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1% Lifesteal #2
1% Lifesteal (Volume 2): A LitRPG Adventure
Free, powerful, and in possession of a dead Lord’s storage ring, all he needs is a new identity, and he can start his career as an archhuman delver.
With his time in Faralethal’s mines coming to an end, Freddy is finally free to tackle the world. With the spoils of his unlikely victory, he expects to take the world of delving by storm.
Unfortunately for him, things are never that easy.
Big city life is harsh for those without backing. There are many who have been born into power, and many who are willing to do anything to get ahead.
In the grand scheme of things, an independent two-star is still prey.
But with the freedom, funds, and most importantly, time, it won’t be long until he shows the world why, despite all that had tried to kill him, he is still alive and thriving.
Book 2 of this action-packed LitRPG Adventure from Robert Blaise set two hundred years after a reality-altering apocalypse.
Featuring a weak-to-strong Brawler MC who never backs down, a unique power system, apocalyptic elements and more!
With his time in Faralethal’s mines coming to an end, Freddy is finally free to tackle the world. With the spoils of his unlikely victory, he expects to take the world of delving by storm.
Unfortunately for him, things are never that easy.
Big city life is harsh for those without backing. There are many who have been born into power, and many who are willing to do anything to get ahead.
In the grand scheme of things, an independent two-star is still prey.
But with the freedom, funds, and most importantly, time, it won’t be long until he shows the world why, despite all that had tried to kill him, he is still alive and thriving.
Book 2 of this action-packed LitRPG Adventure from Robert Blaise set two hundred years after a reality-altering apocalypse.
Featuring a weak-to-strong Brawler MC who never backs down, a unique power system, apocalyptic elements and more!
722 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 18, 2025
1323 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
July 7, 2025
All of the distasteful traits of the first book but turned up even higher. The main character is an asshole who seems to truly believe life is about being the biggest baddest alpha male, owning expensive clothes and having as much muscle as possible and dancing in clubs with women he treats like garbage. The way this author writes women and writes men talking about women is disgusting. You feel gross reading this book, reading about people callously torturing and stepping on people's heads and women being yanked around by big beefy guys who buy the most expensive clothes and get mad and punch each other but can't do their own laundry or figure out how to cook. The author includes really weird lines every once in a while like "they were buttered up so much you could bake a cake between their ass cheeks" which is supposed to be clever because it's foul? Also, the author clearly has a thing for muscles because every character is literally described as either "massive and heavy with huge rippling muscles and veins as this as roots and numerous as cobwebs", "a huge fucking nerd" because they wear glasses and are relatively polite, or they're a small fragile woman character. I said it in my review about the first book but considering how much worse the problem is than in the second one: this book feels like it was written by finding the worst 14 year old boy in a middle school and telling him to write a book while watching Andrew Tate content.
August 9, 2025
This was a great follow-up to the first book in the series. If you enjoyed the first volume, then you should have a similar experience here. If you didn't, well, don't expect things to change.
I've often wondered why I don't enjoy cultivation stories more compared to the gamelit stories with classes and levels. I'm still unsure. This story has most of the same hallmarks of a cultivation setting with a society stratified by power and full of nepotism. But for some reason I don't mind it as much in this series.
I think the key to it is our MC, Freddy. He's not some Gary Stu with a heart of gold. He's selfish and has a chip on his shoulder. He sees the power and luxury the elites are born into and can't help but want a piece for himself. Even after becoming an Arch Human, there are still levels to this game and Freddy is constantly confronted with the idea that he's trash. Always has been and always will be. When he tries to gain something, he's swatted down and stepped on. When he tries to mind his own business, he's pulled into trouble because of other people's callous disregard and unsustainable egos.
There is no happy end here, and it's a collision course for Freddy and the status quo. The only possible mediation would come from society circling the figurative wagons against an enemy at the interspace gates, but I don't know if the humans in this series have it in them. It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. I'm curious what the endgame is for this story.
I've often wondered why I don't enjoy cultivation stories more compared to the gamelit stories with classes and levels. I'm still unsure. This story has most of the same hallmarks of a cultivation setting with a society stratified by power and full of nepotism. But for some reason I don't mind it as much in this series.
I think the key to it is our MC, Freddy. He's not some Gary Stu with a heart of gold. He's selfish and has a chip on his shoulder. He sees the power and luxury the elites are born into and can't help but want a piece for himself. Even after becoming an Arch Human, there are still levels to this game and Freddy is constantly confronted with the idea that he's trash. Always has been and always will be. When he tries to gain something, he's swatted down and stepped on. When he tries to mind his own business, he's pulled into trouble because of other people's callous disregard and unsustainable egos.
There is no happy end here, and it's a collision course for Freddy and the status quo. The only possible mediation would come from society circling the figurative wagons against an enemy at the interspace gates, but I don't know if the humans in this series have it in them. It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. I'm curious what the endgame is for this story.
July 13, 2025
Good book
Good second book... Solid.. Depth to the MC
Recommend
JD Glasscock
Author of the Series Blood Brothers, Nocturne and Warborn
Good second book... Solid.. Depth to the MC
Recommend
JD Glasscock
Author of the Series Blood Brothers, Nocturne and Warborn
June 19, 2025
Fantastic!
What an amazing book! I absolutely loved this book and such wonderful characters! I can not wait for the next book to come out!
What an amazing book! I absolutely loved this book and such wonderful characters! I can not wait for the next book to come out!
June 20, 2025
Do you like every single character being an awful ass? This book is for you!
The writing and world building are good, sometimes great!. The setting is fun and the system of magic interesting. The characters are all assholes. There are no good guys here, only bad guys. The best, most upstanding character only realized they were being awful after days of doing it. That was the character growth.
The MC is a huge ass to everyone he meets and interacts with. Even people who work with him and are hugely valuable. Kind words have no place in 1% lifesteal.
The actual terrorists have the best outward philosophy...
This is not a feel good fun book. Interesting story though. If all the above doesn't bother you, an excellent read awaits!
The writing and world building are good, sometimes great!. The setting is fun and the system of magic interesting. The characters are all assholes. There are no good guys here, only bad guys. The best, most upstanding character only realized they were being awful after days of doing it. That was the character growth.
The MC is a huge ass to everyone he meets and interacts with. Even people who work with him and are hugely valuable. Kind words have no place in 1% lifesteal.
The actual terrorists have the best outward philosophy...
This is not a feel good fun book. Interesting story though. If all the above doesn't bother you, an excellent read awaits!
June 30, 2025
What was the point?
I don't recommend the series to anybody. I can explain but it's going to take a little bit of time. I have been looking for a new story to enjoy. I have found quite a lot of good stories from this publisher. My understanding is that the author of this book is writing under a pen name and that I am familiar with his other work. That's why I gave this book a shot. I try to separate my personal taste from the quality of the work and then also take it easy on the first book of a new series as in my experience they can be shaky Endeavors even from trident authors. When it comes to a sequel I'm looking for what made the first book worth reading and then a little bit more. I almost never give less than four stars. Things truly have to be Beyond The Pale. I did not recommend the first book and had no intention of picking up the sequel, but enough time and a whole mountain of books in between then and now left me not remembering that that had been my intention. Amazon hounded me with this sequel as a recommendation for something I might like. Clearly the algorithm does not take into account if you have given a past work a poor rating. So if anybody disagrees with this review I'll take part of the blame and Amazon can share the rest. If I remember correctly my main issues with the first book were that the main character had no redeeming factors anywhere. There appeared to be no growth over the course of the book and the supporting characters didn't Fair much better. There were either bad people pretending to be good people or bad people who did not matter in the greater context. The feeling that I got was substantially similar to the one that I had once I had reached the end of Michael Scott Earls Destroyer series. Now, I picked up this book and as I read it was reminded that the character who at times as the reader you could sympathize with then ruined it by being a selfish self-centered a hole. About halfway through the book the author introduces a chaotic female character who joins up with our main character. Through this interaction we learn that one of the major reasons the main character acts the way he does is because he's afraid. It would have been awesome if the author had then done something with that, but the back end of the book doesn't really allow for him to capitalize on that revelation and the Very ending of the book does not make me believe that he has any intention of doing so moving forward with the series. They say that money doesn't make people an a-hole it simply amplifies what's already there. Our main character in this world has essentially one the lottery, not once but multiple times. His life in the first book is very clearly one marked by poverty and hopelessness. His situation doesn't get better from there to include a partial castration because apparently a full castration would have been going too far. In this book the character is essentially on the other side where he can enjoy being the wealthy person that he's always dreamed of, but his interactions are marked by a cringey socially awkward set of actions in which he is unwilling to take responsibility when he's wrong and responds in anger should anybody oppose him, upset him, or point out his mistakes. In other words we're back too not no development but very slow development of the character. To be fair I have read stories in the past in which they are labeled as a Slow Burn. I have heard people describe for example The Wheel of Time only becoming good after several books in the series have been read. To each their own and I can see that there are plenty other reviews for which this story is exactly what they were looking for or they enjoyed it greatly. For me, I wish there was a mechanism on Amazon like the wish list where I could put items that I am absolutely positively not interested in and they would not recommend it to me. To be clear I will not leave a review as a general rule unless I have finished the entirety of the work which is the case here with this book. I do like the Grim Dark Universe of 40K and yet the Ultra violence that takes place of this book I find this tasteful including the chapter labeled Slaughter. My final thoughts are that this story has more negative views then I usually see. Perhaps you like myself and try and avoid the reviews. People do seem to like the author and are trying to be appropriate with their criticisms over this work. I'm not leaving this review to bash the author, but I am sharing what I would have liked to have known before starting the story.
I don't recommend the series to anybody. I can explain but it's going to take a little bit of time. I have been looking for a new story to enjoy. I have found quite a lot of good stories from this publisher. My understanding is that the author of this book is writing under a pen name and that I am familiar with his other work. That's why I gave this book a shot. I try to separate my personal taste from the quality of the work and then also take it easy on the first book of a new series as in my experience they can be shaky Endeavors even from trident authors. When it comes to a sequel I'm looking for what made the first book worth reading and then a little bit more. I almost never give less than four stars. Things truly have to be Beyond The Pale. I did not recommend the first book and had no intention of picking up the sequel, but enough time and a whole mountain of books in between then and now left me not remembering that that had been my intention. Amazon hounded me with this sequel as a recommendation for something I might like. Clearly the algorithm does not take into account if you have given a past work a poor rating. So if anybody disagrees with this review I'll take part of the blame and Amazon can share the rest. If I remember correctly my main issues with the first book were that the main character had no redeeming factors anywhere. There appeared to be no growth over the course of the book and the supporting characters didn't Fair much better. There were either bad people pretending to be good people or bad people who did not matter in the greater context. The feeling that I got was substantially similar to the one that I had once I had reached the end of Michael Scott Earls Destroyer series. Now, I picked up this book and as I read it was reminded that the character who at times as the reader you could sympathize with then ruined it by being a selfish self-centered a hole. About halfway through the book the author introduces a chaotic female character who joins up with our main character. Through this interaction we learn that one of the major reasons the main character acts the way he does is because he's afraid. It would have been awesome if the author had then done something with that, but the back end of the book doesn't really allow for him to capitalize on that revelation and the Very ending of the book does not make me believe that he has any intention of doing so moving forward with the series. They say that money doesn't make people an a-hole it simply amplifies what's already there. Our main character in this world has essentially one the lottery, not once but multiple times. His life in the first book is very clearly one marked by poverty and hopelessness. His situation doesn't get better from there to include a partial castration because apparently a full castration would have been going too far. In this book the character is essentially on the other side where he can enjoy being the wealthy person that he's always dreamed of, but his interactions are marked by a cringey socially awkward set of actions in which he is unwilling to take responsibility when he's wrong and responds in anger should anybody oppose him, upset him, or point out his mistakes. In other words we're back too not no development but very slow development of the character. To be fair I have read stories in the past in which they are labeled as a Slow Burn. I have heard people describe for example The Wheel of Time only becoming good after several books in the series have been read. To each their own and I can see that there are plenty other reviews for which this story is exactly what they were looking for or they enjoyed it greatly. For me, I wish there was a mechanism on Amazon like the wish list where I could put items that I am absolutely positively not interested in and they would not recommend it to me. To be clear I will not leave a review as a general rule unless I have finished the entirety of the work which is the case here with this book. I do like the Grim Dark Universe of 40K and yet the Ultra violence that takes place of this book I find this tasteful including the chapter labeled Slaughter. My final thoughts are that this story has more negative views then I usually see. Perhaps you like myself and try and avoid the reviews. People do seem to like the author and are trying to be appropriate with their criticisms over this work. I'm not leaving this review to bash the author, but I am sharing what I would have liked to have known before starting the story.
June 27, 2025
Candy books. Easy to read but nothing revolutionary in them for me personally. It was a nice break from the heavy duty painful books I had been reading.
June 29, 2025
Ohhhh myyy! Soooooooo friggintastic! Freddy is finally able and ready to get his life back on track after escaping outta that horrible prison, Camp Violet, by using one of the most unorthodox methods evarrr... and the first thing he needs is a new ID. After that he starts delving as an indie again, but now as a two star Mage! Eventually he finds an ally that he can depend on. So Freddy and Sophia have their work cut-out for them fighting not only monsters but cultist as well... You wouldn't think anything else could go wrong but Freddy seemingly attracts enemies, as if he was magnet, simply by minding his own business!
And wow Mark is really messed up, grieving his mistake, wishing he could apologize to Freddy, and ask for forgiveness... simply messed up! Oh and speaking of messed up, Mark isn't the only one Sophia is ummm... how to say it, she's ummm indisposed at the moment, yeah that sounds about right, Indisposed...
So why haven't you grabbed it yet, huh... you absodamnlutely need to read it...
Here's a quote for yah:
"She watched in abject horror as he proceeded to fill a bowl with numerous pills, fill it with water, and then eat it with a spoon as if he were eating cereal."
And wow Mark is really messed up, grieving his mistake, wishing he could apologize to Freddy, and ask for forgiveness... simply messed up! Oh and speaking of messed up, Mark isn't the only one Sophia is ummm... how to say it, she's ummm indisposed at the moment, yeah that sounds about right, Indisposed...
So why haven't you grabbed it yet, huh... you absodamnlutely need to read it...
Here's a quote for yah:
"She watched in abject horror as he proceeded to fill a bowl with numerous pills, fill it with water, and then eat it with a spoon as if he were eating cereal."
June 26, 2025
It's good
If you like the first book you're going to like this one. There's more character growth. There's a few more viewpoints than I would like to see in a book like this, but it also really helps set up things around the main character so I guess I can't complain too much. The world gets filled out more more understanding about how the universe and the world's work is brought in. His magic skills. Develop a little bit. He devops as a character. Apologize for any spelling errors. I'm writing this review with voice to text mainly to help the author get the attention he deserves
If you like the first book you're going to like this one. There's more character growth. There's a few more viewpoints than I would like to see in a book like this, but it also really helps set up things around the main character so I guess I can't complain too much. The world gets filled out more more understanding about how the universe and the world's work is brought in. His magic skills. Develop a little bit. He devops as a character. Apologize for any spelling errors. I'm writing this review with voice to text mainly to help the author get the attention he deserves
June 21, 2025
Good story. Fun but long winded.
Book two didn't disappoint, finding the main character again trying to increase his fortunes and stay out of trouble. However, geopolitical events transpire to keep him dodging and guessing while trying to power up. The worst thing about the story, it's the bad pacing. The author gets really long-winded and explaining things that become moot at the end of the explanation. Stop that the explanations don't hold value they're just too long with no nuance for the reader to be able to understand what the author's trying to convey. Becomes too much of an info dump. Overall, good story and look forward to book three.
Book two didn't disappoint, finding the main character again trying to increase his fortunes and stay out of trouble. However, geopolitical events transpire to keep him dodging and guessing while trying to power up. The worst thing about the story, it's the bad pacing. The author gets really long-winded and explaining things that become moot at the end of the explanation. Stop that the explanations don't hold value they're just too long with no nuance for the reader to be able to understand what the author's trying to convey. Becomes too much of an info dump. Overall, good story and look forward to book three.
December 18, 2025
Coming off the first book, I was hoping 1% Lifesteal would refine its rough edges. Unfortunately, while the plot technically moves forward, the character flaws I noticed in Book 1 are amplified here to a degree that makes for an uncomfortable read.
The Narrative & Plot: The story picks up with Freddy escaping the prison of Camp Violet and attempting to rebuild his life with a new ID as a two-star Mage. The introduction of new allies, specifically Sophia, and the deeper look at the antagonists (cultists) adds necessary stakes to the world. We also see the fallout with Mark, who is dealing with the grief of his past mistakes. When the book focuses on these geopolitical events and the external threats, it works.
The Protagonist: From "Underdog" to "Toxic Alpha" My main critique of Book 1 was that Freddy felt like a caricature of a "poor person." In Book 2, he transforms into a caricature of a toxic "Alpha Male." The character's internal monologue and motivations seem entirely driven by vanity, obsessing over expensive clothes, muscle mass, and treating others (especially women) with disdain.
The narrative seems to equate "strength" with being a bully. Characters are often categorized by superficial physical traits: you are either a "massive, rippling, vein-popping" tough guy, or you are dismissed as a "huge nerd" simply for wearing glasses. This creates a protagonist who isn't just an anti-hero, but genuinely unlikable.
Writing Style & Pacing: The writing style in this installment takes a dip. There is a tendency toward "gross-out" metaphors that attempt to be clever but land as merely foul. Furthermore, the pacing suffers significantly from "info-dump fatigue." The author frequently pauses the action for long-winded explanations of mechanics or lore that often end up being moot by the end of the chapter. It lacks nuance and treats the reader as if they cannot follow the story without constant hand-holding.
The Verdict: Book 2 is a test of patience. It suffers from distasteful gender dynamics, a shallow protagonist, and pacing issues. However, I have read ahead to Book 3, and I can confirm the series does course-correct and improve significantly. If you can stomach the "edgelord" vibes and the pacing slumps of this volume, there is a better story waiting on the other side. Treat this book as a necessary, albeit frustrating, bridge to get there.
The Narrative & Plot: The story picks up with Freddy escaping the prison of Camp Violet and attempting to rebuild his life with a new ID as a two-star Mage. The introduction of new allies, specifically Sophia, and the deeper look at the antagonists (cultists) adds necessary stakes to the world. We also see the fallout with Mark, who is dealing with the grief of his past mistakes. When the book focuses on these geopolitical events and the external threats, it works.
The Protagonist: From "Underdog" to "Toxic Alpha" My main critique of Book 1 was that Freddy felt like a caricature of a "poor person." In Book 2, he transforms into a caricature of a toxic "Alpha Male." The character's internal monologue and motivations seem entirely driven by vanity, obsessing over expensive clothes, muscle mass, and treating others (especially women) with disdain.
The narrative seems to equate "strength" with being a bully. Characters are often categorized by superficial physical traits: you are either a "massive, rippling, vein-popping" tough guy, or you are dismissed as a "huge nerd" simply for wearing glasses. This creates a protagonist who isn't just an anti-hero, but genuinely unlikable.
Writing Style & Pacing: The writing style in this installment takes a dip. There is a tendency toward "gross-out" metaphors that attempt to be clever but land as merely foul. Furthermore, the pacing suffers significantly from "info-dump fatigue." The author frequently pauses the action for long-winded explanations of mechanics or lore that often end up being moot by the end of the chapter. It lacks nuance and treats the reader as if they cannot follow the story without constant hand-holding.
The Verdict: Book 2 is a test of patience. It suffers from distasteful gender dynamics, a shallow protagonist, and pacing issues. However, I have read ahead to Book 3, and I can confirm the series does course-correct and improve significantly. If you can stomach the "edgelord" vibes and the pacing slumps of this volume, there is a better story waiting on the other side. Treat this book as a necessary, albeit frustrating, bridge to get there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2025
Left a bad taste in my mouth
I enjoyed the first book enough to come and check out the second book and see where everything was going. While the secrets unraveling in the world are rather interesting, I'm not a fan of how most of the side characters are written.
I thought it was cool that Freddy had a friend, even if that friend betrayed him in the last book. Sucks that the friend turned out to be a total b****. Before the guilt-ridden, "what have I done?" mindset, he seemed like a cool, stalwart, dependable guy that knew how to drive. Now he's turned into a total limp wrist, whiny, fretful, incompetent pansy.
Jacob started off as an entitled prick, as to be expected; stereotypes and tropes. And then after watching everybody get slaughtered he was broken. I get that. I just missed the part where he became so easily controlled and manipulated. Which brings me to the next character.
Theodore and his crew seemed like cool people. I liked that Freddy bumped into them, but didn't completely join them, and had interactions with them. Good times. While it sucks what happened to 3/5 of them, I was disgusted by what Theodore turned into. The way he treated Beatrice at the end made my skin crawl. Not sure where that came from either.
I am moderately intrigued as to where the story's going, what's going to happen with Madame, and how he's going to get Sophia back, but I'm going to need a break before I check out the next book.
I enjoyed the first book enough to come and check out the second book and see where everything was going. While the secrets unraveling in the world are rather interesting, I'm not a fan of how most of the side characters are written.
I thought it was cool that Freddy had a friend, even if that friend betrayed him in the last book. Sucks that the friend turned out to be a total b****. Before the guilt-ridden, "what have I done?" mindset, he seemed like a cool, stalwart, dependable guy that knew how to drive. Now he's turned into a total limp wrist, whiny, fretful, incompetent pansy.
Jacob started off as an entitled prick, as to be expected; stereotypes and tropes. And then after watching everybody get slaughtered he was broken. I get that. I just missed the part where he became so easily controlled and manipulated. Which brings me to the next character.
Theodore and his crew seemed like cool people. I liked that Freddy bumped into them, but didn't completely join them, and had interactions with them. Good times. While it sucks what happened to 3/5 of them, I was disgusted by what Theodore turned into. The way he treated Beatrice at the end made my skin crawl. Not sure where that came from either.
I am moderately intrigued as to where the story's going, what's going to happen with Madame, and how he's going to get Sophia back, but I'm going to need a break before I check out the next book.
June 22, 2025
must change to avoid destruction
The mc’s anxiety bled into my reading and I couldn’t enjoy the book. The start of the book was really slow with little action to take the edge off. Most of the book was concerned with the mc making choices and with his severe anxiety overwhelming the rational, it made reading difficult. The bipolar paranoia was too much. Paranoid of someone sleeping in another room yet 4 masked quasi familiar armed delvers trigger no paranoia at all. With a book of self discovery, I’m not sure anyone liked what they found. We all would be most displeased if the mc ever goes to a club and gets drunk again.
The mc’s anxiety bled into my reading and I couldn’t enjoy the book. The start of the book was really slow with little action to take the edge off. Most of the book was concerned with the mc making choices and with his severe anxiety overwhelming the rational, it made reading difficult. The bipolar paranoia was too much. Paranoid of someone sleeping in another room yet 4 masked quasi familiar armed delvers trigger no paranoia at all. With a book of self discovery, I’m not sure anyone liked what they found. We all would be most displeased if the mc ever goes to a club and gets drunk again.
June 30, 2025
I wanted so badly to like these books. After slogging through the first one, ignoring the clunky and poorly explained magic system, the utter lack of editing, and whiny, generally unlikeable protagonist, I was committed to giving this one a read because I know that many authors really hit their stride on the second book.
That is not the case here.
The main character doesn't show any growth, change, or ambition. He just kind of floats along with no discernible motives, being a dick to everyone he meets for no apparent reason and whining about how hard his life is. I got a little more than halfway through before deciding that I didn't need to endure any more.
That is not the case here.
The main character doesn't show any growth, change, or ambition. He just kind of floats along with no discernible motives, being a dick to everyone he meets for no apparent reason and whining about how hard his life is. I got a little more than halfway through before deciding that I didn't need to endure any more.
August 24, 2025
Most unlikeable main character ever
This character refuses to experience joy. A one-dimensional character with no redeeming qualities. Sarcastic, fearful, childish, provincial. The main character has been given a gift, a boon, basically everything he could possibly want, and he does nothing but worry and complain.
I couldn't take it anymore. At about 70% of the book, I just stopped. I have wasted 1.7 books worth of time on this loser. He would get no more of my attention.
I recommend the author go read the Cradle series so he can see how a main character should comport himself.
This character refuses to experience joy. A one-dimensional character with no redeeming qualities. Sarcastic, fearful, childish, provincial. The main character has been given a gift, a boon, basically everything he could possibly want, and he does nothing but worry and complain.
I couldn't take it anymore. At about 70% of the book, I just stopped. I have wasted 1.7 books worth of time on this loser. He would get no more of my attention.
I recommend the author go read the Cradle series so he can see how a main character should comport himself.
December 28, 2025
Read this book on my Kindle.
Pros: Picks up right where the last book left off. Takes the story in unexpected directions, not afraid to change settings and characters. Main character makes solid progress, more of the magic system is unveiled.
Cons: Writing isn't the best. Could use an editing pass, but still tolerable. Feels like it loses the thematic elements of fighting for the little guy that were pushed in the first book, replaces it with other elements.
All in all, a solid follow up on the first book.
Would recommend to anyone who likes gnarly prog fantasy and main characters who absolutely do what needs to be done.
Would read again.
Pros: Picks up right where the last book left off. Takes the story in unexpected directions, not afraid to change settings and characters. Main character makes solid progress, more of the magic system is unveiled.
Cons: Writing isn't the best. Could use an editing pass, but still tolerable. Feels like it loses the thematic elements of fighting for the little guy that were pushed in the first book, replaces it with other elements.
All in all, a solid follow up on the first book.
Would recommend to anyone who likes gnarly prog fantasy and main characters who absolutely do what needs to be done.
Would read again.
June 24, 2025
Crazy
I don't enjoy reading these books. They are great. Good storyline, great imagery.
Watching these poor characters get dragged through the lava and that's the best part of the day. It's exhausting on a metaphysical level. NO ONE is EVER happy in these books. It's one grueling horror after another until someone dies. Nothing good ever happens to ANY character.
It kinda sucks, if I'm being honest.
I don't enjoy reading these books. They are great. Good storyline, great imagery.
Watching these poor characters get dragged through the lava and that's the best part of the day. It's exhausting on a metaphysical level. NO ONE is EVER happy in these books. It's one grueling horror after another until someone dies. Nothing good ever happens to ANY character.
It kinda sucks, if I'm being honest.
August 13, 2025
A twisted turn to keep readers wanting more.
Went into this story expecting the typical litrpg formula, boy was I nistaken and am I happy I was. Nothing is simple in this story, and the nuances of how the two most prominent actors for the script flow parallel to each other is definitely a bonus I never knew I needed in this kind of story. Here's hoping the 3rd star includes a unique talent to get him even meaner by the end(and hopefully we get his LI back)
Went into this story expecting the typical litrpg formula, boy was I nistaken and am I happy I was. Nothing is simple in this story, and the nuances of how the two most prominent actors for the script flow parallel to each other is definitely a bonus I never knew I needed in this kind of story. Here's hoping the 3rd star includes a unique talent to get him even meaner by the end(and hopefully we get his LI back)
December 30, 2025
NO SPOILERS.
Our MC Freddy has it all figured out, or so he thought. Life in the Big City wasn't as easy as he imagined. Which lead to more complications. Deadly complications. Volume 2 expanded on the world while giving glimpses of what's happening around poor Freddy.
Character development continues improving. Freddy is a two-star, but he's still prey. The action was good. The bad guys even better. Really interesting world.
Our MC Freddy has it all figured out, or so he thought. Life in the Big City wasn't as easy as he imagined. Which lead to more complications. Deadly complications. Volume 2 expanded on the world while giving glimpses of what's happening around poor Freddy.
Character development continues improving. Freddy is a two-star, but he's still prey. The action was good. The bad guys even better. Really interesting world.
June 25, 2025
When I first started this series I wasn't sure if I would keep reading it.
It's managed to get into my reading list over on Royalroad. I let a few chapters build up and then go on a little reading binge. I'm still not the MC's biggest fan and I still think everyone cries to much, but I think the story is only getting more interesting.
It's managed to get into my reading list over on Royalroad. I let a few chapters build up and then go on a little reading binge. I'm still not the MC's biggest fan and I still think everyone cries to much, but I think the story is only getting more interesting.
July 2, 2025
4.3⭐️
0🌶️
Listened to the audiobook on Audible
This book is a great dark LitRPG. Frankie goes to the next level but realizes how out of his depths he is. He meets a delver group and a total crazy cultist. The point of views frequently shifted and was hard to follow. The world and the power building was very intriguing and that ending. I am excited for book 3.
0🌶️
Listened to the audiobook on Audible
This book is a great dark LitRPG. Frankie goes to the next level but realizes how out of his depths he is. He meets a delver group and a total crazy cultist. The point of views frequently shifted and was hard to follow. The world and the power building was very intriguing and that ending. I am excited for book 3.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2025
It's a hard knock life...
Freddy doesn't have the best of luck, but he fights on. While not what I would call an encouraging story, it definitely kept me paying attention. The worldbuilding is pretty fascinating and the plot arc is really intriguing. I'm definitely looking forward to checking out the next book in the series.
Freddy doesn't have the best of luck, but he fights on. While not what I would call an encouraging story, it definitely kept me paying attention. The worldbuilding is pretty fascinating and the plot arc is really intriguing. I'm definitely looking forward to checking out the next book in the series.
August 18, 2025
The first book was cool and had great progression. The second installment felt super disjointed and progression wasn't super tangible. MC spent most of the book navigating impossible situations and barely escaping with his life. the whole thing was just a bit too depressing. The concept is great and im hoping for a more fun OP MC in book 3 and not so many antagonists.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2025
This book was okay. It seems to start off well, but just discussed the talents, skills, or whatever he calls that magic and sub-magic or whatever skills Freddy and others have. I got bored and just finished the book because I started it.
I wish there was more story and less discussion on all the reason's why 'magic' works.
I wish there was more story and less discussion on all the reason's why 'magic' works.
December 4, 2025
Enjoyable but not as good as the first book. Some of the “scenes” between the main character and other characters didn’t flow as well as the first book. Almost no one is likeable but luckily I don’t need to like the characters to enjoy the overall story 😂
Looking forward to seeing what the third book is like.
Looking forward to seeing what the third book is like.
December 11, 2025
Pretty decent. Definitely a lot more brutal in tone than the first book. i think it's kind of weird the way Mark has been handled as a character and also the way Freddie handles some of the stuff he's been handed. Like I understand why to an extent I just feel that there were methods write these two characters that is less ham-fisted.
June 21, 2025
I liked it
I like the story even though it's a little depressing and it has excessive violence. But at least the character grows in the story advances. I would like to find out what happens next.
I like the story even though it's a little depressing and it has excessive violence. But at least the character grows in the story advances. I would like to find out what happens next.
June 24, 2025
Interesting developments
This book took a few turns in discussions I didn't expect and I'm pleasantly surprised. The plot was fun and I'm looking forward to what has been hinted at in future books.
This book took a few turns in discussions I didn't expect and I'm pleasantly surprised. The plot was fun and I'm looking forward to what has been hinted at in future books.
July 2, 2025
I love this series.
I love this series it gets dark and twisted at times but it still feels incredible to explore. It's still a very unique concept to me where the MC comes a good time after the initiation where most of the power houses are established. Very cool to track.
I love this series it gets dark and twisted at times but it still feels incredible to explore. It's still a very unique concept to me where the MC comes a good time after the initiation where most of the power houses are established. Very cool to track.
July 8, 2025
entertaining
This book has been entertaining and I am very excited to see where it goes. It has been a lot of fun reading it and it is a great twist on the genre that keeps me engaged
This book has been entertaining and I am very excited to see where it goes. It has been a lot of fun reading it and it is a great twist on the genre that keeps me engaged
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