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Elemental Gatherers #1
Azyl Academy
"You have chosen and been chosen. Grow stronger and save my world."
Just one semester until graduation, and I died saving a little girl. This wasn't the end, though, as a deity chose me to save another world. I woke up in the body of Kupiec Aiden, in a world where magic was real. Unfortunately, unlike many isekai novels I've read, I retained none of his memories, and had to learn everything. His family took me in, and I recovered from his sickness before learning about magic, or Aether as they called it. I discovered that I had immense innate talent in Aether Gathering, and was offered a scholarship to attend Azyl Academy, the city's premier institution. Where do I fit in this world, and how am I going to be key to saving it?
Just one semester until graduation, and I died saving a little girl. This wasn't the end, though, as a deity chose me to save another world. I woke up in the body of Kupiec Aiden, in a world where magic was real. Unfortunately, unlike many isekai novels I've read, I retained none of his memories, and had to learn everything. His family took me in, and I recovered from his sickness before learning about magic, or Aether as they called it. I discovered that I had immense innate talent in Aether Gathering, and was offered a scholarship to attend Azyl Academy, the city's premier institution. Where do I fit in this world, and how am I going to be key to saving it?
339 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 12, 2019
1899 people are currently reading
1857 people want to read
About the author
Chris Vines
14 books215 followersI am an Air Force Veteran and graduate of the Air Force Academy. I have wanted to write for the entire of my adult life and finally decided to just do it.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
October 4, 2019
This isn't awful for a first effort from a new author, but there is significant room for improvement. The premise is pretty standard for isekai stories: guy gets hit by a truck and then reincarnates in a different body as the "chosen one" of his new world. The story doesn't make any real effort to get away from the tropes of the genre, so if you're familiar with stories like this you can predict how the plot goes.
The good: the grammar and formatting is quite good for a self-published novel. A few minor typos, and some strange word choices that I suspect are a result of the author's dialect (e.g. using "drug" instead of "dragged"), but on the whole the editing is to be commended. The magic system isn't revolutionary - just a typical cultivation system from xianxia stories - but it is coherent and makes sense.
The bad: the story is pretty boring. It is basically a daily journal of the main character's time at the magic academy, and being a super dedicated student is just not very exciting. The whole book essentially is "went to class and learned something, trained, ate lunch, went to class and learned something, trained, went to sleep" and then rinse repeat for days on end. Sure, being told by a god that you have to save the world would be pretty good motivation, but we get no hint as to what he has to save the world from. There is just not a lot of plot going on.
There's not a lot of conflict going on either. That's not completely a bad thing - I always think it's ridiculous when 14-year-old kids are constantly in life or death fights - but this takes it a little too far. In the first 80% of the novel we have one minor scuffle with an arrogant young noble to set him up as the antagonist; we then get three or four training fights in the remaining 20%, and the climax of the novel takes up the last four pages. Slow pacing is the bane of many stories, and it seems to be the main villain of this one as well.
If you're hoping for dramatic conflict instead of physical you're also out of luck, because the side characters are so flat they might as well not even exist. I couldn't tell you difference between any of the teachers; they behave so identically they might as well be clones. We get a physical description and a bit of background on most of the MC's friends, but there is little to make them stand out as individuals. There is a frustrating lack of dialogue that prevents us from getting a sense of any character's voice (other than the main character, who likes to talk to himself). We get lines like "another awkward but fun lunch" or "with Jon telling a crazy story about," but we don't get enough dialogue to feel how things went ourselves or to tell how a character behaves and speaks.
In closing: I can't say this novel was truly terrible, but it is easy to avoid egregious sins if nothing ever happens. This felt like the longest prologue I've ever read; I kept reading in hopes of getting to know the characters or having some hints at an interesting plot, but we never really got there. I'm a sucker for cultivation stories and currently there are very few good ones, so if the planned sequel receives a good reception I might check it out. However, with the sequel not yet here I would only recommend this book if you've gone through the other cultivation-style stories out there and need another to get your fix.
June 13, 2020
Made Me Want To Claw My Eyes Out
The hero is so saccharin sweet he should be a gobstopper. Saving himself marriage. Wants to be a shield for his family by joining the airforce.
I just want to punch him and his perfect life
The hero is so saccharin sweet he should be a gobstopper. Saving himself marriage. Wants to be a shield for his family by joining the airforce.
I just want to punch him and his perfect life
May 3, 2021
This book got my hopes up in the early chapters as when this character goes through the usual routine from these books of being transferred to a new world, he started making intelligent decisions that weren't following the normal path. Things like not hiding what happened to him from his new family, and applying knowledge from our world onto this new world, were things that I thought might set this book apart from the rest. It seemed like the author was aware of the tired tropes of the genre and was turning them on their head... sadly that wasn't the case.
My hopes didn't last long for this novel before it quickly falls back into the familiar routine of this sub-genre of fantasy. This book is a mix of isekai and cultivation, both of which are genres I have grown really familiar with recently. Both are types of books I really enjoy and I'm always excited to read new ones. However, I have read so many now that I am more than familiar with the formula. Therefore unless you can offer something more than a normal protagonist transferred to a new world where he instantly starts learning a very familiar type of magic in a magical school or magical trials, then I'm going to lose interest in your book really quickly.
What was missing from this book is a hook to really grab you. Whether that's setting some really high stakes, creating a unique magic system, setting up a unique environment... or anything else really, there just needs to be more.
On top of this lack of a hook, there was also the problem of the author not paying enough attention to his characters. He is clearly interested mainly in the cultivation elements of the story as he spends the most time on that, but unfortunately, he forgets to include other vital elements to the story. The biggest casualty of this was the characters, especially the main character. He came to this new world after dying to save the life of a little girl, leaving behind his fiance in the process. Yet despite this we never see the character so much as shed a tear for what happened to him, nor even seem to care in the slightest. There is a head-nod to the god of this universe doing something to make him accept this new situation easier (along with his new parents just accepting that he is using the body of their dead son like it's no big deal), but to me, that's just lazy writing. It's essentially the author saying that he didn't want to deal with that side of things so he thought up a one-sentence excuse to get him out of it.
The trouble is that this isn't the sort of thing you can just ignore. Having your characters react emotionally is what pulls readers in and turns a story from nothing more than a list of events into something you can actually care about.
So overall, this book is lacking in a few key areas and for that reason, I can't recommend it.
My hopes didn't last long for this novel before it quickly falls back into the familiar routine of this sub-genre of fantasy. This book is a mix of isekai and cultivation, both of which are genres I have grown really familiar with recently. Both are types of books I really enjoy and I'm always excited to read new ones. However, I have read so many now that I am more than familiar with the formula. Therefore unless you can offer something more than a normal protagonist transferred to a new world where he instantly starts learning a very familiar type of magic in a magical school or magical trials, then I'm going to lose interest in your book really quickly.
What was missing from this book is a hook to really grab you. Whether that's setting some really high stakes, creating a unique magic system, setting up a unique environment... or anything else really, there just needs to be more.
On top of this lack of a hook, there was also the problem of the author not paying enough attention to his characters. He is clearly interested mainly in the cultivation elements of the story as he spends the most time on that, but unfortunately, he forgets to include other vital elements to the story. The biggest casualty of this was the characters, especially the main character. He came to this new world after dying to save the life of a little girl, leaving behind his fiance in the process. Yet despite this we never see the character so much as shed a tear for what happened to him, nor even seem to care in the slightest. There is a head-nod to the god of this universe doing something to make him accept this new situation easier (along with his new parents just accepting that he is using the body of their dead son like it's no big deal), but to me, that's just lazy writing. It's essentially the author saying that he didn't want to deal with that side of things so he thought up a one-sentence excuse to get him out of it.
The trouble is that this isn't the sort of thing you can just ignore. Having your characters react emotionally is what pulls readers in and turns a story from nothing more than a list of events into something you can actually care about.
So overall, this book is lacking in a few key areas and for that reason, I can't recommend it.
April 12, 2023
Caleb is a straight-up paragon. In the Air Force Academy, helping plebs, enamored with his fiancé, and dies saving a little girl from dying to a car crash. He's offered a second chance by the god Darkness in a world that will face a cataclysm and Caleb can help prevent/fix/fight it. He accepts the job and enters the body of a boy who just died named Aiden.
I liked that, as Aiden, he informed the grieving parents right off that he isn't actually their son and did his best to help them in their financial despair from having a child who was so sick. He's an orphan so having parental love is a new experience and he laps it up. And I just went with the parents who supported him so whole-heartedly transferring from grief to helping someone who so clearly appreciates them. Yes, this was odd. I don't care because I wanted it to be so smooth and liked them all for their generosity of spirit. This was a short piece of the story, though, because it isn't long before Aiden tests as having phenomenal magic power (probably from Darkness) and gets a full-ride scholarship to the Academy—and more boost to the business run by his parents as people suck up to them hoping to attach the magical dynamo.
The rest of the story is about being awesome with magic and learning the system. It's a cultivation system with meridians and Aether and stuff that's familiar to many stories of this type, but isn't a system-style with an interface as such. Aiden is super special and super friendly, so he makes friends and delights everyone except the entitled jerk setup to be a petty villain.
I enjoyed this, though not a lot of it stands out. It develops into a boarding school story with not a ton of conflict, but still interesting as a power fantasy. I'm going to round up to four stars, though I'm having a hard time justifying why. I suppose it's good enough that I never considered putting it down and had a good time reading.
A note about Chaste: There are a couple of potential romantic prospects but no romantic developments. Aiden is around sixteen if you take their elongated years into account whereas Caleb was twenty-one so you get gripes about being back in puberty but nothing really develops romantically. Frankly, I'd be hard pressed to decide who among his friends I'd like him to get with. At any rate this is very chaste without even any kissing.
I liked that, as Aiden, he informed the grieving parents right off that he isn't actually their son and did his best to help them in their financial despair from having a child who was so sick. He's an orphan so having parental love is a new experience and he laps it up. And I just went with the parents who supported him so whole-heartedly transferring from grief to helping someone who so clearly appreciates them. Yes, this was odd. I don't care because I wanted it to be so smooth and liked them all for their generosity of spirit. This was a short piece of the story, though, because it isn't long before Aiden tests as having phenomenal magic power (probably from Darkness) and gets a full-ride scholarship to the Academy—and more boost to the business run by his parents as people suck up to them hoping to attach the magical dynamo.
The rest of the story is about being awesome with magic and learning the system. It's a cultivation system with meridians and Aether and stuff that's familiar to many stories of this type, but isn't a system-style with an interface as such. Aiden is super special and super friendly, so he makes friends and delights everyone except the entitled jerk setup to be a petty villain.
I enjoyed this, though not a lot of it stands out. It develops into a boarding school story with not a ton of conflict, but still interesting as a power fantasy. I'm going to round up to four stars, though I'm having a hard time justifying why. I suppose it's good enough that I never considered putting it down and had a good time reading.
A note about Chaste: There are a couple of potential romantic prospects but no romantic developments. Aiden is around sixteen if you take their elongated years into account whereas Caleb was twenty-one so you get gripes about being back in puberty but nothing really develops romantically. Frankly, I'd be hard pressed to decide who among his friends I'd like him to get with. At any rate this is very chaste without even any kissing.
June 29, 2020
Rating 4.0 stars
This was a good cultivating story. It follows a senior in the USAFA who ends up dying after saving a little girl. He is given a choice to be reborn on another world that has a calamity coming. He agrees and wakes up in the body of a 14 year old named Aiden who had recently passed away. The only people that don't know he isn't Aiden are Aiden's parents. Everyone else is told that he lost his memory from being sick for so long. This world has cultivation and up to 8 affinities. When he goes to testing he finds out that he has more high affinities than anyone ever tested. The rest of the book is training and growing. Not much else to the story yet. The whole book was basically 2 weeks of training at the new school. The cultivation, inscribing, alchemy and fighting was very well written and detailed. The characters and their interactions weren't very complex and really not that memorable. The main focus though is the cultivating. If that is something that you like to read, then I highly recommend this story.
This was a good cultivating story. It follows a senior in the USAFA who ends up dying after saving a little girl. He is given a choice to be reborn on another world that has a calamity coming. He agrees and wakes up in the body of a 14 year old named Aiden who had recently passed away. The only people that don't know he isn't Aiden are Aiden's parents. Everyone else is told that he lost his memory from being sick for so long. This world has cultivation and up to 8 affinities. When he goes to testing he finds out that he has more high affinities than anyone ever tested. The rest of the book is training and growing. Not much else to the story yet. The whole book was basically 2 weeks of training at the new school. The cultivation, inscribing, alchemy and fighting was very well written and detailed. The characters and their interactions weren't very complex and really not that memorable. The main focus though is the cultivating. If that is something that you like to read, then I highly recommend this story.
January 1, 2020
The prose is ... awful. The writing felt choppy and clumsy.
September 20, 2022
This is really good, I'm totally diggin' it. The cultivation is slow going but reading Aiden/Caleb's progress is still exciting to see. I love the phoenix in this too.
August 26, 2019
Really boring
The premisis is the typical cultivation\reincarnation stuff found in almost all wuxia type novels but the delivery is really bad. It's basically a moment to moment accounting of a couple of months in the MC's life. He trains, cultivates, goes to the shower, goes to eat, goes to the toilet, goes runni g, talks to fellow students about nothing important or interesting, nothing happens the whole book. BORING!
The premisis is the typical cultivation\reincarnation stuff found in almost all wuxia type novels but the delivery is really bad. It's basically a moment to moment accounting of a couple of months in the MC's life. He trains, cultivates, goes to the shower, goes to eat, goes to the toilet, goes runni g, talks to fellow students about nothing important or interesting, nothing happens the whole book. BORING!
Read
April 14, 2023I picked this up because of Jacob Proffitt's review, which I can summarize as "decent guy is reincarnated into a cultivation world, where he gains super powers by working hard and being a good person."
And that's exactly what you get. I thought this would be a fine read for when I get insomnia, and I need something for those hours between 1:30 a.m. and a quarter to four when I'd be otherwise attempting to fall asleep. So it was!
The world building is sketchy, adequate for this type of a novel. Once Caleb dies and finds himself in the body of a kid who had died of illness, the rest of the novel concerns Caleb/Aidan's first few months in an academy, learning what powers he has and how to refine them. He is a decent guy; he never uses swear words (the worst was "screw off," and the slightly cringy "bottom" instead of "butt"). It's pretty clear that the author comes from a religious tradition that values chastity, as why else would we need to know that our 22 year old hero is engaged to be married before he's killed, but he's saving himself for marriage? There are other signs as well of Western religious tradition, whereas there was little evidence of Confucian thinking, much less Daoist or Buddhist. Which is okay for a cultivation novel that leans more toward gaming.
I blew through pretty fast over three nights of rotten sleep, enjoying it overall, though I wish he'd had a decent copyeditor because the grammatical oopses kept poking me out. And likewise I wish he had an editor who might point out the advantages of free direct discourse, especially in a first person tale. But those are small creebs.
This is the start of a long series.
And that's exactly what you get. I thought this would be a fine read for when I get insomnia, and I need something for those hours between 1:30 a.m. and a quarter to four when I'd be otherwise attempting to fall asleep. So it was!
The world building is sketchy, adequate for this type of a novel. Once Caleb dies and finds himself in the body of a kid who had died of illness, the rest of the novel concerns Caleb/Aidan's first few months in an academy, learning what powers he has and how to refine them. He is a decent guy; he never uses swear words (the worst was "screw off," and the slightly cringy "bottom" instead of "butt"). It's pretty clear that the author comes from a religious tradition that values chastity, as why else would we need to know that our 22 year old hero is engaged to be married before he's killed, but he's saving himself for marriage? There are other signs as well of Western religious tradition, whereas there was little evidence of Confucian thinking, much less Daoist or Buddhist. Which is okay for a cultivation novel that leans more toward gaming.
I blew through pretty fast over three nights of rotten sleep, enjoying it overall, though I wish he'd had a decent copyeditor because the grammatical oopses kept poking me out. And likewise I wish he had an editor who might point out the advantages of free direct discourse, especially in a first person tale. But those are small creebs.
This is the start of a long series.
September 7, 2019
Love the story
Yes, the world and magic system was great. The story though is what matters most and I loved it. It had heart, some brains, and some great characters.
Yes, the world and magic system was great. The story though is what matters most and I loved it. It had heart, some brains, and some great characters.
November 25, 2021
Note: I read books 1 and 2 together so they are getting the same review:
Don't waste your money, these writers have never even heard the term "story resolution" let alone understood it. I didn't pay much attenttion to where book 1 ended and book 2 began since I had book 2 loaded and ready to go. I do recall that book 1 didn't even remotely attempt to resolve a single story line. Book 2 goes like this: MC & co. encounter powerful beast in wilderness and run. Seek cover in cave. Cave turns out to be man made ruin. Slab of stone falls sealing MC & Co. in. STORY RESOLUTION NO WHERE IN SIGHT.
Authors who rely on cliff hangers to bring readers back are basically admitting that they don't believe they are good enough to bring readers back otherwise. DO NOT REWARD SUCH CRAPPY WRITTING. THIS IS A BOOK, NOT A WEB SERIAL.
I will admit that the page to page writing was okay, not great but good enough for three stars if the writers had actually told a story.
Don't waste your money, these writers have never even heard the term "story resolution" let alone understood it. I didn't pay much attenttion to where book 1 ended and book 2 began since I had book 2 loaded and ready to go. I do recall that book 1 didn't even remotely attempt to resolve a single story line. Book 2 goes like this: MC & co. encounter powerful beast in wilderness and run. Seek cover in cave. Cave turns out to be man made ruin. Slab of stone falls sealing MC & Co. in. STORY RESOLUTION NO WHERE IN SIGHT.
Authors who rely on cliff hangers to bring readers back are basically admitting that they don't believe they are good enough to bring readers back otherwise. DO NOT REWARD SUCH CRAPPY WRITTING. THIS IS A BOOK, NOT A WEB SERIAL.
I will admit that the page to page writing was okay, not great but good enough for three stars if the writers had actually told a story.
October 9, 2019
Awesome first book
Standard reincarnation theme but we'll done. Slightly wooden emotion in the beginning but the book got better as it progressed. I like the progression of the MC and admired his work ethics. The story arc is still being revealed but the MC is working on strengthening himself as fast as possible. I'm looking forward to the next book. And a Phoenix....
Standard reincarnation theme but we'll done. Slightly wooden emotion in the beginning but the book got better as it progressed. I like the progression of the MC and admired his work ethics. The story arc is still being revealed but the MC is working on strengthening himself as fast as possible. I'm looking forward to the next book. And a Phoenix....
July 15, 2019
Amazing
Loved this book. Engaging Main with humorous one liners. An isekai book with the main character very aware of that fact. Wish it was longer.
Loved this book. Engaging Main with humorous one liners. An isekai book with the main character very aware of that fact. Wish it was longer.
June 1, 2022
Earnestly earnest
Really more of a YA, but it’s written so...goody-good. Shades of Harry Potter - not surprising in an academy type book. Very MarySue. While the character grows in power, there is no development as a person.
It’s not poorly written, though there are a myriad of ways to improve. But it’s also not well written. The teachers are all one dimensional caricatures, every plot point travels in a direct line, and the MC’s fellow students are little more than a list of attributes.
I *did* read the whole book, which elevates it beyond many other wuxia/LitRPG series. The beginning almost made me stop as it was too...goody-goody? Hero heroing heroically. Like the Captain America we saw in the Spider-Man movies in the detention video. Once the MC entered the academy things flowed better as he was at least progressing in a scholastic setting, but it still was very MarySue.
I will try the sequel.
Really more of a YA, but it’s written so...goody-good. Shades of Harry Potter - not surprising in an academy type book. Very MarySue. While the character grows in power, there is no development as a person.
It’s not poorly written, though there are a myriad of ways to improve. But it’s also not well written. The teachers are all one dimensional caricatures, every plot point travels in a direct line, and the MC’s fellow students are little more than a list of attributes.
I *did* read the whole book, which elevates it beyond many other wuxia/LitRPG series. The beginning almost made me stop as it was too...goody-goody? Hero heroing heroically. Like the Captain America we saw in the Spider-Man movies in the detention video. Once the MC entered the academy things flowed better as he was at least progressing in a scholastic setting, but it still was very MarySue.
I will try the sequel.
August 3, 2019
Excellent start!
Wasn't sure about this one after a few chapters. MC seemed like one of this goodie two shoes pukes, that often do way more harm than good and is super boring to read about. Uh uh! Maiden is a really good guy but plays whichever cards he is dealt. His power is phenomenal but the build up to it is perfect. He doesn't start off as a huge OP cannon but you can see his hard work into becoming one. I'm all in for this series. Can't wait to see about book 2.
Wasn't sure about this one after a few chapters. MC seemed like one of this goodie two shoes pukes, that often do way more harm than good and is super boring to read about. Uh uh! Maiden is a really good guy but plays whichever cards he is dealt. His power is phenomenal but the build up to it is perfect. He doesn't start off as a huge OP cannon but you can see his hard work into becoming one. I'm all in for this series. Can't wait to see about book 2.
March 18, 2020
Written in the first person, with a lot of pop culture references.
I typically like reincarnation stories, but not this one. Mary Sue MC and too many references to old cartoons or The Matrix. The characters accept things too easily instead of exploring their turmoil, instead it's "Hurr Durr, I guess the gods wanted it that way".
I typically like reincarnation stories, but not this one. Mary Sue MC and too many references to old cartoons or The Matrix. The characters accept things too easily instead of exploring their turmoil, instead it's "Hurr Durr, I guess the gods wanted it that way".
September 6, 2019
Excellent start to a hopefully long series
I really like the pacing and depth of the story. The characters all have life, without getting so deep they are not believable. The story itself is well written and interesting.
I really like the pacing and depth of the story. The characters all have life, without getting so deep they are not believable. The story itself is well written and interesting.
July 16, 2019
Absolutely loved this book! Done in less than a day, and now going through withdrawals waiting for the next. Absolutely recommend!!!!!
August 25, 2019
Good cultivation story
Well written cultivation story with steady growth of the MC. Story could have used more action as it's mostly training but still enjoyed book.
Well written cultivation story with steady growth of the MC. Story could have used more action as it's mostly training but still enjoyed book.
August 28, 2019
Excellent read
Read the book in one sitting. Story line is different enough from “magic academy” stories that it has its own uniqueness. Cannot wait for book two!
Read the book in one sitting. Story line is different enough from “magic academy” stories that it has its own uniqueness. Cannot wait for book two!
October 9, 2019
A Good Read.
Reincarnated when he died on earth to a new world with magic. Liked the story and will pick up the next book (when it comes out).
Reincarnated when he died on earth to a new world with magic. Liked the story and will pick up the next book (when it comes out).
December 13, 2021
4 Especially With Enhanced Tastebuds Stars
Azyl Academy: A Portal Cultivation Fantasy Saga is the first book in the Elemental Gatherers series by Chris Vines.
I can't get enough of books like this. Where the author tries to shove as much abstract information into my mind as they can manage. While I struggle to fully comprehend what they're explaining. A fun combination of wuxia, isekai, and almost LitRPG. Reminded me a lot of the Ten Realms (which I can't wait to further explore).
There are definitive moments that feel as if this book series follows another. All of the vague talk of past calamities and on coming ones. Especially when discussing the King, the original immigrants to what is not Craesti. When the Headmaster refuses to comment on the past calamity citing that it is "potentially dangerous" to do even that much.
I have too many questions left over to give the book five stars, imo. I wish something more had come of the bond forming between the Zarorzel and Aiden. That we had come to know his family better and more individually. As well along with his classmates. The Counselors and Mentors.
TOO MANY QUESTIONS *EXISTENTIAL WAILING*
Azyl Academy: A Portal Cultivation Fantasy Saga is the first book in the Elemental Gatherers series by Chris Vines.
I can't get enough of books like this. Where the author tries to shove as much abstract information into my mind as they can manage. While I struggle to fully comprehend what they're explaining. A fun combination of wuxia, isekai, and almost LitRPG. Reminded me a lot of the Ten Realms (which I can't wait to further explore).
There are definitive moments that feel as if this book series follows another. All of the vague talk of past calamities and on coming ones. Especially when discussing the King, the original immigrants to what is not Craesti. When the Headmaster refuses to comment on the past calamity citing that it is "potentially dangerous" to do even that much.
I have too many questions left over to give the book five stars, imo. I wish something more had come of the bond forming between the Zarorzel and Aiden. That we had come to know his family better and more individually. As well along with his classmates. The Counselors and Mentors.
TOO MANY QUESTIONS *EXISTENTIAL WAILING*
December 29, 2020
A perfectly executed airball. Great setup, but ultimately 95% of this story is just the MC at school. Lacks any meaningful conflict, as if the author was hesitant to begin the actual story.
The author just got caught up in the minutia of cultivation technique and breezes over things like meaningful interactions and character building. There’s no meaningful character development. Cultivation advancement is not a substitute for a personal character ark with personality growth.
I don’t even know what the MC looks like, let alone any of the side characters. They all just feel like dimensionless cardboard cutout students, as the author fails to describe what anyone looks like. I’ll try the second book, but if it’s this bland i’ll give up on this series.
The author just got caught up in the minutia of cultivation technique and breezes over things like meaningful interactions and character building. There’s no meaningful character development. Cultivation advancement is not a substitute for a personal character ark with personality growth.
I don’t even know what the MC looks like, let alone any of the side characters. They all just feel like dimensionless cardboard cutout students, as the author fails to describe what anyone looks like. I’ll try the second book, but if it’s this bland i’ll give up on this series.
August 8, 2019
Excellent Academy Story
Well written and well thought out, cliche in one aspect, but you have to have a foil for the MC. Glad to see a place of learning that is not corrupted completely and takes care of the students.
Well written and well thought out, cliche in one aspect, but you have to have a foil for the MC. Glad to see a place of learning that is not corrupted completely and takes care of the students.
August 13, 2019
A great first book
I am thrilled at how good this book was and cannot wait for the next. highly would love to see some gamelit stats added to the next one but thats kinda mixing styles and harder to explain.
I am thrilled at how good this book was and cannot wait for the next. highly would love to see some gamelit stats added to the next one but thats kinda mixing styles and harder to explain.
August 21, 2019
Excellent take on genre
Excellent take on the genre. Portal fiction mixed with Wuxia perfectly. The author is building a very interesting world and developing good characters. Definitely worth reading!
Excellent take on the genre. Portal fiction mixed with Wuxia perfectly. The author is building a very interesting world and developing good characters. Definitely worth reading!
July 15, 2019
Slice of life style LitRPG book. This book had me crying and laughing out loud at different points. Can’t wait for the next one.
July 20, 2019
Good
A good start to a New book, will be interesting to see what the series goes from here for Aiden.
A good start to a New book, will be interesting to see what the series goes from here for Aiden.
July 30, 2019
Next Please
Really enjoyed this book, great charcters. Keeps.you turning the page to see what the next challenge.Will be . Need to see Nicky whupped
Really enjoyed this book, great charcters. Keeps.you turning the page to see what the next challenge.Will be . Need to see Nicky whupped
August 16, 2019
Great story can't wait book 2
Honestly one of the better western wuxia novels I have ever read and I cannot wait to see you where the story felt
Honestly one of the better western wuxia novels I have ever read and I cannot wait to see you where the story felt
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