The full power of his mythic ancestry propels a young archmage to new heights in the second installment of this epic LitRPG fantasy adventure.
When a fierce aetherstorm unleashes a wave of demonic aetherbeasts on New Albion—capital of the Valestra Kingdom—Callum Stross and his friends Quinn and Marcella answer the call, defending the city with a courage befitting the next generation of Great College archmages.
In the aftermath, the kingdom's fragile peace with the Geshwine Empire fractures, and a deadly tournament is called between the two powers. To survive, Callum must weather duels, trials, and political intrigue to reach his true goal of forging a bond with a second Killeas, his legendary ancestor's gryphon, who's been imprisoned in the crypt of the Demonslayer for five hundred years.
But as the tournament reaches its breaking point, a darker tide is rising beyond the arena's walls. With allies beside him and new enemies emerging from the shadows, Callum will be forced to embrace his ferocious destiny and fight with everything he has.
Victory may grant him glory, but the kingdom itself faces a reckoning no one expected....
Writing far faster than his hands can withstand, Luke Chmilenko hails from the Great White North where he lives with his wife and two daughters. Toiling endlessly Luke juggles his time between a rapidly growing catalogue of series while playing far more video games than he would ever openly admit.
If you're interested in getting all the news about Luke's upcoming work, check out his website at: http://lukechmilenko.com/
Oh, this Cooper/Chmilenko amalgam is fabulous. I thoroughly enjoyed book one, but book two was just phenomenal. I think I zoomed through the pages at a rate of knots...
The various friends, and, of course royalty, that Callum has met, and their feelings for him are strengthened when the Crimson Sigil - the finest College in the Geshwire Empire - decide to hold an event at The Great College to set the best fighters of each College against each other in the arena. A worrying situation, as the Crimson Sigil have not only brought their students, but also their airships! Callum finds out who his true friends are, and why things are happening. This builds to an unexpected and shocking climax. Absolutely wonderful!
Callum whilst trying to discover his heritage is now got to contend with further aetherbeasts and uncertainty with another country and a changing dynamic within the city. This is a great lead up to an epic finale in the book and a massive setup for the next book. Also like how we have went from the hidden heritage to someone in the forefront of a new beginning for an entire country.
This was about the same as book one for overall enjoyment. The plot was predictable throughout, but still enjoyable enough. The characters stayed true to how the wr presented and no shocks there. The MC grew in power a bit, but survives through plot armor and luck asuch as skill for several fights. Not bad, just not great.