The General of Izril

The Wandering Inn #6

by Pirateaba, Andrea Parsneau (narrator)

Clowns, Goblins, and Erin Solstice. Not all in the same place, mind you.

Erin Solstice trusts a lot of people—even some lost Redfangs survivors of Esthelm—but can she handle being friends with Goblins when every hand is turned against them and the tribes are on the rampage?

Liscor is in the path of Goblin Lord's inexorable march north, and the fates of Rags, Garen Redfang, and Tremborag's Goblin tribes are all tied to an impending war. Who will survive?

Tom the [Clown] is facing Demons in Rhir while Zel Shivertail is facing Wall Lord Ilvriss and an uncertain future. Faced with the knowledge of the Necromancer's return, who can the two Drakes turn to?

Contains bonus content, an exclusive account of the 2nd Antinium War by famed [Writer], Krsysl Wordsmith.

Genres: Fantasy, Litrpg, Audiobook, Fiction, Adventure, Magic, Epic Fantasy

Audiobook

First published March 19, 2019

Reviews

[Matt's Fantasy Book Reviews]

Watch my video review by clicking here.

A book that meanders for quite a while before finally getting to the best plot developments of the entire series, and makes me absolutely ravenous to read the next one.

[Choko]

I am past being objective when it comes to rating this series. I love everything about this world and the characters. Pirateaba manages to tug on all my heartstrings and she broke my heart at the end of this volume. Andrea Parsneau does an amazing job narrating the series and once again, she makes the characters alive! I will strongly recommend this series to all who love Audiobooks and fantastic worlds with very relatable characters. The beginning of the first book drags a bit, but it is worth pushing through, for the rest is magical!!! ❤️🤟👍

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange)]

4.0 Stars
This is another solid entry in the Wandering Inn series. This one felt heavier in the military action, moving the plot forward. I looked forward to reading the next volume to see where this one goes.

[Andrews WizardlyReads]

IM NOT OK!!!!!!! This book is intense. While I wasn’t a huge fan of fan of the first half of the book other than a section with a very creepy clown….the second half was very rewarding and that was a hell of an ending. I need to go have a glass of milk and honey and the a nap.

[QuestBoundReader]

My rating 4.5/5
Youtube Review: https://youtu.be/Mp3k9AU7meA
Discord Link: https://discord.gg/snBSMYtv

Welcome back to the Questbound gang!! for all of you who have followed me thus far, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please consider following me on Youtube if you haven't already, as that will help me out tremendously.

Lets dive right into it then!

Story: 5/5
So the story really ramps up here. We start the book with our favorite clown (not pennywise), Tom. Now Tom is literally insane.. he has a skill for it (the irony). His chapters in this book were some of my favorite. His perspective is intriguing and goes to show you what people dealing with insanity may face (in a blown up-fantasy way). We then follow Erin and her never-ending attempt to make friends with every person, creature or object she comes across. This book in my opinion, is an attempt to bridge together what most of the continents are going through, with the rise of the goblin lord and the fights the necromancer caused last book. The conclusion to this book was EPIC. sad but EPIC indeed. I won't spoil it for you ;-) so please, read on!!

Characters: 5/5
As mentioned, I enjoyed all of the different perspectives in this book. I missed not seeing Ryoka or knowing what happened to Ivolethe, however I hope next book makes up for that. We really see many unlikely friendships occurring in this book such as....jk read up and you'll know who I'm talking about.

Flow: 4/5
So this was the first book in the series that bored me a little. Before you get all "gun-ho" let me explain. There were 3 chapters on the Antinium wars. Yes, 3 whole chapters. While I enjoy the history of the Antinium, I didn't really care for that many pages dedicated to it. IMO this could've been reduced to 1 chapter and spent more time on the war with the Goblin lord or just reduced page count regardless. This is the only critique I have for this book.

I hope you guys stick around and continue to be part of the Questbound Gang, our little fantasy family!! Stick around and I'll see you on the next one!!

[Dylan]

The Wandering Inn Volume 4 is fantastic across the board. We finally have perspective on Tom the Clown since Book 3, more Zel Shivertail, and reading about historical and eyewitness accounts of the Second Antinium War. It’s the most plot progression in the series and the best climax, while featuring some truly wholesome moments. The series before this point could be classified as epic fantasy, but this book reaffirms that assertion. Plotlines that began as far back as Book 2 are getting some needed closure, characters introduced around that time are getting meaningful character development, and finally, the growth of the characters in Liscor.

The majority of this review will be a spoiler, so I will tag it whenever I get to that section, but another reason why it’s my favourite in the series from the first 6 novels is the lack of Ryoka. Is that petty? Absolutely, but the lack of Ryoka makes this book just so much better for me as a reader.

Spoiler

So, the clown is a character who I wanted to read more about since he was first introduced, and Pirate didn’t disappoint. Is it a 40k novella that's not as relevant to the main story? Absolutely, however it's a glorious inclusion. So much we learned, especially the sacrifice the humans made of their own kind to kidnap people from Earth to come into this world. The general principle of the Blighted King empire is scary, forcefully removing 60 people from their world to solve their conflict, but now add human sacrifice of 10,000 unborn babies… That's a terrifying result, and humans being crueller than the demons, a line they wouldn't cross… Which is why this information being relayed by Thomas is perfect, laughing at the world. I should have seen it coming, the Fool being the double-crosser, but yeah, I really loved this whole section. The internal back-and-forth of Thomas's personality was utterly fascinating, and then he had complete control at the end. I really felt so bad for Thomas, feeling like he couldn’t control his body anymore but was just an observer.


I felt very proud of Erin in this book with her helping those Redfang Goblins. I think we can always see Erin’s growth gradually and slowly in every book, but it’s at this point that you truly reflect on Book 1 to Book 6 Erin and how much she has grown. She reads people extremely keenly; she can be pragmatic, she knows the difficulty, but that gives her the resolve to do what no one else would do in this world, which is giving people a chance. Firstly, unintentionally realising Free Antinium's goal of creating individuals by treating the Antinium as people. Sure, people respect Klbkch, but that’s different; he’s the exception, not the rule. There’s an energy about Erin that, no matter what review I’m writing, I can’t articulate, as it just comes across as cheesy. Anyhow, I love Redfang Goblin's inclusion in the inn. Erin talked with the gold-rank party and, in particular, with Mrsha. It’s her sort of making amends for the Rag’s situation and how it cannot occur again. She caved into Ryoka's pressure, and I bet Ryoka probably would have been as frustrating to Erin if she saw what happened, and I’m glad that she left.

Olesm's and Pisces's friendship is something that feels only natural. Both are smart individuals, especially Pisces, and slowly seeing him getting acknowledged as the series progresses gives me a sense of joy. In terms of the Rags plotline, it’s as fantastic as ever. She is the ultimate underdog in this cruel world. While she slightly gives herself a massive ego, in some senses it’s definitely deserved, but genius or not, she does make mistakes, which this clearly portrays. The truth that the old Goblin was actually Greydath is something I sort of expected. I did love his interactions at the end with the New Goblin Lord about being a slave. The Goblin Lord here is given a lot of humanity, where I actually feel bad for him in some sense, given the tough position he is placed in. The pillaging of towns and innocents is disgusting, but the ultimate plan of finding a place where they can live in peace is a noble one.

The Yellow Splatter and Liscor chapters in general are always the highlight, and this is no exception. Yellow Splatter got serious tunnel vision after seeing the deaths of his men; he’s not understanding of his men’s perspective and unintentionally taking for granted being an individual. I loved how Erin solved the conflict. Painted soldiers dancing. Numbtongue gets a guitar, and Twin Stripes is healed by Pawn. Then finally Lyon bonded with Krshia. While this happened prior, it’s now set in stone with giving Krishia the royal class.

The 2nd Antinium War is placed a little awkwardly (plus the chronology of the actual set of chapters is a bit weird), but I think it was a good insertion before the climax. It has a much more interesting structure than the 1st War, being a mix of history and personal eyewitness accounts. My favourite aspects were the discussion of the nature of historiography and fascinating commentary to poke holes and fill gaps from logical assertion to eyewitness perspective. It does remind me of popular history in real life, how the very flawed account of an event will be read by the masses even if a more accurate one exists. The balance of history and being engaging. There's just something so wholesome about Erin being invited to participate in bedtime reading for the Antinium.

Lastly, you can’t discuss the book without mentioning Zel. The culmination of a plotline that realistically began in Book 2 and finally concluded here. There’s so much that can be said, but if there’s one thing, Zel’s death was a glorious one. I knew he would die in the book; it felt pretty expected, and especially at the end, Az'kerash's personal Chosen appeared. I do think Zel realistically should have died a little earlier, but regardless, Zel's complete hatred of the Ants and Goblins and actually accepting them sort of at his final moments, giving the Goblin Lord the name Reiss, the name he would have given to a son of his with his lover Sserys. I do wonder what Reiss will do in the future. I do like the respect they gave Zel at the end, leaving his corpse alone.


In conclusion, Book 6 is the culmination of certain plotlines and is executed gloriously (the ending is amazing!). As I’m writing this review, it’s hard to choose between this book or Book 7 in terms of my favourite, but it’s the best of the first 6 novels at the very least.

9/10

[Gyan K]

4.25/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 stars!!

I loved this book like all the rest before them. I relished the stories of the emperor and the stray Hobs. Erin’s parts were fun as usual, especially the bits with the Hobs. There were parts that I found less delectable, like the history of the second Antinium wars that came close toward the end. And despite Pirataba giving it a fun twist, at the end of the day it was really just an infodump to get us up to speed. I also missed Ryoka and Evoleth. Toren was also missing which I was hoping to see what happens to his arc after the heroic saves in the dungeon in disguise in the last book. I sort of felt like this one was setting up the pieces. The middle book syndrome so to speak.

Onwards to the next- Rains of Liscor!

[Mille]

fucking stupid necromancer

[SVETLANA]

The audiobook experience is 4⭐. The novel itself, if I had read it as an ebook, would probably have been 3⭐.

[Amy]

It seems like every single installment of The Wandering Inn wants to break my heart into tiny pieces and succeeds every time.

The General of Izril mostly follows the general goings-on of Erin/Liscor, with a few detours to return to the group on Rhir for the first time in three books (literally about 4,700 pages); visit with Laken and his rapidly expanding empire of villages as people flee to his protection under threat of goblin attack; tell us more about the Antinium Wars that define the current geopolitics of Izril; and to follow General Zel and Lady Magnolia's attempt to defeat Az'kerash's Goblin Lord.

Judging by the state of the GoodReads reviews, I was not alone in enjoying the Rhir storyline the least out of everything this volume, though it was there for a reason I don't think most readers caught. Mentioned at the end by the [Fool], as the reason he betrayed the Blighted King, was the possible reason why people have been/are being pulled into this world from Earth: in desperation for prophesied [Heroes], the Blighted King preformed a ritual meant to speed up the arrival of [Heroes] by pulling them to...presumably Rhir, and - to his knowledge - the large group of about sixty ended up in the palace would seem to support that (although many were distinctly less heroic than he probably would have wanted; that's what he gets with a spell that grabs a bunch of random people and then expects to turn the tide of a losing war against demons, which he knows about, and semi-sleeping god, which he doesn't). Unfortunately for the population of Rhir and any other random people grabbed by the ritual, the Blighted King is planning to do the ritual again, sinking more life energy into the spell in hopes of a bigger pool of potential [Heroes] that will have little choice but to fight his war. So that leads to this thought: readers know from the various storylines that there are more Earthers not on Rhir than on Rhir, and until now there wasn't even an inkling of explanation as to how and why this was happening. Now, mentioned in passing, is a potential explanation, a possible limit to how many the magic will grab and forcibly transport, and a potential way to stop another wave of abductions fueled by sacrifices.

In more emotional news,

* SKIP IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS! *

General Zel Shivertail dies in the last chapters of this volume. *resumes crying* Zel has spent the last several books going in and out of the story and I didn't realize just how attached I'd gotten until this. He survives so much in the concerted battlefield assassination attempt by literally all five of Az'kerash's specially made undead 'children' - including one made specifically to combat Zel's skills/tactics and kill him - and Az'kerash himself, though isn't until the last couple pages that it really becomes clear that no, he's not just in serious trouble; he isn't going to make it out. And the last conversation - if you can really call it that, because Zel was actively dying and only semicoherent - between Zel and the Goblin King, where Zel gave him a name, just shattered my heart into a million pieces. Then Goblin King Reiss's defiance of Az'kerash's direct orders - ordering none of the goblins to touch Zel's body, allowing it to be claimed by Lady Magnolia's army and making it much more difficult for the [Necromancer] to raise Zel as one of his specially made 'children' - out of respect and admiration for Zel... *bawls*

In less emotional terms: I bet Magnolia severely regrets putting off dealing with the [Necromancer] now. Not only has she now lost someone she considered an ally and possibly a friend, but a beloved cultural and military hero of the drakes is now dead...on the human half of the continent, fighting a war that should have been the human's problem, with an entirely human army that should have been at his back and wasn't. That is a massive blow to any potential for ceasefire - let alone cooperation and understanding - between the drake and human species, especially as Zel leading this human army was supposed to be the first of many strides toward forging an interspecies peace pact across Izril. Needless to say, those plans are now trashed. Even worse, with the Shield of the Drakes - the person everyone assumed would take up leadership of a coalition army in the event of another major war - now dead, the Grand Queen of the Antinium speaks covertly with the other hives about potential war. It's Magnolia and Zel's worst nightmare. Zel's death tipped the balance of power in ways that will be felt for books to come. (And possibly not just for his military power or cultural significance, either. Zel gave Reiss a name when all Reiss had was his identity as the Goblin Lord, which he got because of Az'kerash, and his status as sort of apprentice, sort of slave to the [Necromancer]. We know from Erin naming Rags that interspecies naming is...emotionally significant. It's not everything, but it might be enough to tip behavior in unpredictable ways at some point in the future.)

* OKAY NO MORE SPOILERS *

All in all, this was an excellent volume. I always look forward to The Wandering Inn and I highly recommend it as an amazing series.

[hotsake (André Troesch)]

3.75/5
By far the best of the series thus far mostly due to the lack of the annoying Ryoka Griffin.

[Soo]

2024/10/17 Notes: 1st Audiobook Re-read

3 Stars Raised to 4 for Audiobook

As usual, narration by Andrea Parsneau was great!

A lot of characters and settings development and a couple of key Innverse events were in this segment. For me, many of the characters that were given center stage in this part were not fleshed out well. They grow to become characters that I enjoy later in the series.

Fav Bits:
- Bird
- Hobs: Pyrite & Inn Gang
- Reynold
- Silvertail
- Bone Steak
- Grumpy Mage

[Ty MaC]

5/5

perfect amount of Erin

no Ryoka

highest stakes yet. The world is so big and interesting.

[Israel Zilinski]

“Tidebreaker!”

Every time I believe I know the direction that The Wandering Inn will go, I am somehow surprised when it goes the complete and utter opposite direction! The General of Izril as an entry into this series is not what I was expecting to be honest, I thought with some certainty, that this would be the first real step towards the end of the goblin lord, that perhaps as the title suggests, Zel would become the General of Izril, and that there would be a bit more fighting outside the very beginning and the very end. I was unfortunately wrong on all three counts, of course I’m okay with that because this was a good entry, but not as strong as I had hoped.

First let me get my complaints out of the way so that I can talk about the good stuff. Unfortunately outside the Clown chapters The Antinum chapters and the last two chapters, I didn’t really loved what happened in the middle of this book tbh. I feel like so much of the tension surrounding the goblin lord was cut away because we meander in the Inn with Erin as she defends a group of hobgoblins from the residents of Liscor. Now i usually love Erin and anything that happens in her Inn, she’s a highlight of the series in my humble opinion, but I simply couldn’t care less about the hobgoblin subplot in this book and because of that the Erin chapters and the middle in general felt like a bit of a drag.

The good thing however is that the positives of the book, especially the last 25% heavily outweigh my negatives. First of all the Clown/Tom chapters were insane (no pun intended! I really liked his chapters in Fae & Fare, they were an art of the reason I ranked that book so highly, and that remains the same here! There is something about the idea of an insane man dressed as a clown basically becoming a murder hobo against demons that I adore. His skills are so deeply underrated and unusual for battle that he’s basically a wildcard, but it works so incredibly well! I just adore these chapters.

Another highlight is the antinium war chapters. Perhaps I’m alone in this but as a big fan of military history, I very much enjoy a historical breakdown of a huge war that took over an entire continent. I really liked how Pirateaba Spiced things up by adding some interjections from characters who were actually there and how it has similar parallels to the current conflict rising on Izril. It’s both a very good section for worldbuilding and inn-wprld history and also a good reflection on real life and how certain conflicts arise out of old ones!

Still, the best part of this novel is hands down the very character that this book is named after, The Hero of the Antinum Wars, The General of Izril, The Tidebreaker himself, Zel Shivertail. I’m a big fan of badasses, I love when an author will write about someone who is unapologetically an overpowered living legend, and Zel Shivertail is absolutely that to a tee. He is without a doubt, one of the most interesting characters in The Wandering Inn so far, especially for his limited page count, but man did he leave a lasting impression! The last two chapters where Zel faces off against the goblin lord is probably the best thing Pirateaba has written so far in the entire series. Zel was a total badass, an absolutely unstoppable force of nature and I loved watching him command the army for Magnolia. I also really loved his fight against the chosen, and even though I really dislike that this amazing character was killed off, it was still astonishing to read. His fight to the last was truly amazing to read and it’s probably one of my favorite last stands I’ve read in fiction, just perfectly written!

Overall, The General of Izril is not what i expected from this entry in The Wandering Inn, and while overall it’s not my favorite entry in the series, it does have some of my favorite moments so far! The beginning and the end are highlights that show off the range and capability of Pirateaba as an author and I can’t wait to see where they take this story next, especially with the goblin menace. Hail The Tidebreaker! 8.8/10

[Julia Sarene]

Wandering Inn Book 6 by Pirateaba

Going into Book 6, I thought I understood the rhythm of this series: mostly cosy moments, slice-of-life energy, bursts of danger, and the occasional heartbreak. This book shifts that balance. It’s still recognisably The Wandering Inn, but it’s also the darkest and by far the saddest volume so far. The ending hit me in a way I wasn’t ready for, and I had to sit with it afterwards. It’s the kind of book that makes you realize how fragile everyone is in this world, no matter how much comfort the inn brings.

Erin’s growth continues to be one of the strongest threads in the story. Looking back to Book 1 Erin and comparing her to who she is now feels almost unreal. She’s grown up in quiet, subtle ways: she reads people better, she understands the weight of her choices, and she still chooses kindness even when it costs her. Her relationship with the Antinium remains one of my favourite parts. The way she treats them as people isn’t loud or dramatic, but it changes everything. It’s gentle, and hopeful, and hits in a way that sneaks up on you.

Laken and Durene are another highlight for me. I love how his perspective adds something completely different to the series, and their relationship feels steady and warm in a book that’s otherwise full of loss and uncertainty.

And speaking of loss, this is the book where a new POV tested my patience. Now that I’ve come around on Flos, Tom the Clown has become the one I struggled with. I’ve never liked clowns, so it might be entirely my bias, but his chapters were the ones I kept wanting to skim. The end of his storyline finally grabbed me a little, but it took a long time to get there.

On the opposite side of that, Ryoka barely appears here, and I genuinely missed her. I hope she gets more space again later. She’s a complicated character, but I love her for it, and the story feels different without her around.

Pisces also continues to be one of the most rewarding characters to follow. From someone I disliked early on, he’s become a favourite, and watching him slowly earn genuine respect is deeply satisfying.

But the heart of this book, emotionally, thematically, belongs to the goblins. That storyline has always been powerful, but Book 6 takes it even further. The way Pirateaba writes goblins is unlike anything else in the series: they’re fierce, stubborn, flawed, and far more human than the world allows them to be. Rags remains the ultimate underdog, brilliant and reckless and trying desperately to carve out a future for her people. And the Goblin Lord… this book gives him a depth I didn’t expect. It doesn’t excuse the horrors committed, but it shows the crushing pressure he’s under, and the impossible choices he faces. There’s a tragic dignity in the way the goblins fight for a place to exist, even when every part of the world pushes them toward extinction.

Overall, Book 6 is heavy, sad, and full of emotional weight, but it’s also rich, thoughtful, and filled with small moments of kindness that keep it from collapsing into pure darkness. It feels like a turning point. Not just for the plot, but for the characters and the world itself. I didn’t expect this book to hit so hard, but it ended up being one of the most memorable in the series so far.

[GҽɱɱαSM]

4.7*
The General of Izril, sisè volum de la saga The Wandering Inn, manté, sens dubte, el nivell al que Pirateaba ens té acostumats. Segueix oferint diferents arcs per als personatges protagonistes a les diferents parts d'aquest món de fantasia. Apareixen interessants personatges nous com Tom the Clown i els herois escollits, Erin Solstice, Lyonette, Zel Shivertail, el Necromancer, el Goblin Lord, Rags, entre molts d'altres. Coneixem com continua la història dels goblins d'Esthelm, que tant es van fer estimar, i es continuen desenvolupant trames i progressió RPG. Hi ha també unes batalles molt bones i una sorpresa espatarrant cap al final del volum. Pel que fa la narració, Parsneau continua magnífica amb una pletora de veus que sonen amb veritable emoció.

[R.A.]

RTC - oh my god that ending!!

Another one joins my ranks of the greatest fictional leaders/generals...

Matrim Cauthon, Whiskeyjack, Adjunct Tavore, Edward Newgate aka Whitebeard, Field Marshal Tamas, Darrow of Lykos, Gin Mazoti - may I introduce to you: Zel Shivertail.

[Philip]

Fantastic ending
Another thoroughly enjoyable entry

[Chris]

While I enjoy the series as a whole and love some of the individual characters (and some of the side stories are brilliant). These later books feel sprawling and unfocused, there are so many named characters and plot threads with new ones popping up in every book. It makes things hard to follow and frankly there are characters I really don't care about and when they get 2-3 consecutive chapters center stage it makes it hard to want to pick up the book and continue on... and these books aren't short. (I listened to the this book and it ran 34 hours).
The battle at the end of the book was tiresome. It was inevitable that Zel was going to die, the Goblin Lord had too much plot armor to be defeated (all the time spent describing his three necessary battles guaranteed he was going to live). The death scene was like something out of a comedy the way you kept thinking the Zel was dead but no, he was just kidding, and he'd perk up and monologue some more before falling quiet again. All the back and forth with the armies and the pointless battles and the characters who seemed to be dead multiple times but weren't (I'm looking at you Snapjaw) it just ran really long and was ultimately boring.

[Roova]

Do not miss Andrea Parsneau's narration. Hear her at least once in your life. I have no words to tell you how much she has worked on these characters. I have cried, laughed and felt everything that the characters were feeling all the while forgetting that it is 1 person narrating countless characters. If you ask me, Andrea Parsneau is faaar better narrator than Jeff Hays (DCC) when portraying LitRPG characters so vividly and beautifully.

I loved everything about this book. Been waiting on Clown's pov and it was worth it, Goblins', Olesm, Butler, Magnolia, Emperor Lakan... everyone's pov and Antinium Wars History and how it told via so many people and their conversations in the end. And finally, our beloved general of Izril. You guys have no idea how much I have cried. I woke up with puffy eyes and went to bed with puffy eyes. I even had dreams about the last fight scene. Pirateaba we need to have a word, you owe me a few therapy sessions. And fuck that Necromancer!!

[Beth]

Have kleenex handy, this one starts off the trauma. No one does heart wrenching heroics like Pirateaba, and it's going to get worse from here. The war is just getting started.

There are sections I skim through... like the sections of the book that was being read, the reactions 🤣 of each various groups responding to it was worth it.

[Suz]

This really is a bit if a game changer to the story, but I really am not fond of hook endings.

[Tee]

well that was homophobic of the necromancer 💔💔😭

[Eileen]

I'm way overdue on my review for this, but while I don't generally like stories as much when battles are involved, there was something very compelling about Zel Shivertail's story. The story some time to come together, with the beginning introducing us to a very disturbing character, the clown. He is more than a little insane, and while it comes in handy when he and his allies are being attacked, it's very disturbing being inside his head. Andrea Parsneau does a fantastic job with narrating him (and other characters).

Ryoka was also not in this story as much and I've become invested in what will happen to Ivolethe, so I missed her presence. I hope we see more of her in the next book. I go back and forth with really loving and being exasperated by Erin, but I really liked her in this story. She has grown a lot during the first six books, and I love what she ended up doing with Redfang. Regardless of what happens, I love that Erin has a soft spot for the Goblins and the Actinium. She's become wiser since she had to kill the goblin leader way back in the first book, but despite the influence of past experiences, she takes new individuals of any species as individuals, capable of acting independent of the stereotypes of the species.

The last 25% were non-stop tension/action and made the slow start absolutely worth it. I have to admit that the author has guts because no character is truly safe (except maybe Erin? I mean, they call it the Wandering Inn and she's the Innkeeper). What amazes me is how some of the "side characters" are becoming more important in their own right, and we're starting to see how some of them fit in the bigger picture. Looking back, each of the first 6 books has had one or more storylines that resolves by the end of the book. But we're starting to see how some of these individual story lines tell us something about how this world works, and we are getting glimpses of how our own world is connected with this world (but nothing concrete). This world is massive and the odd mixture of magic, technology (mostly from our world), skills (the leveling up thing), knowledge (both from our world as well as from the history of this world) is fascinating, but it's becoming clearer to me that this author knows what they're doing. I don't know if they've mapped out the entire story ahead of time (like the major plot lines, characters, etc.), but I don't think they're writing this in a stream of consciousness way even if they're somehow managing to churn out 30-40k words a week! I believe they've now been writing this series for 7 years, and even with these first books, you can see the author's skill is improving along with the characters.

I need to take a break from continuing with this series because I'm so behind in my reviews of other books, but my plan is to get back to this series this summer. As long as these books are, they don't feel long to me, because I find myself so engrossed in what is happening in the story. If you haven't discovered this series yet, check it out. You can go to Pirateaba's Patreon and read the story for free. Or if you have kindle unlimited, you can also read it for free and add the audiobook for a few bucks. Andrea Parsneau is an incredible narrator, and totally worth the investment.

[Nico Wendland]

Ich brauche wohl nicht groß darüber reden, wie sehr ich diese Reihe ins Herz geschlossen habe und dieser Band kommt nach dem bisher besten, was wohl der Grund ist, warum er sich eher mit Konsequenzen und der Zukunft beschäftigt. Wir haben immer noch coole Handlungen, aber viele der Geschichten fühlten sich für mich wie Aufbau an. Und zu sehen, wie groß diese Welt bereits ist und wie alles ineinander fließt ist ein unglaubliches Gefühl.

(+)
- Tom ist wieder da und seine Kapitel waren einfach heftig…
- Es wird immer epischer
- Alle Kapitel um Liscor waren der Hammer, weil wir so interessante Figuren zusammenpacken und sich alles verbindet

(-)
- Die Antinium War Kapitel sind echt nicht meines
- Die Goblin Lord Handlung hat eine Weile gebraucht, bis sie mich interessiert hat

Mein Booktube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWsL...
Mein Bookstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nico_fantas...

[Lu]

3⭐️
Probably my least favorite book of the series. I just don't care about the Goblin War plot, I found myself skipping whole paragraphs just to get it over with.
The worst part is that it isn't even finished!!! It's gonna take another book before that whole plot is done!
(And the inn parts with the goblins were also kind of boring)

[Danielle Stanley]

I have to say these books have become my number one reads for the year.

Last read of the year, and this book continues to rip my heart out and a astound me. Cannot wait to finish reading the rest of the books in the new year.

[Walker]

A good way to finish my chalange of reading

[John Ward]

Oof

[Addie]

usually i’m not a fan of war plots but making an exception this time