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Mother of Learning #4
Mother of Learning: ARC 4
A devastating attack by the lich Quatach-Ichl has left Zorian and Zach reeling as their remaining restarts tick away. As they recover, they make preparations for their final confrontations with Red Robe, the lich, the primordial being, and the invaders—all within the shadow of a question they can’t answer: can Zorian and Zach both survive outside the time loop?
When the time loop is broken, sacrifices will be made, bonds will be tested, and trust will be more important than any magical skill or power—and even then, success is not guaranteed.
But unbeknownst to his allies, Zorian made another plan in secret…
When the time loop is broken, sacrifices will be made, bonds will be tested, and trust will be more important than any magical skill or power—and even then, success is not guaranteed.
But unbeknownst to his allies, Zorian made another plan in secret…
601 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 4, 2023
226 people are currently reading
1059 people want to read
About the author
Domagoj Kurmaić
6 books551 followersDomagoj Kurmaić (aka nobody103) is just your average accountant from Croatia who thinks way too much about fantasy and sci-fi, and occasionally puts his thoughts into writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 324 reviews
August 17, 2023
This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on Mother of Learning: ARC 4
4.5/5 stars
Mother of Learning was one of my priority series to start and finish this year, and I’m pleased Mother of Learning by nobody103 or Domagoj Kurmaic is the first web novel series I finished. It certainly won’t be the last.
At 784,000 total word count and approximately 2400 pages long, Mother of Learning is a relatively short web novel series. As I mentioned in an earlier video, many critically acclaimed web novels tend to have more than 2 million words long of word count. Compared to them, Mother of Learning is a short series. And just as a reminder here, Mother of Learning is a series that revolves around Zorian Kazinski as he accidentally gets caught in a time loop, and he is doomed or blessed to repeat it every time he reaches the day of the annual summer festival. It is a never-ending month for Zorian, and as he tries his best to find a way to escape the time loop, he’s taking advantage of his situation to advance his skill and knowledge as a mage. Think about how limited this premise is again. I was already impressed by what the author achieved in the first book to keep the narrative engaging, and this notion is incessantly escalated throughout the whole series. Zorian repeats this month over and over again for years. More or less a decade in total. In theory, this should get old quickly, but it did not. The constant acquisition of new abilities, mechanics, encounters, friendships, revelations, and the gradual progression of everything never fails to make the narrative captivating to me. Evidently, with this premise, nobody103 shows the countless paths that can transpire in our everyday lives daily. How the slightest change in action can cause a drastically different result. This time-loop fantasy series, among many things, is a story that works as a remembrance to appreciate what we have.
It is shocking that Mother of Learning is the second new series (for me) I finished reading this year. The first was The Drowning Empire trilogy by Andrea Stewart. And this is unacceptable. I used to be much more focused on finishing a series than repeatedly starting a new series. And Mother of Learning: ARC 4 made me realize I should go back to concentrate on finishing more series as I did in the past. At least, I should prioritize it more. I felt immense satisfaction upon finishing this book. I believe many great fantasy or sci-fi series endings can make you look back to the beginning of the series. Remembering what you’ve read and experienced instead of immediately moving on to a new world and series. Whether it is true or not, it will make you think most of the plotlines and developments have been planned or foreshadowed since the early stage of the narrative. Reading Mother of Learning to its completion reminded me of that again. ARC 4 is the culmination of every meticulous plan Zorian has accumulated and prepared for years.
A few readers have told me they couldn’t stand Zorian’s characterizations at the beginning of Mother of Learning. Nothing wrong with this; this is a fair criticism. But I need to mention Zorian is a character that started off unlikable, and he grew to become more and more likable and emphatic as the series went by. Remember the length of the series here; the first 25% of ARC 1 is not a sign of the quality of the entire series; far from it. The character development of Zorian, Zack, and I will even say the main villain, are some of the most remarkable things about Mother of Learning. The first half of the series was heavily centered around Zorian, his actions, leveling up, and his mission to escape the time loop. And although Zorian definitely played a significant role as the main character throughout the remainder of the series, Zack started to become one of the main characters in the series in Mother of Learning: ARC 3 and ARC 4. The knowledge, all the magic progression, and the friendships Zorian built and lost all played an irreplaceable spotlight in this final installment. I truly appreciate this. Characters or storylines I thought weren’t important turned out to be integral. Like Silverlake, for example. And with this decision, I felt more invested in the supporting characters, their actions, and their feeling for Zorian.
For years I stopped myself from trying out web novels. Many have voiced their opinions that web novels are filled with incredible stories but unpolished writings. Although I cannot say the same for other web novels, I did not feel that in Mother of Learning. This could be because I read the editions published by Wraithmarked instead of the web novels, so feel free to enlighten me on this. From my experience, though, the series may not contain the most beautiful writings or passages, but it is accessible, well-polished, and the pacing never felt distracting. If you like Sanderson's style of accessible and vivid writing that focuses more on the narrative than the beauty of the prose, you might click well with Kurmaic's prose. This series began as a time-loop magical school fantasy series, and it did not stay that way as Zorian started adventuring outside Cyoria's magical academy in volume 2 and beyond. The world of Altazia is rich with history, and personally speaking, the way the intricate lore and legends were delivered in an info-dump manner was a bit difficult for me to register. This changed in the latter half of the series, and although I wouldn't call Mother of Learning an action-oriented series, every volume in the series undoubtedly have pivotal and impactful confrontations. But no battle scenes in the first three volumes reached the stakes or the quality and quantity encounters in Mother of Learning: ARC 4. The final volume of the series has some jaw-dropping moments in the middle and last section of the novel. And the 100 pages climax sequences were totally magnificent, in my opinion. Those who have read it will know what I'm talking about. I am talking about the "I Win" chapters. These were badass and extremely well done. You have to read it and find out for yourself.
There are many valid and believable reasons that Mother of Learning became one of the most popular and highly-praised web novel fantasy series. Mother of Learning: ARC 4 is my favorite of the entire series, and this is one of the relatively few series consistently superb from the beginning to the end. Do not let the stigma on web novels stop you from trying Mother of Learning. Great storytelling can be brilliant in any medium. If you love reading time-loop fantasy series with a coming-of-age and magical school trope, I cannot recommend Mother of Learning highly enough. The tale of Zorian Kazinski will be one to remember, and it has sparked my interest in trying out more fantasy web novels to read. Nobody103 is currently writing and publishing a new web novel series in the root of epic fantasy subgenre titled Zenith of Sorcery. And I am confident it will be another amazing fantasy series. Once more chapters are out in Zenith of Sorcery, I will immerse myself in the author's next venture. Before that, you have plenty of time to catch up with nobody103's engaging first series: Mother of Learning. And I hope you will have a blast with it as much as I did.
Series Review:
Mother of Learning ARC 1: 4.5/5 stars
Mother of Learning ARC 2: 4.5/5 stars
Mother of Learning ARC 3: 4.5/5 stars
Mother of Learning ARC 4: 4.5/5 stars
Mother of Learning: 18/20 stars
You can order this book from: Amazon
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Aliysa, Anastasia, Andrew, Andrew W, Annabeth, Arliss, Barbara, Biskit, Brad, Cade, Casey, Chris, Cullen, David, Dernerror, Diana, Donna, Donuts, Dylan, Edward, Elias, Ellen, Frank, Gary, Gregory, Hamad, Helen, Jenn, Jesse, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Justin, Kristina, Lara, Luis, Melinda, Michael, Michael, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas, Norbert, Radiah, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Scott, Shawn, Tori, Tracy, TS, Wendy, Wick, Xero, Yuri, Zoe.
4.5/5 stars
Mother of Learning was one of my priority series to start and finish this year, and I’m pleased Mother of Learning by nobody103 or Domagoj Kurmaic is the first web novel series I finished. It certainly won’t be the last.
“Children often do not understand the importance of what their parents try to teach them.”
At 784,000 total word count and approximately 2400 pages long, Mother of Learning is a relatively short web novel series. As I mentioned in an earlier video, many critically acclaimed web novels tend to have more than 2 million words long of word count. Compared to them, Mother of Learning is a short series. And just as a reminder here, Mother of Learning is a series that revolves around Zorian Kazinski as he accidentally gets caught in a time loop, and he is doomed or blessed to repeat it every time he reaches the day of the annual summer festival. It is a never-ending month for Zorian, and as he tries his best to find a way to escape the time loop, he’s taking advantage of his situation to advance his skill and knowledge as a mage. Think about how limited this premise is again. I was already impressed by what the author achieved in the first book to keep the narrative engaging, and this notion is incessantly escalated throughout the whole series. Zorian repeats this month over and over again for years. More or less a decade in total. In theory, this should get old quickly, but it did not. The constant acquisition of new abilities, mechanics, encounters, friendships, revelations, and the gradual progression of everything never fails to make the narrative captivating to me. Evidently, with this premise, nobody103 shows the countless paths that can transpire in our everyday lives daily. How the slightest change in action can cause a drastically different result. This time-loop fantasy series, among many things, is a story that works as a remembrance to appreciate what we have.
“It is good to sit down from time to time and appreciate the simpler things in life.”
It is shocking that Mother of Learning is the second new series (for me) I finished reading this year. The first was The Drowning Empire trilogy by Andrea Stewart. And this is unacceptable. I used to be much more focused on finishing a series than repeatedly starting a new series. And Mother of Learning: ARC 4 made me realize I should go back to concentrate on finishing more series as I did in the past. At least, I should prioritize it more. I felt immense satisfaction upon finishing this book. I believe many great fantasy or sci-fi series endings can make you look back to the beginning of the series. Remembering what you’ve read and experienced instead of immediately moving on to a new world and series. Whether it is true or not, it will make you think most of the plotlines and developments have been planned or foreshadowed since the early stage of the narrative. Reading Mother of Learning to its completion reminded me of that again. ARC 4 is the culmination of every meticulous plan Zorian has accumulated and prepared for years.
“It was just like that old saying: trust your neighbor, but lock the door. Even if you trusted someone to be a moral and principled person, it was better not to tempt them with easy opportunities.
A few readers have told me they couldn’t stand Zorian’s characterizations at the beginning of Mother of Learning. Nothing wrong with this; this is a fair criticism. But I need to mention Zorian is a character that started off unlikable, and he grew to become more and more likable and emphatic as the series went by. Remember the length of the series here; the first 25% of ARC 1 is not a sign of the quality of the entire series; far from it. The character development of Zorian, Zack, and I will even say the main villain, are some of the most remarkable things about Mother of Learning. The first half of the series was heavily centered around Zorian, his actions, leveling up, and his mission to escape the time loop. And although Zorian definitely played a significant role as the main character throughout the remainder of the series, Zack started to become one of the main characters in the series in Mother of Learning: ARC 3 and ARC 4. The knowledge, all the magic progression, and the friendships Zorian built and lost all played an irreplaceable spotlight in this final installment. I truly appreciate this. Characters or storylines I thought weren’t important turned out to be integral. Like Silverlake, for example. And with this decision, I felt more invested in the supporting characters, their actions, and their feeling for Zorian.
“Of course I’m not fine with it!... It’s just… if I have to murder my friends to survive, then what’s the point of all this power and knowledge? It’s not… it’s not how I want to live my life, okay?”
For years I stopped myself from trying out web novels. Many have voiced their opinions that web novels are filled with incredible stories but unpolished writings. Although I cannot say the same for other web novels, I did not feel that in Mother of Learning. This could be because I read the editions published by Wraithmarked instead of the web novels, so feel free to enlighten me on this. From my experience, though, the series may not contain the most beautiful writings or passages, but it is accessible, well-polished, and the pacing never felt distracting. If you like Sanderson's style of accessible and vivid writing that focuses more on the narrative than the beauty of the prose, you might click well with Kurmaic's prose. This series began as a time-loop magical school fantasy series, and it did not stay that way as Zorian started adventuring outside Cyoria's magical academy in volume 2 and beyond. The world of Altazia is rich with history, and personally speaking, the way the intricate lore and legends were delivered in an info-dump manner was a bit difficult for me to register. This changed in the latter half of the series, and although I wouldn't call Mother of Learning an action-oriented series, every volume in the series undoubtedly have pivotal and impactful confrontations. But no battle scenes in the first three volumes reached the stakes or the quality and quantity encounters in Mother of Learning: ARC 4. The final volume of the series has some jaw-dropping moments in the middle and last section of the novel. And the 100 pages climax sequences were totally magnificent, in my opinion. Those who have read it will know what I'm talking about. I am talking about the "I Win" chapters. These were badass and extremely well done. You have to read it and find out for yourself.
“He was Zorian Kazinski, third son of a minor merchant family from Cirin, accidental time traveler, and quite possibly the most powerful human mind mage in all of Altazia…”
There are many valid and believable reasons that Mother of Learning became one of the most popular and highly-praised web novel fantasy series. Mother of Learning: ARC 4 is my favorite of the entire series, and this is one of the relatively few series consistently superb from the beginning to the end. Do not let the stigma on web novels stop you from trying Mother of Learning. Great storytelling can be brilliant in any medium. If you love reading time-loop fantasy series with a coming-of-age and magical school trope, I cannot recommend Mother of Learning highly enough. The tale of Zorian Kazinski will be one to remember, and it has sparked my interest in trying out more fantasy web novels to read. Nobody103 is currently writing and publishing a new web novel series in the root of epic fantasy subgenre titled Zenith of Sorcery. And I am confident it will be another amazing fantasy series. Once more chapters are out in Zenith of Sorcery, I will immerse myself in the author's next venture. Before that, you have plenty of time to catch up with nobody103's engaging first series: Mother of Learning. And I hope you will have a blast with it as much as I did.
Series Review:
Mother of Learning ARC 1: 4.5/5 stars
Mother of Learning ARC 2: 4.5/5 stars
Mother of Learning ARC 3: 4.5/5 stars
Mother of Learning ARC 4: 4.5/5 stars
Mother of Learning: 18/20 stars
You can order this book from: Amazon
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Aliysa, Anastasia, Andrew, Andrew W, Annabeth, Arliss, Barbara, Biskit, Brad, Cade, Casey, Chris, Cullen, David, Dernerror, Diana, Donna, Donuts, Dylan, Edward, Elias, Ellen, Frank, Gary, Gregory, Hamad, Helen, Jenn, Jesse, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Justin, Kristina, Lara, Luis, Melinda, Michael, Michael, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas, Norbert, Radiah, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Scott, Shawn, Tori, Tracy, TS, Wendy, Wick, Xero, Yuri, Zoe.
November 3, 2023
I loved it!!! Such a fantastic ending with a possible opening for future adventures maybe?
April 21, 2023
wow oh wow what a conclusion
thought reading each arc, I had small issues with the immense amount of details that I found unnecessary, however, with the magnitude of awesomeness of this story, it was worth it every time, and it is indeed worth it with this amazing conclusion.
Before spoilers, I have to say, this story has my favorite epilogue ever, it was just absolute perfection, I was so immersed with every word.
⚠️SPOILERS⚠️
This book started with a bang (at least I think so, cuz I read this a few months ago, before it was put on goodreads) 😂... so it was intense and stressing from the start.
We have been in a very serious unknown situation in arc 1 and slowly getting to know things, and with this part being the last. I wondered how it will wrap up and if it's possible to even have a satisfying ending.
It was so satisfying to see that everyone in the team were working together to just GET THE HELL OUT, and everyone contributing something to this mission and then it got so sad as one by one they died. I couldn't even be mad at the author because it felt very realistic, no plot armor. As much as I loved them and was at the edge of my seat, I knew they couldn't all possibly live. But DAMN did it have to be all of them.
And when Daimen said "you have to live", I was shaking my head and thinking no way. Well .... yes way 😂
When Zorian got out .. FINALLY, cuz I wanted a change of pace.. the stress of not having another chance made this arc much more engaging, it was honestly hard to stop reading.
Everything was perfection, from the revelations, planning, the relationships between the characters, to the mystery of how it'll end.
I especially loved the relationships outside of the loop because the development will stick and not restart, so it felt much more significant.
Zack and Zorian, this wholesome duo, the struggles they went through in whether they can trust each other or not made me so worried but they pulled through and it was written SO WELL.
I'm a bit frustrated that I forgot some stuff that would make this a much more detailed review, but on the bright side, it means I would enjoy the reread in the future much more.
But what I certainly cannot forget is
I win (1)
I win (2)
I win (3)
I thought there was a glitch un my ebook but noooo
It was the most well written, thought out, and emotional ending (endings) for a series. I mean it's sooo creative. That's why the epilogue was fantastic, with the stress this emotional roller coaster caused me, the wholesomeness of the epilogue was so refreshing.
thought reading each arc, I had small issues with the immense amount of details that I found unnecessary, however, with the magnitude of awesomeness of this story, it was worth it every time, and it is indeed worth it with this amazing conclusion.
Before spoilers, I have to say, this story has my favorite epilogue ever, it was just absolute perfection, I was so immersed with every word.
⚠️SPOILERS⚠️
This book started with a bang (at least I think so, cuz I read this a few months ago, before it was put on goodreads) 😂... so it was intense and stressing from the start.
We have been in a very serious unknown situation in arc 1 and slowly getting to know things, and with this part being the last. I wondered how it will wrap up and if it's possible to even have a satisfying ending.
It was so satisfying to see that everyone in the team were working together to just GET THE HELL OUT, and everyone contributing something to this mission and then it got so sad as one by one they died. I couldn't even be mad at the author because it felt very realistic, no plot armor. As much as I loved them and was at the edge of my seat, I knew they couldn't all possibly live. But DAMN did it have to be all of them.
And when Daimen said "you have to live", I was shaking my head and thinking no way. Well .... yes way 😂
When Zorian got out .. FINALLY, cuz I wanted a change of pace.. the stress of not having another chance made this arc much more engaging, it was honestly hard to stop reading.
Everything was perfection, from the revelations, planning, the relationships between the characters, to the mystery of how it'll end.
I especially loved the relationships outside of the loop because the development will stick and not restart, so it felt much more significant.
Zack and Zorian, this wholesome duo, the struggles they went through in whether they can trust each other or not made me so worried but they pulled through and it was written SO WELL.
I'm a bit frustrated that I forgot some stuff that would make this a much more detailed review, but on the bright side, it means I would enjoy the reread in the future much more.
But what I certainly cannot forget is
I win (1)
I win (2)
I win (3)
I thought there was a glitch un my ebook but noooo
It was the most well written, thought out, and emotional ending (endings) for a series. I mean it's sooo creative. That's why the epilogue was fantastic, with the stress this emotional roller coaster caused me, the wholesomeness of the epilogue was so refreshing.
April 5, 2023
4.8/5 - It’s such a great story. Keeps you ensnared with its action and intensity, and the conclusion is well set up. I can’t give this a perfect rating because I really wanted more from the epilogue. So many of Zorians relationships were left lacking. Zach and Zorian never interact after the big fight which really upset me. In addition, Zorian spent a lot of time learning about himself thru the books, and Kirielle was the spark that really pushed that change. Their interactions were always my favorite in earlier books, but were nonexistent here.
Ah well, maybe Dom will write that sequel one day and we can have a sort of anthologyish adventurous recap with all of the people that Zs owed something to.
Ah well, maybe Dom will write that sequel one day and we can have a sort of anthologyish adventurous recap with all of the people that Zs owed something to.
October 5, 2025
dotarliśmy wreszcie do końca, wątki się łanie posplatały. każdy dostał na co zasłużył, smutno się żegnać z całą ekipą. czas wrócić do życia, jutro poniedziałek (nie tylko dla mnie :P)
January 3, 2026
At 784,000 words and approximately 2400 pages later, my journey with the Mother of Learning is over. This is not a series I expected to read, I had truly forgotten the reason why I started this endeavour. I believe I wanted to listen to a series as I was writing my Expanse book reviews (before reading Nemesis Games). The first novel was on Audible Plus, and I liked the narration and wanted to read another web serial after Worm and The Wandering Inn, and once again it was a success. I did not expect this series to end up in my Top 10 of 2025, yet that is what happened.
The premise of the series isn’t the most unique, our protagonist, Zorian Kazinski, gets caught in a time loop and is doomed (or a blessing in disguise) to repeat the month until the day of the annual summer festival. With each month, Zorian is one step closer to figuring out how to escape, and due to the nature of magic growth from previous restarts, it follows through to future ones, so Zorian becomes progressively more impressive as a mage as the series continues. As you can best guess, this is a progression fantasy. I’m generally not a fan of this subgenre, it often focuses on the wrong aspects and makes the protagonist's growth feel artificial as a result, but that’s not the case here. I think there are few reasons for that being the case.
Firstly, Zorian is not particularly unique in terms of his strengths, he has latent talent, but it would take a long time for that talent to be realised, hence the blessing in disguise with unique resources that can only be achieved through a time loop accelerating his growth tenfold. Zorian’s growth as a character, through his ability and ones being empath he becomes a much better person as result. While his relationship with his family is still complicated, that dysfunctional relationship is slowly mending and he’s particular with his sister now. While he’s still the same man he was from Book 1, he’s just changed so significantly. It’s one of the greatest qualities of this series, is the character development and using magic as a tool for that function. Lastly the worldbuilding.
Domagoj Kurmaić, I believe, started this series as a way to flesh out a setting he was creating with the series he is currently writing. Making the worldbuilding feel organic and how it relates to the shifting events. This is something he succeeds at doing, I will be using Harry Potter as an example because it covers my point really well. JK Rowling did an incredible job at making an immersive experience throughout the whole series; that sense of wonder it oozes is hard to replicate. Yet when you observe it critically, there are just a lot of little things that don't line up. It's hard to envision magical locations outside of Hogwarts. Yet in the case of Mother of Learning, those little things mostly line up, and there are throwaway lines from the beginning of the series that end up looping back by the end. The series captures the complexity of society, each continent feels realised, and the locations you don't enter still feel like they are real places. The author loves doing his worldbuilding so much he even has written worldbuilding essays on the Mother of Learning after the series is finished if you want to learn more about the world.
I’m glad I ended up bingeing this series, as there’s so much foreshadowing, red herrings and seeds from the beginning that naturally loops back at the time of the series. Arc 4 in reality is Arc 3 Part 2, so the entire book is a climax with different waves of intensity. The ending here is truly spectacular and is fitting. Does every thread get concluded? Nope. Are there threads that are open? Yes, but that’s okay, as that’s realistic. Some series really overcompensate in how much our protagonist can realistically do, but Mother of Learning reminds you there’s a story outside of text.
The supporting cast ended up being really strong. The dynamic of Zorian and Zach became quite fun, and the growing cast do end up having a strong arc or just being interesting people. As Zorian grows as a person, his view of characters also grows at the same time. The tragic aspect is that Zorian's and Zach's friendships with other folks that are just built up end up getting lost. It’s tragic because the other person's first time could be Zach's or Zorian’s 100th time, and psychologically it messes with you. It’s a reoccurring aspect of the series, especially during the last 2 arcs, and I do appreciate how it delves into it and how so many precious memories are forgotten.
As I’ve said at the beginning, this is my 3rd web novel series, and it has been a success. Obviously, due to the nature of web novels, there can be a lack of quality control. Interestingly, compared to the two other web serials I’ve read, this might be the most polished from the offset. I believe this Wraithmarked got edited and revised in some manner, so I believe the prose is less clunky as a result, and I think the narrator, Jack Voraces, just does an incredible job. Even so, this is incredibly tight, especially for a web serial, which can get guilty of going overboard just because they have the freedom to do so, but that isn’t the case here. This isn’t the most beautiful writing, but Domagoj Kurmaić is a great storyteller.
As you would expect, the actual time loop does get resolved, I won’t say how, but it delivers upon your expectations (at least it did for me). How the time loop was handled and ultimately how the plot resolved, which included the antagonist, was satisfying and realistic. This is one thing that’s funny for a fantasy series, like it can be satisfying, but a lot of times it doesn’t feel the most realistic from the rules set out from the world, yet here it all fits. Speaking of antagonists, we have two primary ones: Quatach-Ichl and Red Robe.
I don’t think Red Robe is that great, to be frank. I think his motivation makes sense, and his philosophical reasoning isn’t as shallow as you would expect. There’s a ton of injustice in Mother of Learning, which you soon come to notice, and certain people ended up worse off than others… The motivation I felt was good, but as a character… I think it was a bit too late, kind of a situation. Now, Quatach-Ichl, he is amazing. I did not expect that coming into the series, I just saw an incredibly powerful ancient lich when we first met him, but you know, he came across as sort of generic. Yet you stumble upon him more and more, and he becomes utterly fascinating. There is this weird noble quality to him, and while what he’s doing is incredibly bad things, you sort of feel a minge bad for him, as this entire invasion wouldn’t be a thing without him. There is a meme that compared him to LeBron James just carrying the team, and that is what he does. He’s an over 1000-year-old lich and feels like it, the series doesn’t have to make him seem like an idiot to deal with him. There's a weird charisma about him that makes him fun to read. A small note: I think Angels here are awesome. The angelic forms are very nontraditional and really work for this setting. There’s a dubious morality to them that is less cut and dry than your ideas of angels.
The climax, as I’ve said, is extremely satisfying. The "I Win" chapters are so cathartic and well deserved. It does everything just right and makes the journey worth undertaking. So yes, Mother of Learning is an incredible coming-of-age story and a unique and fun twist to the time loop narrative. The ending doesn’t come across as too cleanly cut nor dirty. There are loose ends, but appropriately so, as time doesn't end at the end of the narrative, the world moves on, but this story has concluded. The journey of Zorian is a fantastic one, and seeing his growth from book to book has been a joy. I will definitely be reading the next work from this author called Zenith of Sorcery once it’s out of Patreon exclusivity. If Mother of Learning was his first published work, I can only imagine what his next series will be, everything he has learnt from Mother of Learning. It’s a journey worth undertaking and an unexpected hit.
9/10
The premise of the series isn’t the most unique, our protagonist, Zorian Kazinski, gets caught in a time loop and is doomed (or a blessing in disguise) to repeat the month until the day of the annual summer festival. With each month, Zorian is one step closer to figuring out how to escape, and due to the nature of magic growth from previous restarts, it follows through to future ones, so Zorian becomes progressively more impressive as a mage as the series continues. As you can best guess, this is a progression fantasy. I’m generally not a fan of this subgenre, it often focuses on the wrong aspects and makes the protagonist's growth feel artificial as a result, but that’s not the case here. I think there are few reasons for that being the case.
Firstly, Zorian is not particularly unique in terms of his strengths, he has latent talent, but it would take a long time for that talent to be realised, hence the blessing in disguise with unique resources that can only be achieved through a time loop accelerating his growth tenfold. Zorian’s growth as a character, through his ability and ones being empath he becomes a much better person as result. While his relationship with his family is still complicated, that dysfunctional relationship is slowly mending and he’s particular with his sister now. While he’s still the same man he was from Book 1, he’s just changed so significantly. It’s one of the greatest qualities of this series, is the character development and using magic as a tool for that function. Lastly the worldbuilding.
Domagoj Kurmaić, I believe, started this series as a way to flesh out a setting he was creating with the series he is currently writing. Making the worldbuilding feel organic and how it relates to the shifting events. This is something he succeeds at doing, I will be using Harry Potter as an example because it covers my point really well. JK Rowling did an incredible job at making an immersive experience throughout the whole series; that sense of wonder it oozes is hard to replicate. Yet when you observe it critically, there are just a lot of little things that don't line up. It's hard to envision magical locations outside of Hogwarts. Yet in the case of Mother of Learning, those little things mostly line up, and there are throwaway lines from the beginning of the series that end up looping back by the end. The series captures the complexity of society, each continent feels realised, and the locations you don't enter still feel like they are real places. The author loves doing his worldbuilding so much he even has written worldbuilding essays on the Mother of Learning after the series is finished if you want to learn more about the world.
I’m glad I ended up bingeing this series, as there’s so much foreshadowing, red herrings and seeds from the beginning that naturally loops back at the time of the series. Arc 4 in reality is Arc 3 Part 2, so the entire book is a climax with different waves of intensity. The ending here is truly spectacular and is fitting. Does every thread get concluded? Nope. Are there threads that are open? Yes, but that’s okay, as that’s realistic. Some series really overcompensate in how much our protagonist can realistically do, but Mother of Learning reminds you there’s a story outside of text.
The supporting cast ended up being really strong. The dynamic of Zorian and Zach became quite fun, and the growing cast do end up having a strong arc or just being interesting people. As Zorian grows as a person, his view of characters also grows at the same time. The tragic aspect is that Zorian's and Zach's friendships with other folks that are just built up end up getting lost. It’s tragic because the other person's first time could be Zach's or Zorian’s 100th time, and psychologically it messes with you. It’s a reoccurring aspect of the series, especially during the last 2 arcs, and I do appreciate how it delves into it and how so many precious memories are forgotten.
As I’ve said at the beginning, this is my 3rd web novel series, and it has been a success. Obviously, due to the nature of web novels, there can be a lack of quality control. Interestingly, compared to the two other web serials I’ve read, this might be the most polished from the offset. I believe this Wraithmarked got edited and revised in some manner, so I believe the prose is less clunky as a result, and I think the narrator, Jack Voraces, just does an incredible job. Even so, this is incredibly tight, especially for a web serial, which can get guilty of going overboard just because they have the freedom to do so, but that isn’t the case here. This isn’t the most beautiful writing, but Domagoj Kurmaić is a great storyteller.
As you would expect, the actual time loop does get resolved, I won’t say how, but it delivers upon your expectations (at least it did for me). How the time loop was handled and ultimately how the plot resolved, which included the antagonist, was satisfying and realistic. This is one thing that’s funny for a fantasy series, like it can be satisfying, but a lot of times it doesn’t feel the most realistic from the rules set out from the world, yet here it all fits. Speaking of antagonists, we have two primary ones: Quatach-Ichl and Red Robe.
I don’t think Red Robe is that great, to be frank. I think his motivation makes sense, and his philosophical reasoning isn’t as shallow as you would expect. There’s a ton of injustice in Mother of Learning, which you soon come to notice, and certain people ended up worse off than others… The motivation I felt was good, but as a character… I think it was a bit too late, kind of a situation. Now, Quatach-Ichl, he is amazing. I did not expect that coming into the series, I just saw an incredibly powerful ancient lich when we first met him, but you know, he came across as sort of generic. Yet you stumble upon him more and more, and he becomes utterly fascinating. There is this weird noble quality to him, and while what he’s doing is incredibly bad things, you sort of feel a minge bad for him, as this entire invasion wouldn’t be a thing without him. There is a meme that compared him to LeBron James just carrying the team, and that is what he does. He’s an over 1000-year-old lich and feels like it, the series doesn’t have to make him seem like an idiot to deal with him. There's a weird charisma about him that makes him fun to read. A small note: I think Angels here are awesome. The angelic forms are very nontraditional and really work for this setting. There’s a dubious morality to them that is less cut and dry than your ideas of angels.
The climax, as I’ve said, is extremely satisfying. The "I Win" chapters are so cathartic and well deserved. It does everything just right and makes the journey worth undertaking. So yes, Mother of Learning is an incredible coming-of-age story and a unique and fun twist to the time loop narrative. The ending doesn’t come across as too cleanly cut nor dirty. There are loose ends, but appropriately so, as time doesn't end at the end of the narrative, the world moves on, but this story has concluded. The journey of Zorian is a fantastic one, and seeing his growth from book to book has been a joy. I will definitely be reading the next work from this author called Zenith of Sorcery once it’s out of Patreon exclusivity. If Mother of Learning was his first published work, I can only imagine what his next series will be, everything he has learnt from Mother of Learning. It’s a journey worth undertaking and an unexpected hit.
9/10
April 22, 2023
This was quite the experience and I can't immediately think of another series that stayed as intriguing and entertaining from beginning to end. If I had any mixed feelings, they probably happened somewhere during the second volume, but things in book three escalated and then this last volume delivered an epic finale that brought everything full circle.
Bonus points for being the only time-loop story that involved more than one or two characters I really enjoyed and became invested in.
Bonus points for being the only time-loop story that involved more than one or two characters I really enjoyed and became invested in.
April 21, 2025
This was a great conclusion to the series, or what is the main series....because I hear rumors there might be more written in this world one day 👀👀
I will say, the pacing of the plot was a bit rushed feeling for the first third of this installment however once we settled in it, I really appreciated how this one came together. I loved how there were some fabulous character callbacks to earlier loops and all the threads wove together.
I know our main character will likely rub some readers the wrong way in the first book (I liked his persnickety nature lol) but the character growth is fantastic as the series progresses. He's smart, confident, sly and clever in every installment and that all could be seen in how this series concluded.
I give this series a 4/5 overall I really loved it.
I will say, the pacing of the plot was a bit rushed feeling for the first third of this installment however once we settled in it, I really appreciated how this one came together. I loved how there were some fabulous character callbacks to earlier loops and all the threads wove together.
I know our main character will likely rub some readers the wrong way in the first book (I liked his persnickety nature lol) but the character growth is fantastic as the series progresses. He's smart, confident, sly and clever in every installment and that all could be seen in how this series concluded.
I give this series a 4/5 overall I really loved it.
June 5, 2025
I respect any author that can write a great story arch that keeps your attention over the course of multiple books; for someone to do it in their free time as an independent author is a ridiculously impressive feat in my opinion.
The characters and their respective journeys are so well crafted and I found myself loving them more with each book, many of which I did not expect to.
The magic system as a whole is not massively unique to the genre, but the implementation and the crazy (yet surprisingly not overdone) level of detail really sets it apart for me.
The “Groundhog Day” trope was executed beautifully and did not feel as campy as a lot of media that uses it has been.
As a final note, the voice work from Jack Voraces is great! His unique voices made dialogue awesome and his main Zorian “head voice” was really fun to listen to!
6/5 stars. Would recommend to anyone looking for traditional high fantasy without politics and a healthy dose of comic relief.
The characters and their respective journeys are so well crafted and I found myself loving them more with each book, many of which I did not expect to.
The magic system as a whole is not massively unique to the genre, but the implementation and the crazy (yet surprisingly not overdone) level of detail really sets it apart for me.
The “Groundhog Day” trope was executed beautifully and did not feel as campy as a lot of media that uses it has been.
As a final note, the voice work from Jack Voraces is great! His unique voices made dialogue awesome and his main Zorian “head voice” was really fun to listen to!
6/5 stars. Would recommend to anyone looking for traditional high fantasy without politics and a healthy dose of comic relief.
April 8, 2023
best loop
I believe this is the best time-Loop series. I am again glad to pay the author for hours of previous enjoyment.
I believe this is the best time-Loop series. I am again glad to pay the author for hours of previous enjoyment.
August 31, 2025
UPDATE: I re-read this ~2400 page series over the last month or so and I really enjoyed it again. It's so much fun. Strongly recommended.
This was super entertaining and the suspense was quite high. I don’t have much to complain about, I really enjoyed it. My only critique is that Zorian becomes so powerful that it’s kind of ridiculous. It’s not truly a hard magic system anymore when he is suddenly so capable that he can do all of this crazy stuff.
This was super entertaining and the suspense was quite high. I don’t have much to complain about, I really enjoyed it. My only critique is that Zorian becomes so powerful that it’s kind of ridiculous. It’s not truly a hard magic system anymore when he is suddenly so capable that he can do all of this crazy stuff.
April 15, 2024
basically, this is not a series, but a book separated in 4 parts.
2652 pages of a time-loop, and not a single dull moment.
no romance. just adventure and occasional action (in the last two books).
if you like stories about learning and becoming better (in different fields), finding friends, connecting with siblings, proving themselves wrong about people and situations, etc. this might be for you. also, this has spiders (as characters) 💞
2652 pages of a time-loop, and not a single dull moment.
no romance. just adventure and occasional action (in the last two books).
if you like stories about learning and becoming better (in different fields), finding friends, connecting with siblings, proving themselves wrong about people and situations, etc. this might be for you. also, this has spiders (as characters) 💞
April 9, 2023
A very fitting end to the series
May 15, 2023
What a fantastic finale to such classic web novel. To many of us Royal Road readers we know that this book essentially defined the genre as far as LitRPGs and modern cultivation novels go. This book like all the other MOL parts was very action packed with lots of fun big brain maneuvers by Zorian and some light hearted comedy. Can’t really go wrong. Just a feel good fantasy with a nice time loop spin on things. Was still surprised by some of the twists and was on the edge of my seat at the end waiting to see what crazy thing Zorian would do to get the perfect run!
Alas this was a very fun book to read and was truly inspirational that it was written by an amateur author. However some of the vocabulary was a bit overused and certain dialog was choppy and lacking depth. Although the pacing was pretty consistent and swell some parts that were skipped over would have made for good extra content. The end felt a tad rushed and I was a little disappointed by the prologue and what parts the author decided to explain and wrap up.
I would absolutely recommend this book but make sure you know what you are getting yourself into when deciding to read this epic! Also excited to see that it is now fully recorded as an audio book in audible! So cool!
Alas this was a very fun book to read and was truly inspirational that it was written by an amateur author. However some of the vocabulary was a bit overused and certain dialog was choppy and lacking depth. Although the pacing was pretty consistent and swell some parts that were skipped over would have made for good extra content. The end felt a tad rushed and I was a little disappointed by the prologue and what parts the author decided to explain and wrap up.
I would absolutely recommend this book but make sure you know what you are getting yourself into when deciding to read this epic! Also excited to see that it is now fully recorded as an audio book in audible! So cool!
July 19, 2025
Zorianam Kazinskim, piecpadsmit gadus vecam jaunietim pienācis trešais mācību gads magu Cyoria akadēmijā. Puisis pēc dabas kluss un cītīgs students, kurš drīzāk sarod un nereti piecieš kursabiedrus nekā ar tiem uzsāk ciešu draudzību. Bet Zoriana dzīve līdz nepazīšanai izmainīsies, kad Vasaras festivāla (kaut arī rudens) laiku kāda ļaundaru grupa izmanto, lai uzsāktu plaša mēroga uzbrukumu visai pilsētai, kurā piedevām piedalās lich nekromanceris Kvitačs Ičils.
https://poseidons99.com/2025/07/19/do...
https://poseidons99.com/2025/07/19/do...
January 14, 2025
Great series! If you ever wanted a Harry Potter-like story with a much more interesting premise and actually good world building, character development, and stakes, Mother of Learning delivers. (4.7)
October 17, 2023
Финальная арка мне понравилась меньше всего, как и автору кажется что было слишком затянуто. Главное, что все ружья выстрелили, даже оставили задел на какой-то сиквел/вбоквел. В общем, главное что не раскрыли для меня, так это жизнь после..
September 13, 2024
"Good morning, SISTER! Morning, morning, MORNING!"
And that was the moment I knew that Mother of Learning will be my one of the all time favorite fantasy series. Umm... I over exaggerated. But that moment was the one when I laughed out so loud at 1 am that my dog started looking at me thinking that I have gone crazy.
The Buildup from Arc 3: I really admire the way Mr. Domagoj Kurmaić have structured the four arcs even though it started as a web serial. Arc 3 was brilliantly written and then the momentum continued in this arc with so much rapid action. In fact, the climax lasts for the last 50% of the book. I have loved the way our main character Zorian grew so much (yes it's almost a decade but still...) that he transformed from a defensive and selfish person to someone who took responsibility of not only his siblings but also the defense of Cyoria. Moreover, the author uses the skills and the magical objects and creatures in a very applicable fashion so that the story and the climax becomes realist.
All open threads closed: Since the world was gradually opened to the readers in the first three arcs, I knew that if I don't get to experience the conclusions of many different threads in the story, I will be super disappointed. And truly, there were many. Family members, classmates, skills, types of magic, regions, magical creatures, extremely skilled teachers and my favorite Quatach-Ichl (whose real first name is Suruwata which means the beginning in Hindi and Marathi.) Everything was so fucking satisfying that I have no words to describe the feeling. Additionally, I knew that some of the temporarily dead characters from the time loop are going to be back when the time loop ends. However, I had never imagined that I would be so much delighted after seeing Novelty.
One of my best experiences in reading the epic time-loop fantasy series!
And that was the moment I knew that Mother of Learning will be my one of the all time favorite fantasy series. Umm... I over exaggerated. But that moment was the one when I laughed out so loud at 1 am that my dog started looking at me thinking that I have gone crazy.
The Buildup from Arc 3: I really admire the way Mr. Domagoj Kurmaić have structured the four arcs even though it started as a web serial. Arc 3 was brilliantly written and then the momentum continued in this arc with so much rapid action. In fact, the climax lasts for the last 50% of the book. I have loved the way our main character Zorian grew so much (yes it's almost a decade but still...) that he transformed from a defensive and selfish person to someone who took responsibility of not only his siblings but also the defense of Cyoria. Moreover, the author uses the skills and the magical objects and creatures in a very applicable fashion so that the story and the climax becomes realist.
"He wanted to punch her right in that big-eyed, manipulative face... but also hug her and tell her he was glad to see her. This was probably similar to how Zach had felt upon seeing him at Cyoria's train station, so long ago."
All open threads closed: Since the world was gradually opened to the readers in the first three arcs, I knew that if I don't get to experience the conclusions of many different threads in the story, I will be super disappointed. And truly, there were many. Family members, classmates, skills, types of magic, regions, magical creatures, extremely skilled teachers and my favorite Quatach-Ichl (whose real first name is Suruwata which means the beginning in Hindi and Marathi.) Everything was so fucking satisfying that I have no words to describe the feeling. Additionally, I knew that some of the temporarily dead characters from the time loop are going to be back when the time loop ends. However, I had never imagined that I would be so much delighted after seeing Novelty.
One of my best experiences in reading the epic time-loop fantasy series!
April 25, 2023
Well, that wraps that up. I've really enjoyed Mother of Learning in its four arcs - this final one is, I think, a fitting end. It maybe comes to a close a little abruptly, but given the length of the thing to this point it would probably become pretty draggy pretty quickly if you tried to wrap up every loose thread. I did think the prose in this arc was in places noticeably weaker than in the previous ones ('like an ominous figure' was perhaps my favourite non-simile), but it continues to be highly readable. I got through this 600-page book in much less time than my last read took me at half the length.
Mother of Learning as a whole is just a really well done progression fantasy that's well worth a read for fans of the genre.
Mother of Learning as a whole is just a really well done progression fantasy that's well worth a read for fans of the genre.
October 8, 2023
i liked the part when they went "it's learning time" and the learned all over the place
June 1, 2025
When I started the end to this epic time loop series at the start of the month I was nervous about how every loose end would be resolved. So I kept putting it down and hesitating to restart. I was so convinced that a single book to tie up the escape of the time loop, the final playthrough of the month but for real, the lingering details of the mystery of the time loop, and all the details big and small of characters and locations and actions that would need to be taken was going to be too great of a mountain for our author to scale. But I am so very happy to have been wrong.
My God, I was stressing. It felt like there was too little time for Zorian and Zach to achieve everything they needed, literally and figuratively - with the fast approaching number of loops nearing its final number, and the fast approaching number of pages left in the book. But Domagoj Kurmaić did not disappoint. Favourite time loop series I’ve ever read hands down.
One of my favourite moments was when they brought the others into the time loop properly. It was a very emotional moment to be honest. Both Zorian and Zach have spent so much time surviving this time loop, first separately, and then together, all in that time convincing and bonding with others just for them to forget. The loneliness they must have felt… even with the memory packets to help others know they’re in a time loop it’s still not the same as people actually remembering.
The battle to escape the loop was also incredibly emotional. All these characters I’ve come to love sacrificing themselves despite their own personal desperation to escape the time loop giving up their lives for Zorian to escape choked me up.
There was part of me that didn’t exactly like how things went down with timeloop Zorian and “real” Zorian, it just felt depressing. Like it would have felt more satisfying if this were a legitimate timeloop situation and not a pocket dimension time loop situation. Because it would have had a real sense of victory of ‘breaking out’ of it, rather than having it being a moment of darkness with our Zorian ‘breaking in to’ the real world resulting in the death of “real” Zorian. But my wishing it wasn’t so doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. I loved it. It was written very well.
The final invasion battle was epic. Stressful. So stressful. Like dear god stressful. Knowing there was no more reattempts really raised the stakes. Loved seeing Zorian go full master mind mage. Our boy is awesome and terrifying. He’s grown so much. And I loved the sass that came from Zorians simulacrums. Comedic gold. Zorian getting the bike out of the river leading to the chorus of them all calling him out about mana wastage gave me a good laugh.
I love that Zach finally admitted Zorian is his best friend. I love that Zorian broke down barriers of what’s considered possible to save Zach. They are such an amazing pair. And as for that death scare leading into Zachs chapter… I have three words for you Mr Kurmaić. How. Dare. You.
I wish we had more epilogue. But I’m not going to lie I wouldn’t have been satisfied with any amount. Unless the author had written a whole fifth book to give us closure with all the characters… and that would have made for a pretty dull book for most people. The ending itself was amazing! I’m just being a glutton want more of this world.
I hope there’s a future series in this world again. I want to know how our two time loop boys are doing. And with that ending… that very ominous ending… I need more.
”Good morning sister!” He suddenly shouted in her ear. “Morning, morning, MORNING!”
My God, I was stressing. It felt like there was too little time for Zorian and Zach to achieve everything they needed, literally and figuratively - with the fast approaching number of loops nearing its final number, and the fast approaching number of pages left in the book. But Domagoj Kurmaić did not disappoint. Favourite time loop series I’ve ever read hands down.
One of my favourite moments was when they brought the others into the time loop properly. It was a very emotional moment to be honest. Both Zorian and Zach have spent so much time surviving this time loop, first separately, and then together, all in that time convincing and bonding with others just for them to forget. The loneliness they must have felt… even with the memory packets to help others know they’re in a time loop it’s still not the same as people actually remembering.
The battle to escape the loop was also incredibly emotional. All these characters I’ve come to love sacrificing themselves despite their own personal desperation to escape the time loop giving up their lives for Zorian to escape choked me up.
There was part of me that didn’t exactly like how things went down with timeloop Zorian and “real” Zorian, it just felt depressing. Like it would have felt more satisfying if this were a legitimate timeloop situation and not a pocket dimension time loop situation. Because it would have had a real sense of victory of ‘breaking out’ of it, rather than having it being a moment of darkness with our Zorian ‘breaking in to’ the real world resulting in the death of “real” Zorian. But my wishing it wasn’t so doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. I loved it. It was written very well.
The final invasion battle was epic. Stressful. So stressful. Like dear god stressful. Knowing there was no more reattempts really raised the stakes. Loved seeing Zorian go full master mind mage. Our boy is awesome and terrifying. He’s grown so much. And I loved the sass that came from Zorians simulacrums. Comedic gold. Zorian getting the bike out of the river leading to the chorus of them all calling him out about mana wastage gave me a good laugh.
I love that Zach finally admitted Zorian is his best friend. I love that Zorian broke down barriers of what’s considered possible to save Zach. They are such an amazing pair. And as for that death scare leading into Zachs chapter… I have three words for you Mr Kurmaić. How. Dare. You.
I wish we had more epilogue. But I’m not going to lie I wouldn’t have been satisfied with any amount. Unless the author had written a whole fifth book to give us closure with all the characters… and that would have made for a pretty dull book for most people. The ending itself was amazing! I’m just being a glutton want more of this world.
I hope there’s a future series in this world again. I want to know how our two time loop boys are doing. And with that ending… that very ominous ending… I need more.
”Good morning sister!” He suddenly shouted in her ear. “Morning, morning, MORNING!”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2025
What do I do with my life now?
The entire book had me sitting on the edge. Amazing twists, fights, conclusions. Last 3 chapters were just chef’s kiss.
The way we see Zorian develop and his character and personality change for the better was even better for me than how crazy good he got as a mage. Though trust me, that part was absolutely marvelous. I love how he was always held back and was always average but used the opportunities given to him so smartly that he became one of the best ever, and “possibly the best human mind mage Saioria has ever known” and he had won!!!!!
What he did was incredible and the moment I clocked what he was doing I had goosebumps all over my body.
The series was just incredible and the ending even more so. I love how we can see that there can be continuation, won’t spoil how but that feels pretty good for the next story. with Zorian and Zack with not just mind but also with their bodies as adults will be incredible.
Love to see their family become closer, even if not all members but the possibility is there and would like to BEG the author for the continuation of the story pretty please
The magic system and the world building were very well constructed and I am pretty sure that continuing in this world will give even better results. I know that time loop won’t be repeated but it ended so that it is now even needed anymore.
This book had me laughing, crying, it stabbed my heart and bandaged it up on its own. I loved to see how everyone he ever interacted with fir the decade in the loop knowingly or unknowingly came to the last battle to help him and try to defend the city. Love how he is responsible and tries to repay them all back in a timely manner. And love his personality so damn much.
Zack my baby, how can I not talk about him briefly? That man, though I thought would be a cliche character at first, is such a well thought out character with deep emotions, crazy sad backstory that truly broke my heart with “I won part I” , and most of all how selfless he was. I was waiting the whole time for him to turn on Zorian and others and do something selfish for once, doubted him the whole 4 arcs yet he was the most selfless of them all. I am so happy that he is getting all that he deserves and that he didn’t lose his best friend and got out of the time loop with him. I am sure their story has more to come.
I loved Damien, everything he didn’t lose for zorian, kirielle as well and how close mc got with her lil sister even though he really was annoyed by her in the beggining, seeing her vulnerabilities truly opered Zorian’s eyes. Also one of my top 3 characters was the Leech. I have no idea till this day how to write or pronounce his name. He was a crazy cool character with great personality yet a great villain.
Xvim was hilarious and Alanic was so warm. Silverlake… well let’s just leave her as that.
I don’t think I have ever written such a long review but I think the greatness of this novel doesn’t deserve any less.
The entire book had me sitting on the edge. Amazing twists, fights, conclusions. Last 3 chapters were just chef’s kiss.
The way we see Zorian develop and his character and personality change for the better was even better for me than how crazy good he got as a mage. Though trust me, that part was absolutely marvelous. I love how he was always held back and was always average but used the opportunities given to him so smartly that he became one of the best ever, and “possibly the best human mind mage Saioria has ever known” and he had won!!!!!
What he did was incredible and the moment I clocked what he was doing I had goosebumps all over my body.
The series was just incredible and the ending even more so. I love how we can see that there can be continuation, won’t spoil how but that feels pretty good for the next story. with Zorian and Zack with not just mind but also with their bodies as adults will be incredible.
Love to see their family become closer, even if not all members but the possibility is there and would like to BEG the author for the continuation of the story pretty please
The magic system and the world building were very well constructed and I am pretty sure that continuing in this world will give even better results. I know that time loop won’t be repeated but it ended so that it is now even needed anymore.
This book had me laughing, crying, it stabbed my heart and bandaged it up on its own. I loved to see how everyone he ever interacted with fir the decade in the loop knowingly or unknowingly came to the last battle to help him and try to defend the city. Love how he is responsible and tries to repay them all back in a timely manner. And love his personality so damn much.
Zack my baby, how can I not talk about him briefly? That man, though I thought would be a cliche character at first, is such a well thought out character with deep emotions, crazy sad backstory that truly broke my heart with “I won part I” , and most of all how selfless he was. I was waiting the whole time for him to turn on Zorian and others and do something selfish for once, doubted him the whole 4 arcs yet he was the most selfless of them all. I am so happy that he is getting all that he deserves and that he didn’t lose his best friend and got out of the time loop with him. I am sure their story has more to come.
I loved Damien, everything he didn’t lose for zorian, kirielle as well and how close mc got with her lil sister even though he really was annoyed by her in the beggining, seeing her vulnerabilities truly opered Zorian’s eyes. Also one of my top 3 characters was the Leech. I have no idea till this day how to write or pronounce his name. He was a crazy cool character with great personality yet a great villain.
Xvim was hilarious and Alanic was so warm. Silverlake… well let’s just leave her as that.
I don’t think I have ever written such a long review but I think the greatness of this novel doesn’t deserve any less.
March 20, 2023
Онлайн-эпос о приключениях юного волшебника, которые уже вышел в виде 4 книг по 600 страниц в каждой. Надо было сжать раз в 5 и было б шикарно. А так…
Начинается все за здравие: в условно ДнДшном мире мальчик, учащийся на волшебника, попадает во временную петлю. Один месяц будет повторяться для него снова и снова. Он будет учиться, развивать свои способности как мага, противостоять разным врагам и все как положено в жанре. Первую книгу следить за всем этим ужасно интересно. Написано средненько, прямо скажем: описаний нет, все герои на одно лицо, характеров у героев толком нет. Но вот экшен, постоянные скелеты в шкафах и твисты - замечательно!
Дальше становится похуже. Герой проводит в петле уже не один год. Приключения продолжаются, но герой не меняется ровно никак. По возрасту он уже должен быть взрослый мужик, но ведет себя как подросток. И собственно кроме разных изощренных описаний работы магии и магических существ, происходит не так много всего. Т.е. сюжет движется, но по сути ничего не меняется: новая умелка, преодоление, следущий месяц. Чисто описание летсплея какой-то компьютерной рогалик-РПГ. Это все еще увлекательно, но утомляет: хочется каких-то отношений между героями, эмоций, хоть что-то кроме построения мира.
Оно все тянется и тянется, и никак не кончается. Можно было бы перелистнуть к концовке, но там столько деталей на каждой главе, что концовку не понять без этого. Сама концовка, кстати, довольно бодрая (хотя финал меня разочаровал), и это немного вытягивает общее впечатление.
Книгу часто преподносят, как еще один HPMOR, но это очень далеко от правды. Тут мало логики в поступках, постоянно рояли в кустах и deus ex machina, где надо и не надо. Автор темнит, вроде как ради интриги, он по сути просто вываливает в итоге на нас очередной “а вот кстати, у нашего героя есть еще такая абилка, он в тайне от читателя ее развил, и вот сейчас эту бронтозябру ей скукожит”. Очень раздражало.
В итоге, я получил удовольствие, по большей части было увлекательно (особенно по началу), но порекомендовать не могу. Это хорошая книга, когда хочется чего-то максимально легкого и ненапряжного, чтобы вообще не думать про героев, мотивы, сюжет и прочее, и просто получать удовольствие от течения истории в моменте.
Начинается все за здравие: в условно ДнДшном мире мальчик, учащийся на волшебника, попадает во временную петлю. Один месяц будет повторяться для него снова и снова. Он будет учиться, развивать свои способности как мага, противостоять разным врагам и все как положено в жанре. Первую книгу следить за всем этим ужасно интересно. Написано средненько, прямо скажем: описаний нет, все герои на одно лицо, характеров у героев толком нет. Но вот экшен, постоянные скелеты в шкафах и твисты - замечательно!
Дальше становится похуже. Герой проводит в петле уже не один год. Приключения продолжаются, но герой не меняется ровно никак. По возрасту он уже должен быть взрослый мужик, но ведет себя как подросток. И собственно кроме разных изощренных описаний работы магии и магических существ, происходит не так много всего. Т.е. сюжет движется, но по сути ничего не меняется: новая умелка, преодоление, следущий месяц. Чисто описание летсплея какой-то компьютерной рогалик-РПГ. Это все еще увлекательно, но утомляет: хочется каких-то отношений между героями, эмоций, хоть что-то кроме построения мира.
Оно все тянется и тянется, и никак не кончается. Можно было бы перелистнуть к концовке, но там столько деталей на каждой главе, что концовку не понять без этого. Сама концовка, кстати, довольно бодрая (хотя финал меня разочаровал), и это немного вытягивает общее впечатление.
Книгу часто преподносят, как еще один HPMOR, но это очень далеко от правды. Тут мало логики в поступках, постоянно рояли в кустах и deus ex machina, где надо и не надо. Автор темнит, вроде как ради интриги, он по сути просто вываливает в итоге на нас очередной “а вот кстати, у нашего героя есть еще такая абилка, он в тайне от читателя ее развил, и вот сейчас эту бронтозябру ей скукожит”. Очень раздражало.
В итоге, я получил удовольствие, по большей части было увлекательно (особенно по началу), но порекомендовать не могу. Это хорошая книга, когда хочется чего-то максимально легкого и ненапряжного, чтобы вообще не думать про героев, мотивы, сюжет и прочее, и просто получать удовольствие от течения истории в моменте.
June 18, 2023
I just have one word to say AMAZINGGGGGGGGG
The entire book collection from Arc 1 to 4 has flaws I know but I can say that it is worth it, I am going to do a whole Arc review
ARC 1: Hmm Arc 1 was kind of slow but very interesting the problem I have with this author is that he tends to over-explain a lot even things that does not need to be explained like some thoughts and actions but overall the whole arc was actually amazing and really a good beginning to the whole book I also like the perspective of magic the author employed in the whole book like the use of math and geometry and such
ARC 2: I will say that arc 2 to me was just kind of a filler I felt it was not needed actually three books will have been enough but needlessly to say it was okay
ARC 3: whoosh arc 3 it was the leading part to the end of the book so you could tell it was going to be mind-blowing this entire arc just majorly confirms like most things and doubt and honestly I really didn't want Zorian to recruit people but the way the author wrote their involvement was amazing just so you know you are going to love Xzim and hate Silverlake just saying
ARC 4: This arc has to be the most mind-blowing shit the way the author leads everything written in the previous arc to this moment is amazing and let me just say Zorian is the SHIT like that boy is amazing.
Overall Evaluation:
The world building is actually really good there is no loopholes I think the only thing the author didn't really get into was like their currency which wasn't quite needed so its calm, The plot is abousetly one sided actually but its a good plot what I didnot like was that the whole point of the series is literally just one objective but the amazing part is that the author made it work.So overall I give this like a 4.5/5 The series is long and will mostly bore you at a point but it is WORTH IT 🫡
The entire book collection from Arc 1 to 4 has flaws I know but I can say that it is worth it, I am going to do a whole Arc review
ARC 1: Hmm Arc 1 was kind of slow but very interesting the problem I have with this author is that he tends to over-explain a lot even things that does not need to be explained like some thoughts and actions but overall the whole arc was actually amazing and really a good beginning to the whole book I also like the perspective of magic the author employed in the whole book like the use of math and geometry and such
ARC 2: I will say that arc 2 to me was just kind of a filler I felt it was not needed actually three books will have been enough but needlessly to say it was okay
ARC 3: whoosh arc 3 it was the leading part to the end of the book so you could tell it was going to be mind-blowing this entire arc just majorly confirms like most things and doubt and honestly I really didn't want Zorian to recruit people but the way the author wrote their involvement was amazing just so you know you are going to love Xzim and hate Silverlake just saying
ARC 4: This arc has to be the most mind-blowing shit the way the author leads everything written in the previous arc to this moment is amazing and let me just say Zorian is the SHIT like that boy is amazing.
Overall Evaluation:
The world building is actually really good there is no loopholes I think the only thing the author didn't really get into was like their currency which wasn't quite needed so its calm, The plot is abousetly one sided actually but its a good plot what I didnot like was that the whole point of the series is literally just one objective but the amazing part is that the author made it work.So overall I give this like a 4.5/5 The series is long and will mostly bore you at a point but it is WORTH IT 🫡
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2024
To write a review doing the book justice would be hard so I'll try to summarize my favorite points. I loved how the readers felt the same way zorian did when he learned new information (like how we all thought taivern was a bad friend at first for not reaching out the entire loop in the beginning but she was just dead lol). I loved the fact that there was someone who faced everything zorian faced, as many time travel or loop books leave the reader saddened by the fact that their mc shoulders the suffering of the loop in solidarity with none the wiser of his plight. I loved the relationship building between him and his sister and the satisfying final month. I loved that silverlake got what she deserved. I look foward to the potential slice of life book for this series that the author mentioned. The only thing I wished was that there would be more slice of life at the end of arc 4 to see the reactions of the main cast but that desire is only out of my appreciation for this book and its world. To anyone concisdering reading this amazing series I would say just do it. You won't regret it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2025
Fantastic series! I really don’t think I could name a better plotted piece of time-loop centered media. The central issue of the series was satisfyingly set up and knocked down, and the growth and progression of the characters, specially the main character, was very well accomplished. There’s a lot of well thought out magic/fantasy logic behind each feat pulled off by Zorian, and despite the looping nature, never felt repetitive. One thing I will say is there is not a lick of any real romance in the entire series. That may put some people off, but I actually loved it as I sometimes find that time-loop love stories can be easy mishandled. On the other hand I am definitely not typically a romantasy enjoyer anyway, so take that with a grain of salt. IMO Zorian has more than enough interesting collegiate and familial relationships to develop between all the magical progression so I was happy. If your favorite HP book was Prisoner of Azkaban, and you don’t care about a lack of romance, you’ll probably love this book.
January 31, 2024
I thought the ending of the last book was intense, but this one definitely beat it. I liked the shifts that the characters had to make in this book due to the different contracts and the new limitations that they couldn't violate. I am being purposely vague here so I don't spoil anything, but the build up and final chapters of this book are fantastic, this series is well worth the read if you like a magic system, education, and world that actually makes sense with relatable characters, difficult choices, and a solid satisfying conclusion.
March 21, 2025
We enjoyed this series so much!!! The ending was fantastic and wrapped everything up quite nicely. I only wish they made the 3 & 4 book in a physical edition so I could add them to my library. However, the narrator of the audiobook was amazing too! I’m going to have to look for more books by this author. I might need to find the narrators podcast to see what other books he might have on there too.
April 19, 2025
Стейки повышают настолько экспоненциально что в последней битве за одно предложение описывается то, что раньше в книге только *создавалось* бы целую голову.
Получается немного скомкано
Но в целом достойное завершение
Если писать про серию целиком, то понятно что автор был сильно моложе когда начинал всю эту затею, и тем не менее это один и самых крутых примеров качественного вордбилдинга
Получается немного скомкано
Но в целом достойное завершение
Если писать про серию целиком, то понятно что автор был сильно моложе когда начинал всю эту затею, и тем не менее это один и самых крутых примеров качественного вордбилдинга
January 3, 2026
A golden ending to a near perfect book series. The exit to the time loop concludes with answers, hard choices, and a fittingly epic final battle. So few series can end well and this one does so in spades.
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