This is the third in a System Apocalypse LitRPG. Read in order.
This picks right up where the last left off with Will plummeting from space to the worlThis is the third in a System Apocalypse LitRPG. Read in order.
This picks right up where the last left off with Will plummeting from space to the world he's just saved from demonic invasion. And it proceeds with its characteristic fast pace and fast action. And I was all in, though there are two problems that will make this a lower rating than the previous two books. Spoilers for the previous books.
First, we get more about the gods that are meddling. Peace was outed as the one behind the tournament shenanigans. And we learn that Fate (and Justice, though we don't see much from him/her) is teamed up with Peace in this one, mainly in the form of The Contractor who is manipulating people behind the scenes. This becomes frustrating because there are no apparent bounds these two have in meddling. We learned about "plausibility" in the previous book and that violating it is "bad". It's the primary limitation of higher beings affecting the fledgling entrant to the wider universe. In this book, we learn that "plausibility" is more like a resource that these gods collect and then spend to enact their meddling. I hate this so very much, at least in how it affects the story. You see, Peace and Fate seem to be spending it copiously to set their followers up with unearned successes over and over. Not only that, but their goal is to destroy the world. Every one of their plots would wipe out the newly-amalgamated world with no survivors. This may make sense in some "god" way, but as an antagonist I find it deeply unsatisfying. It's like when a psychopath is the antagonist in a thriller. They're just bad because they're bad. There's not really much deeper to explore or investigate and the only counter is to defeat utterly.
Don't get me wrong. I still love Will and his disparate friends and assorted whackjobs working together to save the world. This is awesome. And I love even more him learning about this plausibility and using it as a lever against beings way more powerful than he is. It's particularly fun to see Kadael go from being opposed to Will to laughing on the side while Will bends others to get his way. That dynamic has gone from wall-chewing "get my way" to a deeper understanding and support and I like that. I like even more developments with "Jessie" (too big a spoiler to go into more than that).
So despite the plausibility annoyance this was headed to 4½ stars with a round up to five. And then the author ends on a cliffhanger*. So 3½ stars that I'll round to four.
* Cliffhangers and why they are evil: Cliffhangers are the ultimate disrespect to readers. They're an overt emotional manipulation to invest you in the next story by holding a metaphorical pistol to your head saying "you don't get a satisfying conclusion unless you read the next book, sucka!". Or, less hyperbolically, "I don't trust you to be interested in the next story unless I employ this emotional manipulation to ensure that you are." If you don't believe me that they are an active offense to readers, try this mental exercise: imagine for a moment that an author put a big star on the front of their story proclaiming "Contains Cliffhanger!" Would that make readers more or less likely to want to pick up that story? Right. That's all you really need to know about cliffhangers. Which is why cliffhangers are an automatic loss of at least one star.
A note about Chaste: This story is non-stop action adventure. There's no room for intimacy. And Will's relationship with Caiyeri (the only real candidate) is still pretty platonic. So this is very chaste....more
This book is very much an exploration of couture as atmosphere. With access to accoutrements from her Aunt Izzy that span from the 20s to the 50s, PaiThis book is very much an exploration of couture as atmosphere. With access to accoutrements from her Aunt Izzy that span from the 20s to the 50s, Paisley Vandermeir immerses herself (and by extension the reader) in various epochs of haute couture. This works very well to establish an ethereal mood that I came to enjoy more than I expected that I would. The thing is that Paisley is pretty ethereal herself, though you come to realize how much of that is a defense mechanism for finding herself astride two worlds from such a young age and for such a long time afterwards (though the worlds shifted somewhat over time).
This emotional self defense drives much of the conflict in the story as she tries to manipulate her way through what she considers the family curse without lasting damage (to herself, but also to others). Her rather desperate search for love coupled with her certainty of disappointment might have gotten old or tedious in another novel, but this is where Burroughs' adept sense of mood and place became such an asset. I could see Paisley's desperation as expressed through style, but also the hope buried beneath it. And I came to care about her enough (and see Chris's resolve in ways she couldn't) that I was more than willing to ride out her self-defeating fits and starts in order to get to the good stuff that promised to be behind them. And that promise is more than fulfilled.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that Chris is such a lovely, steady man. Not that he doesn't have his moments of disequilibrium or his own fits and starts. But you can see that he's made of strong stuff and I never worried that he wouldn't stand buff to all that Paisley's insecurities would throw at him. And that bears out, too.
If I have a complaint, it'd actually be that the story is so short. I'm not sure how I'd extend it (if I could), but I reached the end and found myself wanting more. That's not a bad thing, by any means...
A note about Steamy: Two (or was it three?) explicit scenes of moderate length put this in the upper-mid range of my steam tolerance. That's mostly because the story is short enough that it felt like a lot...
Merged review:
This book is very much an exploration of couture as atmosphere. With access to accoutrements from her Aunt Izzy that span from the 20s to the 50s, Paisley Vandermeir immerses herself (and by extension the reader) in various epochs of haute couture. This works very well to establish an ethereal mood that I came to enjoy more than I expected that I would. The thing is that Paisley is pretty ethereal herself, though you come to realize how much of that is a defense mechanism for finding herself astride two worlds from such a young age and for such a long time afterwards (though the worlds shifted somewhat over time).
This emotional self defense drives much of the conflict in the story as she tries to manipulate her way through what she considers the family curse without lasting damage (to herself, but also to others). Her rather desperate search for love coupled with her certainty of disappointment might have gotten old or tedious in another novel, but this is where Burroughs' adept sense of mood and place became such an asset. I could see Paisley's desperation as expressed through style, but also the hope buried beneath it. And I came to care about her enough (and see Chris's resolve in ways she couldn't) that I was more than willing to ride out her self-defeating fits and starts in order to get to the good stuff that promised to be behind them. And that promise is more than fulfilled.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that Chris is such a lovely, steady man. Not that he doesn't have his moments of disequilibrium or his own fits and starts. But you can see that he's made of strong stuff and I never worried that he wouldn't stand buff to all that Paisley's insecurities would throw at him. And that bears out, too.
If I have a complaint, it'd actually be that the story is so short. I'm not sure how I'd extend it (if I could), but I reached the end and found myself wanting more. That's not a bad thing, by any means...
A note about Steamy: Two (or was it three?) explicit scenes of moderate length put this in the upper-mid range of my steam tolerance. That's mostly because the story is short enough that it felt like a lot......more
You know pretty much what you are going to get in this one. Only, the fallout of the last with Max givThis is third in a LitRPG series. Read in order.
You know pretty much what you are going to get in this one. Only, the fallout of the last with Max giving in to his black skill to save his friend has some issues. Issues that mostly manifests as free-range drama as Max fights with the darkness of his skill that has now become something personified within him. And his friends have some extra drama as well.
None of this is terribly dark. It was just a drag I didn't appreciate. Maybe because it was predictable?
Anyway, more of the same with the same strengths that make it a fun power fantasy. It isn't getting better, but isn't getting worse, either. So I'm still game, though it's still only three stars.
A note about Kindle: I had the same issue as I did the last book. I can't open it on anything but my phone. Which is a drag.
A note about Chaste: Max and Tanila make some progress. And finally give in to their burning lust. Sigh. Okay fine, they wander into admitting to having feelings. The author drags it out for drama, but eventually, they do the deed. Off-page. So this is chaste enough for me, though it is clear that they are, er, intimate....more
This is third in a series and the characters of this are setup in the second book. I highly recommend reading at least that one first.
It has been nearThis is third in a series and the characters of this are setup in the second book. I highly recommend reading at least that one first.
It has been nearly a month since I finished this and I wish I had reviewed it sooner. I'll relate what I remember I was going to talk about in a review, but I've probably forgotten some. The primary thing I recall is that it seems that Cannon doesn't do as well with stories that have characters from another book. The characters aren't as good a fit for the story and their relationship doesn't feel as natural. Delia and Jack would make a good enemies to lovers (in the High School sense) story but I couldn't help thinking how temporary their connection felt.
Of course, Cannon does the usual fine job giving us relatable teens you don't mind spending time with. I really love Delia's independent streak. And I love her loyalty and sense of honor, even when the target or that honor doesn't deserve it. I really love what Cannon does with Aiden, and that includes his abuse of her friendship. Aiden doesn't mean to exploit Delia's sense of honor, but he does and I can't really blame him for it. He's young and still figuring things out and I'm so glad that Delia was the kind of person who would be reliable when it counts, even when it brought her so much pain.
And that episode was the biggest disappointment with Jack, too. It wasn't until he figured the truth out on his own that he gave Delia the benefit of his trust. Yeah, I can see that would have been hard. But he had enough to know Delia's character by that time and I can't help thinking that his lack of trust is indicative of how far he still has to come to be the kind of guy Delia needs. I wish there had been some indication that he would get there, but if there was, I don't remember it.
So this is a solid four stars. Cannon is just so good with this age group and their lives and romances and concerns. Her YA romances are always engaging and draw me in fully, every time.
A note about Chaste: As in previous books, this is the start of a teen relationship and the characters are in no way ready for deeper physical intimacy. So there is some kissing, but nothing passionate or that goes beyond simple making out.
Merged review:
This is third in a series and the characters of this are setup in the second book. I highly recommend reading at least that one first.
It has been nearly a month since I finished this and I wish I had reviewed it sooner. I'll relate what I remember I was going to talk about in a review, but I've probably forgotten some. The primary thing I recall is that it seems that Cannon doesn't do as well with stories that have characters from another book. The characters aren't as good a fit for the story and their relationship doesn't feel as natural. Delia and Jack would make a good enemies to lovers (in the High School sense) story but I couldn't help thinking how temporary their connection felt.
Of course, Cannon does the usual fine job giving us relatable teens you don't mind spending time with. I really love Delia's independent streak. And I love her loyalty and sense of honor, even when the target or that honor doesn't deserve it. I really love what Cannon does with Aiden, and that includes his abuse of her friendship. Aiden doesn't mean to exploit Delia's sense of honor, but he does and I can't really blame him for it. He's young and still figuring things out and I'm so glad that Delia was the kind of person who would be reliable when it counts, even when it brought her so much pain.
And that episode was the biggest disappointment with Jack, too. It wasn't until he figured the truth out on his own that he gave Delia the benefit of his trust. Yeah, I can see that would have been hard. But he had enough to know Delia's character by that time and I can't help thinking that his lack of trust is indicative of how far he still has to come to be the kind of guy Delia needs. I wish there had been some indication that he would get there, but if there was, I don't remember it.
So this is a solid four stars. Cannon is just so good with this age group and their lives and romances and concerns. Her YA romances are always engaging and draw me in fully, every time.
A note about Chaste: As in previous books, this is the start of a teen relationship and the characters are in no way ready for deeper physical intimacy. So there is some kissing, but nothing passionate or that goes beyond simple making out....more
I abandoned this months ago at about halfway. I'm afraid that I've forgotten a lot of why so I'll try to sum up. There are two issues that added up unI abandoned this months ago at about halfway. I'm afraid that I've forgotten a lot of why so I'll try to sum up. There are two issues that added up until I just couldn't. First, there's a ton of things working with the city and its inhabitants just because the author says so. People don't generally work that way when presented with uncertainty or fear. This came to a head when they chose to mount an expedition to the MCs entry point and I bought none of the stated motivations for it.
The second is actually the bigger issue and it has to do with the whole "science" thing. It's not just the MCs tolerance for tedium, but that the author loads all of that tedium on the reader. And it isn't helping that I'm thinking of a ton of things her "experiments" aren't actually controlling for in the so-called "science" any more than that many things she does control for are silly but turn out to be significant. It's almost like the author is guiding her to the discoveries the natives would miss without having to go through the things someone from our world might actually consider.
It's contrived, useless, and things only work because the author forces it to do so. So kind of like modern scientific studies if all the retractions and embarrassing revelations are anything to go by... Anyway, I stopped and have no desire to go back....more
When nobody bothered thinking that the person proximate to every single episode of shenanigans (who, incidentally, hates Kayla) might be behind them (When nobody bothered thinking that the person proximate to every single episode of shenanigans (who, incidentally, hates Kayla) might be behind them (including literally being seen fleeing the scene of one) I just lost all interest. I suppose it's an overwhelming temptation to throw a lot of weird drama in a story featuring soap opera stars but I wasn't appreciating that, myself. Also, I wasn't even halfway and they had both mostly fallen for each other and all they really needed to do was admit it and they'd have been home free. So with more than half the story to go and zero real emotional advancement left I just didn't care to continue.
It didn't completely suck. Both leads are the quiet kind of nerd (however physically attractive they might be) who gets things done and still cares about people and that is tremendously appealing. If you have a decent tolerance for well-telegraphed drama, then this would be a good deal of fun. So I'm going to up this a star (to two) because however much I didn't care to go on, it's still well-written and could be fun for others, I think.
Merged review:
When nobody bothered thinking that the person proximate to every single episode of shenanigans (who, incidentally, hates Kayla) might be behind them (including literally being seen fleeing the scene of one) I just lost all interest. I suppose it's an overwhelming temptation to throw a lot of weird drama in a story featuring soap opera stars but I wasn't appreciating that, myself. Also, I wasn't even halfway and they had both mostly fallen for each other and all they really needed to do was admit it and they'd have been home free. So with more than half the story to go and zero real emotional advancement left I just didn't care to continue.
It didn't completely suck. Both leads are the quiet kind of nerd (however physically attractive they might be) who gets things done and still cares about people and that is tremendously appealing. If you have a decent tolerance for well-telegraphed drama, then this would be a good deal of fun. So I'm going to up this a star (to two) because however much I didn't care to go on, it's still well-written and could be fun for others, I think....more
Abandoned: Lina was completely awesome in the previous book and I was looking forward to seeing her courage and action up front. Only it turns out sheAbandoned: Lina was completely awesome in the previous book and I was looking forward to seeing her courage and action up front. Only it turns out she's a bit frail and hyper-concerned about representing "nice Muslims" only also hating that she has the impulse. Add inappropriate guilt for the actions of her cousin making her place of business a target and I just can't bring myself to continue. It's a sad end to this series, frankly.
Merged review:
Abandoned: Lina was completely awesome in the previous book and I was looking forward to seeing her courage and action up front. Only it turns out she's a bit frail and hyper-concerned about representing "nice Muslims" only also hating that she has the impulse. Add inappropriate guilt for the actions of her cousin making her place of business a target and I just can't bring myself to continue. It's a sad end to this series, frankly....more
This is second in a LitRPG fantasy story. Read in order.
You know what you are getting. Seriously. I was glad to see Max's party grow and come togetherThis is second in a LitRPG fantasy story. Read in order.
You know what you are getting. Seriously. I was glad to see Max's party grow and come together in this story. They're finding their pattern and figuring out how to grow with him without being left behind. And I like that Wilson includes them dealing with periodic jealousy with Max having such a broken power that makes him good at everything. And yes, he is still the Gariest of Gary Stus.
This still has all the problematic bits of the first. I rolled my eyes nearly out of their sockets when he nearly broke the house at a casino. Because he's special. A wayside casino in a six-story inn on the road to capital city. Do I have to point out the ridiculousness of this as an authorial construct? Bearing in mind that there has been zero mention of gambling up to this point? And that this is a fantasy world without any mention of elevators? And that the inn is beaver themed in such a way such as to parody (including themed plushies)?
As before, the power fantasy is still strong with a good pace and excellent action. And I like the dungeon exploration. Plus, it doesn't hurt that Max has a good heart and is honestly kind. So it isn't all bad.
It ends on a minor cliff-hanger, though not a strong one. It's enough that I'm not even tempted to go up to four stars. So it's a solid three.
A note about Kindle reading: For some reason, loading this book freezes the Kindle app on both my iPad and my PC. So I have to read this on my phone. Which is just weird. I don't even know where to report this as an issue...
A note about Chaste: Max still has zero interest in the women around him. Which is becoming increasingly weird with the cute, unattached elf chick in the party. There's obvious trust and appreciation. Even some random blushes. But nothing headed towards intimacy. It's getting to the point where that needs an explanation of some kind. Still, this is pretty chaste as it stands....more
This is a LitRPG fantasy world where the main character starts out as kind of a dweeb. And I don't mean that he just wants to be a Baker. I mean he doThis is a LitRPG fantasy world where the main character starts out as kind of a dweeb. And I don't mean that he just wants to be a Baker. I mean he doesn't really think about things and has simple plans for no real reason. He's barely eighteen and has his life planned out in the boringest way imaginable and the first quarter or so is him just bumbling from one wimpy reaction to the next.
But then the author happens to him and he gets pushed out of that simple life and into the story the author actually wants to tell. And by that I mean that stuff happens to the wimp that works to make him stronger for reasons. Which is to say no reason except the story happens that way. The author makes a stab at excusing a string of luck by giving the reader hints of a broader "game" being played by "gods" that give Max advantages and hide him from the other "gods" who are working to kill those with skills like his. But that's just a veneer to give the author license to lard him up with all the best stuff (and every "rare" encounter) in a power fantasy.
And while I like power fantasy as a rule, this just feels convenient and slapped together. And yes, Max is the Gariest of . Like, he pretty much defines the character concept. Everybody likes him and people are continually amazed by his awesomeness. He does amazing things that nobody else possibly could.
Where this feels most contrived is the author neglecting to detail what the party interface looks like. We know that you can see your party members and their health and mana. But Max is going under an assumed name. So is it little portraits? Can you edit the name you are listed as for other party members? Also, Max is using spells and mana when he's pretending to be a normal warrior. Does nobody wonder why his mana bar is moving? I have questions and the author just "forgets" to describe it enough for me to know. Breaking immersion every time the party stuff comes up. For me, at least.
So why bother reading this? Well, the action was fun. The pace was good. And I like power fantasy stories and this fits that bill. And yes, all of that is pretty much excusing my enjoyment of a book that's decidedly mediocre. So let's say three stars it doesn't really deserve.
A note about Chaste: Max starts the story with a sweetheart he wants to spend his life baking with. They have plans. Boring, boring plans. But she leaves him when the shady arbitrators declare him "unskilled". Max becomes pretty much a eunuch at that point, uninterested in the pretty girls around him. Like other things in the story, the author doesn't bother explaining why. It was a bit weird that a girl he had nothing but platonic interest in worried about him doing nice things for her to get into her pants. The bit where she nervously explains that she has a girlfriend was all of the cringe, not helped by giving both lesbian girls a penchant for unnatural hair colors (one green, one blue). The only women with this trait, I might add. Because dying your hair colors unseen in nature is a universal mark of lesbians, don't you know... So anyway, very chaste. Weirdly so. I'd almost suspect him of being ace for how little he thinks about intimate relationships if he hadn't started with a girlfriend....more
This is third in a LitRPG isekai power fantasy. Read in order.
This one starts with Jim being a layabout on the edge of the village he has been buildinThis is third in a LitRPG isekai power fantasy. Read in order.
This one starts with Jim being a layabout on the edge of the village he has been building. And that started a feeling of disconnect that grew for me as the book continued. At about two-thirds, I found I just didn't care any more.
Jim is diddling around. It seems random and disconnected. Things happen, but I kept losing track of why. And why it mattered. And don't get me started on him faffing about with the women, burying his head in the sand about their feelings and making the hurt linger. Eventually I found myself making excuses to avoid reading further. Fortunately, I've trained myself to recognize that as time to dnf. So I dnf'd....more
This is second in a series, but there isn't much overlap, at least as far as I got.
I liked Gavin in the first book. He's a pain in this one, terminallThis is second in a series, but there isn't much overlap, at least as far as I got.
I liked Gavin in the first book. He's a pain in this one, terminally clueless. Julie is worse. I don't really like either one and I got tired of Julie yammering on about gross stuff from her job as a pathologist the second time she went there. And here's the thing about friends-to-lovers romance, at least for me. By 20% or so (as far as I got), there should be some indication of more. There should be glances, or longing, or looks, or something. At this point, there's not only nothing, but they've just worked out a plan for Gavin to help Julie have a fling with a rando they just met. This doesn't work for me. At all. And I need the pain to just stop.
Merged review:
This is second in a series, but there isn't much overlap, at least as far as I got.
I liked Gavin in the first book. He's a pain in this one, terminally clueless. Julie is worse. I don't really like either one and I got tired of Julie yammering on about gross stuff from her job as a pathologist the second time she went there. And here's the thing about friends-to-lovers romance, at least for me. By 20% or so (as far as I got), there should be some indication of more. There should be glances, or longing, or looks, or something. At this point, there's not only nothing, but they've just worked out a plan for Gavin to help Julie have a fling with a rando they just met. This doesn't work for me. At all. And I need the pain to just stop....more
If you've read the others in the series, you know what you're getting with this one. And please, read the others first. You really need the character If you've read the others in the series, you know what you're getting with this one. And please, read the others first. You really need the character backgrounds and I think that's fitting with what Tippetts is doing with this series.
This is another in the Jason/Chloe relationship line, though it feels like it's thinner in ways the others weren't. You can see that with the really awkward-fitting title. There's really nothing wicked about Beth, and even if you try to use it in the modern usage as a stand-in for "awesome", it's still awkward. Plus, going back to the Chris well felt plodding as well. Chris is a huge loser and do we really need to retread that wheel?
But I've always been in this for Chloe and Jason and since Tippetts delivers exactly what I love about them, I was happy to be along for the ride. I really like seeing their developing marriage and the steps they take to keep growing together. I like that it's deliberate and that they have to work at it but that they both obviously find it fulfilling. In this book, you can really see how much their relationship has become their safe home base and I love seeing them find that well-earned respite with each other.
Anyway, four stars is a little generous, but I justify it as rounding up from a reasonable 3.5.
Merged review:
If you've read the others in the series, you know what you're getting with this one. And please, read the others first. You really need the character backgrounds and I think that's fitting with what Tippetts is doing with this series.
This is another in the Jason/Chloe relationship line, though it feels like it's thinner in ways the others weren't. You can see that with the really awkward-fitting title. There's really nothing wicked about Beth, and even if you try to use it in the modern usage as a stand-in for "awesome", it's still awkward. Plus, going back to the Chris well felt plodding as well. Chris is a huge loser and do we really need to retread that wheel?
But I've always been in this for Chloe and Jason and since Tippetts delivers exactly what I love about them, I was happy to be along for the ride. I really like seeing their developing marriage and the steps they take to keep growing together. I like that it's deliberate and that they have to work at it but that they both obviously find it fulfilling. In this book, you can really see how much their relationship has become their safe home base and I love seeing them find that well-earned respite with each other.
Anyway, four stars is a little generous, but I justify it as rounding up from a reasonable 3.5....more
You know pretty much what you are getting with this one. Jim continues to take in refugees to enhanceThis is second in a LitRPG series. Read in order.
You know pretty much what you are getting with this one. Jim continues to take in refugees to enhance his population. The goblins are starting to organize and that's a bigger threat he needs to deal with. Oh, and bandits who would like a piece of him while they're at it. So plenty of rising conflict and Jim having to be clever in his problem solving.
A couple things kept this from being as enjoyable as the first. The tone doesn't really support some of the humor attempts. Like Jim's name being "Spot" doesn't really need to be an active component of every single interaction ever. Particularly when the response is exactly the same. And I hate bad-guy PoV anyway, so giving us PoV of the mind-manipulating mage was particularly aggravating to me. It doesn't help that the author keeps Jim on the edge of figuring out the manipulation without ever actually doing so.
Otherwise, the action is solid, the pace excellent and I like how Jim thinks sideways to solve problems. His solution for the goblin war was particularly interesting and I'm still engaged with the series. So let's go with four stars.
A note about Chaste: Others are having shenanigans and Jim becomes aware of some weird kinks. It's played for laughs and Jim himself is still in the limbo of being married but not. So this is mostly chaste, but still feels unsupported in the case of Jim. He's powerful and attractive and we see women around him notice. Him being willingly clueless is dumb....more
This is a LitRPG isekai with a bit of a twist. The demons responsible for dragging Jim into this new world forget to erase his memories so he gets looThis is a LitRPG isekai with a bit of a twist. The demons responsible for dragging Jim into this new world forget to erase his memories so he gets loose in the pre-life phase making them chase him down. Something about that lets him have multiple classes (probably because he handled a bunch of the options without choosing any of them in that pre-life phase). So he ends up with a demon companion and a way to get way more powerful than the norm by having extra options in his approach to problem solving.
Since he starts in an abandoned noob area, he encounters lots of foes that are tougher than normal, with the side effect of him advancing pretty quick too. Finding an abandoned village and figuring out how to turn on its automated defenses brings him into the titular situation to build from there. Rescuing people to be his citizens and figuring out how to make the whole system work takes us the rest of the story.
And I honestly don't have much more to say except that the pace is good, the system is interesting, and I liked how it all flowed together. That his name is the local equivalent of "Spot" is a joke that wore thin and the demon companion interactions don't really have a rudder (they're all over the place, sometimes antagonistic, sometimes crass, sometimes helpful with no real reason for which you are going to get at any given moment) so I can't give this the full five stars. It's good enough that I'm going to round up from 4½, though.
A note about Chaste: Another annoyance is Jim's "I'm married" schtick. His previous life just doesn't feel that present and saying "well, til death do us part is a promise fulfilled" to himself every now and then is just lame when that's as far as you get, ever. Because he doesn't actually process that into what he wants now that he's in a new world. In other words, it's a lame shield against forming romantic relationships and one that feels almost rote. So this is chaste, but that doesn't seem like it has any reason beyond the author dictating that it be so....more
This is a System Apocalypse with a particularly brutal setup. The assessment everybody goes through includes earning points for taking out monsters, sThis is a System Apocalypse with a particularly brutal setup. The assessment everybody goes through includes earning points for taking out monsters, sure, but you also get half of the points someone has if you kill them. This incentivizes predation and puts pressure on trust communities. The author does a decent job of showing how this plays out, and without going grimdark—a tough trick, but they pulled it off, I think.
Luke is something of a loner with trust issues anyway. Since initial grouping in the assessment is proximity based, he is stuck with coworkers he doesn't particularly care about but feels bad about abandoning. I think the grimdark resistance stars here with several of the manager types being honestly trying to do their best by the group as a whole. Alice, the HR manager, in particular comes across well as the group healer who steps in to smooth some of the initial friction.
Not that I liked the group much. And they were certainly holding Luke back with their desire to hunker down and just get through. That's a strategy that won't flourish given the system parameters but it's definitely understandable.
Unfortunately, the expected psychopaths do make it to the top of this kind of setup and that swallows up Luke's group. It doesn't help that they are led by his gaslighting, manipulative ex. Who sends assassins after Luke in his first night because he resists her bid for him to fall in line. This sets him free and he goes lone wolf from there, including gaining "titles" (bits of fluff the system gives for singular achievements) that push him the titular Shadow Lord route.
The action is good and I liked Luke and his problem solving and determination. There's a weird crafting subsection that bogs down a little, but there were enough interesting twists even there to keep me engaged.
The ending was sufficiently climatic to resolve the existing conflict but there is definitely an invite to the next volume. It is unfortunate that this is all we have so far as I'm definitely interested. Four stars for an interesting story that threads an antagonistic setup without going full dark.
A note about Chaste: The weakest characterization here is Luke's relationship history. He's still hung up on Emma, who was perfect but cut ties and disappeared for no reason. There's a hint that Marcy, the psychopath he took up with after Emma, may have been involved somehow. For some reason, Luke is hoping to find Emma in this post apocalyptic setting, but he isn't really trying very hard. For now, she just acts as a talisman to keep him uninterested in relationships. Which is fine as there is zero space for intimacy here and the trust equation created from receiving important resources by killing folks makes it dicey anyway. So this is very chaste, is what I'm saying. Even if that is contrived by backstory as much as it is by system setup....more
This is second in a LitRPG series that builds character and story over time. Read in order.
I thought I was prepared for wonky tone shenanigans and I lThis is second in a LitRPG series that builds character and story over time. Read in order.
I thought I was prepared for wonky tone shenanigans and I like Shrubley so picked this up right after the first. That was maybe a mistake. The humor has worn thin and I hate that Count Haalften is such a bad caricature. It makes me respect the Countess much less (what the heck is she doing with this loser? And why does he have control over her resources? Oh, and why isn't she visiting retribution on him for trying to kill her friends?!?) and a lot depends on the reader respecting her.
So I'm stopping about three-quarters in. Not so much for tone issues as that the plot itself is wandering around. I mean, they're on this quest to save Dungeons from some kind of corruption and then detour on some clocktown weirdness that may or may not be related.
Once I put the book down and found myself making up excuses not to pick it up again I figure I'm probably done. At least for now. I may pick it back up, but I need to stop expecting to continue because it just ain't happening. I'm going to give it two stars and leave open the possibility that I may pick it up later should I find myself in the mood....more
This was a pretty fun adventure featuring a sapient shrub as hero who is determined to break new ground for Awakened (i.e. free-willed) monsters in teThis was a pretty fun adventure featuring a sapient shrub as hero who is determined to break new ground for Awakened (i.e. free-willed) monsters in terms of being an Adventurer. Which is a bit ridiculous, but pretty funny as he gathers like-minded friends and charms his way into Adventurer circles. While Shrubley himself is painfully naïve, the narrative voice is third-person omniscient, making this an overt shot at humor. Which it mostly hits. I was entertained, at any rate.
The biggest drawback of the story is that there is a severe tone shift along the way where Shrubley and his friends fall into a dark world and a grim apocalypse nearing completion and that shift was a little overwhelming. And it doesn't help that we get a training montage in the midst of relentless pursuit. And yes, that's every bit as awkward as it seems it would be. And don't get me started on squandering (view spoiler)[Baba Yaga's deep legends with a cheap knockoff semi-mother figure (hide spoiler)].
This tone shift made the humor harder to sustain. And to be fair, the author doesn't buck it enough to be jarring. Which was definitely a danger. Still, I feel like I was thrust into a grimmer story than I had been promised with that start and that feeling never really went away.
I'm going to give this 3½ stars, but round to four. Not for the humor, which wasn't bad, but for the scrappy Shrubley himself who really does have a huge heart and boundless determination to do the right thing.
A note about Chaste: Do I really need to say this is chaste? He's a shrub. And his companions are a skeleton and a slime. There's no steam. Nor any hint of steam. Obviously. This is completely chaste. As you'd expect....more
This is seventh in a long series that builds over time. Read in order.
Michael finally takes the step back into the Forever Kingdom. And chaos ensues. This is seventh in a long series that builds over time. Read in order.
Michael finally takes the step back into the Forever Kingdom. And chaos ensues. It's a bit like events before he left, only much more so. He's feeling his way into being a minor power himself and figuring out how to go about with factions he has been avoiding to now. All without revealing the truth about his marks that would make him actively hunted by the big bads.
And this was extremely fun and everything it needed to be. There are important story developments, but my favorite was (view spoiler)[when Michael declared his faction to be omnivorous in terms of welcome Houses. Essentially, he may be all-in for Wolf, but all houses were welcome under his faction's banner as long as they remain united in their purpose. For now, that means establishing themselves enough to prosper, but he explicitly anticipates future developments as well and that they will remain one House united (hide spoiler)]. I loved this very much.
So this remains five stars and I'm only bummed that I have once again caught up to publishing and have to wait many months until the expected publication of the next.
A note about Chaste: Michael finally catches up with Saphyr and they have some kind of relationship. It's an intimate one, but strained by his unexplained absence. There are a couple places where they might have been physically intimate. It's a possibility. But the story doesn't follow so we don't know. Leaving this pretty chaste....more
This is sixth in a LitRPG series that builds over time. Read in order.
You really know what you are getting with this. Mostly. I will admit that I don'This is sixth in a LitRPG series that builds over time. Read in order.
You really know what you are getting with this. Mostly. I will admit that I don't much care for the class advancement mechanics and mostly skim them (which is weird for me in a system power fantasy). I am glad I caught a friend's review that mentioned that Michael (view spoiler)[doesn't make it back to his friends in this one, either (hide spoiler)], so I was prepared for that. Which made it easier to be along for the ride.
I did love the developments with Ghost. She gets her full body and becomes Michael's familiar and that was everything I wanted it to be. And I really liked the developments on the way to Michael establishing House Wolf, but recognizing that he needs to help any other scions he also finds along the way. After all, you can't expect a single house to stand against the usurping Powers. So Michael is beginning to develop a broader perspective and that starts with some tough decisions in this story. Decisions I very much appreciated.
So this is a solid five stars, though I am getting impatient for some of the dangling plots to resolve a bit.
A note about Chaste: There are no prospects. Also no time. So this is very chaste....more
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