Ruwen returns home to discover a civil war he unintentionally ignited eighteen months prior. Still haunted by the events on Savage Island, he resolves to rise above the specter of his past mistakes and seeks the counsel of loyal friends to avert a looming descent into tyranny.
Confronting the rebellion's leader, a mysterious Bard, Ruwen learns of a hidden depth to the universe, a secret entwined within the harmony that whispered to Ruwen during his Master's Trial but he failed to comprehend.
As Ruwen plunges into the mysteries of this cosmic symphony, the civil war's nefarious purpose a trap shaped by godly hands to destroy him.
Ruwen’s survival hinges on unlocking harmony’s profound secrets, healing his damaged Core, and taking the first step to Divinity. Should he fail, the catastrophic consequences extend beyond his death, threatening to obliterate everything he loves.
AFK is the pen name of Ripht, a monk still wandering the Crypt of Dalnir looking for the Lumpy Goo that refuses to drop his Fighting Baton. Some of AFK's best memories happened online, and the Divine Apostasy, a LitRPG series, is his attempt to relive those days in some small part. He hopes you find a piece of yourself in this series and join him on the journey.
I guess it's time for "friends" to blame the protagonist for their actions, or actions of others. And for the protag to be a carpet for them to use and walk over.
This is the most fucked up series I ever read. Where the protag is gaslit into believing that everything is his fault, and he accepts it.
It seems the author reads reviews. So far (fifty percent in), the book is like a therapist session. Everyone is self reflecting and admitting they were shit to the protag, or the protag realises that he is not at fault for other people's crap. Where did all this come from out of the blue?
Doesn't matter. Seven books of treating the protag like shit, and manipulating and gaslighting him into believing he is at fault for everything, isn't fixed in some random out of the blue half asses introspection.
All of the protag's "friends" are shit. I do however like that the protag is no longer a carpet (took eight books).
The book starts a bit slow, and we have a lighter middle, which was a nice change. The finale, though, grips you straight away as does not let you go. We have learned so much in this book, including bringing in previous characters to strengthen the world's lore. I would almost describe this as the finale to the first arc as Ruwen takes his first step onto a large stage. Book 9 can not come soon enough.
Great read, but I highly recommend you read Book 7 and Hamma's Last Prayer to really enjoy this book as this story marries the character development of our main characters from those two books in particular.
The only issue with this series is the books come out far enough apart that I spend the first half of the new book trying to remember what had gone on. If you are starting the series there are 8 books at this writing though and the 9th is due in early 2024 so you have time to read them before the 9th comes out. Light romance, good action, nice leveling, the entire god thing is different and fun, and a lot of interesting races to learn about. The books move relatively quickly and tend to be done before you know it. Good travel reads though I'm finding them fun over the summer this year as well. Nicely done.
The author does an amazing job at writing at various levels of analysis while keeping multiple truths to life as he writes his story. The stories characters aren’t just strong and interesting, but they have to go through challenges and ethical dilemmas that anyone would find hard and difficult to navigate all the while answering the question: What is the best solution to bring about the most good in the world? The main characters do very good and realistic job of navigating the situations while propelling story forward. All this makes his books very interesting and a fun read, especially with the characters quirks.
The gods have been so lulled into complacency that they honestly believed that they would be able to suborn the Pact without consequences. But now that they’ve declared war against Ruwen, will they be relegated to mere batteries for rebirth of their Ascendants? It would seem fitting, and tracks with some of Ruwen’s thoughts in this book.
What are the chances that Nameless will gain the power to possess, rather than to simply be relegated to the background? And what harm will that forebode?
I really appreciated how for once, a book allowed the MC to enact a few plans, progress unimpeded, etc. However... like... there was a MASSIVE time dilation and it wasn't taken advantage of. That just blew my mind. No reason to not stay for a little longer. Music... the music theory is this book felt like a bunch of terms slapped together and it kinda bothered me a bit. But oh well, still a fun book! I also loved that Ruwen finally got to play games with the other Bands. Really, really interesting and fun to have such cool fantasy sports.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
What can I say? There are not enough words in any language that could really tell you...
How absolutely extraordinary this series is. When i first read book 1 then book 2 I could see this series as a comic or better yet a anime. After finishing book 4 and 5 I want a movie or TV show. I want to share moments from the book but I don't want to accidently Wright a spoiler. So without further ado enjoy!!!
The book was surprisingly good. No normal stupid Ruwen stuff. Wait, no.. There's this part just before a super duper critical moment. and Ruwen dares- he actually DARES to be worried about bumblebee wings. When it all started- I mean the "worrying nature"- there was a semblance of entertainment. At this point, I feel like AFK can't take feedback, or is surrounded by sycophants.
Apart from some instances like that, the book is absolutely splendid.
I definitely recommend reading Hamma's book first. She made me not hate her at least. I love how intertwined Ruwan and Sift's journeys are. Even with the violence and drama, this book and series hold a wholesome innocence to me. I am very curious what specific Deities will do next.
This book has value but it builds to the next ark. The fun we’ve been waiting for with Blitz’s quest finally gets it’s day. We learn a lot and grow. I’m filled with anticipation for the next one. I’m sad that will bleed off in the 6 month wait. Reading this book with the next one would feel like an epic. Sigh
A dialogue heavy character study with some action.. It is a beautifully written story with a world creation depth few get to... The characters unique and well woven.. Relationships dynamic.... Highly recommend JD Glasscock Author of the Series Blood Brothers and the Dream
A lot of time is spent on this universe's magic system. If that's not your sort of thing, then this book might drag. Happily, that's just my sort of thing!
I also enjoyed the insight into Sift's personality. He's a congenital philosopher but also a natural interpersonal facilitator whose medium is absurd humor. I want a friend like that too.
I love this series… yeah I started off like that. The progression and consistent magic system evolvement is sound and full of harmony. Excited to see how far you can take this series… endless possibilities great cultivation! Amazing character development. And one awesome MC. Cheers AFK!
Things are getting complex and confusing, so pay attention. There are 7-10 chapters (I listened to the audio book so I don't quite remember) mid book that is probably the best of the series, lighthearted and fun. Without spoiling anything, let's just say Ruwen finally finishes some if his first few quests (book 1 quests).
I love the humor in this book, it always keeps me laughing. I enjoyed seeing the characters grow and deepen. I couldn’t put the book down and almost read it all in one day. I honestly can’t wait for the next one to see how things turn out.
I never thought we would finally see this stage of his growth. The character development throughout this series has been epic and I can wait to see where the story goes from here. Might finally see how the darkness defeated.
MC takes another step on becoming God. One of his constructs wants to leave him and join his arch nemesis. He let's him without any stipulation, and I believe it's gonna come to bite him. He kills 2 of the Gods and gravelly injures one. Let's see what apps in the next volume.
Finally we get to some of the meat of the story, great book, enjoyed it a lot. Only issue is that there’s too much lovey dovey things going on, everybody is in a relationship all of a sudden. That’s just me personally though
Just when you think we are nearing the end, the world and universe explodes open to reveal a much larger story. Hoping this story continues and arcs out to an ever expanding universe. Absolute gold.
This continues to be an excellent series. I love that we're 8 (and a half) books in and the gods and their presence and story hasn't gotten so big and unwieldy like a lot of similar stories in the genre. 👍🏽👍🏽
So many entertaining concepts that stirred imagination. Battle scenes were creative and balanced with development of characters. Good characters didn't die.
The story is always captivating and I can’t wait for the Divine Apostasy series to continue. This isn’t your average LitRPG. It’s frankly one of the best series I’ve read in the genre.
This was a good book in the series. The development of the characters and plot progressed at a good pace. The banter between the main characters is fun to read.
The books are getting better as the series goes along. Main character is growing up and more of the backstory is coming out. Still has humor. Loved it.