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World of Ruul #2
Soulstone: The Skeleton King
When Aaron and his friends got sucked into the virtual reality game World of Ruul, they quickly realized the only way out would be to acquire all eight soulstones and beat the game.
Unfortunately, they’ve somehow managed to incur the wrath of the Skeleton King, an ancient warrior whose vengeance can only be quenched by blood and death.
Now, if they want to survive long enough to find those soulstones, they’ll have to find a way to stop him.
Unfortunately, they’ve somehow managed to incur the wrath of the Skeleton King, an ancient warrior whose vengeance can only be quenched by blood and death.
Now, if they want to survive long enough to find those soulstones, they’ll have to find a way to stop him.
- GenresFantasy
509 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 7, 2017
152 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Cipriano
92 books586 followersWhen New York Times Bestselling author, J. A. Cipriano was in second grade, his teacher gave everyone in class a journal to write down whatever they wanted. Their first subject was to write about something they didn’t like. J. A. chose to write about why he didn’t like writing. His reasoning was simple. He had bad handwriting. Even then, he was destined to be an engineer due to his messy scrawl.
Unfortunately, he found through the course of this little adventure that he actually liked writing. That year was sort of the high point for his writing career because he won a writing contest for the state. He got to go to a big dinner and his teacher was all dressed up.
He kept writing little stories, year after year, and in sixth grade, won another contest. In seventh grade, he broke his arm and got the cast signed by both Dean Koontz and Stan Lee. It is, by far, the coolest cast he’s owned. That was about the time he found video games and anime. His writing turned mostly toward fanfiction until about ninth grade when he wrote his first novel, a small book about twenty thousand words called Revelations. In sophomore year, he wrote two more books to complete the trilogy because he saw Star Wars that year and learned trilogies were the cool thing to do.
He rewrote Revelations during his senior year, and his wife swears it is the best thing he’s written. J.A. is not so sure. Every time he reads it, he cringes, but then again, he hates everything he writes, so there is that.
It was about that time, he got heavily involved in a fanfiction writing group, but that isn’t one hundred percent accurate. It was a world based on a popular anime but everything was created especially for this world. It made it so that every story someone wrote was unique.
Imagine writing a Star Wars novel set 1,000 years after A New Hope, where everything that happened was a distant memory and you get the idea. You have the force, some distant memories of the past, and that’s pretty much it.
He wrote about a million words (863K to be exact) for them before he decided to do his own thing. He wrote another novel. He put it in a drawer. He wrote another one that eventually became the basis for The Hatter is Mad. His next novel was Kill It With Magic, his first real novel. It’s not bad, but it’s bumpy. This is unfortunate because the books get loads better as the series progresses.
Since then, he’s written six more novels, four of which are in the Lillim Callina Series, and one in the Abby Banks series. The other is stuck in a drawer for time undetermined. He’s writing his next book now which is about werewolves fighting mummies in Ancient Egypt. After that, he will move onto Abby Banks 2. The Spy Within will come out in June or July.
J.A. also has three chinchillas. Two of them are grey, and because of this, they are named Slate and Cadmium. The third is named Jet because he’s black, and Jet is old English for black. See, creative. He also has a cat named Turtle. This does pose problems for his two-year-old from time to time.
Unfortunately, he found through the course of this little adventure that he actually liked writing. That year was sort of the high point for his writing career because he won a writing contest for the state. He got to go to a big dinner and his teacher was all dressed up.
He kept writing little stories, year after year, and in sixth grade, won another contest. In seventh grade, he broke his arm and got the cast signed by both Dean Koontz and Stan Lee. It is, by far, the coolest cast he’s owned. That was about the time he found video games and anime. His writing turned mostly toward fanfiction until about ninth grade when he wrote his first novel, a small book about twenty thousand words called Revelations. In sophomore year, he wrote two more books to complete the trilogy because he saw Star Wars that year and learned trilogies were the cool thing to do.
He rewrote Revelations during his senior year, and his wife swears it is the best thing he’s written. J.A. is not so sure. Every time he reads it, he cringes, but then again, he hates everything he writes, so there is that.
It was about that time, he got heavily involved in a fanfiction writing group, but that isn’t one hundred percent accurate. It was a world based on a popular anime but everything was created especially for this world. It made it so that every story someone wrote was unique.
Imagine writing a Star Wars novel set 1,000 years after A New Hope, where everything that happened was a distant memory and you get the idea. You have the force, some distant memories of the past, and that’s pretty much it.
He wrote about a million words (863K to be exact) for them before he decided to do his own thing. He wrote another novel. He put it in a drawer. He wrote another one that eventually became the basis for The Hatter is Mad. His next novel was Kill It With Magic, his first real novel. It’s not bad, but it’s bumpy. This is unfortunate because the books get loads better as the series progresses.
Since then, he’s written six more novels, four of which are in the Lillim Callina Series, and one in the Abby Banks series. The other is stuck in a drawer for time undetermined. He’s writing his next book now which is about werewolves fighting mummies in Ancient Egypt. After that, he will move onto Abby Banks 2. The Spy Within will come out in June or July.
J.A. also has three chinchillas. Two of them are grey, and because of this, they are named Slate and Cadmium. The third is named Jet because he’s black, and Jet is old English for black. See, creative. He also has a cat named Turtle. This does pose problems for his two-year-old from time to time.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 22, 2023
This is a litRPG that follows Aaron and his friends who have been sucked into the virtual reality game World of Ruul. The only way for them to get out is to collect eight soulstones and beat the game, but they’ve somehow provoked the Skeleton King which makes their lives much more difficult.
I actually really enjoyed this book! As a book lover and gamer, I’ve wanted to read a litRPG for ages, and this series was a great way to start the genre (though I realised very quickly I’d accidentally started with the second book 🙈😂). Whilst I liked the characters, what really sold the book for me was the world building and plot. As you read the book you really feel part of the story, and as you see the characters grow, level up, and go through various challenges, you feel like you’re experiencing this all yourself. The open ending of the book made the book more intriguing as you can’t help but want to continue onto the next one!
If I had one critique for the book it would be the character George. I don’t like disliking a rabbit character, and I liked the idea of having him more feisty than cutesy, but the majority of his dialogue was crude or overly sexual and it just became a bit much. I feel he could have been a great character if that was just toned down a bit.
Overall, a great book for any litRPG lovers, but definitely read the first book before this one, otherwise you’ll be confused like I was as the book doesn’t start with any form of overview of the first.
I actually really enjoyed this book! As a book lover and gamer, I’ve wanted to read a litRPG for ages, and this series was a great way to start the genre (though I realised very quickly I’d accidentally started with the second book 🙈😂). Whilst I liked the characters, what really sold the book for me was the world building and plot. As you read the book you really feel part of the story, and as you see the characters grow, level up, and go through various challenges, you feel like you’re experiencing this all yourself. The open ending of the book made the book more intriguing as you can’t help but want to continue onto the next one!
If I had one critique for the book it would be the character George. I don’t like disliking a rabbit character, and I liked the idea of having him more feisty than cutesy, but the majority of his dialogue was crude or overly sexual and it just became a bit much. I feel he could have been a great character if that was just toned down a bit.
Overall, a great book for any litRPG lovers, but definitely read the first book before this one, otherwise you’ll be confused like I was as the book doesn’t start with any form of overview of the first.
August 6, 2023
There is no introduction, no character descriptions, no differentiation between the "player" characters and the "NPC's" (Non-Player Characters). Unless, the NPC's are monsters and Rabbit-folk and the rest of the players are not monsters or Rabbit-folk. There is no world building, descriptions of the game system, the company that created the game, game forums, news about the game in social media, game rules, number of players currently in this world, economic system of this world, professions of this world, system to level up or gain skills, no head's up displays, no game voices or game announcements within the game world, etc. Almost everything is left out, almost nothing is included in this story series.
It is a "writing by the seat of the author's pants" the intention is writing about a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multi-Player Online Role Playing Game). The main character is cowardly, lacks character, lacks determination, is treacherous, lacks integrity is dishonest, and is the least likely to be the ideal main character in any Fantasy-adventure novel series.
The author attacks and tries to kill off the main character within the borders of the town, usually, starter towns are safe-zones in games. Apparently it is yet another stuck in the game, die or reach the end and see if the game unlocks the log out, game-like novel series. But because the author doesn't describe anything in the game, doesn't really describe the main characters, side characters or the game world, anything is possible in this game-like Fantasy-adventure novel series.
It is written like a series of quests/scavenger hunt. For some this might be entertaining. I do not think "gamer-readers" could respect a story like this one though. The author does not respect the game-like stats and procedures: for example Stamina is energy in a game, it usually refills with eating food/drinking water and sleeping/resting. It is mentioned in the beginning (main character drinks 3 beers and never eats or drinks anything again) and never ever used/read again by any of the other main characters either.
At around 300 pages (most are 60-70% filled with text), it is a short-light novel series. Again, with little to no character descriptions, no real game-like system, no real world building or descriptions, no inside illustrations, no maps of this other game world, no character summaries of the main characters, their professions, abilities and levels. There is very little that the author wrote and described/explained in this Fantasy-adventure novel series.
This author concentrates on the character banter, action of the story but leaves the details, descriptions and game world out of this story series. I think it could just have been a better fantasy-adventure story series, completely leaving out the game-like parts of this story (because the author does not comply with the game rules, game characteristics, biological and game requirements (logging out, physiological needs (eating, bathroom, sleeping), endurance/maintenance of weapons and equipment, skill limits and potion/time to recharge them, etc.) anyways. Leaving the real-life and game requirements out of this story, then it is just a straight-out fantasy-adventure story, like every other Fantasy-adventure story series. The author only writes game-like lore when he remembers about them (Elizabeth the Head's Up Display) only responds and announces if main character asks her, not all the time and not with all the characters. They level up only about the 40% mark and being stuck in a game all the time, they should be breathing, eating, praying, sleeping the video game and video game announcements and displays...
It is a "writing by the seat of the author's pants" the intention is writing about a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multi-Player Online Role Playing Game). The main character is cowardly, lacks character, lacks determination, is treacherous, lacks integrity is dishonest, and is the least likely to be the ideal main character in any Fantasy-adventure novel series.
The author attacks and tries to kill off the main character within the borders of the town, usually, starter towns are safe-zones in games. Apparently it is yet another stuck in the game, die or reach the end and see if the game unlocks the log out, game-like novel series. But because the author doesn't describe anything in the game, doesn't really describe the main characters, side characters or the game world, anything is possible in this game-like Fantasy-adventure novel series.
It is written like a series of quests/scavenger hunt. For some this might be entertaining. I do not think "gamer-readers" could respect a story like this one though. The author does not respect the game-like stats and procedures: for example Stamina is energy in a game, it usually refills with eating food/drinking water and sleeping/resting. It is mentioned in the beginning (main character drinks 3 beers and never eats or drinks anything again) and never ever used/read again by any of the other main characters either.
At around 300 pages (most are 60-70% filled with text), it is a short-light novel series. Again, with little to no character descriptions, no real game-like system, no real world building or descriptions, no inside illustrations, no maps of this other game world, no character summaries of the main characters, their professions, abilities and levels. There is very little that the author wrote and described/explained in this Fantasy-adventure novel series.
This author concentrates on the character banter, action of the story but leaves the details, descriptions and game world out of this story series. I think it could just have been a better fantasy-adventure story series, completely leaving out the game-like parts of this story (because the author does not comply with the game rules, game characteristics, biological and game requirements (logging out, physiological needs (eating, bathroom, sleeping), endurance/maintenance of weapons and equipment, skill limits and potion/time to recharge them, etc.) anyways. Leaving the real-life and game requirements out of this story, then it is just a straight-out fantasy-adventure story, like every other Fantasy-adventure story series. The author only writes game-like lore when he remembers about them (Elizabeth the Head's Up Display) only responds and announces if main character asks her, not all the time and not with all the characters. They level up only about the 40% mark and being stuck in a game all the time, they should be breathing, eating, praying, sleeping the video game and video game announcements and displays...
May 21, 2017
Series continues to be fun but a little bit of a mess. The second book sets up an interesting mystery, putting the first books explanation for what's going on in serious doubt. I'm interested in continuing on just to see what's really going on. Again, the author does a good job of mixing things up, keeping the events and fight scenes interesting. I am getting tired of the "Brain in a box" line.
The main detriment against this book is, again, the skill system, which isn't helped by the new character. It's also confusing as to why some can just be known, and others need to be learned from a trainer. Maybe there's a good reason for it, but the author didn't make the delineation clear enough. He's seems to be attempting to move away from that issue, with the limited skill slots and skill set determining class, ext. Hopefully he can fully move away from it in the next book.
The main detriment against this book is, again, the skill system, which isn't helped by the new character. It's also confusing as to why some can just be known, and others need to be learned from a trainer. Maybe there's a good reason for it, but the author didn't make the delineation clear enough. He's seems to be attempting to move away from that issue, with the limited skill slots and skill set determining class, ext. Hopefully he can fully move away from it in the next book.
March 14, 2017
Exciting read
This is my first rpg experience with the soulstone novels.
I wasn't sure if it would be my thing or not, but I was pleasantly surprised. I really have enjoyed reading about Kahn and his adventures in the dangerous vr world.
J.a is such a good writer he has the power to pull you into any story and make you care about what's happening. I would highly recommend giving this book a go, even if its not your normal choice of literature.
This is my first rpg experience with the soulstone novels.
I wasn't sure if it would be my thing or not, but I was pleasantly surprised. I really have enjoyed reading about Kahn and his adventures in the dangerous vr world.
J.a is such a good writer he has the power to pull you into any story and make you care about what's happening. I would highly recommend giving this book a go, even if its not your normal choice of literature.
November 12, 2017
Very interesting. Only a few typos too, which is excellent foor LitRPG books. I don't know what else this author has in mind, but I'm definitely keeping an eye on this series. Would be nice to see where it's going. Recommended for anyone who likes LitRPG, and even for those who like action (yeah, lots of it in this installment). And, if you just like reading about a band of friends banding together to defeat the impossible, then this will appeal to you as well.
July 11, 2018
Soulstone: the Skeleton King is the terrific second book in the series. The story is lots of fun with its wacky characters and fast paced action. The ending, while very good, is a bit of a downer. I look forward to seeing how it all works out in the next book!
I listened to the audiobook which is excellent. The narrator really brings the characters to life!
Contains lots of "adult" language and sexual conversations.
I listened to the audiobook which is excellent. The narrator really brings the characters to life!
Contains lots of "adult" language and sexual conversations.
March 13, 2017
Three and a half stars really when all is said and done.
I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but a few things kept me from it.
One of the biggest things was the addition of new character seemingly in the game since the 70s, Sabre. The last of her crew as far as we know, Sabre has access to an array of skills that have since been 'removed' for balance sake, shows them menu options that the rest of the cast had no idea about, and serves as a conduit of OP skills. This I can forgive due to the story explanations and patches made to the game. Now, I liked her for the most part until the twist, but I have the feeling it won't be the last involving her character. The story just made her character seem off when you compare it to her origin, but maybe it was just me. This is especially true when the twist at the end is shown by Dark Heart. Speaking of, the end is interesting but somewhat par for the course when another book is coming. Explanations are made about the world, questions are raised about everything, minds are set ablaze, and things just start getting nuts as far as the established world goes.
One of my major gripes was with George the Rabbit. George is one of my favorite characters in this series, but there were some points where he just went overboard. His actions and attitude were still fun, but there were points where he crossed the line into more than just a cringe.
With all that being said, I wasn't a fan of some of the jokes and some parts just felt a little forced or expected, but I will continue to read it to get to the end.
I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but a few things kept me from it.
One of the biggest things was the addition of new character seemingly in the game since the 70s, Sabre. The last of her crew as far as we know, Sabre has access to an array of skills that have since been 'removed' for balance sake, shows them menu options that the rest of the cast had no idea about, and serves as a conduit of OP skills. This I can forgive due to the story explanations and patches made to the game. Now, I liked her for the most part until the twist, but I have the feeling it won't be the last involving her character. The story just made her character seem off when you compare it to her origin, but maybe it was just me. This is especially true when the twist at the end is shown by Dark Heart. Speaking of, the end is interesting but somewhat par for the course when another book is coming. Explanations are made about the world, questions are raised about everything, minds are set ablaze, and things just start getting nuts as far as the established world goes.
One of my major gripes was with George the Rabbit. George is one of my favorite characters in this series, but there were some points where he just went overboard. His actions and attitude were still fun, but there were points where he crossed the line into more than just a cringe.
With all that being said, I wasn't a fan of some of the jokes and some parts just felt a little forced or expected, but I will continue to read it to get to the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2018
Great back story and complex characters
I like the way the group is growing but not magically perfected. There are distrusts and unknown backstories and motivations, which came to a climax at the end of this book.
Nice job of capturing the feel of a siege and many-waves of battle, with growing challenges.
And the talking bunny with a very saucy attitude is just great comic relief.
I like the way the group is growing but not magically perfected. There are distrusts and unknown backstories and motivations, which came to a climax at the end of this book.
Nice job of capturing the feel of a siege and many-waves of battle, with growing challenges.
And the talking bunny with a very saucy attitude is just great comic relief.
May 27, 2017
I enjoyed the book looking forward to more, and i am bad at writing reviews so this is all you get =)
May 28, 2017
I don't know why I read this book. This was another disappointment.
May 30, 2017
I did the audiobook. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much in print but boy was it exciting. This was my first litrpg series and I am excited for the next installment.
June 27, 2017
Not worth my time.
February 25, 2018
I couldn't put it down. When I finished I right away went looking for the next one and bought it.
April 10, 2023
I really liked the addition of city improvements.
March 21, 2017
Not for me.
I wasn't a fan of the way women were presented. There were a couple of logistical inconsistencies in the world and at points it felt contrived.
However I did like the way it ended.
I wasn't a fan of the way women were presented. There were a couple of logistical inconsistencies in the world and at points it felt contrived.
However I did like the way it ended.
June 26, 2017
This isn't any better written than the 1st one. Again I like it because I can relate to the MMORPG and don't mind reading about it. But if you're teaching someone english probably not the best example. The content inside of the novel is great. I do like the way the battles are written as well. But too often I find myself thinking about the words written rather than what they say.
March 10, 2017
This is the second book in Mr. Cipriano’s World of Ruul series. I have to say at the beginning that I liked this book slightly better than the first one. The book is very imaginative and full of action, and I really, really like the characters. I do have to admit, though, at times Adam makes me want to smack him because he can be a little immature, and George the bunny is probably my favorite character even with his extreme snarkiness (which I do appreciate!). The addition to the cast was great, too, and I look forward to finding out more. I think I felt more engaged in this book than the first one just because I came to know the characters better and the plot seemed just….more. As with all of the books I’ve read by Mr. Cipriano, this book was well-written and had lots of non-stop action. I am eagerly awaiting the next book of the series and must recommend this book if you like medieval-type books, high fantasy, or role-playing games. So pick it up today; you won’t regret it! Highly recommend! Thanks to the author for the e-book which I reviewed voluntarily. This exact review will be posted on both Amazon and Goodreads.
March 10, 2017
Good writing. Want to go on a quest? Go where no one has gone in a game. Exciting game playing and you are tested every step you take, one after another. Good reading! I received a complimentary copy of this book for voluntary review consideration.
December 11, 2017
I really enjoyed reading this book. Nice transition from book 1 to book 2, characters continue grow, and (of course) the plot continues to thicken! A new player shows up, new to their team, not to the game... Excellent reading!
I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to leave an honest review.
I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to leave an honest review.
March 30, 2017
Soulstone: Awakening was the first LitRPG book I read and I really enjoyed it. Now that I've read some more books in this genre I don't need to give 5 stars to every book I enjoy. And this second entry in the World of Ruul didn't feel as good as the first one. It is still pretty good and entertaining but being someone who plays MMORPGs I found it somewhat disappointing how little progress our team made.
George the bunny is as likeable as always. The other characters stay the same and we learn some more about the game and it's story and some interesting twists. Everything is good, it's just that I was expecting for out protagonists to evolve some more, get some cool loot and go to the second town a little faster.
Anyways, I really liked Soulstone: The Skeleton King. Totally recommend it. I just hope they progress faster on the next book.
George the bunny is as likeable as always. The other characters stay the same and we learn some more about the game and it's story and some interesting twists. Everything is good, it's just that I was expecting for out protagonists to evolve some more, get some cool loot and go to the second town a little faster.
Anyways, I really liked Soulstone: The Skeleton King. Totally recommend it. I just hope they progress faster on the next book.
April 10, 2017
I started reading this back to back to Soulstone: Awakening and I had to stop about 1/3 of the way in and read some other stuff before I got back into it. The flip flopping of the main character as well as the "gangsta" bunny kept hitting an exposed nerve.
On the return, I gobbled it up and the story was quite fun and entertaining. The town building piece was quite fun as well.
Looking forward to the next one.
On the return, I gobbled it up and the story was quite fun and entertaining. The town building piece was quite fun as well.
Looking forward to the next one.
April 26, 2017
I got this as a audio book for my laptop from the author in exchange for a honest review. I enjoyed listening to it. It had a good story to it. It was full of action/adventure. I liked the variety of characters in it. I hope to read or listen to more books by this author.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews