What do you think?
Quest Academy #6
Quest Academy: Loyalists
Preventing the calamity should have fixed everything...
After proving themselves on the battlefield, Salvatore and the Mythic Guild have debuted as a force worth watching. Unfortunately, recognition comes with greater expectations and the exclusive contracts now being offered are far beyond what the guild can handle alone.
To have any chance of success, Sal will need to recruit new members, forge unlikely alliances, and navigate the dangerous negotiations about how his Mythic-Grade technologies are used.
Fighting alongside famed Heroes during the demonic invasion should have been a decisive victory. Instead, Sal witnessed firsthand the true cost of a war that never ends. Haven may have survived, but the damage runs far deeper than a ruined city.
Tensions are rising across multiple districts mired in routine devastation. The Hunters Bureau faces growing outrage for its complacency as strategic resources start vanishing. Corruption festers around the Darwin Cruises and whispers are spreading that the demonic invasion was orchestrated.
*The Bastion Loyalists are making their move.*
After proving themselves on the battlefield, Salvatore and the Mythic Guild have debuted as a force worth watching. Unfortunately, recognition comes with greater expectations and the exclusive contracts now being offered are far beyond what the guild can handle alone.
To have any chance of success, Sal will need to recruit new members, forge unlikely alliances, and navigate the dangerous negotiations about how his Mythic-Grade technologies are used.
Fighting alongside famed Heroes during the demonic invasion should have been a decisive victory. Instead, Sal witnessed firsthand the true cost of a war that never ends. Haven may have survived, but the damage runs far deeper than a ruined city.
Tensions are rising across multiple districts mired in routine devastation. The Hunters Bureau faces growing outrage for its complacency as strategic resources start vanishing. Corruption festers around the Darwin Cruises and whispers are spreading that the demonic invasion was orchestrated.
*The Bastion Loyalists are making their move.*
499 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 26, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
June 27, 2026
okay, so
I love this series. I follow it on *Patreon* and still buy the book afterward.
But.
Sal is a MarySue. Not to say he doesn’t face challenges, but he is so ridiculously OP he simply creates an entirely new ‘thing’ to fix whatever problem he is facing.
I still enjoy it. There’s fun stuff coming up in the next book. But you should know that truly bad stuff doesn’t happen to Sal. Nothing is unrecoverable. He doesn’t *fail*.
I love this series. I follow it on *Patreon* and still buy the book afterward.
But.
Sal is a MarySue. Not to say he doesn’t face challenges, but he is so ridiculously OP he simply creates an entirely new ‘thing’ to fix whatever problem he is facing.
I still enjoy it. There’s fun stuff coming up in the next book. But you should know that truly bad stuff doesn’t happen to Sal. Nothing is unrecoverable. He doesn’t *fail*.
July 1, 2026
I'm so disappointed. I had a lot of issues with the first two books of this series, but I thought book three really turned things around. Book four was the high point, and book five maintained that momentum. I had been looking forward to this one, but it ended up reverting to everything I originally hated about this series. To the point that I was ready to DNF at 40% because I was so frustrated. I stuck with it, and while the second half is an improvement, it's nowhere near enough to redeem the book as a whole.
To recap, the MC can instantly master any skill, access perfected versions of every weave, effortlessly enchant items, become Bruce Lee over a single summer, and is now basically the Hulk thanks to a drone passively feeding him stats. I could even live with all of that if the series didn't seem determined to celebrate how completely unearned it all is. The author goes out of their way to surround the MC with ultra-competent peers, so it's not like they're unaware of this; it seems like these peers are just a foil for the MC to whine over when they try to teach him something or get him to understand what his magic wand is actually doing. That, and to fawn over what a selfless Hero the MC is.
It almost becomes accidental satire of modern AI culture when the MC gets frustrated with having to come up with his own crazy ideas and instead has his AI talk directly to his magic wand to invent a machine that effectively obsoletes the crafting profession.
Lastly, this book is a great example of why divination magic is such a difficult storytelling device to use well. Divinity and Erika effectively invalidate an entire mission in a matter of minutes. But the story makes use of this power so inconsistently that it only serves to remind us how pointless half the narrative is when you could have just had Divinity answer your questions or solve your problems immediately. She's just conveniently forgotten about, until we get these stark reminders of how narrative-breaking she is.
I am back to lukewarm enthusiasm for the next book.
To recap, the MC can instantly master any skill, access perfected versions of every weave, effortlessly enchant items, become Bruce Lee over a single summer, and is now basically the Hulk thanks to a drone passively feeding him stats. I could even live with all of that if the series didn't seem determined to celebrate how completely unearned it all is. The author goes out of their way to surround the MC with ultra-competent peers, so it's not like they're unaware of this; it seems like these peers are just a foil for the MC to whine over when they try to teach him something or get him to understand what his magic wand is actually doing. That, and to fawn over what a selfless Hero the MC is.
It almost becomes accidental satire of modern AI culture when the MC gets frustrated with having to come up with his own crazy ideas and instead has his AI talk directly to his magic wand to invent a machine that effectively obsoletes the crafting profession.
Lastly, this book is a great example of why divination magic is such a difficult storytelling device to use well. Divinity and Erika effectively invalidate an entire mission in a matter of minutes. But the story makes use of this power so inconsistently that it only serves to remind us how pointless half the narrative is when you could have just had Divinity answer your questions or solve your problems immediately. She's just conveniently forgotten about, until we get these stark reminders of how narrative-breaking she is.
I am back to lukewarm enthusiasm for the next book.
July 22, 2026
These books are a happy place, I'd be happy to stay in this world as long as possible. Fortunately the author seems disinclined to time skips, so we may get to.
Slice of life in a magical academy, where challenges are welcomed and there's always a new project to take on. Happy to see a Miyazaki approach to enemies as well.
Slice of life in a magical academy, where challenges are welcomed and there's always a new project to take on. Happy to see a Miyazaki approach to enemies as well.
October 6, 2026
★★★★★
I really enjoyed this one, and after reading some of the other reviews I realized that a lot of the things bothering other readers simply don't bother me. In fact, some of them are part of the reason I enjoy Quest Academy so much.
Yeah, Sal is ridiculously powerful by now. Yeah, his progression has been incredibly fast. He learns things he probably shouldn't be able to learn that quickly, his stats are getting crazy, his crafting keeps becoming more absurd, and Prime makes him even more capable.
But... why is that necessarily a bad thing? 🤔
This is progression fantasy... non?
One of the reasons I read this genre is because I enjoy watching characters become extraordinarily powerful. And I don't think every protagonist needs to start as an underdog and spend several books grinding, suffering and nearly dying before I'm allowed to believe that he has “earned” his abilities.
Sometimes that's a great story. But it doesn't have to be every story.
Here... Sal is exceptional. He has been exceptional from the beginning. That's part of the premise of Quest Academy, and personally I'm perfectly happy with it 😇
At this point I'm actually much less interested in whether Sal *can* become powerful than I am in seeing what he's going to do with all that power.
What ridiculous thing is he going to build next? What completely unreasonable hehehe... idea is going to occur to him? What happens when something he creates turns out to be worth millions or has the potential to change an entire industry? And how are his friends going to react when he casually does something everyone else considers impossible?
I love that part of these books.
I also love the characters and their relationships. Honestly, that's probably one of the biggest reasons I'm still having so much fun with the series.
Sal may be insanely talented, but he certainly isn't good at everything. Other people organize things he would be terrible at organizing, manage the guild, keep him grounded, challenge him, tease him and occasionally seem to wonder what on earth they're supposed to do with him... 😂 I think it's part of what makes the group work. He needs these people, and I like that.
A character being extremely powerful doesn't automatically make him boring. Sal doesn't need to struggle because he isn't strong enough in every single book.
Actually, I hope the author *doesn't* solve the power creep problem by simply making Sal weaker or throwing increasingly stronger enemies at him. Give me different problems... 😁
If Sal can invent something revolutionary, let him invent it! I don't need him to spend half a book grinding another crafting skill first. I'd much rather see what happens *after* he invents it
What happens when a 19yo can casually create technology that makes existing technology obsolete? What happens to the ppl and businesses around him? Who wants it? Who is threatened by it? What happens when his ability to create things develops faster than his ability to understand all the consequences? Those questions are much more interesting to me than whether his Strength stat went up too quickly.
I do have one concern going forward. Between Sal's abilities, Prime and everything else available to him now, I think the author has to be careful that problems don't become too easy to solve. I don't mind Sal being overpowered at all, but I still want situations where the answer isn't immediately available from one of his abilities or friends.
So please don't nerf Sal 😆😋😁
Just give him problems that can't be solved by being stronger. 😁
And finally, something I think gets overlooked in discussions about power progression: these books are simply *fun* 😄
I like spending time with these characters. I like their friendships. I like the banter. I like the crafting. I like Sal getting excited about some crazy project and everyone around him reacting to it. I like the fact that the series can be optimistic and funny and doesn't seem to believe that a character has to be miserable for his achievements to count.
There are plenty of progression fantasy series where the hero starts at the bottom and has to bleed for every tiny improvement.
I enjoy some of those too... but Quest Academy doesn't need to become one of them.
Sometimes I just want to watch Salvatore Argento break another part of the world's understanding of what should be possible while his friends look on in disbelief.. hehehehe
And apparently I'm very easy to please, because I'm still having a great time. 😂
Five stars from me! 🤟
And... bring on book 7, pls 🤗
I really enjoyed this one, and after reading some of the other reviews I realized that a lot of the things bothering other readers simply don't bother me. In fact, some of them are part of the reason I enjoy Quest Academy so much.
Yeah, Sal is ridiculously powerful by now. Yeah, his progression has been incredibly fast. He learns things he probably shouldn't be able to learn that quickly, his stats are getting crazy, his crafting keeps becoming more absurd, and Prime makes him even more capable.
But... why is that necessarily a bad thing? 🤔
This is progression fantasy... non?
One of the reasons I read this genre is because I enjoy watching characters become extraordinarily powerful. And I don't think every protagonist needs to start as an underdog and spend several books grinding, suffering and nearly dying before I'm allowed to believe that he has “earned” his abilities.
Sometimes that's a great story. But it doesn't have to be every story.
Here... Sal is exceptional. He has been exceptional from the beginning. That's part of the premise of Quest Academy, and personally I'm perfectly happy with it 😇
At this point I'm actually much less interested in whether Sal *can* become powerful than I am in seeing what he's going to do with all that power.
What ridiculous thing is he going to build next? What completely unreasonable hehehe... idea is going to occur to him? What happens when something he creates turns out to be worth millions or has the potential to change an entire industry? And how are his friends going to react when he casually does something everyone else considers impossible?
I love that part of these books.
I also love the characters and their relationships. Honestly, that's probably one of the biggest reasons I'm still having so much fun with the series.
Sal may be insanely talented, but he certainly isn't good at everything. Other people organize things he would be terrible at organizing, manage the guild, keep him grounded, challenge him, tease him and occasionally seem to wonder what on earth they're supposed to do with him... 😂 I think it's part of what makes the group work. He needs these people, and I like that.
A character being extremely powerful doesn't automatically make him boring. Sal doesn't need to struggle because he isn't strong enough in every single book.
Actually, I hope the author *doesn't* solve the power creep problem by simply making Sal weaker or throwing increasingly stronger enemies at him. Give me different problems... 😁
If Sal can invent something revolutionary, let him invent it! I don't need him to spend half a book grinding another crafting skill first. I'd much rather see what happens *after* he invents it
What happens when a 19yo can casually create technology that makes existing technology obsolete? What happens to the ppl and businesses around him? Who wants it? Who is threatened by it? What happens when his ability to create things develops faster than his ability to understand all the consequences? Those questions are much more interesting to me than whether his Strength stat went up too quickly.
I do have one concern going forward. Between Sal's abilities, Prime and everything else available to him now, I think the author has to be careful that problems don't become too easy to solve. I don't mind Sal being overpowered at all, but I still want situations where the answer isn't immediately available from one of his abilities or friends.
So please don't nerf Sal 😆😋😁
Just give him problems that can't be solved by being stronger. 😁
And finally, something I think gets overlooked in discussions about power progression: these books are simply *fun* 😄
I like spending time with these characters. I like their friendships. I like the banter. I like the crafting. I like Sal getting excited about some crazy project and everyone around him reacting to it. I like the fact that the series can be optimistic and funny and doesn't seem to believe that a character has to be miserable for his achievements to count.
There are plenty of progression fantasy series where the hero starts at the bottom and has to bleed for every tiny improvement.
I enjoy some of those too... but Quest Academy doesn't need to become one of them.
Sometimes I just want to watch Salvatore Argento break another part of the world's understanding of what should be possible while his friends look on in disbelief.. hehehehe
And apparently I'm very easy to please, because I'm still having a great time. 😂
Five stars from me! 🤟
And... bring on book 7, pls 🤗
July 3, 2026
Overall a fairly entertaining read and a decent entry in the series, but it's starting to lose me. This book and series has plenty to enjoy but the rest of this review will be airing out my grievances.
Let's start with Sal as a character and just his situation in general. In this book he stumbles into more power as usual, yet never actually takes the time to explore it because he's too busy pinballing from one thing to the next. This aspect of losing himself in whatever is in front of him and completely disregarding the world around him is a recurring theme, his primary character 'flaw', and something you're beaten over the head with probably a dozen times over the course of this book. It's addressed repeatedly by Sal himself and literally every other character around him, yet nothing is ever done about it. Like, maybe set some reminders with your seemingly omniscient AI equivalent? Or, if this is something everyone is just going to accept because Sal continues to make cool stuff, maybe just don't mention it every other chapter? Also, what happened to being the charismatic child of a pair of auctioneers? A semester at Quest Academy and now it seems like Sal has no clue how to navigate personal relationships outside of a negotiation. In my opinion, this book sees a shift in nearly all of the characters where they're gradually sliding into one-dimensional caricatures of themselves as the cast expands.
Pacing and plot. Nearly 500 pages and this book covers what, a little over a month? Sal's priorities are flip-flopping all over the place, we want to catch up on classes yet we attend like two of them, negative progress is made on the Fabi front, the demon threat is appearing more and more trivialized, and I guess we got a little progress on the Bastion front. The crafting portion, which is the vast majority, is cool but I certainly didn't have trivializing the production of mythic grade items on my bingo card.
Lastly, is there any point to the setting being an academy anymore? We hardly see any classes or interaction with the student body, the romance aspect was dialed down from a little too high all the way down to zero (which I respect the decision to do but ignoring completely also seems like the wrong move), and Sal's gear seems to put him and his group head and shoulders over even well established guilds. Just seems like a disconnect between the progression and the timeline.
Let's start with Sal as a character and just his situation in general. In this book he stumbles into more power as usual, yet never actually takes the time to explore it because he's too busy pinballing from one thing to the next. This aspect of losing himself in whatever is in front of him and completely disregarding the world around him is a recurring theme, his primary character 'flaw', and something you're beaten over the head with probably a dozen times over the course of this book. It's addressed repeatedly by Sal himself and literally every other character around him, yet nothing is ever done about it. Like, maybe set some reminders with your seemingly omniscient AI equivalent? Or, if this is something everyone is just going to accept because Sal continues to make cool stuff, maybe just don't mention it every other chapter? Also, what happened to being the charismatic child of a pair of auctioneers? A semester at Quest Academy and now it seems like Sal has no clue how to navigate personal relationships outside of a negotiation. In my opinion, this book sees a shift in nearly all of the characters where they're gradually sliding into one-dimensional caricatures of themselves as the cast expands.
Pacing and plot. Nearly 500 pages and this book covers what, a little over a month? Sal's priorities are flip-flopping all over the place, we want to catch up on classes yet we attend like two of them, negative progress is made on the Fabi front, the demon threat is appearing more and more trivialized, and I guess we got a little progress on the Bastion front. The crafting portion, which is the vast majority, is cool but I certainly didn't have trivializing the production of mythic grade items on my bingo card.
Lastly, is there any point to the setting being an academy anymore? We hardly see any classes or interaction with the student body, the romance aspect was dialed down from a little too high all the way down to zero (which I respect the decision to do but ignoring completely also seems like the wrong move), and Sal's gear seems to put him and his group head and shoulders over even well established guilds. Just seems like a disconnect between the progression and the timeline.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2026
The most interesting thing about book 6 is that we see the various students face off against ordinary armed humans in a raid, and we see that they are indeed superheroes. Sal used to be some guy who could make stuff but not exceptional otherwise, now thanks to absorbing lots of stats from monsters he's crushing gun barrels with his bare hands, and his armor shrugs off bullets. He's somewhere between Iron Man due to his equipment and Superman due to his raw physical strength.
The series is definitely suffering from the usual problems of power creep. Sal's still a freshman and yet his company is pulling in hundreds of millions of dollars a year. He's doing all sorts of time-intensive projects despite supposedly being in school and having classes. I know when I was in college I couldn't just take a week off to do some side project.
Sal's crafting is getting more and more unsatisfying. In this book, he essentially tells AI - in the form of Prime - to design something for him, it does, and it's another revolutionary automated crafting system. It's the LitRPG version of AI slop, only of course it's better than anything that's come before.
At one point he decides, for no apparent reason, that he's going to create some deliberately stupid designs for a contract. Which on the face of it is a foolish way to trash your reputation. Then on a field trip he actually implements the design that he said was stupid, and everyone thinks it's wonderful and wants to buy the rights for millions of dollars.
Not a lot happens in the way of plot until that raid against nefarious humans at the end of the book. Frankly the series is wearing pretty thin, but I'm still reading.
The series is definitely suffering from the usual problems of power creep. Sal's still a freshman and yet his company is pulling in hundreds of millions of dollars a year. He's doing all sorts of time-intensive projects despite supposedly being in school and having classes. I know when I was in college I couldn't just take a week off to do some side project.
Sal's crafting is getting more and more unsatisfying. In this book, he essentially tells AI - in the form of Prime - to design something for him, it does, and it's another revolutionary automated crafting system. It's the LitRPG version of AI slop, only of course it's better than anything that's come before.
At one point he decides, for no apparent reason, that he's going to create some deliberately stupid designs for a contract. Which on the face of it is a foolish way to trash your reputation. Then on a field trip he actually implements the design that he said was stupid, and everyone thinks it's wonderful and wants to buy the rights for millions of dollars.
Not a lot happens in the way of plot until that raid against nefarious humans at the end of the book. Frankly the series is wearing pretty thin, but I'm still reading.
July 8, 2026
Mildly disappointing. Have been greatly enjoying the series so far and seeing how Sal progresses though his fear and learns more about his powers. Only for it all to be undone though the development of the pantheon builds.
I get that Athena is good to help on their path to improvement and so far hasn’t taken away anything from the story ( other then the academic aspect but that seems to fall by the wayside more throughout the story anyway) but the other builds completely remove and creativity and agency of Sal and all other crafters.
Need to think of a solution? let me ask prime rather then thinking about it myself. Need to build something (like the main thing the MC has been doing throughout the series)? Let me get the 3D printer (sorry can’t spell the name) to do it for me.
Now if these tools where used to cut down on busy work then I would have less of an issue. But they are used for every little thing, making crafters obsolete (which they are somehow happy about), designing any type of blueprint is now useless because the machine can do it all with new materials it can synthesise so there’s no point in trying.
It feels like an excellent allegory for Morden day AI and how it’s reducing people’s ability to think and taking their jobs yet the story appears to be all for it. I’m hoping the machines go rouge or the characters develop past their over reliance on them as charter development in the next book.
I get that Athena is good to help on their path to improvement and so far hasn’t taken away anything from the story ( other then the academic aspect but that seems to fall by the wayside more throughout the story anyway) but the other builds completely remove and creativity and agency of Sal and all other crafters.
Need to think of a solution? let me ask prime rather then thinking about it myself. Need to build something (like the main thing the MC has been doing throughout the series)? Let me get the 3D printer (sorry can’t spell the name) to do it for me.
Now if these tools where used to cut down on busy work then I would have less of an issue. But they are used for every little thing, making crafters obsolete (which they are somehow happy about), designing any type of blueprint is now useless because the machine can do it all with new materials it can synthesise so there’s no point in trying.
It feels like an excellent allegory for Morden day AI and how it’s reducing people’s ability to think and taking their jobs yet the story appears to be all for it. I’m hoping the machines go rouge or the characters develop past their over reliance on them as charter development in the next book.
July 9, 2026
An excellent addition to the series with some of its usual gags I take personally
It's a great follow on to the rest of the series, but if there's one thing I can't stand it's ruining the readers ability to speculate on future events. How the author does this is obviously through one its main characters, that characters ability to spout percieved future relationships as a joke ruins a large part of the intrigue I have in the story. When the plot immediately conforms to fit the revelations and events take place to specifically support this idea, it really ruins my investment in the story. Investing the story is the key to retention. But with each follow on revelation and the honestly sick (as in ill) events and changes in each character behaviors is making reading each following release an honest to god effort. This has primarily been a crafting simulator and surprise surprise, that isn't remotely that interesting for as long as the author seems to think it would be. Romance and combat however are where you make the greater following. The authors ability to construct combat sequences has been steadily improving; but the approach on romance has left a sour taste... everywhere concievable. While the main plot certainly has begun to include more of the latter topics, the execution really needs to be reviewed and refined before the next release. Otherwise that'll be the last one I read.
It's a great follow on to the rest of the series, but if there's one thing I can't stand it's ruining the readers ability to speculate on future events. How the author does this is obviously through one its main characters, that characters ability to spout percieved future relationships as a joke ruins a large part of the intrigue I have in the story. When the plot immediately conforms to fit the revelations and events take place to specifically support this idea, it really ruins my investment in the story. Investing the story is the key to retention. But with each follow on revelation and the honestly sick (as in ill) events and changes in each character behaviors is making reading each following release an honest to god effort. This has primarily been a crafting simulator and surprise surprise, that isn't remotely that interesting for as long as the author seems to think it would be. Romance and combat however are where you make the greater following. The authors ability to construct combat sequences has been steadily improving; but the approach on romance has left a sour taste... everywhere concievable. While the main plot certainly has begun to include more of the latter topics, the execution really needs to be reviewed and refined before the next release. Otherwise that'll be the last one I read.
June 29, 2026
I continue to read the series because I like the story's premise and setting, but I wish the author was a better writer.
1. 60% done with Loyalist, and I have no idea what the plot really is. There is no major conflict and seemingly no purpose to the book.
2. ADHD crafting. I think this stems from a lack of plot and goal, but Sal seems to craft things at random. If you compare it to Mark of the Fool, Alex has a clear goal and creates things with a clear purpose. What is Sal's purpose or goal?
3. Guild Master/leader. I don't think this is done well. It seems like Sal is a child playing at being an adult. He barely has time for classes and crafting and does a poor job leading the guild. Vanessa, Villa, and the others run the Guild while Sal is there to sign the paperwork.
4. Pacing- We are 6 books in, and it is still only the start of the second year. Sal has only 4 months of combat training, so how is he a combat master?
5. Crafting the same thing over and over. Sal seems pretty intent on making his previous cutting-edge technology outdated. This stems from a lack of plot and goal.
6. Sal is a Gary Sue type character, and that is very bland to read
I hope the author can address some of the major flaws in the series in the upcoming books. At the bare minimum, create an actual plot, villain, and purpose for the books.
1. 60% done with Loyalist, and I have no idea what the plot really is. There is no major conflict and seemingly no purpose to the book.
2. ADHD crafting. I think this stems from a lack of plot and goal, but Sal seems to craft things at random. If you compare it to Mark of the Fool, Alex has a clear goal and creates things with a clear purpose. What is Sal's purpose or goal?
3. Guild Master/leader. I don't think this is done well. It seems like Sal is a child playing at being an adult. He barely has time for classes and crafting and does a poor job leading the guild. Vanessa, Villa, and the others run the Guild while Sal is there to sign the paperwork.
4. Pacing- We are 6 books in, and it is still only the start of the second year. Sal has only 4 months of combat training, so how is he a combat master?
5. Crafting the same thing over and over. Sal seems pretty intent on making his previous cutting-edge technology outdated. This stems from a lack of plot and goal.
6. Sal is a Gary Sue type character, and that is very bland to read
I hope the author can address some of the major flaws in the series in the upcoming books. At the bare minimum, create an actual plot, villain, and purpose for the books.
July 2, 2026
Well what can I say.... I basically blitzed through this book in 3 days which at my reading speed is amazing. Can say had a lot of tired mornings this week because I just couldn't put the book down at night. Which is why I am now writing this at 12:30am as I just finished the book haha
I absolutely love this series, and enjoy the process and progression each character has been experiencing! Was sad when it ended because now I am itching for the next one, and the next one. Sal never ceases to amaze me! Some instances that happen I try to guess what Sal may do or what will happen, ive guessed right few times but others ive been off the mark. Hopefully some of it will come to fruition in the future. But who knows as Sal is a mold breaker and keeps raising the bar.
All in all in my rambling, 5 star series in my opinion, hits all the right spots for me in what I want and would love to see this series either animated or visualized some way. Absolutely love this world that was created!
I absolutely love this series, and enjoy the process and progression each character has been experiencing! Was sad when it ended because now I am itching for the next one, and the next one. Sal never ceases to amaze me! Some instances that happen I try to guess what Sal may do or what will happen, ive guessed right few times but others ive been off the mark. Hopefully some of it will come to fruition in the future. But who knows as Sal is a mold breaker and keeps raising the bar.
All in all in my rambling, 5 star series in my opinion, hits all the right spots for me in what I want and would love to see this series either animated or visualized some way. Absolutely love this world that was created!
July 27, 2026
2.75 stars.
This one felt like the weakest so far in the series (which I generally enjoy, even with the MC being way too OP). The crafting felt relatively pointless in this one, and far less satisfying in general because of the way he goes about it (just using Prime or other automated systems to do everything - no thinking needed, no puzzles solved, no creativity needed).
It's also pretty unsatisfying how he seems to move on to the next thing before he even begins to explore the capabilities of the inventions he creates or his new powers
Is there any point to Quest Academy at all anymore? He certainly doesn't seem to learn anything in the classes...
He didn't feel very clever at all in this book and came across as kind of dumb, just relying on his collection of multiple OP abilities, any one of which would have made him a world shaking power by themselves. The big conflict at the end was also pretty unsatisfying.
This one felt like the weakest so far in the series (which I generally enjoy, even with the MC being way too OP). The crafting felt relatively pointless in this one, and far less satisfying in general because of the way he goes about it (just using Prime or other automated systems to do everything - no thinking needed, no puzzles solved, no creativity needed).
It's also pretty unsatisfying how he seems to move on to the next thing before he even begins to explore the capabilities of the inventions he creates or his new powers
Is there any point to Quest Academy at all anymore? He certainly doesn't seem to learn anything in the classes...
He didn't feel very clever at all in this book and came across as kind of dumb, just relying on his collection of multiple OP abilities, any one of which would have made him a world shaking power by themselves. The big conflict at the end was also pretty unsatisfying.
July 1, 2026
Keep Writing!
These are not being churned out fast enough! I love this series so far and can't wait for the next. Just a heads up, I read about 4-5 books a week. This series is on my must read list. When the next installment comes out, I drop whatever I'm reading to devour this series.
Completely different type of world, power acquisition and leveling. Great dynamics between characters that are well rounded with continuous growth. A little too altruistic, but if you have the money, creativity and capability, why not go all out?
Thoroughly enjoy and wouldn't mind this being a 15 or 24 book series. I would like to see how our students continue to grow and overpower themselves to save the world. If you want something sci-fiish, wholesome and engaging, I highly recommend this series.
These are not being churned out fast enough! I love this series so far and can't wait for the next. Just a heads up, I read about 4-5 books a week. This series is on my must read list. When the next installment comes out, I drop whatever I'm reading to devour this series.
Completely different type of world, power acquisition and leveling. Great dynamics between characters that are well rounded with continuous growth. A little too altruistic, but if you have the money, creativity and capability, why not go all out?
Thoroughly enjoy and wouldn't mind this being a 15 or 24 book series. I would like to see how our students continue to grow and overpower themselves to save the world. If you want something sci-fiish, wholesome and engaging, I highly recommend this series.
June 27, 2026
Impatiently waiting for the next one already
I loved the direction this book went i have no words and loved the redemption arcs and the twists and turns how it showed the growth of the characters is the mc op yes but hes not infallible and can and does make mistakes can he fix them yes but hes not perfect and thats the point well done man and now I will sit here impatiently waiting for the next one while waiting to purchase this one as well to add it to my audible collection for the series i own both the digital and audible books great job i look forward to what sal does next
I loved the direction this book went i have no words and loved the redemption arcs and the twists and turns how it showed the growth of the characters is the mc op yes but hes not infallible and can and does make mistakes can he fix them yes but hes not perfect and thats the point well done man and now I will sit here impatiently waiting for the next one while waiting to purchase this one as well to add it to my audible collection for the series i own both the digital and audible books great job i look forward to what sal does next
June 28, 2026
Originally read on patreon plus bought book. I am not sad that I picked up the patreon - I have been before.
I fully admit I did not reread this in published form, I believe some editing changes were made, but I was thoroughly happy with the preliminary - I read it in one sitting.
The books have come a long way since the 3 star I gave to book 1. I do worry that the main character is constantly just making whatever is needed and I'm pretty uncertain about machine that makes things making our mc somewhat less. He's a little too good at life. Except for remembering all of his "I'll do that."
But guild management, growth, dungeons. It's all fun now.
I fully admit I did not reread this in published form, I believe some editing changes were made, but I was thoroughly happy with the preliminary - I read it in one sitting.
The books have come a long way since the 3 star I gave to book 1. I do worry that the main character is constantly just making whatever is needed and I'm pretty uncertain about machine that makes things making our mc somewhat less. He's a little too good at life. Except for remembering all of his "I'll do that."
But guild management, growth, dungeons. It's all fun now.
June 30, 2026
Another winner in the Quest Academy Series
Sal and the Mythic Guild continue to develop into an overachieving group of people that are trying to make a difference in their demon-ridden, war-enveloped world. It’s difficult to be taken seriously at their comparatively young age, especially as they are creating previously unknown abilities, elixirs and abilities and breaking the rules as the6 go. With a strong revenue backing, their Guild continues to grow in reputation and influence. But there are hidden forces at play. Brian J. Nordon continues his winning ways with the latest Quest Academy adventure.
Sal and the Mythic Guild continue to develop into an overachieving group of people that are trying to make a difference in their demon-ridden, war-enveloped world. It’s difficult to be taken seriously at their comparatively young age, especially as they are creating previously unknown abilities, elixirs and abilities and breaking the rules as the6 go. With a strong revenue backing, their Guild continues to grow in reputation and influence. But there are hidden forces at play. Brian J. Nordon continues his winning ways with the latest Quest Academy adventure.
July 1, 2026
run Fabi run
What a great example for the ladies looking for relationships. Read this one from Fabriza’s point of view. Listen up ladies, you will never change them (unless they are a fictional character in a book), they either love and adore you or are using you. Sal can’t even take time to message, “Thank you for the…” He never even looks at her project all the while spending time with other women, lots of time. It isn’t a cute little quirk of personality and don’t lie to yourself that he is busy with more important things and doesn’t have the time. If your love can’t bother themselves for you, don’t bother yourself with them. Thanks for the perfect example.
What a great example for the ladies looking for relationships. Read this one from Fabriza’s point of view. Listen up ladies, you will never change them (unless they are a fictional character in a book), they either love and adore you or are using you. Sal can’t even take time to message, “Thank you for the…” He never even looks at her project all the while spending time with other women, lots of time. It isn’t a cute little quirk of personality and don’t lie to yourself that he is busy with more important things and doesn’t have the time. If your love can’t bother themselves for you, don’t bother yourself with them. Thanks for the perfect example.
July 10, 2026
Ok so I love this series but the first portion of this book kind of feels like a jumbled mess lol. Like the amount of times MC kind of got side tracked and started building a random machine is entertaining but also frustrating. I had a bit of trouble trying to keep track of everything: plot, machines, characters and their interactions (like I would not have expected Barry to befriend Erika and make her chill) and it wasn't until like half the book that everything started settling down in my head. The story is still enjoyable and I'm glad to hear that there might be at least 15 books in the series. Can't wait to read more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2026
Loyalists mostly sticks with the main characters, though there are chapters that wander off to other topics from time to time, but it all adds to the story, so no issue there. Love the tech coming out of these stories, that's part of what makes this series so much fun. If you've liked any of the previous books in the series, you're likely to like this book too, it's a good part of the story, and now I have to wait until we get another book in the series to read.
June 27, 2026
Much Improved
I have a rocky history with this series. My first review was blocked for being too negative of the MC.
This series has always had an interesting world, with some crazy powers. Now that Sal is tolerable, it is almost good.
The extended crafting sequences are still magic had waving, which is disappointing. The internal dithering analysis is less frequent but still a waste of pages.
The politics and Guild management are basic but grounded in the world and character interactions, not the MC's neuroses. A much improved series, and one that pulls me back in.
I have a rocky history with this series. My first review was blocked for being too negative of the MC.
This series has always had an interesting world, with some crazy powers. Now that Sal is tolerable, it is almost good.
The extended crafting sequences are still magic had waving, which is disappointing. The internal dithering analysis is less frequent but still a waste of pages.
The politics and Guild management are basic but grounded in the world and character interactions, not the MC's neuroses. A much improved series, and one that pulls me back in.
June 28, 2026
The story continues to stand out in the prog fantasy/litrpg genres. There's something unique about this world and despite Sal sometimes feeling like he should be overpowered in this world, the actual world does a good job of not making this the case. The supporting cast continues to be interesting and the overarching storylines continue to pay off. Loyalists feels like the first big move for a certain storyline that has been leaving breadcrumbs for the entire series. I'm glad to see it pay off in a big fun way here.
June 30, 2026
Absolutely loved it
This is one of the few series that I follow with a lot of anticipation. I love the writing, the story and the characters.
However the speed at which the story is going is way too slow, to the point that I wonder if the writer won't lose his way or start going down a path that isn't enjoyable to read anymore. There are demons all over the world and we get people fighting people... When they could be having Sovereign going crazy on cleaning up areas. That book feels like a filler more than anything.
This is one of the few series that I follow with a lot of anticipation. I love the writing, the story and the characters.
However the speed at which the story is going is way too slow, to the point that I wonder if the writer won't lose his way or start going down a path that isn't enjoyable to read anymore. There are demons all over the world and we get people fighting people... When they could be having Sovereign going crazy on cleaning up areas. That book feels like a filler more than anything.
July 5, 2026
Pretty Good
Still enjoying the series, there’s action, crafting and the “system” aka legion, what’s not to like.
***Spoiler alert***
The book lost a whole star for the MC making up with Erika, especially when she’s sorry about the wrong thing. Physically forcing your belief on another is a no no, the type a person whose okay with that kind of thing whether right or wrong is not someone you make friends, period. The MC is just to nice to do his position in the book justice, he needs to mature more.
*****
Given that that’s more of a personal opinion than a reflection on the quality of the story, the book only lost one star. I would still wholeheartedly encourage you to pick up the books. Enjoy :)
Still enjoying the series, there’s action, crafting and the “system” aka legion, what’s not to like.
***Spoiler alert***
The book lost a whole star for the MC making up with Erika, especially when she’s sorry about the wrong thing. Physically forcing your belief on another is a no no, the type a person whose okay with that kind of thing whether right or wrong is not someone you make friends, period. The MC is just to nice to do his position in the book justice, he needs to mature more.
*****
Given that that’s more of a personal opinion than a reflection on the quality of the story, the book only lost one star. I would still wholeheartedly encourage you to pick up the books. Enjoy :)
July 5, 2026
Generally the same problems that other books in this series experience. There is no urgency or importance in anything. Stuff just happens and then you are done. Sal will make something or have a breakthrough and you get the usual, people are amazed and then you move on to the next thing.
There is definitely crafting in this book with a little on the skill weave stuff. There is less stress on him not remembering to do stuff, which I personally appreciate because him forgetting makes me stressed.
There is definitely crafting in this book with a little on the skill weave stuff. There is less stress on him not remembering to do stuff, which I personally appreciate because him forgetting makes me stressed.
September 28, 2026
Ok read
Overall the story was ok. It's just Sal has the capability to be leading a team, with combat and strategy. But the author just keeps him mediocre at best. Sal trains to fight but once it's time, he let's the drone do all the work. So many opportunities for Sal to take the lead but instead he gives up the chance.
Book five ended with the premise that Sal was going to be taking the lead with possibly being able to do multiple roles through Master classes but instead the author keeps him as a weak minded fragile Support only able to shine when he crafts.
Overall the story was ok. It's just Sal has the capability to be leading a team, with combat and strategy. But the author just keeps him mediocre at best. Sal trains to fight but once it's time, he let's the drone do all the work. So many opportunities for Sal to take the lead but instead he gives up the chance.
Book five ended with the premise that Sal was going to be taking the lead with possibly being able to do multiple roles through Master classes but instead the author keeps him as a weak minded fragile Support only able to shine when he crafts.
June 27, 2026
Greatest crafting, building, dungeon diving series ever made
This series is the most fun I have had reading in a long time. I go through so many series and am generally disappointed to the point that I lose interest and fail to finish them. This one is the best I have read since probably the Wheel of Time. I can't stop reading and suffer from withdrawals when the next is so far out. Thank you Mr. Nordon for satiating my neurological desires
This series is the most fun I have had reading in a long time. I go through so many series and am generally disappointed to the point that I lose interest and fail to finish them. This one is the best I have read since probably the Wheel of Time. I can't stop reading and suffer from withdrawals when the next is so far out. Thank you Mr. Nordon for satiating my neurological desires
Read
June 27, 2026Sal-tastic
This series is just great, brilliant, fantastic and looks to be a very long series. All of these things make me happy and best of all the progression Sal and now the guild makes just highlights how entertaining these books have become.
My only issue is the gap between books has extended as we catch up to his writing and I also have to wait for the audio.
Please forgive me Norden for these complaints but take this as encouragement to go faster lol.
This series is just great, brilliant, fantastic and looks to be a very long series. All of these things make me happy and best of all the progression Sal and now the guild makes just highlights how entertaining these books have become.
My only issue is the gap between books has extended as we catch up to his writing and I also have to wait for the audio.
Please forgive me Norden for these complaints but take this as encouragement to go faster lol.
June 28, 2026
Very good series
Just a thought for the rest of the series, have the MC make a list and every few chapters display the list, crossing things off and adding new things, similar to tracking system status in other books. His mom or Upgrade should make him a schedule or app or something that reminds him of things to do. By book 7 he should really be using a task manager. Especially since we're still in year one.
Just a thought for the rest of the series, have the MC make a list and every few chapters display the list, crossing things off and adding new things, similar to tracking system status in other books. His mom or Upgrade should make him a schedule or app or something that reminds him of things to do. By book 7 he should really be using a task manager. Especially since we're still in year one.
June 29, 2026
LOVE THIS SERIES
This is a GREAT series! Every book has great character development, interesting new plot lines, and good progression.
Love how this one shows the early build up of the guild and the challenges that come with it.
I also really appreciate the MCs desire to better the world- especially against the very realistic headwinds of people who poo poo his altruistic ideas.
This is a GREAT series! Every book has great character development, interesting new plot lines, and good progression.
Love how this one shows the early build up of the guild and the challenges that come with it.
I also really appreciate the MCs desire to better the world- especially against the very realistic headwinds of people who poo poo his altruistic ideas.
June 29, 2026
This Series Feeds My Soul
Every time I read a Quest book, I think to myself there’s nothing new in this series. They’ve done everything, there’s no way there’s more to discover. And EVERY TIME I AM PROVEN WRONG. Thank you for writing the best, most wholesome, interesting, amazing series. I love Sal and co, I can’t get enough. I’m formally requesting access to the Mythic Guild please and thanks.
Every time I read a Quest book, I think to myself there’s nothing new in this series. They’ve done everything, there’s no way there’s more to discover. And EVERY TIME I AM PROVEN WRONG. Thank you for writing the best, most wholesome, interesting, amazing series. I love Sal and co, I can’t get enough. I’m formally requesting access to the Mythic Guild please and thanks.
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