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Mark of the Fool #10
Mark of the Fool 10
After gaining epic power and knowledge, Alex Roth will confront Uldar’s legacy and face the Ravener once and for all.
A cycle of victory and horror: the pride of the Kingdom of Thameland.
That is the Ravener’s cycle.
Over years of study, Alex Roth is finally an archwizard, has overcome the Mark of the Fool, and empowered his friends and companions. Yet their foe is the mightiest they have faced yet: the Ravener itself, now freed from thousands of years of chains and returned to its full strength.
Alex will need to call on all his magic, all his bonds, his wits, his strategy and his resources to not only destroy the Ravener, but to shatter the cycle that has chained his kingdom since time immemorial.
And Alex plans to destroy the hell out of it.
The epic finale of the Best-Selling series. Finish your fantastical journey into a coming-of-age magic academy fantasy with a weak-to-strong progression into power, deepening mystery, a setting inspired by D&D, detailed world building and magical science, action, comedy, slice-of-life, and GameLit elements.
A cycle of victory and horror: the pride of the Kingdom of Thameland.
That is the Ravener’s cycle.
Over years of study, Alex Roth is finally an archwizard, has overcome the Mark of the Fool, and empowered his friends and companions. Yet their foe is the mightiest they have faced yet: the Ravener itself, now freed from thousands of years of chains and returned to its full strength.
Alex will need to call on all his magic, all his bonds, his wits, his strategy and his resources to not only destroy the Ravener, but to shatter the cycle that has chained his kingdom since time immemorial.
And Alex plans to destroy the hell out of it.
The epic finale of the Best-Selling series. Finish your fantastical journey into a coming-of-age magic academy fantasy with a weak-to-strong progression into power, deepening mystery, a setting inspired by D&D, detailed world building and magical science, action, comedy, slice-of-life, and GameLit elements.
963 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews
August 16, 2025
I hope others will enjoy this final book more than I did
Sadly this ending left me flat. Tldr summary, he final book just had way too many overdone victory laps... waaay too many. I had greatly enjoyed the series up until this final book. I'm sure it's incredibly hard to figure out how to end a series and you have to make some choices. Semi spoilers ahead btw. The choices made here focused on giving every good guy character a happy ending and their own unique and detailed victory lap. The major characters got several victory laps of multiple flavors, ranging from graduations to financial success to relationship success to immense power in dozens of ways. Perhaps over 30% of this book was detailing the great outcomes and satisfactions that were well deserved. It just was too much for me, but others might appreciate that the author decided to give happy endings in detail to every good guy no matter how big or small the character. But the result was the narrative around conflicts and the final battles felt relatively thin, particularly when the few remaining bad guys were given very two-dimensional almost boringly predictable behavior and reactions. There were no shades of grey in the bad guys or the good guys. The story basically was at the good guys whomped the bad guys "like they deserved.". And the main protagonist Alex ultimately could do no wrong and all of the superest, biggest, baddest power ups you could possibly imagine all naturally became his to wield. Everybody loves him, he's the hero of heroes, he gets the girl, he gets him immortality, he gets more powerful magic than anybody ever before, gets adulation of strangers and communities and neighbors and all his friends... Just too much perfect world stuff going on. At least I enjoyed the series prior to this book, and that's saying something significant. It had great whimsy, with a fun balance between tension and self doubts and characters who weren't purely black or white, good or evil. And like I said I hope other people enjoyed this final book despite it not being my particular cup of tea. I look forward to trying other series from the same author
Sadly this ending left me flat. Tldr summary, he final book just had way too many overdone victory laps... waaay too many. I had greatly enjoyed the series up until this final book. I'm sure it's incredibly hard to figure out how to end a series and you have to make some choices. Semi spoilers ahead btw. The choices made here focused on giving every good guy character a happy ending and their own unique and detailed victory lap. The major characters got several victory laps of multiple flavors, ranging from graduations to financial success to relationship success to immense power in dozens of ways. Perhaps over 30% of this book was detailing the great outcomes and satisfactions that were well deserved. It just was too much for me, but others might appreciate that the author decided to give happy endings in detail to every good guy no matter how big or small the character. But the result was the narrative around conflicts and the final battles felt relatively thin, particularly when the few remaining bad guys were given very two-dimensional almost boringly predictable behavior and reactions. There were no shades of grey in the bad guys or the good guys. The story basically was at the good guys whomped the bad guys "like they deserved.". And the main protagonist Alex ultimately could do no wrong and all of the superest, biggest, baddest power ups you could possibly imagine all naturally became his to wield. Everybody loves him, he's the hero of heroes, he gets the girl, he gets him immortality, he gets more powerful magic than anybody ever before, gets adulation of strangers and communities and neighbors and all his friends... Just too much perfect world stuff going on. At least I enjoyed the series prior to this book, and that's saying something significant. It had great whimsy, with a fun balance between tension and self doubts and characters who weren't purely black or white, good or evil. And like I said I hope other people enjoyed this final book despite it not being my particular cup of tea. I look forward to trying other series from the same author
August 11, 2025
This was like a million pages of one singular neverending battle from every possible perspective, Alex becoming the ultimate OP god-being mid battle of course, and then a wrapup so long and thorough that I wanted to Irish goodbye my Kindle. I'm basically giving a pity star because I enjoyed the rest of the series, but oh my GOSH it just never wanted to end.
March 11, 2026
Great ending book to this series. Fun and action packed with just enough of a bit of humor throughout. Very recommended series.
May 7, 2026
A Good Volume, a Terrible Finale!
Overall Impression
This volume could have worked as a standalone book in the series, but as the finale? Absolutely not. It starts with too many slice-of-life elements that lack any real buildup, making the whole thing feel like a poorly timed joke. While I've followed the series from book one and enjoyed certain aspects along the way, this entry has very few redeeming qualities, especially as the conclusion. It's not my favorite in the series by any means, and the flaws here overshadow the good parts.
Buildup and Pacing
The beginning drags with non-essential everyday scenes that fail to set up the stakes properly. Then, out of nowhere, a full-blown war erupts from what seems like a random training montage. Revelations pile on, leading to more battles, but the pacing feels rushed and badly lined from that point onward.
The War and Battles
The writing of the war is truly terrible, especially when compared to well-handled conflicts in other web novels like Mother of Learning, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, and Shadow Slave. Wars are chaotic and devastating by nature, and the prose should reflect that – here, it doesn't. The focus zooms in too tightly on individual characters, making the broader devastation feel mentioned in passing rather than immersive. There's little description of dead bodies or real loss; it just happens and ends with a few lines acknowledging the aftermath. The author seems too attached to named characters to let them die meaningfully, and the whole conflict comes across as one that wants to wrap up quickly without telling a proper story of war. Characters don't feel like they're truly fighting in a grim, high-stakes battle – everything is skipped or ignored to simplify the path to the end.
Characters and Development
Unfortunately, the focus on myriad individuals doesn't help because most of them aren't interesting enough to carry the weight. We don't care deeply about their fates, which undermines what could have been a strength. That said, Baelin stands out as the best character in this book and all of the series.
The spells cast by so-called arch-wizards are disappointingly boring, lacking creativity or excitement.
The stronger characters rave about the battle's greatness before it begins, but it doesn't show in the writing or the application of stakes, don't get me wrong there are great spells against monsters but the environment is mentioned in passing, people are mentioned, never really this makes the world feel very very dead.
Nostalgia and Melancholy
The book attempts to evoke nostalgia and melancholy, but it fails spectacularly. These moments feel forced and pointed out explicitly, like:
"Hey, remember when they couldn't even wound this beast? Now look at them, so overpowered that stakes feel meaningless."
Or:
"See, he just talked to this character and asked for forgiveness, but life doesn't work like that, how sad, given what happened in book X."
Paragraphs like these are littered throughout, coming off as heavy-handed rather than emotional.
Power-Ups and Stakes
Power-ups in this volume are a mixed bag – some interesting, others boring – and there's simply too much development of new abilities crammed in. I dislike characters pulling powers out of nowhere during the final battle; I prefer a clear final form versus final form setup for hero and villain. Here, it's just one escalation after another, with characters permanently buffed at every turn to make the war easier. This erodes any sense of real stakes or tension.
Romance and Other Elements
The romance, which I already disliked, is sidelined as if the main character suddenly forgot he was in love. It's a small mercy, but it highlights how underdeveloped certain threads are.
Conclusion and Rating
I'm not pleased with this book at all. If you've read any novel with a sensibly written war, you won't like this one, the characters act like they're in a scripted skirmish rather than a chaotic conflict. At first, I considered four stars out of habit, hating to rate low. As I reflected, it dropped to three, then two, because the last battle, and the war as a whole is poorly executed rubbish. Two stars it is.
I have changed my mind after more weeks sitting with my memory of the finally. 1 star
Overall Impression
This volume could have worked as a standalone book in the series, but as the finale? Absolutely not. It starts with too many slice-of-life elements that lack any real buildup, making the whole thing feel like a poorly timed joke. While I've followed the series from book one and enjoyed certain aspects along the way, this entry has very few redeeming qualities, especially as the conclusion. It's not my favorite in the series by any means, and the flaws here overshadow the good parts.
Buildup and Pacing
The beginning drags with non-essential everyday scenes that fail to set up the stakes properly. Then, out of nowhere, a full-blown war erupts from what seems like a random training montage. Revelations pile on, leading to more battles, but the pacing feels rushed and badly lined from that point onward.
The War and Battles
The writing of the war is truly terrible, especially when compared to well-handled conflicts in other web novels like Mother of Learning, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, and Shadow Slave. Wars are chaotic and devastating by nature, and the prose should reflect that – here, it doesn't. The focus zooms in too tightly on individual characters, making the broader devastation feel mentioned in passing rather than immersive. There's little description of dead bodies or real loss; it just happens and ends with a few lines acknowledging the aftermath. The author seems too attached to named characters to let them die meaningfully, and the whole conflict comes across as one that wants to wrap up quickly without telling a proper story of war. Characters don't feel like they're truly fighting in a grim, high-stakes battle – everything is skipped or ignored to simplify the path to the end.
Characters and Development
Unfortunately, the focus on myriad individuals doesn't help because most of them aren't interesting enough to carry the weight. We don't care deeply about their fates, which undermines what could have been a strength. That said, Baelin stands out as the best character in this book and all of the series.
The spells cast by so-called arch-wizards are disappointingly boring, lacking creativity or excitement.
The stronger characters rave about the battle's greatness before it begins, but it doesn't show in the writing or the application of stakes, don't get me wrong there are great spells against monsters but the environment is mentioned in passing, people are mentioned, never really this makes the world feel very very dead.
Nostalgia and Melancholy
The book attempts to evoke nostalgia and melancholy, but it fails spectacularly. These moments feel forced and pointed out explicitly, like:
"Hey, remember when they couldn't even wound this beast? Now look at them, so overpowered that stakes feel meaningless."
Or:
"See, he just talked to this character and asked for forgiveness, but life doesn't work like that, how sad, given what happened in book X."
Paragraphs like these are littered throughout, coming off as heavy-handed rather than emotional.
Power-Ups and Stakes
Power-ups in this volume are a mixed bag – some interesting, others boring – and there's simply too much development of new abilities crammed in. I dislike characters pulling powers out of nowhere during the final battle; I prefer a clear final form versus final form setup for hero and villain. Here, it's just one escalation after another, with characters permanently buffed at every turn to make the war easier. This erodes any sense of real stakes or tension.
Romance and Other Elements
The romance, which I already disliked, is sidelined as if the main character suddenly forgot he was in love. It's a small mercy, but it highlights how underdeveloped certain threads are.
Conclusion and Rating
I'm not pleased with this book at all. If you've read any novel with a sensibly written war, you won't like this one, the characters act like they're in a scripted skirmish rather than a chaotic conflict. At first, I considered four stars out of habit, hating to rate low. As I reflected, it dropped to three, then two, because the last battle, and the war as a whole is poorly executed rubbish. Two stars it is.
I have changed my mind after more weeks sitting with my memory of the finally. 1 star
August 15, 2025
"Sometimes we want to see something finished... but don't want it to end at the same time."
This was pretty much everything I wanted in a series finale. Anyone who follows my reviews, especially my booktube channel, knows that I am pretty much exclusively an audiobook listener. I typically listen to around 120 audiobooks a year but only read 3 novellas. Furthermore, Travis Balder is one of my favorite narrators and I love his narration of the first 9 novels in the series. However, when this book dropped, I couldn't wait for the audiobook and read all 950 pages in 8 days. That's some sort of a record for me, and it was well worth it!
The book starts off with a little bit of the calm before the storm. Wrapping things up and getting everything ready before the big battle, because once that battle begins... it's pretty much non stop action for 600 pages. And I loved it! The back and forth battle on not one, not two, not three, not four but at least six different fronts was simply amazing!
You do lose a little bit of character interactions because of all the action, and some characters that were staples for much of the series had to take a bit more of a backseat because other characters (such as the Ravener) needed more time. There is also some cheesy interactions, but that's a staple of the series and part of its charm.
When all is said and done, Mark of the Fool has cemented itself as one of my top 5 favorite completed series. I highly recommend it, especially to anyone that liked Mother of Learning or Cradle.
This was pretty much everything I wanted in a series finale. Anyone who follows my reviews, especially my booktube channel, knows that I am pretty much exclusively an audiobook listener. I typically listen to around 120 audiobooks a year but only read 3 novellas. Furthermore, Travis Balder is one of my favorite narrators and I love his narration of the first 9 novels in the series. However, when this book dropped, I couldn't wait for the audiobook and read all 950 pages in 8 days. That's some sort of a record for me, and it was well worth it!
The book starts off with a little bit of the calm before the storm. Wrapping things up and getting everything ready before the big battle, because once that battle begins... it's pretty much non stop action for 600 pages. And I loved it! The back and forth battle on not one, not two, not three, not four but at least six different fronts was simply amazing!
You do lose a little bit of character interactions because of all the action, and some characters that were staples for much of the series had to take a bit more of a backseat because other characters (such as the Ravener) needed more time. There is also some cheesy interactions, but that's a staple of the series and part of its charm.
When all is said and done, Mark of the Fool has cemented itself as one of my top 5 favorite completed series. I highly recommend it, especially to anyone that liked Mother of Learning or Cradle.
October 4, 2025
Rating 5.0 stars (series)
Well, that's a wrap. This has been a very good series. This one was a bit long and the battles took forever, but I am happy in how the series turned out.
Well, that's a wrap. This has been a very good series. This one was a bit long and the battles took forever, but I am happy in how the series turned out.
March 22, 2026
"Sometimes we want to see something finished... but don't want it to end at the same time."
This was pretty much everything I wanted in a series finale. The book starts off with a little bit of the calm before the storm. Wrapping things up and getting everything ready before the big battle, because once that battle begins... it's pretty much non stop action for 600 pages. And I loved it! The back and forth battle on not one, not two, not three, not four but at least six different fronts was simply amazing!
You do lose a little bit of character interactions because of all the action, and some characters that were staples for much of the series had to take a bit more of a backseat because other characters (such as the Ravener) needed more time. There is also some cheesy interactions, but that's a staple of the series and part of its charm.
When all is said and done, Mark of the Fool has cemented itself as one of my top 5 favorite completed series. I highly recommend it, especially to anyone that liked Mother of Learning or Cradle.
This was pretty much everything I wanted in a series finale. The book starts off with a little bit of the calm before the storm. Wrapping things up and getting everything ready before the big battle, because once that battle begins... it's pretty much non stop action for 600 pages. And I loved it! The back and forth battle on not one, not two, not three, not four but at least six different fronts was simply amazing!
You do lose a little bit of character interactions because of all the action, and some characters that were staples for much of the series had to take a bit more of a backseat because other characters (such as the Ravener) needed more time. There is also some cheesy interactions, but that's a staple of the series and part of its charm.
When all is said and done, Mark of the Fool has cemented itself as one of my top 5 favorite completed series. I highly recommend it, especially to anyone that liked Mother of Learning or Cradle.
April 18, 2026
A verify satisfying ending to a very enjoyable series
August 11, 2025
Ten books later, and I’m not ready to say goodbye.
What a ride this series has been. Mark of the Fool 10 closes the journey in a way that feels both satisfying and earned, tying off long-running threads while staying true to Alex’s growth from awkward, underestimated student with the mark of the fool to a respected general who shapes the fate of realms. The stakes have never been higher, with Alex and his allies facing odds set by an actual god. Yet through it all, Alex and his allies never lose their resolve to see it through.
J.M. Clarke keeps the pacing tight, weaving action, strategy, and magic into a finale that doesn’t just rely on spectacle but delivers payoffs for character arcs we’ve been following since book one. It’s also worth celebrating that this comes from a Black author in the genre—a voice that’s brought fresh perspective and left a lasting mark.
If you’ve been here from the start, this is the kind of send-off that makes you want to flip back to book one and experience the whole thing all over again.
PS, I wouldn’t mind seeing a spin-off series either. Maybe following his sister on her own path, or Alex journeying to different worlds. There’s plenty of potential for new adventures in this universe.
What a ride this series has been. Mark of the Fool 10 closes the journey in a way that feels both satisfying and earned, tying off long-running threads while staying true to Alex’s growth from awkward, underestimated student with the mark of the fool to a respected general who shapes the fate of realms. The stakes have never been higher, with Alex and his allies facing odds set by an actual god. Yet through it all, Alex and his allies never lose their resolve to see it through.
J.M. Clarke keeps the pacing tight, weaving action, strategy, and magic into a finale that doesn’t just rely on spectacle but delivers payoffs for character arcs we’ve been following since book one. It’s also worth celebrating that this comes from a Black author in the genre—a voice that’s brought fresh perspective and left a lasting mark.
If you’ve been here from the start, this is the kind of send-off that makes you want to flip back to book one and experience the whole thing all over again.
PS, I wouldn’t mind seeing a spin-off series either. Maybe following his sister on her own path, or Alex journeying to different worlds. There’s plenty of potential for new adventures in this universe.
August 10, 2025
Resorted to the webnovel rather than wait for this to come out.
I consumed this 10 book series in about 10 days. It's got a lot of the charm I wish for in more YA series. The protagonists are easy to root for - they're good people who are good to others. The author wants the adventure to be fun, and to that end, their world building pulls in more hijinks (vs introducing in cliched ethical quandaries that make the plot a chore).
The author's ease with the lightness of their novel shines through in other pleasing ways. There's none of that tiresome inclusion of darker events that come off as little more than a way to pretend the entire writing is grittier and more real than it is. Clarke's darker events are consistent drivers of advancing the story making it smooth as he goes in and out of them.
There are definitely swaths of the series that come off as unappealing filler, but as the series keeps coming back to more compelling narrative and those stretches are easy to skim through without getting lost, it's a bit easier to stomach.
I consumed this 10 book series in about 10 days. It's got a lot of the charm I wish for in more YA series. The protagonists are easy to root for - they're good people who are good to others. The author wants the adventure to be fun, and to that end, their world building pulls in more hijinks (vs introducing in cliched ethical quandaries that make the plot a chore).
The author's ease with the lightness of their novel shines through in other pleasing ways. There's none of that tiresome inclusion of darker events that come off as little more than a way to pretend the entire writing is grittier and more real than it is. Clarke's darker events are consistent drivers of advancing the story making it smooth as he goes in and out of them.
There are definitely swaths of the series that come off as unappealing filler, but as the series keeps coming back to more compelling narrative and those stretches are easy to skim through without getting lost, it's a bit easier to stomach.
February 22, 2025
A+
Loved pretty much everything about this book. And the ending was done spectacularly.
I would a sequel series with Alex in it and it'll likely happen, but I assume he'll be a minor character then.
The MP finally got the FP which made me happy.
I really enjoyed how the magic in these books worked. Though I wish that the MP had more time being OP, my pain was assuaged by him being a total badass in the final battle.
Overall, I would very much recommend this series to anyone who enjoys lit-rpg. It has much to enjoy.
Loved pretty much everything about this book. And the ending was done spectacularly.
I would a sequel series with Alex in it and it'll likely happen, but I assume he'll be a minor character then.
The MP finally got the FP which made me happy.
I really enjoyed how the magic in these books worked. Though I wish that the MP had more time being OP, my pain was assuaged by him being a total badass in the final battle.
Overall, I would very much recommend this series to anyone who enjoys lit-rpg. It has much to enjoy.
August 7, 2025
finally
A bit too interested ‘i’ dotting and ‘t’ crossing for my taste. Also repetitive, in that some chapters started with a summary of the previous one—necessary for a serial, but annoying in book form.
But it’s over, and I think it was worth the time.
A bit too interested ‘i’ dotting and ‘t’ crossing for my taste. Also repetitive, in that some chapters started with a summary of the previous one—necessary for a serial, but annoying in book form.
But it’s over, and I think it was worth the time.
May 14, 2026
There is something special about finishing a series this deep. I should have reviewed every single book as I went, but I was so locked into reading these back to back that I did not want to stop for a second. That is the clearest sign of quality I can give. I simply could not put them down.
I started The Mark of the Fool looking for a lighter palate cleanser after a few heavy grimdark series. Book one was exactly that: interesting, but not especially deep. As the series progressed, the stakes did not just get higher; the heart of the story grew with them. The people, the emotions, the highs of success, and the lows of loss. This series has far more heart than most I have read. It was a fantastic experience and one that will stick with me for a long time.
I started The Mark of the Fool looking for a lighter palate cleanser after a few heavy grimdark series. Book one was exactly that: interesting, but not especially deep. As the series progressed, the stakes did not just get higher; the heart of the story grew with them. The people, the emotions, the highs of success, and the lows of loss. This series has far more heart than most I have read. It was a fantastic experience and one that will stick with me for a long time.
June 24, 2026
I have to say that in the end I'm kind of disappointed with this series and the main stumbling block is the main character himself. The story itself is interesting with good ideas and a few fine twists, but the fact that MC is a flawless creature who in two years becomes the strongest being in the universe and yet moral, smart, rich, etc. was simply annoying and made the last three books lose any tension since it was clear that no one can do anything to him.
All in all, it had good start, but now I'm kind of sorry that I gave this series so much of my free time.
Cheers.
All in all, it had good start, but now I'm kind of sorry that I gave this series so much of my free time.
Cheers.
September 18, 2025
A glorious end
This book really got us into the climactic battle early and kept us in the trouble! From 30% on was final battles, and it made it so hard to put the book down. Then a nice beautiful bow to wrap it all up and say goodbye? Love it.
This book really got us into the climactic battle early and kept us in the trouble! From 30% on was final battles, and it made it so hard to put the book down. Then a nice beautiful bow to wrap it all up and say goodbye? Love it.
September 1, 2025
What a fun summer journey to complete. All 10 books kept me immersed in this fantasy world. I am replete. Satisfied with the story and time spent.
May 13, 2026
I really enjoyed the conclusion to this series. I was very pleased that the characters had a happy ending, especially Lucia.
June 3, 2026
Good ending.
June 21, 2026
It was a good conclusion to the story, but sometimes the fighting scenes dragged on a bit.
November 15, 2025
If I could give it ten out of five stars I would
August 6, 2025
I’m not crying, you are
What a ride, from Alex gaining the mark of the fool, to him becoming the general, I have laughed at Alex’s bad jokes, cried during his setbacks, and shouted in triumph at all his victories. And now it’s over, what a thrilling, satisfying conclusion to this series. Thank you Mr. Clarke for creating such an amazing universe, thank you for writing Mark of the Fool.
What a ride, from Alex gaining the mark of the fool, to him becoming the general, I have laughed at Alex’s bad jokes, cried during his setbacks, and shouted in triumph at all his victories. And now it’s over, what a thrilling, satisfying conclusion to this series. Thank you Mr. Clarke for creating such an amazing universe, thank you for writing Mark of the Fool.
May 13, 2026
Meh.
June 11, 2026
Fairly satisfying ending to the story. Wished there was more substance to the writing but probably just the nature of these kind of serials turned books.
April 27, 2026
Great book! I really hope he does a spin off of this series following another character.
August 5, 2025
Great ending.
Sad to see this series end. Hopefully we will see another based 1000 years in the future for more proper wizard shenanigans.
Sad to see this series end. Hopefully we will see another based 1000 years in the future for more proper wizard shenanigans.
June 14, 2026
Here we go again. Alex is stressing out about what he wants to do in the future. But what I don’t understand is that he is planning on extending his life so he could live for thousands of years. If you have that much time why would you want to pick just one thing to study?? You could do literally everything you wanted. And Balen is back! I guess my distrust for him was actually wrong. Doesn’t seem like he is going to be one of the big bads of the series. -1 for me. Womp womp. But going through Prof Jules’ speech to him about how angry she is with him for leaving her in charge of the shit show was kind of heart breaking. She’s been through too much so it’s good that Balen is back to pick up everything from her. Goddamn. It took a whole philosophical conversation with Balen before Alex came to the conclusion that he doesn’t have to choose one subject for the rest of his life. That was like pulling teeth dawg.
The whole graduation scene was very nice. Hilarious that everyone made such a big deal of Cedric wearing a shirt. But not much to the graduation, but OMG! Isolde and Cedric are together now!! I’ve been waiting for this for SO long! And it was very fitting that she asked him. And he was all for it. He’s such a golden retriever himbo. I love him.
“I just want to make her happy. The thought of doing that makes my heart sing” 😭😭😭 I need a Cedric.
Yikesyikesyikes! The Ravener is going crazy! Talking about if it destroys the heroes then it’ll wipe out everyone in Thameland. If the heroes (minus the General who needs to die 😬) win then the Ravener will come back to decide if the next generation is worthy of living. And it’ll trap everyone in Thameland so they can’t flee to other countries. That’ll be the new cycle. Absolutely brutal. I guess my theory of “maybe the Ravener will turn into a good guy and work with the Heroes and Thameland” will not be happening. Gotta hope they can destroy it when they battle next.
It’s pretty cool how the Mark of the General helped power up/evolve the other Marks! Now they’re all more badass than they already were. The battle between the Fire Ravener Spawn and the Heroes and company was a little boring. It was great seeing them all work together and Alex stepping up into the role of the General and directing everyone, but it was over far too soon. It was like a walk in the park for them. But! They found out that the Ravener is actually hiding in the Fae world and using the Fae gates to travel. And it seems like while the Ravener has Oldars corpse, the Fae king guy has the throne. But what is he doing with it?? The author really just threw us into the attack on the King. It was very stressful. But poor court wizard priest guy. He was so ready to jump on the Traveler wagon and he gets torn in half. Damn.
Peter and Paul!! They’re still alive!! I love this!
There is a lot happening at once. A little too fast to follow along and I got sucked in and didn’t write down any thoughts. Womp womp.
But the whole reason why the Fae lord guy took the throne was to get the divine power so he could defeat his other Fae enemies. A little dumb if you ask me but 🤷🏼♀️. And the whole lead up to entering the Raveners lair! It was very sweet that Merzin wanted to try to talk to the Ravener and maybe reason with it? But it seems like the Ravener is pretty dead set on its destruction path. It was kind of a waste to have a period of it helping the people and thinking about becoming a good guy to just full stop like this. It would have been a little better if there was some more internal warring in the Ravener while they tried to convince it to help them. But it’s just giving them the if you can defeat me you are worthy this time speech. Lol the Priest Tobias manipulating the other priests into praying to the Traveler saying it’s Oldars will. Hilarious.
Oh no! Alex and Merzin were trapped while trying to get Oldars throne! How was the Fae guy prepared for this!? Woahh. Listening to Balen threatening the Fae guy was chilling. Now the Fae guy is giving the Ravener more power! Our friends are in trouble! And Alex’s fear spell has worn off and everyone is being overrun. I’m stressed!
It’s like we’re coming full circle from the first book! Jules summoning a Greater Shoggoff. Ahhh! And Registrar Hobb is here!!
Is Selena somehow going to use her fire magic and prayer to bring the Traveler back!? And now Alex can see Hannah in the Afterworld! With his parents!😭and Selena got to be there too see them 😭 now the Traveler and Carrie London can come back! We have a chance at beating the Ravener! No way! Hannah! “You shall not pass!” So lame but none of the Thameland people will understand it 😂. Oh no! Paul is wounded! Peters trying to get him to the medical tent in time. I’ll lose my shit if he dies 😭😭 she made it in time!! And she’s kicking ass! But she’s using alot of divinity so Alex needs to help her! He’s using his Generals mark and Hannah’s teleporting power to basically be in three places at once! I love how Admodester is having the time of her life fighting the Ravener. She’s truly living her best life. Now Alex is inside the Ravener! Claygon has been feeling a familiar kind of energy this whole time. And he finally figured it out. He knows he’ll be able to use it to evolve again! But there’s nothing after an iron golem. So what’s he going to change into?? Now he’s steel! (I def thought they were the same thing but I guess not?) and part dungeon core essence! Woahh!! HE CAN GENERATE RAVENER SPAWN!?!? (I guess Glaygon Spawn lol).
I feel like it’s very fitting that Merzin is the one who gets to destroy Oldars throne. He’s given up so much for his faith in Oldar. He deserves this win.
Oh no! The Fae guy stabbed Balen! But wait?? He’s not bleeding!? What’s going on!?! Balen turned it around on him! Balen hasn’t had his heart inside him for over five thousand years!? What!? And he opened his chest to show the fae guy. OPENED IT!? Dude. Balen took his heart out of his body and put most of his life force into it so he can’t be killed. Goddamn. Hardcore. Absolutely terrifying. Then they tied the Fae guy to the throne and let it blow up with him attached to it. So Oldar died on that throne and his friend did too. Very fitting! Now we just need to take care of the Ravener! And Alex is so close. Just one more pillar/tower thing to go. The only think I really have to say about the Ravener is he is the king of daddy issues. Kinda feel sorry for the guy. But Alex did it! He stopped the Ravener! All over Thameland, the Ravener Spawn are dropping! Oh my god 😭 “Professor Jules didn’t cheer quite yet. She wouldn’t not until her students came home” 😭😭 I love her.
Woah. Merzin is so smart. Since Alex was able to take Oldars essence out of his body without the poison, he said if Oldar has asked his people for help, he could have stayed around long enough for Hannah to be born and she could have used her power to take the poison out of him. Damn. Woah again! Claygon is able to make the land healing spawn Alex had seen in the culling vision! Now he can help Thameland heal after the Ravener. And! He can’t make an actual dungeon core but he made the substance!! Which means they have an unlimited supply for golems!!! Claygon is such a good boy 😭😭 he’s excited because he’s going to be able to make the world a better place with his good Claygon spawn and dungeon core essence 😭 I freaking love him. And their homecoming. And professor Jules meeting them. Her hugging them and making sure they all made it back ok. She’s the best 😭. And her getting to see Carrie London again 😭 now we get to see what Alex has in mind for Oldars divine essence. He’s going to have Balen help him with his immortality! And! Balen asked Alex to think about joining his Cabal! Woah! Good on Alex for telling Balen he wasn’t sure and to think on it for a while.
I absolutely love how the king and the priest guy are going to make sure everyone forgets about Oldar and makes sure they only worship the Traveler now.
Alex finally did it! He made his immortality potions and made sure to make enough for everyone else. Alex and Theresa are going to take it together. Along with Celena when she’s old enough. The part between Thundar and Dresdra was so cute. How they’re so excited to spend thousands of years together. Of course Kalik will take it so he can be with Sinope. Isolde will take it! So the whole Cabal will stay together! Cedric will think on it. I hope he’ll take it so he can stay with Isolde. Hart will also think about it. Grimlock! Hell yeah!! I kind of figured Merzin wouldn’t take it. It’s very in character for him to not to.
That was such a cute ending. They all really deserved a happily ever after.
Oh my god 😭😭 Peter and Paul are the sweetest 😭😭 they gave Alex his wedding gift and it’s the fountain in the square with him, Theresa, and Brutus in it. I love them 😭. And I absolutely LOVE that this book is ending with Peter and Paul arresting McHarris again!
••••
Overall series review: I had such a great time with this series! So much happened in all of the books and the story flowed so well. And so many side characters with so much life and made you care about all of them. I think the series could have been a couple books shorter but I still had a great time. 10/10 series.
The whole graduation scene was very nice. Hilarious that everyone made such a big deal of Cedric wearing a shirt. But not much to the graduation, but OMG! Isolde and Cedric are together now!! I’ve been waiting for this for SO long! And it was very fitting that she asked him. And he was all for it. He’s such a golden retriever himbo. I love him.
“I just want to make her happy. The thought of doing that makes my heart sing” 😭😭😭 I need a Cedric.
Yikesyikesyikes! The Ravener is going crazy! Talking about if it destroys the heroes then it’ll wipe out everyone in Thameland. If the heroes (minus the General who needs to die 😬) win then the Ravener will come back to decide if the next generation is worthy of living. And it’ll trap everyone in Thameland so they can’t flee to other countries. That’ll be the new cycle. Absolutely brutal. I guess my theory of “maybe the Ravener will turn into a good guy and work with the Heroes and Thameland” will not be happening. Gotta hope they can destroy it when they battle next.
It’s pretty cool how the Mark of the General helped power up/evolve the other Marks! Now they’re all more badass than they already were. The battle between the Fire Ravener Spawn and the Heroes and company was a little boring. It was great seeing them all work together and Alex stepping up into the role of the General and directing everyone, but it was over far too soon. It was like a walk in the park for them. But! They found out that the Ravener is actually hiding in the Fae world and using the Fae gates to travel. And it seems like while the Ravener has Oldars corpse, the Fae king guy has the throne. But what is he doing with it?? The author really just threw us into the attack on the King. It was very stressful. But poor court wizard priest guy. He was so ready to jump on the Traveler wagon and he gets torn in half. Damn.
Peter and Paul!! They’re still alive!! I love this!
There is a lot happening at once. A little too fast to follow along and I got sucked in and didn’t write down any thoughts. Womp womp.
But the whole reason why the Fae lord guy took the throne was to get the divine power so he could defeat his other Fae enemies. A little dumb if you ask me but 🤷🏼♀️. And the whole lead up to entering the Raveners lair! It was very sweet that Merzin wanted to try to talk to the Ravener and maybe reason with it? But it seems like the Ravener is pretty dead set on its destruction path. It was kind of a waste to have a period of it helping the people and thinking about becoming a good guy to just full stop like this. It would have been a little better if there was some more internal warring in the Ravener while they tried to convince it to help them. But it’s just giving them the if you can defeat me you are worthy this time speech. Lol the Priest Tobias manipulating the other priests into praying to the Traveler saying it’s Oldars will. Hilarious.
Oh no! Alex and Merzin were trapped while trying to get Oldars throne! How was the Fae guy prepared for this!? Woahh. Listening to Balen threatening the Fae guy was chilling. Now the Fae guy is giving the Ravener more power! Our friends are in trouble! And Alex’s fear spell has worn off and everyone is being overrun. I’m stressed!
It’s like we’re coming full circle from the first book! Jules summoning a Greater Shoggoff. Ahhh! And Registrar Hobb is here!!
Is Selena somehow going to use her fire magic and prayer to bring the Traveler back!? And now Alex can see Hannah in the Afterworld! With his parents!😭and Selena got to be there too see them 😭 now the Traveler and Carrie London can come back! We have a chance at beating the Ravener! No way! Hannah! “You shall not pass!” So lame but none of the Thameland people will understand it 😂. Oh no! Paul is wounded! Peters trying to get him to the medical tent in time. I’ll lose my shit if he dies 😭😭 she made it in time!! And she’s kicking ass! But she’s using alot of divinity so Alex needs to help her! He’s using his Generals mark and Hannah’s teleporting power to basically be in three places at once! I love how Admodester is having the time of her life fighting the Ravener. She’s truly living her best life. Now Alex is inside the Ravener! Claygon has been feeling a familiar kind of energy this whole time. And he finally figured it out. He knows he’ll be able to use it to evolve again! But there’s nothing after an iron golem. So what’s he going to change into?? Now he’s steel! (I def thought they were the same thing but I guess not?) and part dungeon core essence! Woahh!! HE CAN GENERATE RAVENER SPAWN!?!? (I guess Glaygon Spawn lol).
I feel like it’s very fitting that Merzin is the one who gets to destroy Oldars throne. He’s given up so much for his faith in Oldar. He deserves this win.
Oh no! The Fae guy stabbed Balen! But wait?? He’s not bleeding!? What’s going on!?! Balen turned it around on him! Balen hasn’t had his heart inside him for over five thousand years!? What!? And he opened his chest to show the fae guy. OPENED IT!? Dude. Balen took his heart out of his body and put most of his life force into it so he can’t be killed. Goddamn. Hardcore. Absolutely terrifying. Then they tied the Fae guy to the throne and let it blow up with him attached to it. So Oldar died on that throne and his friend did too. Very fitting! Now we just need to take care of the Ravener! And Alex is so close. Just one more pillar/tower thing to go. The only think I really have to say about the Ravener is he is the king of daddy issues. Kinda feel sorry for the guy. But Alex did it! He stopped the Ravener! All over Thameland, the Ravener Spawn are dropping! Oh my god 😭 “Professor Jules didn’t cheer quite yet. She wouldn’t not until her students came home” 😭😭 I love her.
Woah. Merzin is so smart. Since Alex was able to take Oldars essence out of his body without the poison, he said if Oldar has asked his people for help, he could have stayed around long enough for Hannah to be born and she could have used her power to take the poison out of him. Damn. Woah again! Claygon is able to make the land healing spawn Alex had seen in the culling vision! Now he can help Thameland heal after the Ravener. And! He can’t make an actual dungeon core but he made the substance!! Which means they have an unlimited supply for golems!!! Claygon is such a good boy 😭😭 he’s excited because he’s going to be able to make the world a better place with his good Claygon spawn and dungeon core essence 😭 I freaking love him. And their homecoming. And professor Jules meeting them. Her hugging them and making sure they all made it back ok. She’s the best 😭. And her getting to see Carrie London again 😭 now we get to see what Alex has in mind for Oldars divine essence. He’s going to have Balen help him with his immortality! And! Balen asked Alex to think about joining his Cabal! Woah! Good on Alex for telling Balen he wasn’t sure and to think on it for a while.
I absolutely love how the king and the priest guy are going to make sure everyone forgets about Oldar and makes sure they only worship the Traveler now.
Alex finally did it! He made his immortality potions and made sure to make enough for everyone else. Alex and Theresa are going to take it together. Along with Celena when she’s old enough. The part between Thundar and Dresdra was so cute. How they’re so excited to spend thousands of years together. Of course Kalik will take it so he can be with Sinope. Isolde will take it! So the whole Cabal will stay together! Cedric will think on it. I hope he’ll take it so he can stay with Isolde. Hart will also think about it. Grimlock! Hell yeah!! I kind of figured Merzin wouldn’t take it. It’s very in character for him to not to.
That was such a cute ending. They all really deserved a happily ever after.
Oh my god 😭😭 Peter and Paul are the sweetest 😭😭 they gave Alex his wedding gift and it’s the fountain in the square with him, Theresa, and Brutus in it. I love them 😭. And I absolutely LOVE that this book is ending with Peter and Paul arresting McHarris again!
••••
Overall series review: I had such a great time with this series! So much happened in all of the books and the story flowed so well. And so many side characters with so much life and made you care about all of them. I think the series could have been a couple books shorter but I still had a great time. 10/10 series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2026
Absolute masterpiece! The amount of action in this book was staggering, like 10 hours of the audiobook! Loved it!
May 11, 2026
[TL;DR - I typically rate books according to their genre. A young adult fantasy/lit-rpg rated five stars does not mean that it is on the same level as classic literature I rate as five. Overall series rating (on a YA scale) is 4.5 stars and I highly recommend this series to those who prefer their stories to end with the good guys winning and the bad guys losing, and with as few losses of characters we like as possible. Also, the main storyline concludes fully. The only problem is all the secondary storylines left totally unexplored or underexplored.]
I believe that I read that this series started as a web-serial. If so, it does not surprise me, because as I close out this series, it doesn't feel like I read 10 books, but one long story. Rather than review the final book, I am going to do my best to document my thoughts of this great series, both good and areas of improvement. I will miss a lot of things, but this is what was front of mind at the time:
I don't believe I have ever consumed a series of this length this quickly before. This is mostly due to a busy travel schedule that found me in many airport terminals and hotels giving me abundant time to listen on Audible. While it afforded me the opportunity, J.M. Clarke penned the story that kept my interest for nearly 10,000 pages... He did so through excellent character construction and development. I will happily concede that the tone of this book, while dire in the sense of ultimate victory, is more slice-of-life. More often than not the characters who we spend most of our time with ultimately prevail in one way or the other. At this point in my life, I gravitate more towards books that are lighter in tone. I can no longer read Martinesque books where someone I have followed for thousands of pages is summarily killed with no fanfare and is nearly forgotten. There is too much darkness in the world to feel any need to have that in my periodic escapes from reality.
The premise of the story was one that I found interesting from the start. I mentioned in a prior review of one of the books in this series that the premise perfectly captures how different media can influence others. While I have no evidence to support this belief, I could not help but think of a video game progression system where powers are locked until certain activities are complete. I also found myself thinking that most fantasy authors today understand that a good story requires more than a main character who has unlimited and unfettered power [fn: at least for the first 8 or so books]. So let's flip that trope on its head and make a build for a character where he excels in quite literally everything except for combat ... in a combat game ...
This only scratches the surface of how, from its origins, Clarke had a well-thought story. I mentioned above that I view this series as a single story rather than 10 books. Most sprawling fantasy novels are one story but branch out so much that it becomes easier to distinguish mini-stores in each book. Not here, where I am confident that Clarke knew, before completing book 1, what would happen in book 10. This is huge. Even in some trilogies that I have read, it seems like authors are trying to fit square pegs into round holes by the end, not having thought through all aspects of the book, so to correct inconsistencies we get hit with things out of left field.
This is the positive side of the coin. I can easily say just as quickly that Clarke missed an opportunity to expand the series' reach. Despite an entire universe to explore, 95% of the series occurs in one of two places: Generasi or Thameland. While we had some expeditions to other places periodically, the story is insanely linear given the scope. The same is true of our characters. While it has been a while since I have taken to characters as quickly as I did here, and despite feeling that they were well developed, it was still a missed opportunity in that we barely got to know any of them beyond their connection with Alex. Alex is certainly the main character but I felt the others deserved more time and more exploration outside of the events of this story.
Perhaps Clarke is setting up for a second series or expanded universe. If so, there will be no shortage of material he can explore. But in a series with 10 books, each book coming in at around 700 pages, it is hard for me to accept that we needed so much about minor events while not getting around to all the other aspects of the universe.
Ultimately, I think Clarke made the decision to keep this story grounded and focused. That would not have been my preference but I did not write the series so I don't get to tell him what to do. Moreover, just because I can think of ways that I could have enjoyed this series more does not take anything away from what it is. This is a great series that really comes into its own sooner than later. It is a series where you can find enjoyment in many places, whether you are one who care more about the story, the characters, the world-building (caveat: see above.), or the escape from reality.
The only other issues that come to mind about this series are (1) the judicious appropriation of popular quotes in modern media and (2) dues ex machina. For the first, anytime Clarke found a situation where a pop reference could apply, he did not miss his shot. Whether it is quoting famous series like Lord of the Rings, movies, memes, songs, etc... There are times when it "fits" for reasons I won't go into, but most of the time it was almost like Clarke giving a shout-out to others but it felt quite unnecessary. The second part is something that I am finding more and more common in modern fantasy. Just because the genre, fantasy, by definition dabbles in the unrealistic does not mean that authors can or should explain away difficult or inconsistent storylines with an 'easy button'. Too often our characters found success because of a moment of inspiration where they ascend and find a higher power. When your main character simply says "Think. Adapt." over and over and then suddenly comes up with the answer every time, it feels less like a character adapting and more like the author handing the character the answer key. Unfortunately, Alex's character is "Think. Adapt." personified which means that it happens multiple times in every single book in the series. Specific to the final book, I will be the first to say that things got out of hand. If you didn't like the final book in this series, I cannot blame you. Perhaps more than any other book in the series, the final one became deus ex machina over and over again. I am not exaggerating when I say that had The Trolley Problem been presented in this book, our main character would simply make two copies of himself to save both sides of the track. When your book gets to a point where the solution is to do the impossible, even I have a hard time stomaching it.
I feel like I could go on and on about this series' strengths and areas of improvement. Suffice to say, if you've made it this far into the review, wow, congrats. I will conclude by succinctly stating that I really enjoyed this series, warts and all. It was a light and entertaining escape from reality where one can certainly delve deeper to explore more subtle (and less so) commentary from the author. Religion is a big piece of this story. I will not go into that in my review but there is more to this series than meets the eye.
So long as you can accept - what has become a near-necessity in any fantasy story - young adults able to commit wanton and gratuitous violence with almost no emotional repercussions, you are in for a treat. As I stand here today, I hope that Clarke decides to come back to this series with more.
I believe that I read that this series started as a web-serial. If so, it does not surprise me, because as I close out this series, it doesn't feel like I read 10 books, but one long story. Rather than review the final book, I am going to do my best to document my thoughts of this great series, both good and areas of improvement. I will miss a lot of things, but this is what was front of mind at the time:
I don't believe I have ever consumed a series of this length this quickly before. This is mostly due to a busy travel schedule that found me in many airport terminals and hotels giving me abundant time to listen on Audible. While it afforded me the opportunity, J.M. Clarke penned the story that kept my interest for nearly 10,000 pages... He did so through excellent character construction and development. I will happily concede that the tone of this book, while dire in the sense of ultimate victory, is more slice-of-life. More often than not the characters who we spend most of our time with ultimately prevail in one way or the other. At this point in my life, I gravitate more towards books that are lighter in tone. I can no longer read Martinesque books where someone I have followed for thousands of pages is summarily killed with no fanfare and is nearly forgotten. There is too much darkness in the world to feel any need to have that in my periodic escapes from reality.
The premise of the story was one that I found interesting from the start. I mentioned in a prior review of one of the books in this series that the premise perfectly captures how different media can influence others. While I have no evidence to support this belief, I could not help but think of a video game progression system where powers are locked until certain activities are complete. I also found myself thinking that most fantasy authors today understand that a good story requires more than a main character who has unlimited and unfettered power [fn: at least for the first 8 or so books]. So let's flip that trope on its head and make a build for a character where he excels in quite literally everything except for combat ... in a combat game ...
This only scratches the surface of how, from its origins, Clarke had a well-thought story. I mentioned above that I view this series as a single story rather than 10 books. Most sprawling fantasy novels are one story but branch out so much that it becomes easier to distinguish mini-stores in each book. Not here, where I am confident that Clarke knew, before completing book 1, what would happen in book 10. This is huge. Even in some trilogies that I have read, it seems like authors are trying to fit square pegs into round holes by the end, not having thought through all aspects of the book, so to correct inconsistencies we get hit with things out of left field.
This is the positive side of the coin. I can easily say just as quickly that Clarke missed an opportunity to expand the series' reach. Despite an entire universe to explore, 95% of the series occurs in one of two places: Generasi or Thameland. While we had some expeditions to other places periodically, the story is insanely linear given the scope. The same is true of our characters. While it has been a while since I have taken to characters as quickly as I did here, and despite feeling that they were well developed, it was still a missed opportunity in that we barely got to know any of them beyond their connection with Alex. Alex is certainly the main character but I felt the others deserved more time and more exploration outside of the events of this story.
Perhaps Clarke is setting up for a second series or expanded universe. If so, there will be no shortage of material he can explore. But in a series with 10 books, each book coming in at around 700 pages, it is hard for me to accept that we needed so much about minor events while not getting around to all the other aspects of the universe.
Ultimately, I think Clarke made the decision to keep this story grounded and focused. That would not have been my preference but I did not write the series so I don't get to tell him what to do. Moreover, just because I can think of ways that I could have enjoyed this series more does not take anything away from what it is. This is a great series that really comes into its own sooner than later. It is a series where you can find enjoyment in many places, whether you are one who care more about the story, the characters, the world-building (caveat: see above.), or the escape from reality.
The only other issues that come to mind about this series are (1) the judicious appropriation of popular quotes in modern media and (2) dues ex machina. For the first, anytime Clarke found a situation where a pop reference could apply, he did not miss his shot. Whether it is quoting famous series like Lord of the Rings, movies, memes, songs, etc... There are times when it "fits" for reasons I won't go into, but most of the time it was almost like Clarke giving a shout-out to others but it felt quite unnecessary. The second part is something that I am finding more and more common in modern fantasy. Just because the genre, fantasy, by definition dabbles in the unrealistic does not mean that authors can or should explain away difficult or inconsistent storylines with an 'easy button'. Too often our characters found success because of a moment of inspiration where they ascend and find a higher power. When your main character simply says "Think. Adapt." over and over and then suddenly comes up with the answer every time, it feels less like a character adapting and more like the author handing the character the answer key. Unfortunately, Alex's character is "Think. Adapt." personified which means that it happens multiple times in every single book in the series. Specific to the final book, I will be the first to say that things got out of hand. If you didn't like the final book in this series, I cannot blame you. Perhaps more than any other book in the series, the final one became deus ex machina over and over again. I am not exaggerating when I say that had The Trolley Problem been presented in this book, our main character would simply make two copies of himself to save both sides of the track. When your book gets to a point where the solution is to do the impossible, even I have a hard time stomaching it.
I feel like I could go on and on about this series' strengths and areas of improvement. Suffice to say, if you've made it this far into the review, wow, congrats. I will conclude by succinctly stating that I really enjoyed this series, warts and all. It was a light and entertaining escape from reality where one can certainly delve deeper to explore more subtle (and less so) commentary from the author. Religion is a big piece of this story. I will not go into that in my review but there is more to this series than meets the eye.
So long as you can accept - what has become a near-necessity in any fantasy story - young adults able to commit wanton and gratuitous violence with almost no emotional repercussions, you are in for a treat. As I stand here today, I hope that Clarke decides to come back to this series with more.
August 12, 2025
Good end to the series
Wrapping up a series is never easy, but i think the author did a decent job here.
This book had way too many grammatical mistakes to garner more than a 3-star review.
Wrapping up a series is never easy, but i think the author did a decent job here.
This book had way too many grammatical mistakes to garner more than a 3-star review.
August 5, 2025
Finally over
Definitely glad it's over. Started out amazing and just lost steam around book 6. Only kept reading to see how it ended. Last book was basicly "Alex wiggles his eyebrows and everything dies" no struggle, no, suspense, just OP MC doing litterly anything and everything he wants to including f'n cloning himself b/c it's fits the plot.
Definitely glad it's over. Started out amazing and just lost steam around book 6. Only kept reading to see how it ended. Last book was basicly "Alex wiggles his eyebrows and everything dies" no struggle, no, suspense, just OP MC doing litterly anything and everything he wants to including f'n cloning himself b/c it's fits the plot.
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