DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL has such a wild, intriguing concept, and somehow it’s executed even better than it sounds. This is my second time rereading the series by Matt Dinniman, in less than four months, which honestly says everything. I just can’t get enough. These books are genuinely hilarious. Not the “I smiled a little” kind of funny — I mean actual laugh-out-loud, people-looking-at-me-weird funny. The humor never feels forced either; it just fits perfectly with the chaos of the world.
Carl and Princess Donut are such an elite duo. Carl is basically a walking disaster — no clue what’s going on half the time, no shoes, constantly stressed, and absolutely no patience for Donut’s dramatics. And Donut? Completely convinced she’s royalty (because she technically is), unapologetically sassy, and somehow both ridiculous and iconic at the same time.
What makes it work so well is their dynamic. Beneath all the sarcasm and bickering, you can feel that they genuinely care about each other. That balance between absurd humor and real emotional stakes is what keeps me hooked. I came for the talking cat and chaos, but I stay for the characters — and the plot just keeps escalating in the best way.
If you enjoy a grumpy, barely-holding-it-together main character paired with a diva-level sassy cat, this series will absolutely hook you. And once you start, good luck stopping.
UnCovered review by Paige Previte, ACLS Mays Landing Branch.
