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Arcane Academy #1
Spell Breaker
He’s Not Here to Learn. He’s Here to Dominate.For two centuries, Daren Morin ruled with terror and cunning as the Evil Lord. Betrayal ended his reign. Now, he wakes up… eighteen years old. Again.
Stripped of his power. Trapped in a magic academy crawling with old enemies. Mocked with the nickname “Moron.”
This time, he’s weaker.
This time, they think he’s no threat.
This time, they’re dead wrong.
He remembers every secret. Every spell. Every betrayal. And he’s going to use it all to survive, to rise, and to make them wish they’d killed him properly.
Because this Evil Lord doesn’t do second chances.
He does payback.
Join Daren in his journey to power once again. For fans of Progression Fantasy, Magic Academy, and cunning Antiheroes who play to win.
Stripped of his power. Trapped in a magic academy crawling with old enemies. Mocked with the nickname “Moron.”
This time, he’s weaker.
This time, they think he’s no threat.
This time, they’re dead wrong.
He remembers every secret. Every spell. Every betrayal. And he’s going to use it all to survive, to rise, and to make them wish they’d killed him properly.
Because this Evil Lord doesn’t do second chances.
He does payback.
Join Daren in his journey to power once again. For fans of Progression Fantasy, Magic Academy, and cunning Antiheroes who play to win.
458 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 30, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
May 13, 2025
Absolutely lazy writing. Cringe dialog. Bland stereotypes with no depth for side characters. A cheap setup that has no relevance to the story. A main character whose actions and description do not match. This is a thrown together book hitting a list of checkmarks. It might as well have been written by an AI.
June 1, 2025
Dnf at 32%. Every single person in this book is so incompetent and self absorbed that I don't even care what happens to them
May 27, 2025
deux ex Machina
It starts out OK, but then gets bogged down.
Once you get about 30% in it starts to read like a bad YA novel. Rapid mood shifts of the characters.
The protagonist suddenly mentioning some world, changing fact or power, that he’s always had and always been planning on using, he’s just never mentioned until 65% of the way through the book. This is usually how authors who don’t plan ahead get out of a hole without going back and rewriting them first part of the book.
I gave up at 77% .
The world did not hold together for consistency , the characters got more and more boring.
The first part started OK , if a little slow.
The character look like they had an interesting power set, that would let them do some foreshadowing and grow very strong.
He introduced a few characters that had the potential for growth , and we showed a few places where the protagonist had flaws that would make the story interesting.
Then the writing just got sloppy (er).
There’s enough good books out there it just wasn’t worth Finishing.
It starts out OK, but then gets bogged down.
Once you get about 30% in it starts to read like a bad YA novel. Rapid mood shifts of the characters.
The protagonist suddenly mentioning some world, changing fact or power, that he’s always had and always been planning on using, he’s just never mentioned until 65% of the way through the book. This is usually how authors who don’t plan ahead get out of a hole without going back and rewriting them first part of the book.
I gave up at 77% .
The world did not hold together for consistency , the characters got more and more boring.
The first part started OK , if a little slow.
The character look like they had an interesting power set, that would let them do some foreshadowing and grow very strong.
He introduced a few characters that had the potential for growth , and we showed a few places where the protagonist had flaws that would make the story interesting.
Then the writing just got sloppy (er).
There’s enough good books out there it just wasn’t worth Finishing.
May 30, 2025
I finished this a while back but I really didn't enjoy it. I found myself thinking about Harry Potter as I was reading this and not because it's a magic school. The initial teacher we meet seems very much to be a Snape analog and then his roommate seems to be a Hermione analog. I feel like this was AI written because the Snape analog just turns around and becomes the MCs friend. Also halfway thorough the AI forgot that Not-Hermione had electricity magic and changed it to invisibility. Everyone also seemed to just hate the MC, it was super shallow.
This is probably the closest thing to cultivation I've read, at least it kinda sounds like cultivation when you get into it.
Quotes will be added eventually.
This is probably the closest thing to cultivation I've read, at least it kinda sounds like cultivation when you get into it.
Quotes will be added eventually.
July 23, 2025
I found the writing somewhat amateurish but I am a sucker for regression stories. I find the premise of regression incredibly appealing. The protagonist, an expert from the far flung future, wakes up as their younger selves in the past. Then they use their considerable knowledge to avoid retreading old mistakes and min-max their way through the magic system. What is most appealing is the use of future knowledge to obtain unique opportunities that were previously claimed by others. There are hidden opportunities in the academy library for instance.
What has the protagonist achieved in this book? He has acquired a powerful familiar that is ranked within the top 10. He pursues the knight path using techniques he researched in the future and ascends in rank. He transcribes a second spell circle called devour. He acquires a void crystal and a personal storage device.
I do think the portal manifesting next to him was narratively way too convenient unless you give a good reason in the second book. The teachers are also very unprofessional to the point its unrealistic. There's also no romantic tension and I feel like it would add to the story.
I personally like hidden dragons. Protagonists who purposefully conceal their strength. But having his deconstruct circle discovered by the principles familiar adds tension to the plot.
What has the protagonist achieved in this book? He has acquired a powerful familiar that is ranked within the top 10. He pursues the knight path using techniques he researched in the future and ascends in rank. He transcribes a second spell circle called devour. He acquires a void crystal and a personal storage device.
I do think the portal manifesting next to him was narratively way too convenient unless you give a good reason in the second book. The teachers are also very unprofessional to the point its unrealistic. There's also no romantic tension and I feel like it would add to the story.
I personally like hidden dragons. Protagonists who purposefully conceal their strength. But having his deconstruct circle discovered by the principles familiar adds tension to the plot.
May 13, 2025
I seem to be on a run of protagonists who are abrasive sociopaths with a severed head collection. It was OK for a while but then it was like, no, he’s going to keep being an arsehole. Oh well.
December 13, 2025
Horrible writing
The characters are all horrible and their actions are inconsistent not just from a character building perspective but also from a “this happened but then 1 sentence later something else happens that is impossible based on the prior sentence”.
The characters are all horrible and their actions are inconsistent not just from a character building perspective but also from a “this happened but then 1 sentence later something else happens that is impossible based on the prior sentence”.
July 24, 2025
Decent story, poorly written
Too many inconsistencies within the book and poor writing style in wording choices and phrases making it hard to understand what's going on, the intent and meaning of a characters words, and general descriptions of the scenes. It's a bit of a mess honestly and likely because the writing duo didnt have a good editor and/or werent in sync enough to clarify or correct the inconsistencies.
Too many inconsistencies within the book and poor writing style in wording choices and phrases making it hard to understand what's going on, the intent and meaning of a characters words, and general descriptions of the scenes. It's a bit of a mess honestly and likely because the writing duo didnt have a good editor and/or werent in sync enough to clarify or correct the inconsistencies.
May 28, 2025
Fun read and a great anti-hero!
This book is unapologetic and how the main character is the villain trying to recapture his life, after getting a second chance to make himself even more of a threat to anyone who challenges him. It's pure fun. It's a well-written anti-hero book who's unapologetic being a bastard to everyone and anyone. So much fun. If anything it was slow pacing in a little tame, as I wanted him to unleash and destroy anything and everyone around him. It's hard to write a story correctly with the main character having perfect evil intent. It's diabolical and fun though. I look forward to book 2 in the series. Overall is simple and fun book!
This book is unapologetic and how the main character is the villain trying to recapture his life, after getting a second chance to make himself even more of a threat to anyone who challenges him. It's pure fun. It's a well-written anti-hero book who's unapologetic being a bastard to everyone and anyone. So much fun. If anything it was slow pacing in a little tame, as I wanted him to unleash and destroy anything and everyone around him. It's hard to write a story correctly with the main character having perfect evil intent. It's diabolical and fun though. I look forward to book 2 in the series. Overall is simple and fun book!
November 3, 2025
Decent Story
The story is decent, but the inconsistencies stack up as it goes, the timelines are unclear, and a lot of the wording feels like a bad translation to English.
The story is decent, but the inconsistencies stack up as it goes, the timelines are unclear, and a lot of the wording feels like a bad translation to English.
June 19, 2025
What to say…
It’s not often I finish a book and don’t even know how to put my thoughts into words. The writing was well done, I like the style. It hooked me so I plan to read the next book. The issue is, the MC is complicated, both morally and in other ways. I’m not sure how I feel about it/him/the story. I could see the author taking many different paths with the story in the future, some I’d like, some I wouldn’t.
I think I’d give the story 5 stars if I wasn’t so unsure about my thoughts. Usually well written books create strong options for me. Most books, even ones I don’t like create strong opinions, just negative ones. For this book, I’m still sorting through things and left wanting more but also without enough information about certain things.
Some of this I think is a result of the ambiguous nature of the MC. His past life, his present, and the unknown of the future. We are given enough to chew on, but no clear understanding of how he will develop and what kind of person he will choose to be. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, per-say, but I’m invested enough to give book two a read. So we will see how it goes from here.
It’s not often I finish a book and don’t even know how to put my thoughts into words. The writing was well done, I like the style. It hooked me so I plan to read the next book. The issue is, the MC is complicated, both morally and in other ways. I’m not sure how I feel about it/him/the story. I could see the author taking many different paths with the story in the future, some I’d like, some I wouldn’t.
I think I’d give the story 5 stars if I wasn’t so unsure about my thoughts. Usually well written books create strong options for me. Most books, even ones I don’t like create strong opinions, just negative ones. For this book, I’m still sorting through things and left wanting more but also without enough information about certain things.
Some of this I think is a result of the ambiguous nature of the MC. His past life, his present, and the unknown of the future. We are given enough to chew on, but no clear understanding of how he will develop and what kind of person he will choose to be. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, per-say, but I’m invested enough to give book two a read. So we will see how it goes from here.
December 6, 2025
The writing is frequently incoherent and jumping around.
Character behavior feels unnatural. Dialogue feels fake.
DNF.
Readable if you put effort into it and the MC character type is unusual so it gets 2 stars instead of 1.
Character behavior feels unnatural. Dialogue feels fake.
DNF.
Readable if you put effort into it and the MC character type is unusual so it gets 2 stars instead of 1.
June 20, 2025
DNF at 15% This was either written by someone with memory issues as a rehab project, or a publicly available AI with session limits.
November 17, 2025
The book was exactly as advertised; medium level excitement without big lulls. I hated it. I could imagine this appealing to people, so maybe it will be your jam, but it didn't click with me. Mostly I found the writing super weird. Here are two examples that I think were some of the weirdest moments that kind of stood out. Both should be short enough that they don't spoil anything, but hopefully give the flavor of what I'm trying to describe.
"Don’t make me put you in a dungeon for a crime again,”
and
“I feel a disturbance nearby. That person might be close,” she said, watching their expressions closely.
“If he comes near, he won’t walk back...
If you read these and think "what's the big deal? that's fine" then the rest of the book will be perfect for you. If you read these and wonder whether there is missing context of stylized dialog or something (no this is not some kind of cool invented street lingo), or just find them really weird, then you will probably not like the book.
When I read it, I had that feeling that I get when reading a translated work, where the dialog and narration itself often feels like it's being stretched in unfamiliar ways to capture sayings and idioms from another language that didn't exactly mesh up with English, and often with overtones that feel a little creepy or politically incorrect but could be ascribed to different cultural backgrounds and norms.
In particular, the main character had this strange kind of arrogant attitude that always smelled a little misogynistic but never really seemed to fully cross any lines, and was also straddling a difficult in-between space between being rude and evil. If he'd been a little more violent but nice he could have been a lovable monster, and if he'd been a little more rude he would have been the villain. Maybe he is the villain already. I didn't like him much.
I don't know if this is translated from some other language, and I'm not really curious enough to dig any deeper. The thought crossed my mind that there could be ai involved in this writing, but this is pretty far outside my realm of expertise so I'm not going to speculate I'm just going to mention the possibility so nobody feels compelled to point out out for me in the comments.
"Don’t make me put you in a dungeon for a crime again,”
and
“I feel a disturbance nearby. That person might be close,” she said, watching their expressions closely.
“If he comes near, he won’t walk back...
If you read these and think "what's the big deal? that's fine" then the rest of the book will be perfect for you. If you read these and wonder whether there is missing context of stylized dialog or something (no this is not some kind of cool invented street lingo), or just find them really weird, then you will probably not like the book.
When I read it, I had that feeling that I get when reading a translated work, where the dialog and narration itself often feels like it's being stretched in unfamiliar ways to capture sayings and idioms from another language that didn't exactly mesh up with English, and often with overtones that feel a little creepy or politically incorrect but could be ascribed to different cultural backgrounds and norms.
In particular, the main character had this strange kind of arrogant attitude that always smelled a little misogynistic but never really seemed to fully cross any lines, and was also straddling a difficult in-between space between being rude and evil. If he'd been a little more violent but nice he could have been a lovable monster, and if he'd been a little more rude he would have been the villain. Maybe he is the villain already. I didn't like him much.
I don't know if this is translated from some other language, and I'm not really curious enough to dig any deeper. The thought crossed my mind that there could be ai involved in this writing, but this is pretty far outside my realm of expertise so I'm not going to speculate I'm just going to mention the possibility so nobody feels compelled to point out out for me in the comments.
December 21, 2025
Spell Breaker isn't the story I expected. It starts out as a regression LitRPG tale, but winds up as a mediocre fantasy tale with minimal cultivation aspects in it. I have no interest in continuing in this series, since there's next to no LitRPG elements, and that's the whole reason I picked up the book to read it in the first place.
I won't say it was a bad story, though it certainly could have been better, it just isn't the story I was looking for, and don't care enough about the characters to continue the series. It could have been a better story if the main character had any reason for his actions other than I was a big bad villain before I regressed, and I will be again no holds barred.
If he'd been at least making an attempt to be a better person, perhaps this story would have something to redeem it, but for me, this is just a bust. No further reading of this series for me.
I won't say it was a bad story, though it certainly could have been better, it just isn't the story I was looking for, and don't care enough about the characters to continue the series. It could have been a better story if the main character had any reason for his actions other than I was a big bad villain before I regressed, and I will be again no holds barred.
If he'd been at least making an attempt to be a better person, perhaps this story would have something to redeem it, but for me, this is just a bust. No further reading of this series for me.
March 11, 2026
Not for me
Stopped reading at 59%.
This book is completely not believable. It doesn't make sense.
The author is very slow in explaining how this world of magic works, so getting a grasp on potential plot use is difficult. In fact the only plot I could find was "main character must get stronger."
There isn't a single likable character. They are ALL trash. The main character is an arrogant buffoon who used to be an evil lord (just ask him, he mentions it every chapter) who somehow gets a second chance after being murdered to redo his past by being put into his 18 year old body. By the way, his 18 year old body looks like he is 12 years old, he has no magic of his own, but he has the knowledge of a 200 year old.
All of the students at this academy are complete waste of space who all gang up and treat the main character like he has the plague. All but one teacher has proven they actually hate their students and want them to fail.
There are no redeeming characteristics of this book from what I read.
Good luck.
Stopped reading at 59%.
This book is completely not believable. It doesn't make sense.
The author is very slow in explaining how this world of magic works, so getting a grasp on potential plot use is difficult. In fact the only plot I could find was "main character must get stronger."
There isn't a single likable character. They are ALL trash. The main character is an arrogant buffoon who used to be an evil lord (just ask him, he mentions it every chapter) who somehow gets a second chance after being murdered to redo his past by being put into his 18 year old body. By the way, his 18 year old body looks like he is 12 years old, he has no magic of his own, but he has the knowledge of a 200 year old.
All of the students at this academy are complete waste of space who all gang up and treat the main character like he has the plague. All but one teacher has proven they actually hate their students and want them to fail.
There are no redeeming characteristics of this book from what I read.
Good luck.
July 21, 2025
NOPE!
Whenever I see the name A.P. Gore, I just turn around and run. However, sometimes I would read a newer works to see if the author has changed or matured over the years. The result? Another work that was written for the writer's satisfaction; a weird revenge porn to display to the world. Pretty much every character (protagonist, antagonist, side characters etc) are horrible with no redeeming qualities. Truly, a mirror darkly of a weird version of Hogwarts. I am actually stunned that these characters are 18+ because they act like a gang of 13 year old punk hoodlums that escaped from the high security prison/insane asylum. I would write a one page fan fiction, where it would explained the detailed destruction of this fictional world where the story permanently and subsequent characters of that world ended there. Read this at your risk; there is a reason why EVERYONE is giving this 1 star.
Whenever I see the name A.P. Gore, I just turn around and run. However, sometimes I would read a newer works to see if the author has changed or matured over the years. The result? Another work that was written for the writer's satisfaction; a weird revenge porn to display to the world. Pretty much every character (protagonist, antagonist, side characters etc) are horrible with no redeeming qualities. Truly, a mirror darkly of a weird version of Hogwarts. I am actually stunned that these characters are 18+ because they act like a gang of 13 year old punk hoodlums that escaped from the high security prison/insane asylum. I would write a one page fan fiction, where it would explained the detailed destruction of this fictional world where the story permanently and subsequent characters of that world ended there. Read this at your risk; there is a reason why EVERYONE is giving this 1 star.
February 22, 2026
What a spellbinding tale!
I'm not sure how to categorize the MC, Daren, he had been an Evil Lorde. That was before his best friend cast the spell that killed him! But he didn't die, call it a second chance or being reborn, he found himself at age 18 in the academy he'd been expelled from! He had no memory of how... but he still had all his memories of what he needed to do to advance. And currently he was weak and mana-less! Daren kept reminding himself and us of how evil he was, only right now he might have found an ally and was finding it difficult to actually want to kill her. He also acquired a familiar, a Crystal Heart Spider. Things heat up when assassins are hired to kill him! And it turns into a battle for his life in a kill or be kill face-off. So is Daren good or evil, I don't know. I do know I loved every minute of this spellbinding tale!
I'm not sure how to categorize the MC, Daren, he had been an Evil Lorde. That was before his best friend cast the spell that killed him! But he didn't die, call it a second chance or being reborn, he found himself at age 18 in the academy he'd been expelled from! He had no memory of how... but he still had all his memories of what he needed to do to advance. And currently he was weak and mana-less! Daren kept reminding himself and us of how evil he was, only right now he might have found an ally and was finding it difficult to actually want to kill her. He also acquired a familiar, a Crystal Heart Spider. Things heat up when assassins are hired to kill him! And it turns into a battle for his life in a kill or be kill face-off. So is Daren good or evil, I don't know. I do know I loved every minute of this spellbinding tale!
May 29, 2026
A 200-year-old, self-described "evil lord" named Daren is magically sent back to his life at 18, enrolled in a mage academy. This is the premise of this "re-do" fantasy, and what is most surprising is that there is no attempt at being less evil this time around. So far he has limited his violence to those similarly evil, though he does not mind using anyone, even those who like him. I get the anti-hero, dark character vibe, but at some point we need to be engaged enough to be interested in what happens to him. The writing is a bit sloppy and some of the details are off, but the plot does move forward at a fast clip. I bought the first three volumes on sale and so I will likely see where this goes; otherwise, I would have given up. The world and its magic are complicated and interesting and much has yet to be explained.
June 23, 2025
strong start
Spellbreaker is a strong start to a new series. The main character stands out—dark, somewhat morally gray, but guided by a personal code shaped by his past. He’s not your typical overpowered protagonist; his magical abilities are solid and growing, but he’s far from invincible.
What makes him compelling is how he’s being shaped by the new world he’s building for himself. You see him start to question old beliefs, adapt, and grow—both in mindset and magical skill—without losing that core edge that makes him dangerous and unpredictable.
All in all, it’s a fresh take on the dark antihero with a hint of redemption arc. I’m definitely curious to see where his journey goes next.
Spellbreaker is a strong start to a new series. The main character stands out—dark, somewhat morally gray, but guided by a personal code shaped by his past. He’s not your typical overpowered protagonist; his magical abilities are solid and growing, but he’s far from invincible.
What makes him compelling is how he’s being shaped by the new world he’s building for himself. You see him start to question old beliefs, adapt, and grow—both in mindset and magical skill—without losing that core edge that makes him dangerous and unpredictable.
All in all, it’s a fresh take on the dark antihero with a hint of redemption arc. I’m definitely curious to see where his journey goes next.
July 6, 2025
I got into the LitRPG genre through The Wandering Inn, and stumbled across the DCC series and a few others.... which landed me in Gore's realm of expertise. Fast paced fantasy novels, written at a thriller's pace.
What did I like most about Spell Breaker? The original concept! Not the magic school, but a 200 year-old bad guy coming back in time to 'do it over again' with the knowledge he retained. YES! There are F-Bombs, random killings because the 'Shopkeeper was beyond annoying' and the protagonist looking out for Number One. Himself.
Book two comes out late September 2025, and I've preordered. I'm vested in this series and I'm looking forward to exploring other novels by the authors. Drop me a line A.P. Love to chat it up. Cheers.
What did I like most about Spell Breaker? The original concept! Not the magic school, but a 200 year-old bad guy coming back in time to 'do it over again' with the knowledge he retained. YES! There are F-Bombs, random killings because the 'Shopkeeper was beyond annoying' and the protagonist looking out for Number One. Himself.
Book two comes out late September 2025, and I've preordered. I'm vested in this series and I'm looking forward to exploring other novels by the authors. Drop me a line A.P. Love to chat it up. Cheers.
April 2, 2026
Unlikeable Villian MC with Lazy Writing
DNF at 65% honestly I considered stopping at 20% but pushed through hoping for more. The whole allure of an Anti-hero MC is that they are either charming, cunning, or ruthless in a way that is satisfying and this MC is none of those things; wholly unlikeable, but not in any way that is particularly compelling. Conversations with the main side kick seem copy and paste, side character motivations are all over the place, and the plot isn't really going anywhere despite being over half way through. The premise and the magic system are slightly interesting but not enough to carry writing and characters this shallow.
DNF at 65% honestly I considered stopping at 20% but pushed through hoping for more. The whole allure of an Anti-hero MC is that they are either charming, cunning, or ruthless in a way that is satisfying and this MC is none of those things; wholly unlikeable, but not in any way that is particularly compelling. Conversations with the main side kick seem copy and paste, side character motivations are all over the place, and the plot isn't really going anywhere despite being over half way through. The premise and the magic system are slightly interesting but not enough to carry writing and characters this shallow.
August 11, 2026
Protagonist isn't enjoyable to me
The protagonist seems to prefer killing as a solution to even the smallest sleight or problem and it's not at all clear why he didn't kill more people, nor why his roommate puts up with him. He's pretty 1-dimensional and self-centered, in an uninteresting way.
The writing is a little clumsy but maybe it gets better in their subsequent books. Sadly, I'm not sure the protagonist will ever get better. He's learned he can't just kill everybody but not to the extent that he's still reluctantly deciding not to, every single time. At least he's no s3x pest, as far as I could see.
The protagonist seems to prefer killing as a solution to even the smallest sleight or problem and it's not at all clear why he didn't kill more people, nor why his roommate puts up with him. He's pretty 1-dimensional and self-centered, in an uninteresting way.
The writing is a little clumsy but maybe it gets better in their subsequent books. Sadly, I'm not sure the protagonist will ever get better. He's learned he can't just kill everybody but not to the extent that he's still reluctantly deciding not to, every single time. At least he's no s3x pest, as far as I could see.
June 5, 2025
Different
A good different though, an evil mage is brought back to his younger self after being killed in the future, he finds himself at the start of his journey but even with knowing what happened before can he change his future and maybe not die this time around even become a better mage?
Plots intrigue and things that in hindsight you wished you knew at the time, like how come the girl who would not bat an eyelash in your direction before now likes your bad boy persona, girls go figure.
A good different though, an evil mage is brought back to his younger self after being killed in the future, he finds himself at the start of his journey but even with knowing what happened before can he change his future and maybe not die this time around even become a better mage?
Plots intrigue and things that in hindsight you wished you knew at the time, like how come the girl who would not bat an eyelash in your direction before now likes your bad boy persona, girls go figure.
August 12, 2025
excellent book, great MC who takes no prisoners. Very enjoyable, we will definitely read the next one.
An excellent book, very likable and strong character. The MC pulled no punches, which I like he doesn’t leave his enemies behind him to stab him in the back. Good cast of side characters, and I am eagerly awaiting to see where the series goes from here. If you like a strong, ruthless, intelligent character You will like this book. Just hope the MC chills a little bit as far as the people who really want to be friend him.
An excellent book, very likable and strong character. The MC pulled no punches, which I like he doesn’t leave his enemies behind him to stab him in the back. Good cast of side characters, and I am eagerly awaiting to see where the series goes from here. If you like a strong, ruthless, intelligent character You will like this book. Just hope the MC chills a little bit as far as the people who really want to be friend him.
August 13, 2025
A regression story where an evil overlord is sent back in time to his teenage body, finding himself enrolled in the magic school again.
I liked it. Yes the MC is OP - but hey - he was an evil overlord and still knows his stuff.
I like how ruthless the character is in a lot of situations and enjoy the journey of him becoming a better person even if he sees himself still on the evil side. Despite some plot conveniences and one-dimensional side characters, I thought the story is incredibly fun and I look forward to its continuation.
I liked it. Yes the MC is OP - but hey - he was an evil overlord and still knows his stuff.
I like how ruthless the character is in a lot of situations and enjoy the journey of him becoming a better person even if he sees himself still on the evil side. Despite some plot conveniences and one-dimensional side characters, I thought the story is incredibly fun and I look forward to its continuation.
September 6, 2025
Spell Breaker, book one of the Arcane Academy series, is an ebook I borrowed through Kindle Unlimited (KU). This was my first experience with this genre--basically writing out your fantasy video game with points and rankings. What I enjoyed most was the concept of being reborn as a teen with memories of his past adult life as an evil lord retained. Come on, who doesn't wish for a do-over of high school? You can live out that phrase-- if only I knew then what I know now. Enjoyed the reading and picked up the next book.
September 27, 2025
Great opening book
I really liked this story a lot. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read yet another magical progression story, but this one turned out to be a little different than some others I’ve read. It also had a main character that’s not completely good or a hero at first. But, I like that he seems to be getting a second chance at becoming one. His original “evil lord” character seems to be from “nurture” or its lack, rather than from “nature@ I look forward to reading the next books.
I really liked this story a lot. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read yet another magical progression story, but this one turned out to be a little different than some others I’ve read. It also had a main character that’s not completely good or a hero at first. But, I like that he seems to be getting a second chance at becoming one. His original “evil lord” character seems to be from “nurture” or its lack, rather than from “nature@ I look forward to reading the next books.
May 7, 2025
Overall pretty good, but didn't knock my socks off. I can tell that there was humour intended in a lot of this, but it failed to land with me. Without that, the MC comes across as a psychopath, sociopath if you're feeling generous, and that sort of character has limited appeal to me. I found myself feeling sorry for his roommate for how mean the MC was to her.
This doesn't mean I won't read any subsequent books, but it simply wasn't a 5-star experience for me.
This doesn't mean I won't read any subsequent books, but it simply wasn't a 5-star experience for me.
June 23, 2025
Pretty interesting read about a sociopath's time regression after being murdered by his bestie.
The MC was an evil Lord who regressed into his past at 18 years old, in the mage academy. He proceeds to start leveling up, causing chaos around him, though he intends to walk a different path in this life. But old habits die hard and before you know it, he's slitting throats and taking heads. An interesting story with a somewhat different magic system.
The MC was an evil Lord who regressed into his past at 18 years old, in the mage academy. He proceeds to start leveling up, causing chaos around him, though he intends to walk a different path in this life. But old habits die hard and before you know it, he's slitting throats and taking heads. An interesting story with a somewhat different magic system.
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