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System Universe #7
Requirements
Since arriving in Cydaria, Derek Hunt has been caught up in one fight after another, whether he liked it or not.
Derek has saved villages and maybe even cities from overflowing dungeons. He later helped with the capture of one of the most despicable noblemen in the entire kingdom. After that, he, at the request of Prince Edgar, helped prevent upcoming danger by clearing a raid dungeon and keeping it from overflowing into the kingdom.
Then, he and Silvi joined a war effort that began while he was clearing the dungeon. With their might included in the efforts, Cydaria defeated the allied countries of Astrus and Indria—allowing for a never-before-seen peace to wash over the entire continent.
Now, with the war over, Derek’s companions are finally safe, and he can stop worrying about forces threatening them. So, with his people no longer in harm’s way for the first time, what will he choose to do next? Should he take a break? Should he try to learn more about the System Universe? Or maybe it’s time to make good on some promises.
Don’t miss the seventh installment of Derek’s journey in the System Universe. Join Derek in this unique combination of the LitRPG, Isekai, and Slice of Life genres. He has friends, a bond that should last forever, and even a home. What more could our overpowered protagonist ask for?
Derek has saved villages and maybe even cities from overflowing dungeons. He later helped with the capture of one of the most despicable noblemen in the entire kingdom. After that, he, at the request of Prince Edgar, helped prevent upcoming danger by clearing a raid dungeon and keeping it from overflowing into the kingdom.
Then, he and Silvi joined a war effort that began while he was clearing the dungeon. With their might included in the efforts, Cydaria defeated the allied countries of Astrus and Indria—allowing for a never-before-seen peace to wash over the entire continent.
Now, with the war over, Derek’s companions are finally safe, and he can stop worrying about forces threatening them. So, with his people no longer in harm’s way for the first time, what will he choose to do next? Should he take a break? Should he try to learn more about the System Universe? Or maybe it’s time to make good on some promises.
Don’t miss the seventh installment of Derek’s journey in the System Universe. Join Derek in this unique combination of the LitRPG, Isekai, and Slice of Life genres. He has friends, a bond that should last forever, and even a home. What more could our overpowered protagonist ask for?
672 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 11, 2024
1922 people are currently reading
411 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
December 13, 2024
Filler installment of a great series.
If you’re 7 books into this series then you already know it’s a good one. That being said, sadly this book is your typical filler between arcs. The war ended and such so this was almost more of a slice of life type book than the norm for this series.
That wouldn’t be bad, but it felt extremely drawn out with a lot of things just kinda thrown in for no reason. The parts of the book that mattered could be condensed to around 3-5 chapters and the rest is just kind of filler.
I didn’t want to rate it very badly, because the series is great, but this book definitely wasn’t worth the wait. Kind of feels like this should have been book 6.5.
If you’re 7 books into this series then you already know it’s a good one. That being said, sadly this book is your typical filler between arcs. The war ended and such so this was almost more of a slice of life type book than the norm for this series.
That wouldn’t be bad, but it felt extremely drawn out with a lot of things just kinda thrown in for no reason. The parts of the book that mattered could be condensed to around 3-5 chapters and the rest is just kind of filler.
I didn’t want to rate it very badly, because the series is great, but this book definitely wasn’t worth the wait. Kind of feels like this should have been book 6.5.
December 12, 2024
Somewhat Disappointed
While I enjoyed the story and the pacing, I was very upset with the low quality of the editing. It's like the editor left the draft in the inbox and forgot to actually do the work. Typos out the wazoo created a reading experience that resembles stumbling to the bathroom in the dark through a room filled with Legos.
While I enjoyed the story and the pacing, I was very upset with the low quality of the editing. It's like the editor left the draft in the inbox and forgot to actually do the work. Typos out the wazoo created a reading experience that resembles stumbling to the bathroom in the dark through a room filled with Legos.
December 16, 2024
This eminently skippable installment adds next to nothing to our characters or the story. There are basically two things that are introduced that are relevant in the future, but we only really needed 2-3 chapters for that.
I'll read the next one but I really need to see something develop or that might be the last one for me.
I'll read the next one but I really need to see something develop or that might be the last one for me.
February 23, 2025
if you enjoyed this series skip the first 45% of this one
I’ve never taken the time to write a review before but this book was so bad I felt compelled to say something.
SunriseCV is not a great writer but they do an excellent job narrating fight scenes. When it comes to the broader presentation of story this is where they fall down.
The first half of this book, Derek spends his time checking in with all the characters he’s developed a relationship with in the series. “Slice of life” stories are not my favorite but if you’re going to tell one then doing so via internal narrative using passive voice is not the way to do it! Not unless you want to bore the reader until they drop your book altogether! Good writers let the dialog of the characters and the associated actions tell the story.
This book also highlights some weaknesses with Sunrise’s writing in general.
When characters speak they all use the same voice- it’s like listening to Sunrise talk to themselves.
The characters are flat emotionally as well - aside from slight touches of being disturbed by the events of their past, they’re pretty much unfeeling zombies. Joy? Love? Anger? Satisfaction? Rage? Intimacy? Don’t look for any of that in this book.
Finally, the characters complete lack of introspection coupled with their fatuous assumption that they are the “good guys” is really wearing thin on me. You did pick up on the fact that they’re gaining power by eating sentient beings, right? Or how about the fact they murder people that upset them? These are “evil person” red flags.
I stuck it out to the end so I could write this review fairly. But I am done with this writer.
I’ve never taken the time to write a review before but this book was so bad I felt compelled to say something.
SunriseCV is not a great writer but they do an excellent job narrating fight scenes. When it comes to the broader presentation of story this is where they fall down.
The first half of this book, Derek spends his time checking in with all the characters he’s developed a relationship with in the series. “Slice of life” stories are not my favorite but if you’re going to tell one then doing so via internal narrative using passive voice is not the way to do it! Not unless you want to bore the reader until they drop your book altogether! Good writers let the dialog of the characters and the associated actions tell the story.
This book also highlights some weaknesses with Sunrise’s writing in general.
When characters speak they all use the same voice- it’s like listening to Sunrise talk to themselves.
The characters are flat emotionally as well - aside from slight touches of being disturbed by the events of their past, they’re pretty much unfeeling zombies. Joy? Love? Anger? Satisfaction? Rage? Intimacy? Don’t look for any of that in this book.
Finally, the characters complete lack of introspection coupled with their fatuous assumption that they are the “good guys” is really wearing thin on me. You did pick up on the fact that they’re gaining power by eating sentient beings, right? Or how about the fact they murder people that upset them? These are “evil person” red flags.
I stuck it out to the end so I could write this review fairly. But I am done with this writer.
December 13, 2024
needs editing
I enjoyed this story quite a bit. Contrary to some reviews I read, it was not all just Derek catching up with his friends. There’s certainly some of that, but it’s well done and the pace picks up a bit around halfway through. Some of the characters he spends time with have been missing for a while so it was appreciated.
That said, this book desperately needed editing. I don’t even think the author read it all the way through before publishing, as it reads like a rough draft. I almost dropped it around halfway through when an ENTIRE paragraph is almost word for word copied back to back. There are countless misspelled words and grammatical errors throughout, like “there” in place of “their” or “what are you doing hear” instead of “here”.
PLEASE use some of the time in the coming year before the next book is released to edit the novel. I quite enjoy this series, and it’s hard to build the scenes in one’s head when you’re stumbling over poorly constructed sentences and syntax errors that a middle school student could have caught and edited for you.
I enjoyed this story quite a bit. Contrary to some reviews I read, it was not all just Derek catching up with his friends. There’s certainly some of that, but it’s well done and the pace picks up a bit around halfway through. Some of the characters he spends time with have been missing for a while so it was appreciated.
That said, this book desperately needed editing. I don’t even think the author read it all the way through before publishing, as it reads like a rough draft. I almost dropped it around halfway through when an ENTIRE paragraph is almost word for word copied back to back. There are countless misspelled words and grammatical errors throughout, like “there” in place of “their” or “what are you doing hear” instead of “here”.
PLEASE use some of the time in the coming year before the next book is released to edit the novel. I quite enjoy this series, and it’s hard to build the scenes in one’s head when you’re stumbling over poorly constructed sentences and syntax errors that a middle school student could have caught and edited for you.
February 6, 2025
I'm a quarter of the way through this, and nothing has happened. So far the protag is just doing what takes his fancy.
If that is what this book is going to be about (faffing about), there is no reason it should have so many pages.
This book was filler. It's only the last half that "not lazing around" was a plot, and the last quarter that something happened.
Really fed up of these cash grabs. There is no reason this book had to be this long.
2/5 Stars
If that is what this book is going to be about (faffing about), there is no reason it should have so many pages.
This book was filler. It's only the last half that "not lazing around" was a plot, and the last quarter that something happened.
Really fed up of these cash grabs. There is no reason this book had to be this long.
2/5 Stars
February 16, 2025
I was disappointed. I came back to this series remembering how much I enjoyed the previous books but the editing and low quality ruined it for me. This one specifically went down hill, every page the story was interrupted by a misspelled word or missing words entirely not to mention grammar that seemed ai generated. That alone brought the rating down from what I thought it should have been
December 22, 2024
Difficult to make it through
The author shift the main character too much and without addressing the issues that make him unlikable. Spending the first half of the book concentrating on him helping people and visiting people was a huge slog. Sadly the story has lost its charm. The series made it further then most but it has officially fizzled and become average at best and lacks pretty much all originality.
The author shift the main character too much and without addressing the issues that make him unlikable. Spending the first half of the book concentrating on him helping people and visiting people was a huge slog. Sadly the story has lost its charm. The series made it further then most but it has officially fizzled and become average at best and lacks pretty much all originality.
December 13, 2024
Transition books are fine as long as they don't get bogged down in minutia. This was more a set up than any kind of proper wrap up to an arc.
August 4, 2025
This series has been great so far! I feel like the editors were slacking on this one a bit (the repeated paragraph made me reread several times to make sure I wasn't going mad).
The books focus much more on the people than the world building, which I like and the characters are loveable with Silvi and Edgar are my favourites.
A couple of 'quirks' that I found funny:
1) The protagonist chides himself on comparing how attractive 2 women are and says he won't do it again... Continues to do it with every other character in the book 😅
2) Everyone just LOVES to click their tongue as a default response to something they don't like
Can't wait to see what Derek and the gang get up to next ☺️
The books focus much more on the people than the world building, which I like and the characters are loveable with Silvi and Edgar are my favourites.
A couple of 'quirks' that I found funny:
1) The protagonist chides himself on comparing how attractive 2 women are and says he won't do it again... Continues to do it with every other character in the book 😅
2) Everyone just LOVES to click their tongue as a default response to something they don't like
Can't wait to see what Derek and the gang get up to next ☺️
December 16, 2024
I think the first draft got published by mistake
What happened? This is one of my favorite series, but my enjoyment was seriously diminished by the non stop errors in the text! The other books in the series are not this way at all. There is on average a distracting error at least once every 5 pages. Maybe it’s even harder for me because I’ve done editing myself in the past, and these things really leap out at me. I love this author and will help them myself for the next one if they want <3
What happened? This is one of my favorite series, but my enjoyment was seriously diminished by the non stop errors in the text! The other books in the series are not this way at all. There is on average a distracting error at least once every 5 pages. Maybe it’s even harder for me because I’ve done editing myself in the past, and these things really leap out at me. I love this author and will help them myself for the next one if they want <3
December 17, 2024
Please get a copy editor or proofreader!
Although this is another fun installment in an OP MC's romp through another world, it's massively let down by frequent and intrusive text errors. Missing words, sentences that don't make sense as written, direct contradictions of meaning from context - all of these occur regularly throughout the novel. Sometimes you'd get a new error every page!
If the author could just get this properly edited / proofread, it'd be a much better book!
Although this is another fun installment in an OP MC's romp through another world, it's massively let down by frequent and intrusive text errors. Missing words, sentences that don't make sense as written, direct contradictions of meaning from context - all of these occur regularly throughout the novel. Sometimes you'd get a new error every page!
If the author could just get this properly edited / proofread, it'd be a much better book!
December 16, 2024
Needs a quick proofread; love the story though
A noticeable amount of typos; more than I recall seeing in previous books. Hopefully this gets fixed soon. The story has some slow spots, but the overall story is interesting enough to press through. I like Derek and Silvi and Alanah. I look forward to their continuing adventures-- and to seeing what happens when systems collide... and when Derek and Jace meet up again.
A noticeable amount of typos; more than I recall seeing in previous books. Hopefully this gets fixed soon. The story has some slow spots, but the overall story is interesting enough to press through. I like Derek and Silvi and Alanah. I look forward to their continuing adventures-- and to seeing what happens when systems collide... and when Derek and Jace meet up again.
January 2, 2025
Literally I have devoured this series. SunriseCV is absolutely fantastic. I love their writing style and it makes me want to write my own book because of how interesting the narrative is to me.
Other people have their own motivations, you can see them grow. The interludes are done well.
Other people have their own motivations, you can see them grow. The interludes are done well.
January 26, 2025
This is basically a book of catching up rambling and really kinda boring Derek tooted his own horn so much he could start a band.. trying not to skip through to get through ready for next book
August 22, 2025
Good ending and the increased focus on the side characters was a welcome change of pace.
January 30, 2025
I truly like this series, but this volume just was too boring for me, and I'm one of those people who enjoys slow paced stories and reading about mundane stuff. Nothing interesting happened in this volume, just a constent dungeon dive.
December 27, 2024
Nothing to see here...
Not much happens in the meat of the book. It is a lot of wrap-up, but not many changes. MC is powerful, Silvi can cook...
There were way too many spelling errors. I marked a bunch, but not all. Need more editors.
Not much happens in the meat of the book. It is a lot of wrap-up, but not many changes. MC is powerful, Silvi can cook...
There were way too many spelling errors. I marked a bunch, but not all. Need more editors.
June 4, 2025
A much better book than Book 6. While some may call this filler, I think that would only apply with skewed definitions of the term. I enjoyed the dungeon delving in the latter half of the book, as well as the character growth of the MC as explored through Alanah. We also got quite of bit of new lore to add to the story and as setup for future arcs. This series, so far, has set itself up well for future storytelling potential and also being rather unique in how it’s done so.
The first half of this book is housekeeping. If the entire book was like the first half, then yes, it would be filler. But it’s not. The second half involves Alanah and Derek (MC) delving dungeons, grinding skill levels, and getting juicy achievements. During an interlude in this process, MC finally opens up about his WHOLE story to Alanah. The first and only person he’s ever been so forthright to in this series. He does this after she unloads her story on him. And explaining how she’s met two mysterious requirements to evolve, achieved during the war arc. She has a couple of months before she ascends to another system and parts unknown.
I really appreciated this whole scene. We finally saw MC’s hermit-like facade crack open. We’ve been seeing gradual character growth for the MC since the first book, but this is the biggest step so far. And same can be said for Alanah, though she’s gone from the story for the immediate future. My only gripe here is that neither of them ever makes a move on the other. They are both attractive and single, like and respect each other, so what’s the problem? The problem is maybe the author prefers the incel trope so common in this genre? Maybe he doesn’t know how to right relationships? Maybe he thinks it’s cool for the MC to be aloof? Maybe it is, but I think it’s unrealistic. Kind of breaks the immersion for me. Especially when a new element of MC’s background was he used to be a D1 linebacker and was headed for the NFL before a family tragedy and then integration on earth. I don’t believe for a minute, that a stud linebacker goes however-many-years in this new world without getting laid a single time. It’s utterly unfathomable. He has hormones. He’s good looking. There’s single women everywhere.
So all that rant to say, I felt very cheated when in the last scene Alanah gives who she thinks to herself as the “clueless” MC a kiss on the cheek before she leaves and tells him she owes him a real date next time they meet, and he cool-as-ever instantly has a smooth comeback like he knew all the time. That whole scene contradicts itself. Either he noticed her flirtation and chose to ignore it because he’s not interested or he never realized she was flirting, which is not believable given his background. And if he isn’t interested why make that comeback? I’m definitely overthinking this. Just feel like the audience was cheated as I said.
As for the lore, I won’t spoil specifics but it seems this ascension process is a very interesting element to keep the story arcs fresh as this series gets into the double digits. Most series just have an ever-increasing amount of stakes until the story reaches its potential within the confines of the world an author has built or they have limitless potential but each arc escalates in levels thanks to contrivances, such as with Primal Hunter or DOTF where factions limit levels for some contrived reason or another. Those types of stories can be fun, but they’re less organic. I think this unique style of having competing systems both laterally and vertically, allows for stories to be told laterally at each level, and with each level comes a return to being on the bottom but not because of a plot device or being hamstrung by some contrived circumstance.
So this means that I am very much looking forward to future entries in this series. But that’s not to say I don’t have problems. I gave three 5-star reviews for the first three books, three 4-star for books 4, 5 and this one, and one 3-star for book 6 being filler. The reason for the drop off for me is partly due to some annoyances I have.
The first I already mentioned is the incongruity between the background and character of the MC and his lack of intimate relationships. I get so annoyed by authors not writing romance. It’s kind of a pivotal part of being human, it is how we got here and all, and it seems cheap to leave it out with stories told on the scale that progression series are usually told. I’m not looking for a romance novel. PG is fine.
The second issue I mentioned on my book 6 review, and it’s the fact the MC never makes a mistake. Even when he’s being an impulsive smart ass, it never costs him anything. In this novel at least, that aspect of his character doesn’t come up. I’m also not saying those are bad aspects of his character, just that the way it’s written doesn’t feel relatable because the only reason the MC is always right is because the author writes it that way. In a relatable story, someone with his traits would often find how much that hinders him more than anything else.
The third issue is the quality of the publication itself. This book is the worst of all of them. It’s really only a rough draft. I thought the other books were bad, this one is on another level on top of another level worse than the others. It’s like it wasn’t proof read AT ALL. The most common errors in these digital-only books is words that are correctly spelled, so missed by spell check, but are the wrong word. We have plenty of those here as usual. The next is punctuation. The author randomly uses dashes for some reason, and also doesn’t seem to understand when to not use commas. But this book has entire sentences ending randomly. I found one part where I figured out what the author meant to say but it was missing three words to make it sound right. And there was at least one place where no matter how long I looked at it, I couldn’t figure out what the author was trying to say. Further there are adverbs in a noun form instead of adverb form. There’s even a paragraph where one character’s name is spelled two entirely different ways. Just beyond lazy. Again, the author should use Patreon to write these stories and fix the errors and get paid for letting his fans do it. This single issue is the cause for my one star deduction. There’s so many, it constantly breaks the flow of reading and immersion.
The fourth issue is the occasional joke that plays on English words. For instance the MC says “cross the I’s and cross the T’s”. That wouldn’t make any sense in the context the author created for this story. They don’t speak English. There’s another example of a store called “Nicks Knick Knacks” which is a cute rhyme, but assuming the system is translating for MC, seems like a stretch it would also rhyme in both languages. This is my biggest pet-peeve with authors in any genre when writing in English but with story that is in the context of a different language. So you wouldn’t tell that rhyme joke when writing a historical drama about Julius Caesar. Why? Because it makes no sense. Just dumb.
Finally, ALL birds are bipedal dumbass. Anyway, I’m greatly disappointed at the ever-lengthening pace between books. It looks like Book 8 won’t release until over a year after this one was released. Don’t really understand why that’s the case. Clearly little to no editing going on. And these books are half the length of books in more popular series like DCC, PH, HWFWM, DOTF, etc. I can’t imagine it wouldn’t more than 6 months at a leisurely pace.
All that aside, I do recommend this series. It’s a solid 4.5 stars for me taken as a whole.
The first half of this book is housekeeping. If the entire book was like the first half, then yes, it would be filler. But it’s not. The second half involves Alanah and Derek (MC) delving dungeons, grinding skill levels, and getting juicy achievements. During an interlude in this process, MC finally opens up about his WHOLE story to Alanah. The first and only person he’s ever been so forthright to in this series. He does this after she unloads her story on him. And explaining how she’s met two mysterious requirements to evolve, achieved during the war arc. She has a couple of months before she ascends to another system and parts unknown.
I really appreciated this whole scene. We finally saw MC’s hermit-like facade crack open. We’ve been seeing gradual character growth for the MC since the first book, but this is the biggest step so far. And same can be said for Alanah, though she’s gone from the story for the immediate future. My only gripe here is that neither of them ever makes a move on the other. They are both attractive and single, like and respect each other, so what’s the problem? The problem is maybe the author prefers the incel trope so common in this genre? Maybe he doesn’t know how to right relationships? Maybe he thinks it’s cool for the MC to be aloof? Maybe it is, but I think it’s unrealistic. Kind of breaks the immersion for me. Especially when a new element of MC’s background was he used to be a D1 linebacker and was headed for the NFL before a family tragedy and then integration on earth. I don’t believe for a minute, that a stud linebacker goes however-many-years in this new world without getting laid a single time. It’s utterly unfathomable. He has hormones. He’s good looking. There’s single women everywhere.
So all that rant to say, I felt very cheated when in the last scene Alanah gives who she thinks to herself as the “clueless” MC a kiss on the cheek before she leaves and tells him she owes him a real date next time they meet, and he cool-as-ever instantly has a smooth comeback like he knew all the time. That whole scene contradicts itself. Either he noticed her flirtation and chose to ignore it because he’s not interested or he never realized she was flirting, which is not believable given his background. And if he isn’t interested why make that comeback? I’m definitely overthinking this. Just feel like the audience was cheated as I said.
As for the lore, I won’t spoil specifics but it seems this ascension process is a very interesting element to keep the story arcs fresh as this series gets into the double digits. Most series just have an ever-increasing amount of stakes until the story reaches its potential within the confines of the world an author has built or they have limitless potential but each arc escalates in levels thanks to contrivances, such as with Primal Hunter or DOTF where factions limit levels for some contrived reason or another. Those types of stories can be fun, but they’re less organic. I think this unique style of having competing systems both laterally and vertically, allows for stories to be told laterally at each level, and with each level comes a return to being on the bottom but not because of a plot device or being hamstrung by some contrived circumstance.
So this means that I am very much looking forward to future entries in this series. But that’s not to say I don’t have problems. I gave three 5-star reviews for the first three books, three 4-star for books 4, 5 and this one, and one 3-star for book 6 being filler. The reason for the drop off for me is partly due to some annoyances I have.
The first I already mentioned is the incongruity between the background and character of the MC and his lack of intimate relationships. I get so annoyed by authors not writing romance. It’s kind of a pivotal part of being human, it is how we got here and all, and it seems cheap to leave it out with stories told on the scale that progression series are usually told. I’m not looking for a romance novel. PG is fine.
The second issue I mentioned on my book 6 review, and it’s the fact the MC never makes a mistake. Even when he’s being an impulsive smart ass, it never costs him anything. In this novel at least, that aspect of his character doesn’t come up. I’m also not saying those are bad aspects of his character, just that the way it’s written doesn’t feel relatable because the only reason the MC is always right is because the author writes it that way. In a relatable story, someone with his traits would often find how much that hinders him more than anything else.
The third issue is the quality of the publication itself. This book is the worst of all of them. It’s really only a rough draft. I thought the other books were bad, this one is on another level on top of another level worse than the others. It’s like it wasn’t proof read AT ALL. The most common errors in these digital-only books is words that are correctly spelled, so missed by spell check, but are the wrong word. We have plenty of those here as usual. The next is punctuation. The author randomly uses dashes for some reason, and also doesn’t seem to understand when to not use commas. But this book has entire sentences ending randomly. I found one part where I figured out what the author meant to say but it was missing three words to make it sound right. And there was at least one place where no matter how long I looked at it, I couldn’t figure out what the author was trying to say. Further there are adverbs in a noun form instead of adverb form. There’s even a paragraph where one character’s name is spelled two entirely different ways. Just beyond lazy. Again, the author should use Patreon to write these stories and fix the errors and get paid for letting his fans do it. This single issue is the cause for my one star deduction. There’s so many, it constantly breaks the flow of reading and immersion.
The fourth issue is the occasional joke that plays on English words. For instance the MC says “cross the I’s and cross the T’s”. That wouldn’t make any sense in the context the author created for this story. They don’t speak English. There’s another example of a store called “Nicks Knick Knacks” which is a cute rhyme, but assuming the system is translating for MC, seems like a stretch it would also rhyme in both languages. This is my biggest pet-peeve with authors in any genre when writing in English but with story that is in the context of a different language. So you wouldn’t tell that rhyme joke when writing a historical drama about Julius Caesar. Why? Because it makes no sense. Just dumb.
Finally, ALL birds are bipedal dumbass. Anyway, I’m greatly disappointed at the ever-lengthening pace between books. It looks like Book 8 won’t release until over a year after this one was released. Don’t really understand why that’s the case. Clearly little to no editing going on. And these books are half the length of books in more popular series like DCC, PH, HWFWM, DOTF, etc. I can’t imagine it wouldn’t more than 6 months at a leisurely pace.
All that aside, I do recommend this series. It’s a solid 4.5 stars for me taken as a whole.
December 26, 2024
took a long time to advance the story. Way too much cultivation & stats mumbo jumbo.
Short on storyline, long on descriptions of cultivation and stats until it was just goobldy-gook. I really struggled to read this installment. There were also many typo’s.
There were a few interesting parts, such as visiting Thomas at the academy and the impromptu training session. Hanging out with Marrick, the elderly elf and finally (though we had to really, really wait to get to it) the dungeon delving with Alanah the elf-siren.
The book was at 47% before Alana showed up and then there was a ton more of boring cultivation stats and theory that I couldn’t help skipping through. I was seriously ready to stop reading by this time. I did stick with it until the book was at 80% when finally the story started to advance and get interesting again about the time they decided to go to the other continent.
The deep convo with Alana about the systems and his background were engaging and relational. This could have set the stage for a deeper connection and relationship with her. She’s leaving so he’s got a short time with her. If he just wants to get physical with no commitment thats perfect. If he wants a more long term relationship, it’s a star-crossed lovers scenario where he’s gotta figure out how to get back with her. But nothing but a kiss on the cheek at the end…. really?
This makes me question the MC’s manhood. He has never even tried to scope out any eye candy, never mind some nookie. This is despite being a potentate with a number of lovely ladies in his orbit. He’s had opportunity for Malorie, Stella, Alana and even the elf that had the hots for him in the last book. Yet nothing… crickets!
Maybe he’s asexual, cause he doesn’t seem interested in playing for the other team either. Im not saying go X or even R rated, but Pg-13. What guy (or girl) doesn’t even peek? He spent months on the road alone with Alana after both of them were desperate for someone at their power level, yet nothing? And he’s even got those portable showers they could have used to tease each other. But nothing……that’s just weird!
Also, in the last book there were references to his friend from earth as well as the origin system admins trying to track him as an anomaly, yet in this book there’s nothing about that at all. An undeveloped thread that would have been much better than all the boring cultivation theory.
Short on storyline, long on descriptions of cultivation and stats until it was just goobldy-gook. I really struggled to read this installment. There were also many typo’s.
There were a few interesting parts, such as visiting Thomas at the academy and the impromptu training session. Hanging out with Marrick, the elderly elf and finally (though we had to really, really wait to get to it) the dungeon delving with Alanah the elf-siren.
The book was at 47% before Alana showed up and then there was a ton more of boring cultivation stats and theory that I couldn’t help skipping through. I was seriously ready to stop reading by this time. I did stick with it until the book was at 80% when finally the story started to advance and get interesting again about the time they decided to go to the other continent.
The deep convo with Alana about the systems and his background were engaging and relational. This could have set the stage for a deeper connection and relationship with her. She’s leaving so he’s got a short time with her. If he just wants to get physical with no commitment thats perfect. If he wants a more long term relationship, it’s a star-crossed lovers scenario where he’s gotta figure out how to get back with her. But nothing but a kiss on the cheek at the end…. really?
This makes me question the MC’s manhood. He has never even tried to scope out any eye candy, never mind some nookie. This is despite being a potentate with a number of lovely ladies in his orbit. He’s had opportunity for Malorie, Stella, Alana and even the elf that had the hots for him in the last book. Yet nothing… crickets!
Maybe he’s asexual, cause he doesn’t seem interested in playing for the other team either. Im not saying go X or even R rated, but Pg-13. What guy (or girl) doesn’t even peek? He spent months on the road alone with Alana after both of them were desperate for someone at their power level, yet nothing? And he’s even got those portable showers they could have used to tease each other. But nothing……that’s just weird!
Also, in the last book there were references to his friend from earth as well as the origin system admins trying to track him as an anomaly, yet in this book there’s nothing about that at all. An undeveloped thread that would have been much better than all the boring cultivation theory.
March 11, 2025
I like this series, but this is probably the most boring book I have ever finished.
You know how in a good series you'll have a book end with some sort of climax and then the next book in the series starts a little later when a new significant story line starts up? It's usually a short period like a week or a year. Did you ever wonder about or wish you could have followed the MC around during that lull? Well now is your chance.
Follow our brave MC as he does all the absolutely mundane and boring stuff that is usually left out. Small talk? Catching up with unimportant acquaintances? Shopping for mundane items? Thinking and thinking about stats? It's all here for your enjoyment without an ounce of anything important.
You know how in a good series you'll have a book end with some sort of climax and then the next book in the series starts a little later when a new significant story line starts up? It's usually a short period like a week or a year. Did you ever wonder about or wish you could have followed the MC around during that lull? Well now is your chance.
Follow our brave MC as he does all the absolutely mundane and boring stuff that is usually left out. Small talk? Catching up with unimportant acquaintances? Shopping for mundane items? Thinking and thinking about stats? It's all here for your enjoyment without an ounce of anything important.
January 1, 2025
This is where I have to get off the ride and walk away. The writing has deteriorated badly and there’s no enjoying an (effectively) all-powerful protagonist.
August 20, 2025
This entry in the series was about the same as everything else after book two. There was nothing happening for the vast majority of the book, it wasn’t difficult to get through, but it had almost no substance. It is the standard part of every litRPG series when the main character goes back through old friends and acquaintances and checks up on them. The issue here is there are very few characters the author has developed enough to care about in the past books, so it just falls flat.
Of the 66 chapters, I’d say about 10 of them have something meaningful that is not tedious. That is not a great percentage, and it was all I needed to know about continuing the series.
I was shocked at some of the information that is given to the reader finally in the talk with a certain other character. It seems like the series may actually progress again, but to finally write this into the series in book seven is just too little too late. This reads more like a lifestyle fantasy book for the past few entries, and I don’t think the author can be trusted to continue the series in a responsible way for the reader.
The author has written themself into a pretty bad series corner. A few books back was the introduction of caps to everything related to stats, so there is nothing to do with the main character until the series plot finally catches up to the epilogues and prologues, and getting to that point is taking way longer than it should. There is no excuse to have 3-5 books in a row that have almost nothing happening because there is a greater series arc that hasn’t been fully flushed out yet.
On a positive note in book 7 we finally learn about the backstory of the main character. He was just a dude who hit stuff and pissed off powerful people for the entire series, but now we know at least a little about his life before book one. I wouldn’t say this is a good way of developing your characters (by giving them a backstory seven books in), but to each their own I suppose.
Overall this will have to be the last book I read in the series. It is all well and good to keep reading the published works, but there is no way I’d get the next book if I had to wait for it. The author cannot be trusted to write consistent stories, and waiting for something just to be disappointed with the product would make it all the worse. I’m glad there is a market for reading 30 chapters of a main character doing nothing but walking around and talking to other characters the author never developed, but that isn’t the story I’m looking for; even if I feel there is a promising idea underneath it all.
Of the 66 chapters, I’d say about 10 of them have something meaningful that is not tedious. That is not a great percentage, and it was all I needed to know about continuing the series.
I was shocked at some of the information that is given to the reader finally in the talk with a certain other character. It seems like the series may actually progress again, but to finally write this into the series in book seven is just too little too late. This reads more like a lifestyle fantasy book for the past few entries, and I don’t think the author can be trusted to continue the series in a responsible way for the reader.
The author has written themself into a pretty bad series corner. A few books back was the introduction of caps to everything related to stats, so there is nothing to do with the main character until the series plot finally catches up to the epilogues and prologues, and getting to that point is taking way longer than it should. There is no excuse to have 3-5 books in a row that have almost nothing happening because there is a greater series arc that hasn’t been fully flushed out yet.
On a positive note in book 7 we finally learn about the backstory of the main character. He was just a dude who hit stuff and pissed off powerful people for the entire series, but now we know at least a little about his life before book one. I wouldn’t say this is a good way of developing your characters (by giving them a backstory seven books in), but to each their own I suppose.
Overall this will have to be the last book I read in the series. It is all well and good to keep reading the published works, but there is no way I’d get the next book if I had to wait for it. The author cannot be trusted to write consistent stories, and waiting for something just to be disappointed with the product would make it all the worse. I’m glad there is a market for reading 30 chapters of a main character doing nothing but walking around and talking to other characters the author never developed, but that isn’t the story I’m looking for; even if I feel there is a promising idea underneath it all.
December 24, 2024
This book's (lack of) editing and proofreading is borderline offensive. It is beyond sloppy; there is constant wrong word usage, missing words and brilliant attention to detail like this, "Seven of the elves were sprawled on the ground, unmoving. Of those six, ..."
Beyond that, the book is dull and lacks any tension or sense of danger. An overpowered MC isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the character still needs to face and overcome some manner of challenge or conflict to be interesting. Derek has no challenges or any real ambition. He just drifts around and visits people. He doesn't even have any social conflict outside of the occasional oblivious stooge to serve as a nail to his hammer. Instead, we get exciting vignettes like a powerful old acquaintance coming by to visit Derek's chair guy. I mean, who doesn't want to follow the adventures of the raid and subsequent war with a lengthy exposition on recliners?
The book's second half promised some adventure but remained steadfast in its commitment to building the perfect Nothing Burger.
I don't mind filler books that transition between major story arcs, but they still need to try to entertain. This is just a disappointing effort in an otherwise great series, and the worst part is that you could skip this entire book and be caught up for the next one with a one-page summary of events.
Beyond that, the book is dull and lacks any tension or sense of danger. An overpowered MC isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the character still needs to face and overcome some manner of challenge or conflict to be interesting. Derek has no challenges or any real ambition. He just drifts around and visits people. He doesn't even have any social conflict outside of the occasional oblivious stooge to serve as a nail to his hammer. Instead, we get exciting vignettes like a powerful old acquaintance coming by to visit Derek's chair guy. I mean, who doesn't want to follow the adventures of the raid and subsequent war with a lengthy exposition on recliners?
The book's second half promised some adventure but remained steadfast in its commitment to building the perfect Nothing Burger.
I don't mind filler books that transition between major story arcs, but they still need to try to entertain. This is just a disappointing effort in an otherwise great series, and the worst part is that you could skip this entire book and be caught up for the next one with a one-page summary of events.
July 25, 2025
A slightly (void) purple book.
I've rated this book slightly lower than any other book in the series. That is largely due to two different reasons, neither of which has anything to do with Sunrise's storytelling.
First, the book really could've benefited from one more editing pass. While I'm no grammar obsessive, there were many more grammar and spelling errors than usual in one of CV's books, enough to slightly detract from my reading pleasure.
Second, and much lesser, is that this book was somewhat of a filler. After Derek's adventures in the raid dungeon and everything that came after, there really needed to be some time passing before the start of his next epic adventure, but instead of just saying something like "six months later" CV chose to add a novel in between the two and,
-Slight Spoilers Follow-
as a Patreon member I can tell you that Derek's next adventure really is epic.
Sunrise made up for the deficit quite excellently, though. We got deeper background on two different characters in the series and saw the (hopefully temporary) departure of a loved character as well. Also, at several points this book really manages to kick you right in the feels.
I've rated this book slightly lower than any other book in the series. That is largely due to two different reasons, neither of which has anything to do with Sunrise's storytelling.
First, the book really could've benefited from one more editing pass. While I'm no grammar obsessive, there were many more grammar and spelling errors than usual in one of CV's books, enough to slightly detract from my reading pleasure.
Second, and much lesser, is that this book was somewhat of a filler. After Derek's adventures in the raid dungeon and everything that came after, there really needed to be some time passing before the start of his next epic adventure, but instead of just saying something like "six months later" CV chose to add a novel in between the two and,
-Slight Spoilers Follow-
as a Patreon member I can tell you that Derek's next adventure really is epic.
Sunrise made up for the deficit quite excellently, though. We got deeper background on two different characters in the series and saw the (hopefully temporary) departure of a loved character as well. Also, at several points this book really manages to kick you right in the feels.
February 9, 2025
If the first book had this unimaginative meandering, it wouldn't have been a good enough story to continue with a Book 2.
There are some really easy ways to continue this story without the character wasting time, wandering around, and just bullying people as he is. Now it just feels like I'm wasting my time for this story to take my money, and annoy me like the twisting lines at Universal or Disney theme parks.
It would have been easy enough for him to meet the "requirements" in THIS story, ascend with any number of other characters, find out that it causes the various Systems to collide, and then you could throw in any number of actual story twists from there.
OR he could realize that he could use the void to travel back to Earth for a while... that's an open field of possible story lines. OR the author could surprise us with him actually getting seriously injured. OR aliens could invade from space and zap the planet with tech never before seen in that system.
I'm no author, but it's like the author's imagination died after Book 2 or 3, or like they're not having fun at it anymore. It actually made me wonder if AI is writing these now (not a compliment).
There are some really easy ways to continue this story without the character wasting time, wandering around, and just bullying people as he is. Now it just feels like I'm wasting my time for this story to take my money, and annoy me like the twisting lines at Universal or Disney theme parks.
It would have been easy enough for him to meet the "requirements" in THIS story, ascend with any number of other characters, find out that it causes the various Systems to collide, and then you could throw in any number of actual story twists from there.
OR he could realize that he could use the void to travel back to Earth for a while... that's an open field of possible story lines. OR the author could surprise us with him actually getting seriously injured. OR aliens could invade from space and zap the planet with tech never before seen in that system.
I'm no author, but it's like the author's imagination died after Book 2 or 3, or like they're not having fun at it anymore. It actually made me wonder if AI is writing these now (not a compliment).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2024
I recommend the series anybody reading the review
I really have enjoyed this series quite a bit. I did enjoy this entry into the story. There are unfortunately a handful of grammatical errors such as of instead of off, that instead of then, and Away instead of await as examples. I'm sure they'll get cleared up in short order. The back half of the book tends to focus on Alana and there's kind of a tearjerker scene in there. Maybe two depending on how you feel about it. I am curious where the author chooses to go from here though. I'm kind of hoping that the book 8 release date is an error as it is set for November of next year. I did pick this book up as part of the Kindle unlimited program as I tend to prefer this series in the audio book format and so I'm looking forward to that. With that said I'll simply say that everybody who had a hand in bringing the story to us, the Amazon readers, is deserving of a round of applause and well done all around. Oh and I definitely would like to see a bodybuilder Silve stuffed animal.
I really have enjoyed this series quite a bit. I did enjoy this entry into the story. There are unfortunately a handful of grammatical errors such as of instead of off, that instead of then, and Away instead of await as examples. I'm sure they'll get cleared up in short order. The back half of the book tends to focus on Alana and there's kind of a tearjerker scene in there. Maybe two depending on how you feel about it. I am curious where the author chooses to go from here though. I'm kind of hoping that the book 8 release date is an error as it is set for November of next year. I did pick this book up as part of the Kindle unlimited program as I tend to prefer this series in the audio book format and so I'm looking forward to that. With that said I'll simply say that everybody who had a hand in bringing the story to us, the Amazon readers, is deserving of a round of applause and well done all around. Oh and I definitely would like to see a bodybuilder Silve stuffed animal.
March 4, 2025
Wow. AwesomeSauce!!! Derek may have taken a bit of a back-step from the goings on. Relaxing after the harrowing war that he just finished, setting up alliances with three countries. But sunriseCV doesn’t, giving us another winner. It's true Derek ends up enjoying being in his own store, and catching up with those he considers family, and his friends. But he can't sit around doin nothin for too long until he starts to go stir crazy... That's when Alanah decides that she needs Derek to go dungeon diving with her... And ohhhh myyy gods we get to learn so much about both of them. Giving us an in depth view of who they truly are!
So yeah you absodamnlutely should grab this litRPG adventure. To find out how they do diving into some of the strongest dungeons in 3 countrys. But grab the audiobook and treat yourself to Adam Verner's awesome voice performance.
Here's a quote the murder bunny/chef companion:
"‘Warn me next time you upgrade,’ Silvi said. ‘You said you would but didn’t. Made me slice strawberry crooked. Had to eat it so nobody saw the ugly thing.’"
So yeah you absodamnlutely should grab this litRPG adventure. To find out how they do diving into some of the strongest dungeons in 3 countrys. But grab the audiobook and treat yourself to Adam Verner's awesome voice performance.
Here's a quote the murder bunny/chef companion:
"‘Warn me next time you upgrade,’ Silvi said. ‘You said you would but didn’t. Made me slice strawberry crooked. Had to eat it so nobody saw the ugly thing.’"
April 22, 2025
A Let Down
For me, this book did not live up to the previous installments. It was basically a farewell tour for a secondary character with little action and no true risk. This is a problem when the main character becomes too strong too fast. Reading about someone who is basically a god bossing around weak people is about as entertaining as reading about a shepherd using an assault rifle to protect his sheep from a pathetic coyote. Meh. -1.5 stars
The author's use of "Mhm" for "yes" got to be annoying. Everyone seemed to say it, including a void beast from another plane. Characters all start to bleed together when tics like this make it past editing. That plus the many typos that kept pulling me out of the story. I don't remember either issue from previous installments which makes me suspicious that AI may have been used for editing and possibly the composition itself. -1.5 stars
I truly hope that the next book has decent editing. If not, it will be the last for me in this series and probably for the author.
For me, this book did not live up to the previous installments. It was basically a farewell tour for a secondary character with little action and no true risk. This is a problem when the main character becomes too strong too fast. Reading about someone who is basically a god bossing around weak people is about as entertaining as reading about a shepherd using an assault rifle to protect his sheep from a pathetic coyote. Meh. -1.5 stars
The author's use of "Mhm" for "yes" got to be annoying. Everyone seemed to say it, including a void beast from another plane. Characters all start to bleed together when tics like this make it past editing. That plus the many typos that kept pulling me out of the story. I don't remember either issue from previous installments which makes me suspicious that AI may have been used for editing and possibly the composition itself. -1.5 stars
I truly hope that the next book has decent editing. If not, it will be the last for me in this series and probably for the author.
May 14, 2025
The author really, REALLY needs to change the pacing. Derek was already too strong for his world the last 3 books. Now even the last intriguing character, who was somewhat on his level left and he is still stuck in the same place.
I dont mean that he should suddenly ascend and start as total underdog again, but there needs to be room for challenge and growth. As it is, we’re just waiting for him to complete his requirements so he can move on, because there is nothing left on his planet.
Same with the relationship. This has been slice of life heavy for quite some time and I‘ve been waiting for something to happen between him and Alanah, to get some fresh wind into the story. Now we have them adventuring for half the book, get the tiniest bit of romantic affection and promptly she gets whisked away for an untold amount of books. Same as with the overall plot and power progression, this not enough.
The author keeps dragging things out, but the result isn’t tension or excitement. It’s boredom. The last three books could have easily been mashed together into one.
I dont mean that he should suddenly ascend and start as total underdog again, but there needs to be room for challenge and growth. As it is, we’re just waiting for him to complete his requirements so he can move on, because there is nothing left on his planet.
Same with the relationship. This has been slice of life heavy for quite some time and I‘ve been waiting for something to happen between him and Alanah, to get some fresh wind into the story. Now we have them adventuring for half the book, get the tiniest bit of romantic affection and promptly she gets whisked away for an untold amount of books. Same as with the overall plot and power progression, this not enough.
The author keeps dragging things out, but the result isn’t tension or excitement. It’s boredom. The last three books could have easily been mashed together into one.
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