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The Beginning after the End #7
Divergence
Volume 7 of The Beginning After The End
Not every human, elf, or dwarf could be equally important to me, and that's a fact that I had accepted long ago. I was here to serve my role, to help end this war, but it wasn’t for world peace or to save mankind—it was so, one day, I could lead a comfortable and happy life with the people I loved and cared for.
Arthur Leywin has experienced two lifetimes of challenge and adventure. He has lived as a swordsman, a mage, an adventurer, and a king. Now his two lives, old and new, will collide, revealing the connection between King Grey and Arthur Leywin, but at what cost? And how will this affect the ongoing war between the nations of Alacrya and Dicathen? Enemy forces threaten the coastal cities, the elven forests, and the fortified mountain passes; Dicathen’s most powerful allies have vanished; and the military alliance between men, elves, and dwarves threatens collapse. Arthur may be the last hope for his people, but when forced to choose between family and country, where will his loyalty lie?
Not every human, elf, or dwarf could be equally important to me, and that's a fact that I had accepted long ago. I was here to serve my role, to help end this war, but it wasn’t for world peace or to save mankind—it was so, one day, I could lead a comfortable and happy life with the people I loved and cared for.
Arthur Leywin has experienced two lifetimes of challenge and adventure. He has lived as a swordsman, a mage, an adventurer, and a king. Now his two lives, old and new, will collide, revealing the connection between King Grey and Arthur Leywin, but at what cost? And how will this affect the ongoing war between the nations of Alacrya and Dicathen? Enemy forces threaten the coastal cities, the elven forests, and the fortified mountain passes; Dicathen’s most powerful allies have vanished; and the military alliance between men, elves, and dwarves threatens collapse. Arthur may be the last hope for his people, but when forced to choose between family and country, where will his loyalty lie?
622 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 15, 2020
About the author
TurtleMe
28 books1,456 followersTae Ha Lee, writing under the pen name TurtleMe, is a fantasy novelist and webcomic author. Blending elements of Western and Eastern literature, TurtleMe creates a unique and compelling reading experience that resonates with global audiences. His award-winning series, The Beginning After the End, has been translated into over ten languages and has captivated readers worldwide.
Tae Ha, a proud UC Berkeley graduate, currently resides in Seattle with his beloved wife and dog. To find out more, follow @turtleme93 on Instagram.
Tae Ha, a proud UC Berkeley graduate, currently resides in Seattle with his beloved wife and dog. To find out more, follow @turtleme93 on Instagram.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
May 9, 2020
The constant stupidity
I have to admit this was a great series books 1-4 .. books 5 and 6 not so much. I continued reading but I think I'm done now. The constant stupidity killed the storyline. I think I sprained my eyes with the constant rolling. I'm not going to spoil the book but I have a hard time even making sense of turtleme's thought process. Was he board with the story and wanting to just end it? If so please make sure to kill off a certain princess next book. And for the love of god stop with the convoluted plot line, it wasn't suspenseful it was silly. If you want to bring the MC to a new level great, that's understandable, BUT not every nobleman can be a traitor . What ever.
I have to admit this was a great series books 1-4 .. books 5 and 6 not so much. I continued reading but I think I'm done now. The constant stupidity killed the storyline. I think I sprained my eyes with the constant rolling. I'm not going to spoil the book but I have a hard time even making sense of turtleme's thought process. Was he board with the story and wanting to just end it? If so please make sure to kill off a certain princess next book. And for the love of god stop with the convoluted plot line, it wasn't suspenseful it was silly. If you want to bring the MC to a new level great, that's understandable, BUT not every nobleman can be a traitor . What ever.
February 29, 2020
Review of book 1 - 7
Book 1 - This was very entertaining, and while I have read something similar before, it was an enjoyable read. 4 Stars. However, only two things kept it from being 5 stars. First, there was no REAL conflict in this book. Everything was too easy for the MC and everything was pre-ordained. Second, there was an initial information dump in the form of the MC reading books in a library about his new world, but after this, we do not get much detail. I knew practically nothing about the world, how society works, etc.
Book 2 - This was also entertaining, and 4 stars, kept back because the author seemed to skip over the most enjoyable parts. I wanted to see the MC's first encounters, and read about his journey. Instead, it kind of skips over the interesting bits to summarize a 4 year period.
Book 3 - 5 Stars. The author has hit his stride. You can tell he has gotten better at writing. The author also shows that the MC has flaws and his character is changing. You see that he is not invulnerable and can be harmed.
Book 4 - 5 Stars. In this book, the author explores the wider world a bit more and you start seeing conflict on a larger scale. You finally find people who are insanely strong compared to the MC and it starts exploring the history of the world.
Book 5 - 5 Stars. This is a book of training. While it seems that a book focused mostly on training would be boring, the author did a good job of keeping the reader interested. You start to see the book from others point of view more often.
Book 6 - 4 Stars. This book shows that start of the true war and plot of the series. It is also twice as long as normal. While I normally love longer books, it almost seems as if he is padding the book. 30% of the book seems to come from other's point of view. While the writing was still good, I wanted to experience the world through the MC, not some random person.
Book 7 - 4 Stars. This book suffers from the same problems as the one before it. It is still an enjoyable read, but now about 50% of the book is either from other's point of view, or a flashback from the MC's past life. I will definitely read this series until the end. However, I am no longer furiously devouring it page by page like I did before. I find myself skimming the chapters on side characters and random enemies. There were 3 or 4 full chapters told from an enemy's point of view that ended up being pointless. I won't go into why, as that would be a spoiler.
Book 1 - This was very entertaining, and while I have read something similar before, it was an enjoyable read. 4 Stars. However, only two things kept it from being 5 stars. First, there was no REAL conflict in this book. Everything was too easy for the MC and everything was pre-ordained. Second, there was an initial information dump in the form of the MC reading books in a library about his new world, but after this, we do not get much detail. I knew practically nothing about the world, how society works, etc.
Book 2 - This was also entertaining, and 4 stars, kept back because the author seemed to skip over the most enjoyable parts. I wanted to see the MC's first encounters, and read about his journey. Instead, it kind of skips over the interesting bits to summarize a 4 year period.
Book 3 - 5 Stars. The author has hit his stride. You can tell he has gotten better at writing. The author also shows that the MC has flaws and his character is changing. You see that he is not invulnerable and can be harmed.
Book 4 - 5 Stars. In this book, the author explores the wider world a bit more and you start seeing conflict on a larger scale. You finally find people who are insanely strong compared to the MC and it starts exploring the history of the world.
Book 5 - 5 Stars. This is a book of training. While it seems that a book focused mostly on training would be boring, the author did a good job of keeping the reader interested. You start to see the book from others point of view more often.
Book 6 - 4 Stars. This book shows that start of the true war and plot of the series. It is also twice as long as normal. While I normally love longer books, it almost seems as if he is padding the book. 30% of the book seems to come from other's point of view. While the writing was still good, I wanted to experience the world through the MC, not some random person.
Book 7 - 4 Stars. This book suffers from the same problems as the one before it. It is still an enjoyable read, but now about 50% of the book is either from other's point of view, or a flashback from the MC's past life. I will definitely read this series until the end. However, I am no longer furiously devouring it page by page like I did before. I find myself skimming the chapters on side characters and random enemies. There were 3 or 4 full chapters told from an enemy's point of view that ended up being pointless. I won't go into why, as that would be a spoiler.
January 9, 2021
The steady decline in caring what happens in the war, as well as the MC's constant idiocy, makes this the worse book of the series yet.
"I want to protect my family, so I'll do the bare minimum until something bad happens, THEN in my rage continue to do the bare minimum!"
"I want to protect my family, so I'll do the bare minimum until something bad happens, THEN in my rage continue to do the bare minimum!"
January 31, 2021
I'm really not enjoying this as I did the first couple books. There are too many points of view, so the story is spread out in directions you don't care for.
The author also introduced the dreaded romance subplot, so things are going to get more hectic (it already started).
I might read the sequels, but the ever increasing POVs, and "emotional" elf princess are strong deterrents.
2/5 Stars
The author also introduced the dreaded romance subplot, so things are going to get more hectic (it already started).
I might read the sequels, but the ever increasing POVs, and "emotional" elf princess are strong deterrents.
2/5 Stars
March 3, 2020
Not bad but frustrating
This book lacks nuance. Basically, the villain outmaneuvers the MC at every turn. Somehow every single one of the villain's plan succeeds. This is unrealistic. Also some of the characters seem to become temporarily insane and start doing really dumb things that make no sense. Also the specific limitations placed on the character don't make any sense. There definitely need to be limitations. An all powerful MC would be boring. But the author needs to work on the logic behind them. Not a terrible book but too many plot holes and a bit overdone in some areas. I would sum it up as the MC and his allies are incompetent. The villains are infallible. This dynamic makes the story frustrating to read.
This book lacks nuance. Basically, the villain outmaneuvers the MC at every turn. Somehow every single one of the villain's plan succeeds. This is unrealistic. Also some of the characters seem to become temporarily insane and start doing really dumb things that make no sense. Also the specific limitations placed on the character don't make any sense. There definitely need to be limitations. An all powerful MC would be boring. But the author needs to work on the logic behind them. Not a terrible book but too many plot holes and a bit overdone in some areas. I would sum it up as the MC and his allies are incompetent. The villains are infallible. This dynamic makes the story frustrating to read.
September 5, 2020
Garbage
This series started off good but has just become filler and predictable tropes on top of more filler. My guess is that the author ran out of decent ideas at around book 3 and just doesn't know how to end the series
This series started off good but has just become filler and predictable tropes on top of more filler. My guess is that the author ran out of decent ideas at around book 3 and just doesn't know how to end the series
January 28, 2023
Notes:
4 Stars for Narration by Travis Baldree
3 Stars for Story
Most of this volume dragged plot wise & then there was an abrupt change to plot elements.
4 Stars for Narration by Travis Baldree
3 Stars for Story
Most of this volume dragged plot wise & then there was an abrupt change to plot elements.
November 17, 2020
DNF 43%
The series has lost my interest. There are so many plot-lines and important characters that the reader's attention has been diluted below a critical threshold. For me, it has become a bit of a mess.
The series has lost my interest. There are so many plot-lines and important characters that the reader's attention has been diluted below a critical threshold. For me, it has become a bit of a mess.
May 12, 2020
Alert
I hate trying to write reviews because there are really only pass/fail results for me. Did I make it all the way through? Yes? 5 stars. No? There would be nothing here to read. In all fairness, if an author holds my attention from page one to the end, they’ve done their job. Anything less than 5 stars is petty criticism from someone incapable of even doing the job let alone doing a better one.
So in respect for the author and their work, I am going to start pasting this along with a generic review I found somewhere. “This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
Now, since I have to keep explaining myself to people who don't like my reviews, I guess some clarification is in order.
1. I am 100% against criticism for works of art. Art is subjective, meaning reviews are irrelevant. The observer's opinion is only relevant to the observer. It is my belief that regardless of what others might say, I have to experience the art for myself.
2. I read upwards of 20 books a month. The $10/month I spend on K U, feels like I am cheating the authors. But since I can't afford 20 books a month if I were to purchase them directly, all I can offer is a positive review. That leads us to the final point.
3. If I get to the end of a book, then it was worth my time. I give those books 5 stars because it helps the author get exposure. That is the only reason I write reviews at all.
I understand that people are people and they are going to do what they do regardless of my stance. I know the way that I review books upsets some people. I am sorry they feel that way but as many have said, they will just ignore my review going forward. In fact, if you made it this far through my review, you should definitely read the book and completely ignore all of the reviews here. You are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
Cheers
I hate trying to write reviews because there are really only pass/fail results for me. Did I make it all the way through? Yes? 5 stars. No? There would be nothing here to read. In all fairness, if an author holds my attention from page one to the end, they’ve done their job. Anything less than 5 stars is petty criticism from someone incapable of even doing the job let alone doing a better one.
So in respect for the author and their work, I am going to start pasting this along with a generic review I found somewhere. “This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
Now, since I have to keep explaining myself to people who don't like my reviews, I guess some clarification is in order.
1. I am 100% against criticism for works of art. Art is subjective, meaning reviews are irrelevant. The observer's opinion is only relevant to the observer. It is my belief that regardless of what others might say, I have to experience the art for myself.
2. I read upwards of 20 books a month. The $10/month I spend on K U, feels like I am cheating the authors. But since I can't afford 20 books a month if I were to purchase them directly, all I can offer is a positive review. That leads us to the final point.
3. If I get to the end of a book, then it was worth my time. I give those books 5 stars because it helps the author get exposure. That is the only reason I write reviews at all.
I understand that people are people and they are going to do what they do regardless of my stance. I know the way that I review books upsets some people. I am sorry they feel that way but as many have said, they will just ignore my review going forward. In fact, if you made it this far through my review, you should definitely read the book and completely ignore all of the reviews here. You are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
Cheers
Read
March 5, 2025Sylvie top 1
November 1, 2022
Good book, but frustrating that the main character was very thick and slow to pick up on every clue presented to him.. The reader easily identified what the clues meant, but had to wait many chapters for the main character to catch on... frustrating.
Still overall a good story and look forward to the next one
Still overall a good story and look forward to the next one
November 21, 2021
Here starts the downfall of this entire series. Yeah I'm not kidding. the author started messing around with too many POV's in this book. The worst part is how they had like 0 importance or impact on the story. Also so many sub plots and things just left half formed and never explored. Frankly it stinks of lazy writing from an author that doesn't know what he is doing.
July 23, 2022
Of all the volumes I've read, this one is quite interesting.
December 22, 2024
IM GOING TO DIE
November 21, 2020
4.5/5 After a lull during the last couple books Divergence kicks things up a notch. Many questions are answered. Plotlines start to converge. While this is a nice change of pace from the last 2 slower novels that spent far too much time on filler and training Divergence really is super grim in comparison to the previous novels. Our heroes really needed to eek out some wins this time around but those are few and far between it seems as the Vritras and the Alacryan army reign hell down upon them.
There are more flashbacks to Arthur's past life in this volume as well, though they are fewer and farther between. There are also a few other PoV characters which can be a little distracting and a few of them seemed rather unnecessary. They aren't as bad as they were before and the fact that the plotline sees a huge comparative surge its not hard to keep interested.
While I still miss the easy going whimsical nature of the first few volumes I must admit they didn't have a staggering level of conflict for our OP (over powered) protagonist. In this volume the table gets flipped.
I think the tale is starting to catch up to Turtleme's web novel I hope the releases remain consistent as I am an impatient bastard.
There are more flashbacks to Arthur's past life in this volume as well, though they are fewer and farther between. There are also a few other PoV characters which can be a little distracting and a few of them seemed rather unnecessary. They aren't as bad as they were before and the fact that the plotline sees a huge comparative surge its not hard to keep interested.
While I still miss the easy going whimsical nature of the first few volumes I must admit they didn't have a staggering level of conflict for our OP (over powered) protagonist. In this volume the table gets flipped.
I think the tale is starting to catch up to Turtleme's web novel I hope the releases remain consistent as I am an impatient bastard.
May 24, 2025
Honestly I really loved the book series to this point. I think this book did a great job depicting Arthur’s experience of grief, and it showed several characters maturing. However, to some extent it feels repetitive. Regarding the fights, Arthur repeatedly just barely scrapes by, which is fine, but he has yet to learn to rely on others which seems to be a crucial part of his character development. Yet, I do not see any progress on that account. Several of the side characters also do not seem to mature, Tessia, despite her strength, seems to be grounded as a damsel in distress mostly due to her own decision making. I think this is incredibly out of character for her, especially in consideration of how she matured during her time as a soldier. In general it seems that no character is capable without Arthur. I believe this runs counter to his character arc. The main thing that separates Arthur from Grey is his connection to others, yet he cannot trust them to get by without his own influence.
I love a good fantasy book, but I think the characters, their growth, and their display of emotion is what set this series apart from others in the genre. This war arc seems to have diluted those aspects and instead focused on fights. I do like the action, but the story feels stagnant.
I love a good fantasy book, but I think the characters, their growth, and their display of emotion is what set this series apart from others in the genre. This war arc seems to have diluted those aspects and instead focused on fights. I do like the action, but the story feels stagnant.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2021
This one was bad. The rest are good, but this one was not. The MC hasn't won a single fight in almost 2000 years at this point. It is like he became Vegeta instead of Goku. He is just a whiney punching bag that makes stupid decisions and tries to commit suicide to win every fight. Then he decides to just commit suicide to hold off enemies. Basically we had an OP MC now we have a not funny punk that loses every fight, complains constantly and takes his friends for granted. It is annoying played out and not fun. This book series isn't the best I am not going to pretend that it is. The only reason I am listening to it is because Travis Baldree has a voice like an angel, but it has been fun and exciting. The MC has been likeable and motivated, the other characters have been likeable furniture to be moved around and placed as the MC sees fit up to this point. Tess really sucked in this book. Overall it was bad.
Good news though! I have started the next one and it has already been fantastic! Several sceens that we have been waiting on and the MC isn't moping around nearly as much. And SPOILER there might be a mind spirit type character in the near future!
Good news though! I have started the next one and it has already been fantastic! Several sceens that we have been waiting on and the MC isn't moping around nearly as much. And SPOILER there might be a mind spirit type character in the near future!
August 21, 2021
A lot of the reviews are complaining about slow moving trainwreak of a plot and I agree. It is a original a webnovel, every week or so chapter . So I can see how that type of format would twist and shape the plot to something that looks contrived and frustrating reading in novel form. A weekly reader must be entertained and hooked every week again and again b/c so many other webnovels are trying to do the same, it becomes a race to bottom so to speak. So the zigzaging and heavy handed direction of the plot reflects that.
While I understand why the plot is shaped the way it is, I am also very frustrated at the "slowplay" of angst in this novel. The flashbacks to Arthur's former life were tedious trainwreak is a cheap writers ploy to add mental anguish to the main character. Then in the later part of the novel, the MC keeps stating something doesn't seem right in every chapter, but conveniently ignores the signs that the authors points out over and over again, then has a surprised pikachu face when the proverbial hammer drops.
While I understand why the plot is shaped the way it is, I am also very frustrated at the "slowplay" of angst in this novel. The flashbacks to Arthur's former life were tedious trainwreak is a cheap writers ploy to add mental anguish to the main character. Then in the later part of the novel, the MC keeps stating something doesn't seem right in every chapter, but conveniently ignores the signs that the authors points out over and over again, then has a surprised pikachu face when the proverbial hammer drops.
May 17, 2024
TurtleMe has a problem.
That problem is ambition. More specifically, ambition for the sake of ambition.
TBATE reached a turning point, starting with Book 5, that has made the series fall off a cliff - and I'm unsure if I want to be around to see it hit the water.
This volume was... difficult, difficult to read. I honestly can't tell you if the war arc just happened too soon, or if it should've happened at all, or if an alternative approach could've been considered, or, man... There's just a lot going on that shouldn't be going on and a lot not going on that should be going on, that's the best way I can express my mess of feelings regarding this instalment.
If I had to pinpoint the problems it would boil down to character choices, plot conveniences, mismatched pacing and repeated drama.
It's just, silly, or is the word stupid? It feels reductive to describe it as such, or maybe my vocabulary is simply limited but regardless that is how I feel about the series right now.
That problem is ambition. More specifically, ambition for the sake of ambition.
TBATE reached a turning point, starting with Book 5, that has made the series fall off a cliff - and I'm unsure if I want to be around to see it hit the water.
This volume was... difficult, difficult to read. I honestly can't tell you if the war arc just happened too soon, or if it should've happened at all, or if an alternative approach could've been considered, or, man... There's just a lot going on that shouldn't be going on and a lot not going on that should be going on, that's the best way I can express my mess of feelings regarding this instalment.
If I had to pinpoint the problems it would boil down to character choices, plot conveniences, mismatched pacing and repeated drama.
It's just, silly, or is the word stupid? It feels reductive to describe it as such, or maybe my vocabulary is simply limited but regardless that is how I feel about the series right now.
December 31, 2020
Plot used too much cornstarch.
Yikes. 7 books in and still nothing is resolved. Half the characters hate each other, the other half are in love, a half life has gone rogue, and everyone is in a state of constant anger. Soap opera level drama, and books are still ending on cliffhangers. good story, grammar, and syntax. One star for me as I just can’t keep up with what’s going on, and of course the massive power suck, coupled with a cliche and underwritten villain. Higher forms of magic are inconsistent, as are some displayed skills. Useless detail where I would love some explanations on other subjects instead. Also, main character still alive. Possible death count from this book: 17
Yikes. 7 books in and still nothing is resolved. Half the characters hate each other, the other half are in love, a half life has gone rogue, and everyone is in a state of constant anger. Soap opera level drama, and books are still ending on cliffhangers. good story, grammar, and syntax. One star for me as I just can’t keep up with what’s going on, and of course the massive power suck, coupled with a cliche and underwritten villain. Higher forms of magic are inconsistent, as are some displayed skills. Useless detail where I would love some explanations on other subjects instead. Also, main character still alive. Possible death count from this book: 17
September 29, 2022
First off I want to say I personally enjoyed this book a lot, even more than the previous 6 books.Also heavy spoiler warning
Turtleme took a slightly different approach with this book compared to the previous ones, this book focused more on showing how outclassed dicathen and Arthur really were going into the war and also starting back into the romance aspect.
This book easily was the darkest out of the series and was the first to have major characters killed.It also had some of the best lines out of the series with unique pov’s that we haven’t had before.
(The moment I saw Arthur approaching, his eyes begging me to be wrong
before his gaze fell onto a sight that no one—man or child—should have to
experience, my gut clenched and I felt tears threaten to take over. Seeing the
horrified expression of my bond before he let out a breath and began
chuckling in wide-eyed denial at what he was seeing, I wanted to disappear.
I wanted to be anywhere but here. I would’ve rather fought another horde of deranged mana beasts by myself than endure the sight of my lifelong bond
staring hopelessly at his own fathers bloody corpse.)
That was the first slyvie pov in the whole series and turtleme pulled it off very well.Then there is of course the 2 other main character deaths but im gonna leave them out of this review.
IMO this book is great fun to read but if your looking for extremely good writing or good romance then it might be better to drop the series.
Turtleme took a slightly different approach with this book compared to the previous ones, this book focused more on showing how outclassed dicathen and Arthur really were going into the war and also starting back into the romance aspect.
This book easily was the darkest out of the series and was the first to have major characters killed.It also had some of the best lines out of the series with unique pov’s that we haven’t had before.
(The moment I saw Arthur approaching, his eyes begging me to be wrong
before his gaze fell onto a sight that no one—man or child—should have to
experience, my gut clenched and I felt tears threaten to take over. Seeing the
horrified expression of my bond before he let out a breath and began
chuckling in wide-eyed denial at what he was seeing, I wanted to disappear.
I wanted to be anywhere but here. I would’ve rather fought another horde of deranged mana beasts by myself than endure the sight of my lifelong bond
staring hopelessly at his own fathers bloody corpse.)
That was the first slyvie pov in the whole series and turtleme pulled it off very well.Then there is of course the 2 other main character deaths but im gonna leave them out of this review.
IMO this book is great fun to read but if your looking for extremely good writing or good romance then it might be better to drop the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2024
This by far was a difficult read.
Arthur spirals down to torture to learn more about the Vritras' plans while plagued by his past life as Grey. He trains in various combination of his quadraelemental arts and still wasn't enough.
Both Arthur and Tessia loses their family.
Arthur spirals down to torture to learn more about the Vritras' plans while plagued by his past life as Grey. He trains in various combination of his quadraelemental arts and still wasn't enough.
Both Arthur and Tessia loses their family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2025
Ugh. *thinks about the happenings of the book.* UGH!
If this book could physically hurt me then I’ll be black and blue all over. Poor Arthur. Poor Tessia. Poor Sylvie. Poor Virion! They can’t take a break at all.
This is so heartbreaking 😭😭😭
If this book could physically hurt me then I’ll be black and blue all over. Poor Arthur. Poor Tessia. Poor Sylvie. Poor Virion! They can’t take a break at all.
This is so heartbreaking 😭😭😭
November 10, 2025
156K Words
June 13, 2025
The first half was good, but it started to drag after a while with Arthur's constant inner war with his emotions. Admittedly, it was good character development, but it was just sooooo drawn out. Overall, I really enjoyed this one with all the twists, which I really didn't see coming.
November 8, 2023
This series literally gets crazier and crazier, it’s written so well.
March 2, 2023
Unorganized, ranting notes ahead...
The main character is starting to behave actually evil, and there are tons of stereotypes being used. He grows more immature, prideful, and unkind with every book.
The author often brings up that the MC has lived a long time, in spite of the fact that the MC makes more unwise decisions based on emotions than those he belittles. As the MC trains harder and gets more specialized instruction by supposed experts, the power gap grows even wider as most important characters that the MC meets are now much more powerful than him. And when he does beat them it's only for underdog, contrived, and emotional reasons.
I have become more interested in the supposed villains of this series, since they are the side acting more upright and noble. They offer outs and compromises, along for very little in exchange, mostly just that the "good" characters stop fighting. Meanwhile the MC's side is full of traitorous, evil, conniving, and racist characters, from peasants to supposed nobles who laugh about how much money they are making off their own dead soldiers. The only good side characters left have been sullied as well.
It's really gross to listen to. I was hoping that it might get better as it went along since it's a web novel. But it's getting worse with each book.
The main character is starting to behave actually evil, and there are tons of stereotypes being used. He grows more immature, prideful, and unkind with every book.
The author often brings up that the MC has lived a long time, in spite of the fact that the MC makes more unwise decisions based on emotions than those he belittles. As the MC trains harder and gets more specialized instruction by supposed experts, the power gap grows even wider as most important characters that the MC meets are now much more powerful than him. And when he does beat them it's only for underdog, contrived, and emotional reasons.
I have become more interested in the supposed villains of this series, since they are the side acting more upright and noble. They offer outs and compromises, along for very little in exchange, mostly just that the "good" characters stop fighting. Meanwhile the MC's side is full of traitorous, evil, conniving, and racist characters, from peasants to supposed nobles who laugh about how much money they are making off their own dead soldiers. The only good side characters left have been sullied as well.
It's really gross to listen to. I was hoping that it might get better as it went along since it's a web novel. But it's getting worse with each book.
May 3, 2023
I'm contemplating whether I should continue with the next volume or not.
In my journey with this series so far, I like how the reincarnation was not a form of escapism, but rather integral to the storyline. I also liked the way Arthur's character was developed. Even if he was distinguished in his past life, he comes to appreciate and try his best to preserve things he had never before. All the conflicts he's been through help him to grow as a person.
However, the heroine, Tessia, is the epitome of character stagnation. From volume 1 until 7, all the things she can do was just being a damsel in distress. In volume 1-4, which I regard as the best part of this series, I never even liked her character; though I also didn't hate her, because realistically there's not much she could do at a very young age. I was simply giving space for her to bide her time.
But even after she became one of the powerful mage in the continent, she's not contributing anything to the plot except being the source of trauma and anxiety for Arthur. Constantly been kidnapped, almost tortured, poisoned, and basically anything that the author can think of so the male MC can swoop in to save the princess. Heck, before this I thought Asuna from Sword Art Online was already the worst heroine I would ever read, but somehow another low do exists.
In this particular volume, she's just straight unbearable. A supposedly capable leader, who should've learned from her past mistakes, but somehow has an early puberty-like mentality. Every decision she made, was another impending doom for Arthur and everyone around her. How the hell did she still not taking into account of the gravity of her choices every times, is the real mystery of this novel.
There was this side character, Bairon, whom I thought has a lot of potential to be interesting. He was first introduced as the main obstacle for Arthur, but instead became two-dimensional and a fodder for MC. Probably he will made a comeback soon, but haha, let's forget about him and look at this new shiny mystery character who have high fighting prowess but disguised herself as a cook. So cool, right? Err..
As the story goes on, I realized the author had became more... careless in his writing. There are minor plot holes here and there. Same character descriptions were repeated multiple times to the point of annoyance.
It's quite a shame really, because I genuinely like this series before. There's a lot more I wanted to comment on, but let's stop here and just hope the next volume would do the justice, though it is hard for me to foresee that.
In my journey with this series so far, I like how the reincarnation was not a form of escapism, but rather integral to the storyline. I also liked the way Arthur's character was developed. Even if he was distinguished in his past life, he comes to appreciate and try his best to preserve things he had never before. All the conflicts he's been through help him to grow as a person.
However, the heroine, Tessia, is the epitome of character stagnation. From volume 1 until 7, all the things she can do was just being a damsel in distress. In volume 1-4, which I regard as the best part of this series, I never even liked her character; though I also didn't hate her, because realistically there's not much she could do at a very young age. I was simply giving space for her to bide her time.
But even after she became one of the powerful mage in the continent, she's not contributing anything to the plot except being the source of trauma and anxiety for Arthur. Constantly been kidnapped, almost tortured, poisoned, and basically anything that the author can think of so the male MC can swoop in to save the princess. Heck, before this I thought Asuna from Sword Art Online was already the worst heroine I would ever read, but somehow another low do exists.
In this particular volume, she's just straight unbearable. A supposedly capable leader, who should've learned from her past mistakes, but somehow has an early puberty-like mentality. Every decision she made, was another impending doom for Arthur and everyone around her. How the hell did she still not taking into account of the gravity of her choices every times, is the real mystery of this novel.
There was this side character, Bairon, whom I thought has a lot of potential to be interesting. He was first introduced as the main obstacle for Arthur, but instead became two-dimensional and a fodder for MC. Probably he will made a comeback soon, but haha, let's forget about him and look at this new shiny mystery character who have high fighting prowess but disguised herself as a cook. So cool, right? Err..
As the story goes on, I realized the author had became more... careless in his writing. There are minor plot holes here and there. Same character descriptions were repeated multiple times to the point of annoyance.
It's quite a shame really, because I genuinely like this series before. There's a lot more I wanted to comment on, but let's stop here and just hope the next volume would do the justice, though it is hard for me to foresee that.
January 23, 2026
This series has shown me something very strange about myself: I can love so many things about a story, and then—after a few books—suddenly start hating almost everything about it. Divergence was exactly that breaking point for me.
I don’t know what happened in this book, but it genuinely felt like every single character lost their mind. One bad decision after another, constant messes, constant chaos, and all I could think was: How can you be this stupid? At some point, it felt like Arthur should just show up and clean up everyone else’s nonsense because no one else seemed capable of thinking straight.
The book was also incredibly annoying and boring at the same time, which is a special kind of torture. It focused heavily on war strategy, politics, and endless fighting details. In another mood, or under different circumstances, I might have appreciated the author’s effort and world-building, but here? It drove me insane. I had zero interest, and I was angry almost the entire time I was reading.
What really sealed it for me was the sheer amount of stupid decisions made throughout the story. They weren’t tragic or complex, they were just frustrating. And by the end, I was shocked to realize that I actually hated the main love interest. I couldn’t understand how she could be so silly, so poorly handled, and so disconnected from the emotional weight of everything happening.
Overall, I didn’t enjoy this book at all. It left me irritated, disappointed, and emotionally checked out. Right now, I’m genuinely unsure if I want to continue the series. Maybe I’ll come back to it someday, in the long term, but for now, this book completely killed my motivation.
I don’t know what happened in this book, but it genuinely felt like every single character lost their mind. One bad decision after another, constant messes, constant chaos, and all I could think was: How can you be this stupid? At some point, it felt like Arthur should just show up and clean up everyone else’s nonsense because no one else seemed capable of thinking straight.
The book was also incredibly annoying and boring at the same time, which is a special kind of torture. It focused heavily on war strategy, politics, and endless fighting details. In another mood, or under different circumstances, I might have appreciated the author’s effort and world-building, but here? It drove me insane. I had zero interest, and I was angry almost the entire time I was reading.
What really sealed it for me was the sheer amount of stupid decisions made throughout the story. They weren’t tragic or complex, they were just frustrating. And by the end, I was shocked to realize that I actually hated the main love interest. I couldn’t understand how she could be so silly, so poorly handled, and so disconnected from the emotional weight of everything happening.
Overall, I didn’t enjoy this book at all. It left me irritated, disappointed, and emotionally checked out. Right now, I’m genuinely unsure if I want to continue the series. Maybe I’ll come back to it someday, in the long term, but for now, this book completely killed my motivation.
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