tagged by a god of luck gave her lots of free attributes, but allocated them randomly), and a power fantasy that held my attention kept me rolling along very entertained. I was never tempted to put this down and I'll certainly pick up the next in the series.
I was at about 3½ stars and inclining to rounding up when we got a soft cliffhanger at the end. We got the full climax, don't get me wrong. But the fallout of the victory was left to the next book (including system notifications). Normally, a cliffhanger is a full star drop because they just suck. In this case, I'm only dropping a half star because it wasn't an emotional manipulation. So three stars it is.
A note about Chaste: Tess is weirdly clueless about romance. She gets a few interest nibbles and one outright flirtation that she completely misreads. The author isn't at all subtle about Tess's missed cues so the reader is fully aware of the lures and invites. See shallow characterization above. Anyway, this makes for a very chaste story as there are no shenanigans and only some light teasing.
This shallow characterization is the biggest weakness for my tastes. Tess just flows with things, jumping from one activity to another with little pause or caution. And this lack of depth extends to the side characters. The trainer who hates her for some reason, the bartender who gloms onto her for some reason, the king who gives her a random quest for some reason. It's all very surface. At best.
The benefit, if I may stretch for a virtue, is that the plot flows fast and the action is good. So Tess doesn't bog down where a more grounded protagonist would. So the pace keeps up strong and with only enough pause to give variety. I do consider this a virtue, just to be clear. I liked each new setting and characters and the resulting action. Some developments come out of left field, but since I wasn't terribly attached to the status quo, it was easy to just roll with it.
World building that was interesting, a system gimmick for Tess's development that gave some good twists (tagged by a god of luck gave her lots of free attributes, but allocated them randomly), and a power fantasy that held my attention kept me rolling along very entertained. I was never tempted to put this down and I'll certainly pick up the next in the series.
I was at about 3½ stars and inclining to rounding up when we got a soft cliffhanger at the end. We got the full climax, don't get me wrong. But the fallout of the victory was left to the next book (including system notifications). Normally, a cliffhanger is a full star drop because they just suck. In this case, I'm only dropping a half star because it wasn't an emotional manipulation. So three stars it is.
A note about Chaste: Tess is weirdly clueless about romance. She gets a few interest nibbles and one outright flirtation that she completely misreads. The author isn't at all subtle about Tess's missed cues so the reader is fully aware of the lures and invites. See shallow characterization above. Anyway, this makes for a very chaste story as there are no shenanigans and only some light teasing.
July 7, 2022
Great debut by Waxman, even if it is the typical chosen story often found in LitRPG. I love that the main character is a woman, and I love it even more that the hot bartender Nadja flirts with our hero, Tess. I have my fingers and toes crossed that their banter turns into a full on romance!
I also like the fact that Tess struggles with upping her skills. It's not over the top progression. I'm truly looking forward to the next book in the series.
I also like the fact that Tess struggles with upping her skills. It's not over the top progression. I'm truly looking forward to the next book in the series.
May 27, 2022
3.5 I Will Knife You So Hard Stars
Protagonist is the first book in The Whims of God's series by S. I. Waxman.
What even just happened?! While this book has all of the makings of a typical "Chosen" LitRPG it decidedly branches off on its own unique path. Tess is a normal Mc, she doesn't go full on OP like I honestly expected. And there is a concerning amount of emotional repression in this novel, to the point that I will more surprised if she doesn't face a psychotic break in the future.
There wasn't enough world building for my enjoyment. If we couldn't have gotten a more in depth explanation into this new world, the God's, the varying races that would have catapulted the book to greater heights. It was definitely a detraction from a well rounded story. Similarly, I would have liked to further explore the magic system and the leveling system built into this world, it was so loosely explained.
I'm upset there's not a second book already out because it would be more satisfying to delve back in and hopefully answer some my more pressing questions concerning this plot arc.
What are Aaris and Hex doing taking off with Harth and Cal? What will Tess' next quest entail as the Protagonist of the God of Luck? Will she stay on as the leader of the above/on land portion of this settlement? I feel like this new settlement reborn more firmly in Aaris and Hex's combined powers will attract an amalgamation of interesting/weird inhabitants. I wonder what other species or races we will stumble across...?
Protagonist is the first book in The Whims of God's series by S. I. Waxman.
What even just happened?! While this book has all of the makings of a typical "Chosen" LitRPG it decidedly branches off on its own unique path. Tess is a normal Mc, she doesn't go full on OP like I honestly expected. And there is a concerning amount of emotional repression in this novel, to the point that I will more surprised if she doesn't face a psychotic break in the future.
There wasn't enough world building for my enjoyment. If we couldn't have gotten a more in depth explanation into this new world, the God's, the varying races that would have catapulted the book to greater heights. It was definitely a detraction from a well rounded story. Similarly, I would have liked to further explore the magic system and the leveling system built into this world, it was so loosely explained.
I'm upset there's not a second book already out because it would be more satisfying to delve back in and hopefully answer some my more pressing questions concerning this plot arc.
What are Aaris and Hex doing taking off with Harth and Cal? What will Tess' next quest entail as the Protagonist of the God of Luck? Will she stay on as the leader of the above/on land portion of this settlement? I feel like this new settlement reborn more firmly in Aaris and Hex's combined powers will attract an amalgamation of interesting/weird inhabitants. I wonder what other species or races we will stumble across...?
March 19, 2023
This is let down by the main character.
The trauma suppression is an excuse to let the main character romp about without a care. It takes away all urgency and makes the conflict rather pointless. This is lacking direction. It is touched upon at the end just a bit, but it is far to little far to late.
The trauma suppression is an excuse to let the main character romp about without a care. It takes away all urgency and makes the conflict rather pointless. This is lacking direction. It is touched upon at the end just a bit, but it is far to little far to late.
April 6, 2023
I don't normally write reviews, but holy crap this MC is so dumb.
That and this book having a Luck stat/having the MC being "chosen", means that no choices matter because in the end... fate.
Hard pass.
That and this book having a Luck stat/having the MC being "chosen", means that no choices matter because in the end... fate.
Hard pass.
April 19, 2023
KU Review
Great book. I love stories of the hero’s journey that stay focused on the hero. Straight forward system design and crunchy numbers if you want them. Going to start book two right now.
General disclaimer: I want to be clear in that I do not factor cost into any review and as such, this is simply a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
Great book. I love stories of the hero’s journey that stay focused on the hero. Straight forward system design and crunchy numbers if you want them. Going to start book two right now.
General disclaimer: I want to be clear in that I do not factor cost into any review and as such, this is simply a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
June 18, 2024
This was quite alright...I will keep an eye out for the sequel :)
July 21, 2023
This book underperformed for me.
While the start of the book was intriguing, we quickly fall into a pattern of shortcuts (quick travel?) and cop outs (trauma suppression?) that allow the author to skip the parts that they feel are "boring" or don't feel confident in tackling, a bit like when you skip the cinematics in games.
This ultra-gamification of the world has the unfortunate side effect of diluting all gravitas out of the tale, and turning all conflicts into inconsequential side quests.
A shame.
While the start of the book was intriguing, we quickly fall into a pattern of shortcuts (quick travel?) and cop outs (trauma suppression?) that allow the author to skip the parts that they feel are "boring" or don't feel confident in tackling, a bit like when you skip the cinematics in games.
This ultra-gamification of the world has the unfortunate side effect of diluting all gravitas out of the tale, and turning all conflicts into inconsequential side quests.
A shame.
January 1, 2024
It's a solid start. I do like the part where she had to lead them to the hidden city because they would always veer off.
May 2, 2023
Rating 3.5 stars
Not bad. A typical transported to another world with game like mechanic's story. The only difference is the main character is a 26-year-old woman. She was a therapist before she got fed up and decided to work at an animal shelter. She gets into a car accident and is about to die when she is offered a chance to live on another world. She takes the deal. The god that helped her is a God of luck so when she gets to the new world, she finds that all her stat points are randomly allocated. She is not happy with this fact but "luckily" she ends up with the perfect distribution for her situation. She ends up with a very heavy perception focus. She does some quests and meets some people. Pretty standard. I wasn't to enamored with the MC. There really wasn't anything special about her. The most interesting thing about her was that she acted like what I feel a normal 26-year-old woman would act. She didn't become this amazing fighter or magic user like so many other MCs in other stories. So, it was more realistic and interesting but not very entertaining. I wasn't too happy with the ending either. There were too many things that I wanted to know. It wasn't a cliff hanger or anything but there were a lot of things that were left unanswered. Overall, a descent story.
Not bad. A typical transported to another world with game like mechanic's story. The only difference is the main character is a 26-year-old woman. She was a therapist before she got fed up and decided to work at an animal shelter. She gets into a car accident and is about to die when she is offered a chance to live on another world. She takes the deal. The god that helped her is a God of luck so when she gets to the new world, she finds that all her stat points are randomly allocated. She is not happy with this fact but "luckily" she ends up with the perfect distribution for her situation. She ends up with a very heavy perception focus. She does some quests and meets some people. Pretty standard. I wasn't to enamored with the MC. There really wasn't anything special about her. The most interesting thing about her was that she acted like what I feel a normal 26-year-old woman would act. She didn't become this amazing fighter or magic user like so many other MCs in other stories. So, it was more realistic and interesting but not very entertaining. I wasn't too happy with the ending either. There were too many things that I wanted to know. It wasn't a cliff hanger or anything but there were a lot of things that were left unanswered. Overall, a descent story.
August 25, 2024
Shows potential, and a decent start
The book has interesting world-building and operates on understandable mechanics, but the protagonist feels more like she is stumbling into each plot point rather than deciding for herself. I feel like that's intentional to a degree, but it also makes the character less interesting, as she feels like a less essential part of the story.
A note on terminology: "protagonist" is what those chosen by the gods are called within the setting, which lends a bit of generic video game feel to people in the book often referring to the main character as "protagonist". In a LitRPG story, the generic video game feeling is something to avoid.
The main character does get some development, but as mentioned earlier it rarely feels as though she's progressing so much as being dragged along a planned route. To borrow a term from RPGs, she feels railroaded far more than she makes choices that matter. The book also commits the error of having a side character that's more interesting than the main character.
Despite all that, it is a promising start, and could improve in the next volume. I am at least curious about what becomes of the protagonist, and may continue on.
The book has interesting world-building and operates on understandable mechanics, but the protagonist feels more like she is stumbling into each plot point rather than deciding for herself. I feel like that's intentional to a degree, but it also makes the character less interesting, as she feels like a less essential part of the story.
A note on terminology: "protagonist" is what those chosen by the gods are called within the setting, which lends a bit of generic video game feel to people in the book often referring to the main character as "protagonist". In a LitRPG story, the generic video game feeling is something to avoid.
The main character does get some development, but as mentioned earlier it rarely feels as though she's progressing so much as being dragged along a planned route. To borrow a term from RPGs, she feels railroaded far more than she makes choices that matter. The book also commits the error of having a side character that's more interesting than the main character.
Despite all that, it is a promising start, and could improve in the next volume. I am at least curious about what becomes of the protagonist, and may continue on.
January 17, 2026
This was a book that I had paused a while ago, and going though my backlog in my Kindle I though I should give it another chance. Back then I seemed to have made the right choice; I am gonna put this down as a DNF not because there is a glaring issue, but because it simply couldnt hold my interest. The plot, this as it is, flows by fast and our heroine gets transported from one setting to another, all of which are passable. I just couldnt find a hook, since the MC and any supporting characters are all likeable but all so bland: you see their actions, and sometimes you even get their perspective, but they all seem to act within tropes and not have too great explanations, grounded in their background, for their actions. Maybe its because I am sick, but I tried to get through this book throughout the day, and I constantly found myself reaching for my phone to distract myself.
Might revisit this later.
Might revisit this later.
November 2, 2023
So Not quite your typical live RPG.
Protagonist. Normally Just a title For a character in a book in this case it's literal. An unusual lit RPG but still fun. All the characters are little whimsical and a couple of them are truly unique. The humor is enjoyable and certainly breaks up any monotony. There's not a lot of actual relationship with the MC however Everything around her is lesbian. Not a bother just different. It seems this is 1 of those universes where the main character gets to deal with god's a lot. Of course I guess that comes with the protagonist mark. Still I quit enjoying the book and it certainly was long enough to get your money's worth. I do look forward to the next one.
Protagonist. Normally Just a title For a character in a book in this case it's literal. An unusual lit RPG but still fun. All the characters are little whimsical and a couple of them are truly unique. The humor is enjoyable and certainly breaks up any monotony. There's not a lot of actual relationship with the MC however Everything around her is lesbian. Not a bother just different. It seems this is 1 of those universes where the main character gets to deal with god's a lot. Of course I guess that comes with the protagonist mark. Still I quit enjoying the book and it certainly was long enough to get your money's worth. I do look forward to the next one.
May 17, 2024
I wanted to like this more. I want more female MC LitRPG but Tess didn’t appeal to me. If you’re going to be a slow growth progression then I need a clever super smart MC (areas was neither of those things) that can I can believe will be able to keep themself alive since they aren’t super strong/powerful. Tess wasn’t particularly smart or clever so it fell to the supporting characters to keep her alive and solve the quests for her. She didn’t actually do much of anything which was so frustrating.
September 12, 2022
Interesting story telling with a truly different MC at the start. The LitRPG character sheet repetitions are are all clearly marked and so easily skip able if that is your choice. They are also not used as padding to get to the typical page count expected at this price. The book is just over 700 pages and the repetitive character sheet layouts are in the 130 p. range so you are getting the expected amount of actual story content. Kudo's to the author for an excellent first read.
July 14, 2023
The beginning is cute, in that Tess bargained for a dog she cared about. I agree with Dex that bargaining in her situation was funny. I'm curious if readers will learn more about Dex, since apparently Deities can actually interact with mortals. I feel bad that a friend/potential partner got pulled into the middle of a mess. Many characters are almost as interesting as Tess. I did really enjoy how she thought and moved forward. The nap dress is enough to make me a bit jealous.
September 18, 2023
Generic litRPG, mildly above average. Book 1 leans too much into litRPG female stereotypes, i.e. protagonist is very into bathing, eating without weight gain, clothing (only a little). Book 2 is better on this.
Book 1 has the protagonist sponsored by a/the "God of Luck" which supposedly means her level up point are assigned randomly. However they actually are assigned very specifically to help her finish quests. Book 2 mostly ignores this. Interesting idea, not much execution.
Book 1 has the protagonist sponsored by a/the "God of Luck" which supposedly means her level up point are assigned randomly. However they actually are assigned very specifically to help her finish quests. Book 2 mostly ignores this. Interesting idea, not much execution.
November 8, 2024
While I like the concept of LITRPG, I've never been a huge fan of rows and rows of data in my reading. I do like reading about levels ups and what new attributes are available though.
Forgetting all of that.. I really liked the story. The plot, the characters, the humor. S.I. Waxman tells a great story. I'm laughing and thinking while I'm reading. Consider this a win. (As I'm right now almost done with book 3, I'll be copying this review to all three books.
Forgetting all of that.. I really liked the story. The plot, the characters, the humor. S.I. Waxman tells a great story. I'm laughing and thinking while I'm reading. Consider this a win. (As I'm right now almost done with book 3, I'll be copying this review to all three books.
July 26, 2023
Great Read
This story of a young lady who was ezkied to a land of magic by the god of luck was a very interesting entertaining read. She’s just barely smart enough that I won’t throw my device, but I did give her a stern talking. She’s totally uninterested in leveling and does just enough to avoid dying.
This story of a young lady who was ezkied to a land of magic by the god of luck was a very interesting entertaining read. She’s just barely smart enough that I won’t throw my device, but I did give her a stern talking. She’s totally uninterested in leveling and does just enough to avoid dying.
November 8, 2025
I loved this at first but she gets hooked up with a tribe and pulled into a captain save a hoe situation boo 👎 I couldn't wait for it to be over and move on im hoping she doesn't settle down and stop adventuring because that will kill this for me because its boring now skipped through still boring dnf
March 2, 2023
cute story
It’s a good story, I like how the fighting town was set up, and how everyone was friendly instead of the usual I’m your enemy kind of thing. Overall good story and interesting how it was handled.
It’s a good story, I like how the fighting town was set up, and how everyone was friendly instead of the usual I’m your enemy kind of thing. Overall good story and interesting how it was handled.
May 18, 2023
This turned out to be a good read
Highly entertaining story with a good bit of humor. The last... Make that one of the last chapters where the high priest explains himself really needs a crib notes version but the book read well otherwise.
Highly entertaining story with a good bit of humor. The last... Make that one of the last chapters where the high priest explains himself really needs a crib notes version but the book read well otherwise.
May 31, 2023
Fun and lighthearted
This was a slightly silly little romp, and a welcome breath of air from the more grimdark entries into the litrpg genre. I like Tess, and the Trauma Suppression skill is an interesting way to deal with “these events are objectively horrifying”.
This was a slightly silly little romp, and a welcome breath of air from the more grimdark entries into the litrpg genre. I like Tess, and the Trauma Suppression skill is an interesting way to deal with “these events are objectively horrifying”.
July 19, 2023
Loved it! It's not often I find LITRPG with female mains so to find one where she's relatable is great! I immediately read through the second book as soon as I finished this one and can't wait for the third.
January 7, 2026
Would have been a 3, but the ending was really bad. We dealt with the villain and then since the author wanted to do a twist that they didn’t really set up they decided to info dump the villain’s motivations for 3 hours. Yikes. Who wants to learn about a dead villain for that long.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2023
An OK iseakai LitRPG spoiled by the longest most absurdly drawn out conclusion in the history of the English language. This is not an exaggeration.
April 16, 2023
Whimsical
Well, how else would you describe it? A fun read full of coincidence. (Well, there are gods involved!). I truly enjoyed this book!
Well, how else would you describe it? A fun read full of coincidence. (Well, there are gods involved!). I truly enjoyed this book!
April 26, 2023
I firmly believe that the first 64 chapters are just buildup for a Rock-throwing pun. 10/10 would recommend. A modern comedic classic in the making.
May 8, 2023
fun read of a difference
It is a really good read with great characters and a very different style.
Enjoyed the insights and new characterisations.
Recommend for all
It is a really good read with great characters and a very different style.
Enjoyed the insights and new characterisations.
Recommend for all
June 25, 2023
Incredible take on LitRPG
Really quite a page turner! Enjoyed the character development and story greatly. The system is quite interesting and well balanced.
Really quite a page turner! Enjoyed the character development and story greatly. The system is quite interesting and well balanced.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews