Dar and his dao companions are free of Bellhaven and breaking ground for their new village. But the forest by their village brings its own share of problems. A feral jaguar demoness harasses their hunters while a hive of devil ettercaps threatens village’s safety.
All Dar wants to do is get the village ready for the harsh winter. He needs food and lumber to do that.
When he brings the demon girl kicking and screaming back to the village, he gets even a bigger headache trying to civilize her. Now he only has to care for nearly a hundred villagers and get rid of the largest devil infestation anyone has ever seen.
Good thing Dar isn’t an ordinary man, good thing he’s an immortal.
Born and raised in the agricultural midwest, I moved every year after school even as far as Shanghai before settling down with my wife in Chicago.
I have always enjoyed Wuxia stories and became thrilled when I discovered harem stories spreading to western books. I've written down my day dreams for years as an idle hobby. Inspired by the harem genre I'm finally fleshing them out into full blown novels.
I'm excited to share my stories with you as I turn them into novels and series.
Not as good all around as the first and also included some worrying aspects. Darius didn’t seem to have any troubles in this book and things flowed a bit too easily.
The one thing that worried me was them taking in a “new” demon and going on to do what seemed to be basically grooming her for our MC.
Introduction: "First Immortal #2: Dao Dominion" is a fascinating addition to Bruce Sentar's First Immortal series. In this follow-up, the author dives deeper into the journey of Dar and his dao companions as they strive to build a new home for themselves. This sequel sees Dar facing new and exciting challenges, introducing more elements of the erotic romance and fantasy genres into the mix. However, it's a book that warrants a mixed bag of reviews, with some readers lauding the book's overall development and others pointing out areas of concern.
Basic Plot Summary: Freed from the confines of Bellhaven, Dar and his companions now focus on establishing their new village. However, the forest around them is not devoid of threats, with a wild jaguar demoness and a hive of devil ettercaps posing serious risks. While all Dar desires is to prepare the village for the oncoming winter, the capture and attempted civilization of the demon girl complicates matters further. Despite the monumental tasks of caring for the villagers and eliminating a substantial devil infestation, Dar remains undeterred. After all, he isn't an ordinary man; he's an immortal.
Analysis/Evaluation: "Dao Dominion" presents a more in-depth exploration of the world Sentar has created and the complex relationships that exist within it. However, some readers felt that the protagonist, Dar, faced few difficulties, which resulted in the plot progressing too smoothly. Also, the inclusion of a "new" demon girl and her relationship with Dar raised eyebrows, with some readers finding it distasteful.
Characters: The character of Dar continues to intrigue, evolving from a man on the run in the first book to a leader managing a growing community. While his power grows, he remains a likable character, demonstrating care and responsibility for his people. However, the slow incorporation of new characters into Dar's harem has left some readers wanting.
Setting: The wilderness setting around the new village enhances the survival aspect of the narrative, amplifying the sense of danger and urgency as winter approaches. Moreover, it offers fresh opportunities for world-building, allowing Sentar to introduce new creatures and challenges.
Structure: The novel maintains a linear structure, progressing steadily from the establishment of the village to the arrival of winter. This simple narrative structure keeps the plot clear and focused, though some readers felt the character relationships were developed too slowly.
Themes: The primary themes explored in this sequel are survival, power dynamics, human relationships with spiritual beings, and the quest for immortality. The book also delves into themes of civilization, with the process of transforming a wild, dangerous place into a safe, livable space at the forefront.
Writing style: Sentar's writing style remains engaging, with a balance of action and character development. However, some readers felt that the terminology related to Eastern beliefs and spells was confusing and lacked clear explanation.
Tone: The tone of "Dao Dominion" is a mixture of seriousness, owing to the survival and leadership challenges Dar faces, and sensuality, thanks to the harem and romance elements.
Impact: The novel's impact varies among readers, with some appreciating the focus on world-building and character development, while others critique the lack of challenge for Dar and the uneasy introduction of the demon girl.
Hook and Thesis: The hook of the story is Dar's transformation from an ordinary man to an immortal tasked with building a new community. However, the execution of this premise led to mixed reviews due to perceived ease of Dar's journey and the controversial introduction of the demon girl.
Praise and Critique: "Dao Dominion" garners praise for its world-building, character development, and unique approach to the themes of survival and power. However, it also receives critique for the perceived lack of challenges faced by Dar and the controversial handling of relationships.
Evaluation: The novel presents an engaging continuation of Dar's journey, effectively incorporating fantasy and erotic romance elements. However, it leaves room for improvement in terms of character depth, relationship development, and clarification of the Eastern-based belief systems.
Comparison: Compared to the first book, "Dao Dominion" focuses more on world-building and the complexities of establishing a community. However, it falls short in maintaining the level of intrigue and suspense presented in its predecessor.
Conclusion: "First Immortal #2: Dao Dominion" is an ambitious sequel that further explores Dar's journey towards establishing a new community and confronting otherworldly threats. It provides a rich blend of fantasy and romance, though it stumbles in the depiction of relationships and the utilization of Eastern spiritual concepts. While this installment may not appeal to all readers, it offers enough intriguing elements to keep dedicated fans of the First Immortal series eagerly anticipating the next book.
We left off book 1 with a our hero escaping from the City Bellhaven to trek it out in the wilderness. Where in book 1 we spent our time running from place to place Book 2 spends its time focusing on world building and character/relationship development. Building a city from nothing is a hard task even with help from demons and spirits, add on winter coming in short order and a lot has to be done just to make sure the settlement survives the winter. We see experiments with bringing earth comforts to this mew planet, meditation and growth on his dao and further developments with the nobles in Bellhaven. The book was a solid entry into the series and I really enjoyed it but I took a star off because it very much feels like it was setting things up for book 3.
This one was hit and miss for me. I’m still trying to find my way here with this series. It has lots of high notes but it has some low notes as well. I, still sticking with it and seeing where it goes. Dar makes so many mistakes, tactically and emotionally… I’m just watching him blunder his way through this whole thing. This was a 3.5 for me but I rounded up to a 4. Neko was on the cover but the book was barely about Dar getting to know neko or truly bringing her into the fold. Like what gives? I know Sentar talked about taking his time with his women joining the harem but this is kinda way out there. Anyways, let’s see what happens in the world of Dar. Onward, lads
I've enjoyed this series so far. The MC is both powerful and yet approachable. Not too much arrogance and cares about his people. What more could you want in a new leader. His ability to power up is a bit of a cheat compared to his contemporaries but then again we're not reading stories about a bartenders life. I found the harem and relationships slow and fun as each character is very unique. Unlike many books in the genre is doesn't take from the story. This has been an enjoyable series so far and I look forward to future books.
For my way I think the story is getting better and better we learning more and more about the world and about the ways that the humans and the devils and the demons and the spirits interact with each other and the humans too. I like the way the author writes about the characters is if they're more three-dimensional not just cardboard cutouts. For me the story is entertaining and interesting and I can't wait to see what happens next to their budding New village.
Dar is getting close to his greater Dao and thinks about teaching his companions the techniques to become immortals themselves. The city is being built from scratch and trade opportunities are being set to start but a non-human neighbor stirs up a lot of trouble for the citizens.
A lot of tasks and adventures waiting to be done respectively to be experienced. How will Dar and the others tackle the challenges?
While I liked this by the end, the story seems far different from book one. It has been a few years since I read book one, but I feel more emphasis is placed on relationships/smut, than the protag finding his way in life.
I will pick up the sequel, but this didn't live up to my expectations that I had. With how the last book ended, I thought they would have made the village/ buildings and others things super easy.
Some of the names of the spells and strengths given our hero are Confusing to me. Perhaps it is just my lack of knowledge about the far east beliefs, or something, but on occasion I don't understand what's going on. If I had my way a lot of it would be better explained for those of us that are uninformed.
Good balance of action and world/character building
This was an interesting book with a steady power leveling of the MC and support characters. The world building was well done and the overall story was engaging.
A good continuation from the first one, and the MC continues to adjust to his new existence. If you like the story from the first one this book should work for you. To me it was lacking the je ne sais quoi that makes a great book, but it's still a good read.
This is a thoroughly interesting and fun story so far. Interesting deference between demons, Devils and Spirits. There powers and magic as well as the way cultivation works in this world is just keep.
Neko was absolutely adorable and made this book. We get powerups and clarity in purpose in this book. Moralizing is slowly squashed and the enemy becomes more clear. Great book grab it read it enjoy
This story continues to evolve and become more engrossing. Intense battles, great character development. This series is thoroughly engaging and erotically enticing at just the right times.
Dar’s story continues just where we left it in book one as he builds is new village and grows his family. As always with Bruce Sentar we get an action packed adventure in an intricate world filled with great characters
I like the pace of Bruce’s books. A satisfying slow burn with each book and a good send off at the end without any seriously annoying cliffhangers. Solid entry in the series
Continues the story of Dar and his companions as they try to stay alive and grow stronger. This story is mostly village building and getting to know more of the main characters. I enjoyed the book and will move on to book 3.
Not sure if I can put my finger on exactly but what it is, but this author is able to write a story that just hooks you. I think book 2 is actually better than the last one and I really enjoyed book 1.
Intriguing series of events that easily captures the reader
An excellent second book in the series. It is fun watching the main character grow and the supporting characters develop and bond into an efficient and loving team.
Great adult fantasy action!!! A truly enjoyable story and series to read!!! Not that I would expect anything less from this author!!! A true joy to read!!!