Dungeon Diving 301

Dungeon Diving #9

by Bruce Sentar, Christopher Boucher (Narrator), Jessica Threet (Narrator)

Ken and company come back from summer break after arduous training for their third year at Haylon. No longer are they the fresh adventurers that once didn’t know the right end of the sword.

Instead they have settled into Star City among the Orkai and are thriving deep within the dungeon and even locating trails for the class to get powerful new abilities.

Things in the dungeon are never so simple. Lucian, a Leomatis Shaman is mourning the death of his grandmother before his father decides that Ken would become the perfect obstacle to whet his soft son’s claws.

At the same time, the Orkai Arbiters are going scorched earth on some problem that had bubbled up from the dungeon shuffle.

As always, the answer is for Ken to grow stronger.

Genres: Harem, Fantasy, Litrpg, Magic, Audiobook, Demons, Elves

Audible Audio

First published August 7, 2025

About the author

Born and raised in the agricultural midwest, I moved every year after school even as far as Shanghai before settling down with my wife in Chicago.

I have always enjoyed Wuxia stories and became thrilled when I discovered harem stories spreading to western books. I've written down my day dreams for years as an idle hobby. Inspired by the harem genre I'm finally fleshing them out into full blown novels.

I'm excited to share my stories with you as I turn them into novels and series.

Connect with me on Facebook for updates on my latest books.
https://www.facebook.com/Bruce-Sentar...

Reviews

[Roberto Flores]

I remember when Sentar wrote books with a solid setting, compelling characters, and a driven story. They also contained a harem. Now, it's all about the harem, the story is a by-product. The characters are practically interchangeable. And the setting is pointless. I don't see any point in continuing with this author

[JOSEPH LUNSMANN]

Please come up with a new series

You are a brilliant writer, but this series has gone beyond the story. This was supposed to be a young man finding his way in life and now it’s about how many women he can take to bed. I read it knowing it’s a harem novel, but there has to be something to the story. There was only one real battle the entire book.

[Ethan]

Good but slightly off kilter too.

It was another good entry into the series, but there was a few things that just sorta felt… off.

To be clear actual writing, world building and everything was good.
Personal preference with the whole worms thing is fairly meh, but could be interesting if done well later.
Different Povs were good- but also keep working on them to find the right balance. Probably just a little too much of some characters and some bits that felt kinda unnecessary.

What felt off for me is hard to pin point but I’ll try.
I guess sort of overall pacing? It felt like it slowed down a heap here. Felt a little too static like they were stuck in one scene for basically the entire book, and that there wasn’t enough plot progression. Also kinda not enough focus on Ken and continuing his development.
Some Trouble with long running series is it can get veryyyy political and bogged down in the details, and that’s got to be effectively countered with suitable action and pacing pick up scenes giving a sense of moving forward, which felt lacking here.

Another thing was for example, Felin getting an ability. Seems like that would be a fairly big deal and was sort of treated like that but then was completely overshadowed by the villain plot here. But the villain just wasn’t really that interesting?

If you’re going to do villain Povs, it’s fine to do a one shot pov here or there but don’t focus on the small time dudes and keep giving them screen time in a single book. Keep it short and sweet sorta thing.

Id recommend probably doing something like setting up a main villain ARC over a couple books and very slowly introduce short to long pov chapters over the course of two-three books etc. or at least that’s an idea.

Either way it was a good read and I’m looking forward to the next one.

[Mark]

Excellent

I believe this is the best book yet! The characters are ever growing and more and more antagonists coming out of the dungeon walls. Complexity is increasing and notoriety growing the only way is down or death. Love this series!

[Jacob Kehr]

Another One

These books can’t come out fast enough! Obsessed with the story progression and character development! One of my favorite authors does it again!

[Tracy S McCoy]

This series is an absolute must read!!!

From the first page till the very last this book has grabbed my attention and held tight!!! The Dungeon has yet again found a way to surprise!!! Character development and advancement has been first rate as always!!! World building and development is bar none the best you'll read!!! Yet another disaster awaits our favorite characters in the future and I can't wait to see how they handle it!!!!

[Kiba Snowpaw]

Final Rating: 3.41/5.00
Starting score: 2.50
+0.24 for tactical clarity, effective counters, and meaningful party coordination.
+0.21 for distinct dungeon cultures and their competing social rules.
+0.20 for progression mechanics that change training and strategic choices.
+0.16 for Ken developing as a leader who distributes opportunities to grow.
+0.18 for Charlotte's agency, loyalty, and emotional maturity.
+0.15 for Crimson's vulnerability beneath her formidable strength.
+0.13 for the grief and family abuse underlying Lucian's hostility.
+0.11 for Karnak's and Bellaire's perspectives on pressures Ken cannot see.
+0.11 for the developed Charlotte intimacy scene and its personal chemistry.
+0.09 for Elysara's meaningful tension between love and duty.
+0.12 for ominous groundwork that pays off and a conflict that reaches resolution.
+0.08 for the clan warmth and familiar companionship surrounding the danger.
-0.17 for repeated comic routines and an uneven distribution of narrative time.
-0.14 for a major supporting-character milestone denied a full dramatic scene.
-0.11 for repetitive revenge plotting and increasingly redundant villain dialogue.
-0.10 for raising serious questions about allegiance, then sidestepping them.
-0.10 for Helen's romantic development repeatedly collapsing into public teasing.
-0.08 for the thin romantic presence of established partners, especially Fayeth.
-0.07 for building sexual anticipation that too often ends in summary.
-0.05 for insufficient emotional aftermath following severe danger.
-0.05 for wording and continuity errors involving movement, age, and an ability name.
Calculated final score: 3.41/5.00

I bought and listened to this audiobook, and I found sharper ideas than its uneven storytelling allows to fully emerge. A new year at Haylon begins under the pressure of a revenge feud and humanity's precarious position among the dungeon's established races. Ken has people relying on him and relationships that can affect his strength in unsettlingly literal ways. I am Kiba Snowpaw, Alpha Ice Wolf of HowlStrom, and the question of what an Alpha owes his pack reaches deeper than another number climbing on a character sheet. The return to the Nagato clan supplies welcome warmth: people have been working, building connections, and preparing to stand beside Ken. Des contributes social confidence he lacks. I value that sense of a den maintained by many paws. The frustration is how often a substantial development gives way to another familiar joke. The tone stays openly sexual, although sustained explicit intimacy is much less frequent than the surrounding teasing suggests.

The expanded dungeon remains one of the strongest reasons to continue. The whalewyrn have customs, obligations, and a coherent understanding of collective survival. Baloo's courtesy and caution belong together: protecting his pod sometimes means refusing involvement in someone else's dispute. Misha's difficulty finding a place within her own people's expectations gives her flirtation personal context. Their fighting doctrine grows out of their bodies and cooperation, making the culture feel physically present. The orkai operate through records, arbitration, hierarchy, and a chilling capacity to impose order. Their system can establish responsibility without reliably protecting someone from coercion before blood is spilled. Those distinctions give me something to sink my claws into. Encounters become negotiations between different assumptions about loyalty, privacy, ownership, and legitimate force. Humans have entered an inhabited world whose people already possess histories and expertise. Ken has to learn from them.

I appreciate the progression's internal shape. Training improves statistics; experience and recovery impose their own demands; trial abilities reward particular strengths while testing whether their users can sustain them. Pursuing an impressive ability that does not suit someone's role can be a poor choice. The distinction between gaining levels and building the statistics needed for a trial gives preparation a purpose. Ken's advancement is real. His changing relationship to his grandfather's skill, improved performance under pressure, and widening uses of his abilities establish that work has consequences. Discovering stronger inhabitants of the dungeon does not erase those accomplishments. My concern is whether the next obstacle demands a new decision, and several do. The shared-power mechanics also make improving the people around Ken potentially more valuable than concentrating every resource on him. His growing organisation has a practical reason to matter.

The best combat makes those distinctions clear through action. The multiheaded boss requires decisions about which threats to suppress and which damage the party can absorb. The friendly encounter with the whalewyrn exposes unfamiliar teamwork. Karnak's defensive ability requires Ken to understand what he is feeding into it before attacking harder. I can follow why a choice helps or hurts. Portals serve as rescue tools with vulnerabilities; healers need protection; extracting casualties can matter more than another impressive strike. Ken has to think about recovery and reinforcement while opponents interfere with both. My wolf ears stay interested when a battle forces someone to revise a plan. The supporting cast has jobs that cannot be replaced by standing behind Ken and admiring him. Even when the broader conflict repeats itself, the individual exchanges often retain tactical substance.

Ken's leadership becomes convincing through decisions about access, training, secrecy, and recruitment. Sharing routes to advancement gives other people a future they can actively work towards. His guild becomes a responsibility with resources and expectations attached. I also value his reluctance to treat every potential increase in demonic power as sufficient reason to collect more lovers. Attachment matters enough to shape his decisions. Charlotte supplies some of the clearest thinking about that responsibility. Her loyalty has a spine. She reminds Ken that the others have chosen to support him and resists the idea that protecting them means deciding everything on their behalf. Her attachment to Bun-Bun matters for the same reason. He is family; danger does not automatically make replacing him with a more efficient creature the right answer. I recognise the fear underneath Ken's desire to carry everything himself: every possible loss starts looking like a personal failure waiting to happen. Charlotte challenges the control hidden inside that care. My response is simple: Let the pack choose its footing. She can be affectionate, playful, and devoted while demanding something more adult than unconditional agreement.

That makes the treatment of demonic allegiance frustrating. Permanent marks, hierarchy, and the possibility of someone higher in that hierarchy gaining power over others deserve more than assurances that everyone trusts Ken. The story raises those dangers explicitly. Charlotte asks for informed choice, and Ken worries. Then much of the discussion disappears into tattoo placement, sexual jokes, and competitive claims on him. Later, Bellaire says she accepted a mark without asking questions, and Ken changes the subject instead of ensuring the implications are understood. That fails to follow through on the book's own concern. I enjoy dangerous bargains in fiction. Here, danger could deepen intimacy by making trust a decision with difficult terms. My claws catch on the missing conversation. A pack is not a battery. If people can become sources of power, I want the relationships to bear that weight.

Crimson remains compelling when strength stops being sufficient protection against insecurity. Her care appears in practical gestures, attention to Ken's condition, and the effort she puts into preparing others. Her possessiveness also contains a fear of becoming unnecessary. Someone else providing the help she could not reaches an exposed place beneath the leather, menace, and confidence. That interests me far more than another demonstration that she can bully a room into silence. Ken has to reassure her, push back, and sometimes interrupt a joke that has gone too far. The need to stay useful can become its own winter, especially when strength has been the safest way to earn a place beside others. I understand hiding that fear behind competence. Crimson works best when I can see both the terrifying adventurer and the woman who needs to know she still belongs.

Lucian initially benefits from a similar willingness to look beneath behaviour. His father recognises grief as something he can shape into obedience and aggression. Affection, shame, status, and violence become tangled together. I can see someone seeking approval start reproducing the cruelty that wounded him. His treatment of his sister tests whether suffering has taught him compassion or the language of domination. His insistence that he understands Felin's wishes better than she does remains part of what makes him dangerous. Wider perspectives help elsewhere too: Karnak's compromises look different from inside the pressure applied to him, and Bellaire's confidence has limits her public persona conceals. Unfortunately, the revenge plot spends too much of that potential on repetition. Lucian's claims of superiority, dependence on stronger assistance, and refusal to interpret setbacks honestly become established facts long before the story stops rehearsing them. The two major confrontations share enough of the same arrangement that escalation sometimes feels like resetting the pieces. Additional viewpoint scenes should change my understanding or tighten uncertainty. Too many confirm that the same furious man remains furious and intends to try again. My patience starts dragging its tail through the snow when his explanation of his superiority outlasts its dramatic usefulness. I wanted a more economical route from those motives to their consequences.

Helen does move forward. She can defend someone's privacy, apologise when she has been unfair, and take her responsibilities in danger seriously. Her mother's account of her childhood resentment gives the hostility a recognisable source. The romantic writing keeps squandering those openings. Private uncertainty becomes public entertainment; her mother exposes her feelings; Des pushes familiar buttons; Helen retreats into denial and insults. Ken recognises how exhausting the exchange is while the narrative organises another round. My ears pin back at the wasted opportunity. I want her to decide what she wants without the entire room treating her as the next acquisition awaiting confirmation. Sustained honesty would count as progress regardless of whether she joined the harem. Her ability to protect others deserves an emotional life more substantial than another variation on everyone knowing whom she secretly likes.

The established relationships are unevenly served. Elysara receives a meaningful moment of reconnection. Her admission that she misses Ken, alongside her continuing obligations, gives their separation a cost. He can offer closeness without making her responsibilities disappear. I want that quiet friction: two people still wanting one another, with lives that cannot be folded into one convenient routine. Fayeth receives much less comparable attention. Being present for group business or briefly pleased about time together does not give her individual relationship the same substance. The previous volume's focused romantic development for Penny demonstrated what concentrated attention could accomplish. Here, some established partners remain peripheral while potential future connections receive extensive space. The harem has enough history to support distinct forms of intimacy. Its existing den is starting to acquire rooms the story barely enters.

The sexual material makes that imbalance more noticeable. There is one sustained, fully explicit scene with Charlotte, well into the audiobook, surrounded by considerably more innuendo, sexual discussion, implied activity, and summarised intimacy. It works because the physical detail belongs to these particular people. Her concern about how training has changed her body, Ken's reassurance, and her active participation give it personal chemistry alongside developed erotic content. I want a good book and good porn, with enough attention to make desire feel immediate. Elsewhere, the writing repeatedly builds anticipation and then reports that intimacy happened or passes over an extended celebration. That leaves some of the erotic promise unfulfilled. Suggestive remarks cannot provide the same experience as a scene allowed to unfold. The Charlotte encounter demonstrates the difference, making the retreat into summary elsewhere a missed opportunity.

Pacing suffers when familiar comic routines receive more space than the developments around them. The invented homework excuse and Bellaire's public-relations teasing keep repeating after their main effect has landed. Her flirtatious branding delivers essentially the same embarrassment for Ken through successive exchanges. In audio, each version takes time; the cumulative delay matters. I enjoy the household's irreverence, but the humour needs sharper judgment about when to release a scene. Preparation also keeps returning to the same answer: train harder, gain strength, prepare for the next threat. Some of that work changes the tactical picture. Some simply tells me again that everyone is working intensely. Those stretches contain more activity than emotional or dramatic movement.

That allocation of attention hurts around the trials. These promise individual challenges that belong to people besides Ken, with enough difficulty to make their personal struggles matter. When competing events converge, a major supporting-character milestone effectively happens offstage. I get too much of the result through its usefulness to the larger situation and too little of the decisive struggle itself. The book has already demonstrated its freedom to leave Ken's viewpoint; this is a structural choice. Give them their own damned scene. That is my demand, plain as a pawprint in fresh snow. Advancement should carry the character's uncertainty, decisions, and release. Compressing that experience weakens the emotional reward the progression promised.

The aftermath needs more attention too. Revival has established rules; recovering bodies and protecting healers remain urgent problems. The emotional consequences of surviving severe danger receive less space. Des questions how killing, drinking, and studying have become parts of the same ordinary routine, and Penny recognises that they are experienced adventurers now. That observation deserves room. Instead, it is quickly absorbed into teasing and moving on. Warmth after danger can be powerful; I want the return to the den to mean something because I understand what almost failed to return with them. The story briefly opens that thought without exploring it deeply. Its violence can be severe, but the inner bruises too often disappear faster than the physical ones.

The editing needs a firmer hand. Ken's age goes from twenty to nineteen between character sheets, and he briefly calls his trial ability Limit Break when his established ability is Liminal Speed. Those are continuity errors in information the progression asks me to track. The movement phrase "Bellaire rain over" also uses "rain" where "ran" is intended. That isolated wording error is less consequential than the confusion over character and ability details. Together, they earn a modest deduction for editing accuracy. Complexity makes consistent presentation more necessary.

The larger plot rewards attention. Earlier signs of disorder, secrecy, and disproportionate official responses acquire a coherent context. The immediate conflict reaches a resolution while the wider dungeon remains unsettled. Its groundwork has a destination. What matters most to me, though, is power changing relationships: Charlotte asking for choice, Crimson needing reassurance, Elysara holding love beside duty, and a party learning to depend on one another's judgment. Repeated taunts and extended teasing consume time those relationships need. From my frozen den in HowlStrom, I want this pack to become stronger in ways that are difficult to measure. The audiobook provides enough of those moments to sustain my investment, but neglected payoffs and uneven attention keep its best ideas from becoming a deeply satisfying whole.

[Robert Ralyn Hicks]

Love this series but lacked substance compared to others in the series

Let me begin by stating that I love this series and Bruce's other novels such as Returners Defiance and Ard's Oath. But this entry felt lacking in substance. Not quite filler but certainly not on par with what I've cone to expect. I look forward to the next entry and hope that some of these loose plot threads make some progress. I would love to see another hundred pages of actual progression in the storyline that push things along... DD 301 felt rushed... in 302 it would be great to see the same level of effort and plot development we've seen in earlier entries. For example... Helen... that thread feels like its moving far too slowly. I get that there is meant to be a slow burn but the overly tsundere trope just gets annoying when there is no glimmer of change or progress. Anyhow, Dungeon Diving is one of my favorite series and hopefully 302 does more to progress the story and character development.

[Nicole Hicks]

Growth

This book was really good. The only problem I saw that was really, very obvious, was that Helen is not growing and changing in any way. She is still just as insanely suspicious and obserdly judgemental of Ken's personality, character and actions in this book as she was in the first book. She has now been around him enough for long enough to start picking up on the fact that he is neither a horndog nor a pervert and that he has no say in how all the girls around him act and what they say and definitely no control over any of them. And that they are a part of his harem because they want to be a part of his harem not because he encouraged them to be and that he, at least, cares about every one of them. At this point her willful blindness is just reaching the point of ridiculousness. At this point in the series her use of that attitude toward Ken as a shield she is using to put between herself and him because of her real feelings for him and how she treats him because of it should be, at least, coming up a lot less than it is. Their relationship should be on the level of plutonic cooperative allies that are able to have somewhat decent conversations with each other at random and when needed, at least. But, that is just not happening yet and it really should be by now. Even the characters Charlotte and Penny have grown since the first book and Felin has also changed a little since she entered the series. So it amazes me that the author has not developed Helen's character more by now. Unless the growth happening outwardly with her attitude getting worse is considered character development, I'm getting real interested where the author is taking the Helen character in the future of this series.

[Robin]

I'm done with this book series.
Again a book without any "Dungeon Diving", instead we are doing exactly the same as the previous one. Person is being an asshole to Ken & party -> Kill despite being lower leveled -> shoulder pats -> introduce the next one.
Now we had in this order one after the other: The prince, his father, his uncle, random lion guy, his shaman boss-lady, other random lion guy, son of the lion king, henchmen of the lion king, the lion king himself. I might even be missing some as it is becoming somewhat of a blur.
Again, no dungeon diving, no adventures. Crimson does her training sessions like in all the other books. The ultra special one of a kind super abilities Crimson and Ken have are now introduced as commonplace, any talent-less hack above level 50 has one (which is basically everyone).
With the introduction of the new worlds Ken and Co are back at the bottom of the barrel again as the weakest underdogs. This directly means they'll can/should have no influence on the upcoming conflict with the tadpoles as they are now again trash mobs that would all be vaporized by any stray attack.
I think the story has lost direction and was written into a corner, it seems to be written at breakneck speeds without much of a plan. What happened to pushing the limits, exploring the depths and the ultimate dream of finding out what is at the bottom of the dungeon? This is book 9 already.
I honestly would be contend with it taking a little more time between books if it meant a better story and less mistakes.

[Jeffrey]

I think that is probably the first book that didn't have a new love interest, or an expansion to the harem. All of the other books had a picture of one of the members of Ken's harem. I have no idea who the woman is on the cover. We are introduced to a new race known as the Whalewyn a humanoid decedent from whales and dolphins. There is a potential love interest there, though it never gets developed.
This book starts after the summer break in which Ken spends much of his time training with Crimson. Instead of spending time with his family the Nagato clan or the Silver Fangs. The Orkai are busy with some new threat that isn't revealed until the end of the book. As such the Arbitrators are not to be involved and are viscous when they do get involved. Crimson moves the class down to Star City, which makes sense though the administrator of Haylon gives up to easy. There is still trouble with the Nekon faction that kidnapped Felina. There is hints of a potential love interest between Ken and Helena but it never comes to fruition.
The goal of everyone is to get stronger, so there is days of sadistic training and some dungeon diving. But to really get everyone stronger they must complete a dungeon trial. Only Crimson and Ken have completed a trail and that made them strongest forces in the human world. They need others to do the same.

[GrumpyOldMan]

This was another strong book in the series. The author tried something new, which was to include multiple scenes from the main antagonist's viewpoint. That sometimes enhances a book if it is done right, and in this case, it actually worked really well. The next book's main story thread wouldn't work as well without those antagonist's viewpoints in this book.

The harem does not grow in this particular book, though one woman does seem to get somewhat closer to that point. This book featured the MC being a little less brutally OP in relation to everyone else, as he got smacked around quite a bit and was bailed out by Crimson and others. That was actually a little refreshing, as him face tanking stuff in the previous books was often tedious to read.

I look forward to the next book in the series.

[Patrick Johnson]

One of the weaker in the series

I absolutely love the Dungeon Diving series and most of Bruce Sentar’s works, however this addition to the series was overall lackluster.

While it did a decent job moving the story forward, it felt like the book lacked a lot of the soul that made the series so great. The interactions between characters had their moments but were just missing something. Though I did love the new additions. The antagonist was heavily focused and while started interesting, was overall a letdown and the climax felt hollow. It wasn’t a bad book, but considering the level of the other books on the series brought to the table, I can’t help but be disappointed.

Also a severe lack of spice but that’s more my own personal taste. I love the characters and always want more, but it does seem to be a declining trend lately.

[Ben Martin]

Wish we had more time with the Elves

This was another great one, especially with the new antagonist and who he worked with. Also, the next book should be interesting with Demons returning to the city. I wish we had more time or more meaningful interaction with the elves. His first elf lady had like one line of dialog, and the princess wasn't much better. They didn't really feel like they were in a relationship with him anymore. He didn't see them for months, and there was basically no reunion or reaffirmed feelings. Hopefully, that's fixed in the next one, but I hate when the main characters get left to the wayside. It happened towards the end of Dragons Justice as well with some of the FMCs that this book is poised to the worse because we have even more characters.

[Leather]

Probably the weakest installment in this series. Not much happens, and the RPG/adventure progression aspect is completely ignored in this volume. There are lots of meetings, training, and discussions, but ultimately very little plot progression, aside from a few new developments toward the end of the book.
My main criticism is the series' near abandonment of the RPG aspect: the author gives us Ken's stats only once in the book, and we have no idea how the other characters have progressed.
The end of the book gives hope for a more impactful next volume, but always with the risk that politics will once again take precedence over the action.

[Jennifer King]

It's good

If you like the previous books in the series, you're going to like this one. If you didn't like the previous books, you're not going to find anything to your liking here. More action, more ventures. More magic. I really can't tell you too much about spoiling the whole plot for you, but I was entertained throughout and the main characters didn't act like morons just for plot purposes which is always satisfying. Hope this review helps. I apologize for any spinners I'm writing it with voice to text

[Vishal Patel]

Great plot

This book intensifies the plot from the previous books. With the introduction of Star City in the previous book, this book increases the stakes and splits into multiple plot threads, all without sacrificing the characters and relationships that are the core of the series.

The world building continues to build, although at a reduced pace compared to the last book. It still sets up interesting future potential, but more of that is done in the plot.

Overall, very good.

[Chad Martin]

Another great installment of the Dungeon Diving series. Ken continues to upscale his abilities and strengths as his group continues to build. The dungeon throws new challenges in his way as the a new Race of creatures, found after the dungeon shuffle, try to take Felin away.
I continue to enjoy this series and look forward to his movement forward as he competes with Crimson to delve ever deeper into the Dungeon. I continue to find the development of the team around him interesting as well. Looking forward to the next installment.

[Dannan Tavona]

Grinding and leveling, oh my

Alternate universe, LitRPG, portals, dungeon diving, save the world, harem adult situations

Life in the dungeon turns out to be harder than first presented. Seem the deeper one goes, new and tougher races appear. And, a new threat has manifested. It seems the rest of the class should hold out and get the special tattoos in the intimate location. A few minor details forgotten, but certainly not enough to hinder the story. Excellent editing. Next in the series!

[Nylar]

i listened to the audio book. and the narrator's suck for these characters( second book i listend to in the series with them). i love their other works.

crimson is flat. nothing there.
grandpa is not a Lecherous old man. like before.
charlotte is not invested.
ken seems to be a regurgitation of eddy hill
des feels completely off.

while i loved the story with the other narrators. ill be dropping this from here on out. it lost the heart( the characters) of the story in audio book.

this is just my oppion

[tester]

There are problems, I'm still hopeful for this expanded world we got from last book, but the neko race plot just isn't rational for me. Why aren't they treating them like any other hostile group like the dwarves and naga, they aren't just attacking kens group, the ug should be acting against them, or trying to attack the arbiters reputation. The chemistry is fading, I'm not remembering some of the LI's. Also feels a little contrite that almost every time the mc gets into trouble he needs to wait around for someone else to help.

[Michael Baez]

A new twist that ups the ante

So we got the party going for the op skills just as the nekorian issue is fully settled only for a cross between the goa'uld and the flood to show up in the dungeon. Can't wait for this demon lord to want Ken and his growing cult under her, especially with how fast him and the girls are growing. I get the feeling him clearing each trial really can unlock something new, just a feeling.

[Gary Scherter]

A step up!

In the afterward, the author tells us he's switched up how he introduces the bad guys... And while reading, I noticed a difference in the story writing, but couldn't put my finger on WHAT was different, just that I was having an enjoyable time reading. Even more than usual! He also mentioned how much it was a struggle to be an indi writer, with no one to help with all the minutiae of the process. I feel ya, brother!!! You're doing great though. Keep it up!

[slugbiscuit]

This was kind of all over the place. The main conflict stems from the bitch-ass lions causing more problems, but plenty of fuel for future conflicts was dumped in. Ken continues to put forth a frustratingly weak performance, as his go-to strategy is to stall until someone can save him. More potential harem members wander into the story, but the only payoff is Helen's continued deflection. It felt fairly unsatisfying overall.

[Allan Williams]

The third year begins

Ken and his class begin their third year at Haylon amidst the craziness of the dungeon while coming to terms with the fact that there are races that are way more powerful than anything they understood before the dungeon shuffle. The Leomantis clan are not going to let one of their shamans' deaths go unanswered, and Helen's dislike toward Ken is explored.

[Eric Bertone]

Enjoyable as always

I appreciate that we are starting to see the dungeon as a new kind of community instead of just a place to delve. The new antagonists are a cool new plot piece that I cant wait to see what happens next with. I like the new perspectives being brought in to help develop the storyline as well.

[Alan K]

Enjoyable

Another enjoyable read in the series. The MC is forging ahead with increasing his stats and getting stronger. The book introduces new enemies to defeat and more potential harem members emerge. A good read for people who have already read the previous books, with a bit more story from the perspective of the main bad guy for this book.

[Steve]

Made it about 10%, but I'm done with this series. Story has some potential, but is ruined by juvenile characters and dialogue (like the rest of the series to-date), so this is the end of the line. May be the end of me following this author too, as I see a lot of the same factors in most of his recent books.

[anita]

Marvelous story and series

The characters are numerous but well defined and expertly woven into the weave of the series/story. The plot and overall goals continues to change and develop - keeping the readers attention. Absolutely wonderful writing!!! Great anticipation for the next book and hoping there will be many more books in the series!

[Brandon]

Pretty weak entry for what I consider one of Sentar's premium series. Not a lot of character development or progression for the main cast. A bad guy is quickly set up and dispatched, seemingly to set up the idea of the worms as the next big bad and the cult idea. Just felt like all set up for later stuff with not enough payoff for now.