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The Whims of Gods #3
Sylum Shattered
Wrathful kings. Dark gods. Conniving guards.
None of them will keep Tess from what little normalcy she's managed to find.
After being thrust into a foreign city under a false identity, things are finally starting to settle down for Tess. Now, her biggest concerns are celebrating her birthday and making it through her second semester of classes.
Of course, not everything can be so In between her days of idle crafting and building up her settlement, Tess is put through brutal training and forced to battle her way through vicious dungeons. Even so, she would do anything to hold on to the quiet life she's found for herself.
When a king amasses an army against her and a guardsman plots to do her in, however, Tess's resolve will quickly be put to the test.
All the while, a door begins to shatter.
Sylum Shattered is a classic LitRPG novel with character levels, classes, and stats, ideal for existing fans of the genre and newcomers alike.
None of them will keep Tess from what little normalcy she's managed to find.
After being thrust into a foreign city under a false identity, things are finally starting to settle down for Tess. Now, her biggest concerns are celebrating her birthday and making it through her second semester of classes.
Of course, not everything can be so In between her days of idle crafting and building up her settlement, Tess is put through brutal training and forced to battle her way through vicious dungeons. Even so, she would do anything to hold on to the quiet life she's found for herself.
When a king amasses an army against her and a guardsman plots to do her in, however, Tess's resolve will quickly be put to the test.
All the while, a door begins to shatter.
Sylum Shattered is a classic LitRPG novel with character levels, classes, and stats, ideal for existing fans of the genre and newcomers alike.
- GenresFantasy
1078 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 9, 2024
109 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 23, 2025
This is third in a LitRPG isekai series. Read in order.
You mostly know what you are getting. Sadly. By which I mean that the title is a misleading pile of crap. Sylum was perfectly healthy all the way to the end of the book. It was 85% in before anything really drastic happened to disrupt Tess's path from the school trope we've been in since book 2 but even then, there's nothing wrong with Sylum; certainly nothing that could qualify as "shattered".
Worse, there's a heap of stupid avoiding that Tess is doing. If there's a thing that can be avoided until it explodes, she avoids it until it explodes. It's like the author thinks this is foreshadowing or something. I'll get to the mental trauma thing in the next paragraph because it was so frustrating, but literally every aspect of Tess's life is lived on the "ignore it until it gets strong enough to hurt people" basis. Her settlement, her relationships, her premonitions of scheming. It's so one-note I start to worry that that's the only way the author knows to advance a plot.
The story starts with a crisis brought by her trauma suppression skill faltering. This remaps her whole mental landscape into something metaphorically tangible (because magic). And that includes a door where all her trauma is. A door with cracks in it that actually says, on inspection, that these things are locked away for you to interact with in your own time so you can "face your past and grow stronger!" (exclamation in original). Does Tess face her past to grow stronger? Ever? No. She spends the entire book watching that door crack more and more and she does literally nothing at all to take care of it, including just looking at it closely to see if she can understand what is happening. This is so stupid it ruined a lot of my experience with the story.
Which is a shame because there is the start of some better characterization in this book. Her friends are very nearly growing past being one-note tropes and I was engaged with the plot even if it gave the title of the book the lie. Tess was growing. She was finding a place with interesting friends. And she was tackling the developments that she couldn't ignore in interesting and creative ways. Which were interesting enough on their own.
It was strong enough that if it weren't for Tess being stupid about facing problems she knew were growing I'd have brought this to four stars. So just as I was deciding on a reluctant three stars, I was shocked to run into a giant cliffhanger*. Unlike the previous books, this is a cliffhanger in its purest form. Flat-out, dire circumstances, no way out cliffhanger. That's an automatic star loss so this comes in at two stars. Sad.
A note about Chaste: There's a bit more flirting going on in this one and one PoV might actually have indulged in sex, at least by implication. But it's not explicit enough that I can't call this chaste. It's closer to the line than the other books, though.
* Cliffhangers and why they are evil: Cliffhangers are the ultimate disrespect to readers. They're an overt emotional manipulation to invest you in the next story by holding a metaphorical pistol to your head saying "you don't get a satisfying conclusion unless you read the next book, sucka!". Or, less hyperbolically, "I don't trust you to be interested in the next story unless I employ this emotional manipulation to ensure that you are." If you don't believe me that they are an active offense to readers, try this mental exercise: imagine for a moment that an author put a big star on the front of their story proclaiming "Contains Cliffhanger!" Would that make readers more or less likely to want to pick up that story? Right. That's all you really need to know about cliffhangers. Which is why cliffhangers are an automatic loss of at least one star.
You mostly know what you are getting. Sadly. By which I mean that the title is a misleading pile of crap. Sylum was perfectly healthy all the way to the end of the book. It was 85% in before anything really drastic happened to disrupt Tess's path from the school trope we've been in since book 2 but even then, there's nothing wrong with Sylum; certainly nothing that could qualify as "shattered".
Worse, there's a heap of stupid avoiding that Tess is doing. If there's a thing that can be avoided until it explodes, she avoids it until it explodes. It's like the author thinks this is foreshadowing or something. I'll get to the mental trauma thing in the next paragraph because it was so frustrating, but literally every aspect of Tess's life is lived on the "ignore it until it gets strong enough to hurt people" basis. Her settlement, her relationships, her premonitions of scheming. It's so one-note I start to worry that that's the only way the author knows to advance a plot.
The story starts with a crisis brought by her trauma suppression skill faltering. This remaps her whole mental landscape into something metaphorically tangible (because magic). And that includes a door where all her trauma is. A door with cracks in it that actually says, on inspection, that these things are locked away for you to interact with in your own time so you can "face your past and grow stronger!" (exclamation in original). Does Tess face her past to grow stronger? Ever? No. She spends the entire book watching that door crack more and more and she does literally nothing at all to take care of it, including just looking at it closely to see if she can understand what is happening. This is so stupid it ruined a lot of my experience with the story.
Which is a shame because there is the start of some better characterization in this book. Her friends are very nearly growing past being one-note tropes and I was engaged with the plot even if it gave the title of the book the lie. Tess was growing. She was finding a place with interesting friends. And she was tackling the developments that she couldn't ignore in interesting and creative ways. Which were interesting enough on their own.
It was strong enough that if it weren't for Tess being stupid about facing problems she knew were growing I'd have brought this to four stars. So just as I was deciding on a reluctant three stars, I was shocked to run into a giant cliffhanger*. Unlike the previous books, this is a cliffhanger in its purest form. Flat-out, dire circumstances, no way out cliffhanger. That's an automatic star loss so this comes in at two stars. Sad.
A note about Chaste: There's a bit more flirting going on in this one and one PoV might actually have indulged in sex, at least by implication. But it's not explicit enough that I can't call this chaste. It's closer to the line than the other books, though.
* Cliffhangers and why they are evil: Cliffhangers are the ultimate disrespect to readers. They're an overt emotional manipulation to invest you in the next story by holding a metaphorical pistol to your head saying "you don't get a satisfying conclusion unless you read the next book, sucka!". Or, less hyperbolically, "I don't trust you to be interested in the next story unless I employ this emotional manipulation to ensure that you are." If you don't believe me that they are an active offense to readers, try this mental exercise: imagine for a moment that an author put a big star on the front of their story proclaiming "Contains Cliffhanger!" Would that make readers more or less likely to want to pick up that story? Right. That's all you really need to know about cliffhangers. Which is why cliffhangers are an automatic loss of at least one star.
September 20, 2024
Lovely, unique characters
The people surrounding Tess continue to be entertaining to read about and hear from. It's the mark of a good character that I'm interested in more scenes where they appear, and that happens with a LOT of the characters in this book. So it's great!
Just a little bit of real stakes to the story to give it intensity, but not so much that it became overwhelmingly sad. It is still lighthearted overall.
It's great!!!
The people surrounding Tess continue to be entertaining to read about and hear from. It's the mark of a good character that I'm interested in more scenes where they appear, and that happens with a LOT of the characters in this book. So it's great!
Just a little bit of real stakes to the story to give it intensity, but not so much that it became overwhelmingly sad. It is still lighthearted overall.
It's great!!!
January 25, 2025
the whim of readers
This series is wonderfully well written with a solid female main character. Action, adventure, and friendship included and a bit of twists, betrayals, and misadventures thrown in. Wish I had the next volume to read now while snuggling up under a blanket while it’s cold outside.
This series is wonderfully well written with a solid female main character. Action, adventure, and friendship included and a bit of twists, betrayals, and misadventures thrown in. Wish I had the next volume to read now while snuggling up under a blanket while it’s cold outside.
October 1, 2024
Good series.
I am really enjoying this series and this writer. The female character is likable of flawed. The story line works well as a bumbling adventure. I like the progression of the powers and the lrpg elements. All in all can't wait for book four.
I am really enjoying this series and this writer. The female character is likable of flawed. The story line works well as a bumbling adventure. I like the progression of the powers and the lrpg elements. All in all can't wait for book four.
November 1, 2024
great
This was the best one I’ve read yet! They keep getting better
And I even signed u on Patreon to see a few extra chapters. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do and that you start at book one!
This was the best one I’ve read yet! They keep getting better
And I even signed u on Patreon to see a few extra chapters. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do and that you start at book one!
November 29, 2024
Great read but how dare you
So the next book is almost out right? Right? You wouldn't leave us in this situation for a long time right? But yeah as much as the entire second half stressed me out It's a great read and I (clearly) eagerly await the next one.
So the next book is almost out right? Right? You wouldn't leave us in this situation for a long time right? But yeah as much as the entire second half stressed me out It's a great read and I (clearly) eagerly await the next one.
November 30, 2024
Profound loss
Had high expectations. MC gets to lvl 14 out of 100 at book 3 before becoming a vegetable beyond saving. Her friends are ported to a losing fight. End of story. Next book? I can't do it. I don't read books to empathize with futility and despair.
Had high expectations. MC gets to lvl 14 out of 100 at book 3 before becoming a vegetable beyond saving. Her friends are ported to a losing fight. End of story. Next book? I can't do it. I don't read books to empathize with futility and despair.
November 30, 2024
Great read!!
Enjoying this series immensely!! The characters keep evolving and what you expect to come as well. Young or old, it's just a great read.
Enjoying this series immensely!! The characters keep evolving and what you expect to come as well. Young or old, it's just a great read.
February 9, 2025
So dumb, and I loved it. Immensely looking forward to the fourth book (and judging by the patreon, it will hopefully be out any day!).
March 4, 2025
Enjoyable read
Have thoroughly enjoyed reading this series and look forward to the next book. Hope it is finished soon. . .
Have thoroughly enjoyed reading this series and look forward to the next book. Hope it is finished soon. . .
June 30, 2025
progression novel another must read!
It’s like a video game in words but the plot, the characters, the pacing- one of my favorite books and series now
It’s like a video game in words but the plot, the characters, the pacing- one of my favorite books and series now
October 16, 2024
Good Series
I really didn’t get the ending for this book. But this series of a young lady going to a land of magic was a fascinating read.
I really didn’t get the ending for this book. But this series of a young lady going to a land of magic was a fascinating read.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews