Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability Volume 2

Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability #2

by Cuttlefish That Loves Diving

Volume 2 (Chapters 75-109)

Sequel to Lord of Mysteries

Genres: Fantasy, Steampunk, Dark Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Magic

ebook

Published January 1, 2023

About the author

Associated Names:
* 爱潜水的乌贼 (Simplified Chinese) / 愛潛水的烏賊 (Traditional Chinese)
* Ai Qianshui de Wuzei / Cuttlefish That Loves Diving (English)
* อ้ายเชียนสุ่ยเตออูเจ๋ย (Thai)

Reviews

[Maddi]

Aurore 💔

[Ana Laura]

Oh my god, I finished this too fast 😭
I really love this universe, but some of the explanations go completely over my head (maybe because I’m reading this with no breath time). But it was a really enjoyable reading!

[Carina_ Home]

It was ok, i must say I liked voulme 1 more but this one wasn't bad either. More Tarot club members appear and I really like Jenna as a charcater. I'm kinde sad Amon didn't have a big role in this Volume but next Volume he will definitely appear more often !

[Its me Topher 🫧🫧😩]

I’m gonna cry aurore is such a good sister im gonna die inside

[Costin Manda]

I said earlier that Circle of Inevitability was half the size of Lord of Mysteries. That was a lie. I only had half of the book. Probably the entire thing is going to be as big if not larger.

It doesn't matter, though. I reached almost the end of Volume 4, where Lumian becomes Fate Appropriator and decided to finally stop. It was a good run, but whatever comes next is unlikely to bring anything new to the table. Let me explain why.

In my previous hopeful reviews I said that "Cuttlefish" was improving his writing style, by making the stakes higher and the emotional impact more meaningful. After all, Lumian is a young man driven by both revenge and hope, marred by his sister's death, marked by two gods amongst which one is evil, having a corrupting influence sealed within him. I was envisioning a very different story arc, complete with half villainous failings, followed by righteous redemptions. Or, why not, going full villain. But that didn't happen.

You see, I already mentioned that these novels feel like someone is telling the story of a manga or anime they have in their head. This series made me remember vividly the Jojo's Adventures series and once it was in my head, I couldn't help see the similarities. They both start with complicated worldbuilding, compelling characters and strict rules, only to devolve into a monster of the episode kind of thing, with consistency being thrown out of the window and the "smart" method for victory becoming more ludicrous as we go alone.

I do appreciate the opportunity to delve into the Asian way of considering life and conflict, though. A stark contrast with American storytelling, the main character doesn't succeed based on luck and the strength of his emotions, but on careful consideration of the situation and preparation in advance. Even the emotional outbursts or violent episodes are actually a facade for the cold calculation beneath. Also the way in which women just can't seem to help being deferential and submissive to their male counterparts, accepting with just a little bit of dismay that they are smarter, more decisive and grow faster than they are.

Lumian becomes a carbon copy of the character of Klein Moretti, only he "smiles warmly" instead of "smirking". There is another lesbian duo of relatively weak helpers who the story occasionally focuses a lot on for no good reason. The rules established in the first series are completely broken by a new system of "boons" from external gods, making anything and everything possible, except catching Lumian off guard or actually causing defeat. Even the connection between eras and the link between the current one and the one people have transmigrated from is different. And being a transmigrator is just a regular thing now, anyone and everyone seems to be one.

But what's worse is that the same psychopathic behavior from the first book, where the end goal is paramount and emotion, physical pain or behavior are secondary, comes back in full force and makes the whole experience feel empty, like you are watching some random guy playing a computer game on low difficulty, always smirking about how smart he is, when the story outcome was already ... inevitable.

Bottom line, I will rate this series 2.5 stars. It's not bad, but it's not good either once the novelty of the point of view wanes. The first one was better and this one feels like a bad carbon copy. Perhaps now I can finally focus on a real book.

[LadySeven]

"The prospect of writing to Madam Magician unsettled Lumian.
Judging by the speed of her previous response and its content, he sensed her indirectness: “Don’t bother me unless it’s important!”

“Stay diligent, Seven of Wands.”

“In other words, you are the only unfortunate individual in the entire world.”

“With such a skilled angel of fate sealed within you, your future is destined to be quite ‘exciting.’ Praise the lord. You are akin to bait for the followers of evil gods, Hunters, and Demonesses. You shall embark on a multitude of experiences. If you find the time and inclination, do consider writing a lengthy letter to share with me." (....)Lumian read the note patiently, finding Madam Magician’s words both abundant and yet empty..

“I can’t think of anyone else capable of approaching my room without my notice and knocking on the door politely.”
Naturally, he had to exclude Madam Magician first. She lacked such diligence. It was impressive enough that she managed to reply in time!


I just really like that Fors has no respect for Lumian whatsoever lol this book was the most boring I think? idk, all books in COI have sections that just drag endlessly it's quite unnerving. Anyway I will give it to the fish, he knows how to write a book ending climax.

[Keevo]

Lumian takes a new turn as he climbs the ranks of the criminal underworld. His newfound connections lead him to join multiple secret organizations, transforming him into a complex double or even triple agent. It's quite funny.

This volume answers some of the lingering questions from the first volume while also exploring the protagonist’s inner demons and psychological struggles. A major catastrophe unfolds which hooked me completely and raised the stakes. This main enemy is powerful with a lot of sects of believers. My only gripe with the book so far is the French names in Trier which can be overwhelming and made it difficult to track place. I guess it's my own personal hurdle to get the story going.

What makes this volume particularly special for fans of Lord of Mysteries is the introduction of beloved characters from the previous book. The author's subtle approach to their appearance, referring to them without directly using their names is a nod to the original fans. I feel so involved. It's a clever move that deepens the connection between the two series and rewards dedicated readers.

[William Moses Jr.]

This feels so good. The same amount of excitement, thrill, mystery, progression, growth of character, and interesting character interactions that I experienced in Lord of the Mysteries part 1, I'm experiencing here as well. Despite a little bit of a slow start, this volume, rapidly picks up and builds up to extraordinary highs. It manages to mix so many moving parts together that you genuinely do not know what will happen next and it is not clear at all if your initial understanding of a situation is the truth. I read the first LOTM 5 years ago and it feels great to get back to this series. Sort of like one of those comfortable meals you return to, except instead of something small and quick, you have a massive story spanning thousands of pages.

[salted fish Without Dreams]

Welllll I have such mixed thoughts about this volume. The first 90ish chapters were absolute snoozefest, I was this close to dropping it but somehow pushed through, butttt the latter half of this volume was actually so great. Really loved it and was actually hooked. Sadly the first half really pulls it down, probably my lowest rated LoTM volume up until now.
Also fuck hunter pathway, such a bland and boring low - mid sequences, don't know how I'm gonna bear till lumian reaches sequence 5 lord save me.

[Dave Martin]

Thoroughly enjoyable to go back to lower sequences in a world of mysticism where there is still a giant gap between characters. The end of the first series lost then when powers started to feel ridiculous. Viewing it from the outside looking in brings back the magical/mystical feel that was captured so well in the first series. It's also nice following different sequences so we explore the world very differently. It was also enjoyable getting references to the first series as well. I am curious how they will tie this into the end of the first series.

[Jarred]

I dislike reading other light novels, or web novels when I'm reading Shadow Slave or LoTM (this one), cause it's like having 2 plates of steak, one is succulent, perfectly seasoned, and perfectly cooked, and it compels you to close your eyes in savoring the taste, while the other plate enables you to emulate what's it like to chew hard rubber.

[ᴀʀʏᴀ ౨ৎ — ʀᴜɴ ɪᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ✧]

turns out the website forgot to tell me i had finished volume 2 so half of these updates were halfway through volume 3 😅🙈 anyways i lowkey dont know where volume 2 ended BUTTTT i can definitely say that i loved it loads, franka and jenna are literally my new favourite characters (along with susie obviously)

[bersabea giudice]

3,5

Carino e godibile, ma se paragonato a qualsiasi altro libro della "serie madre" ne esce tristemente perdente.
Leggerò comunque tutta la serie del Circle of Inevitability per lo stesso motivo per cui l'ho iniziata, voglio il finale di Klein.

[MC]

Agree with other readers that boons are lame. Scaling feels too fast without effort. They shouldnt be equivalent to potions when the difficulty is literally opposite, Cuttlefish developed a great power system for potions and boons gives all that with none of the effort or logic.

[Harvey Postings]

I enjoyed this volume more than the first - some major plot twists regarding the first volume and I Lumian’s character is stating to grow on me more. It’s hard to live up to the expectations after Klein.

[Phạm Khang]

Character development in this series is someway better than lord of the mysteries, the death of minor characters is much more meaningful and moving than Lord of the mysteries volume 2. Maybe Cuttlefish has had more experience in storywriting.

[Mark Santi]

Two of cups and girl

[Saitama]

Another banger volume. A lil long though, but I think it was a reasonable development

[Kary ✨]

Tremendo Plot. 💖

[Parn L.]

4.4 quite enjoy this volume though the first part was a bit boring tbh

Thank The Fool Jenna survived!!!!

[Cyndi]

This rating is for the entirety of Volume 2 - Lightseeker (chapters 110-263). If I ever find a plot hole in Cuttlefish's writing, I will calmly walk around it.

[Kathleen]

V1 Nightmare > V2 Lightseeker

[Matt Rizzo]

Good plot advancement with a little bit of anti-capitalist CCP propaganda sprinkled in for good measure (unironically based content at that)

[Lennard Vendrig]

‘Mom, i found the light’