I'm writing this review a little late because after finishing this book I was left with a feeling like I really enjoyed what I read, but wasn't sure if I had the energy to keep going with this series. As a result, I headed over to Royal Road where this series is still being written and looked ahead to see if I should keep reading. Therefore this review is partly about this book, and partly about my conclusions from reading ahead and whether I recommend sticking with this series going forward.
(Don't worry, there won't be spoilers.)
THIS BOOK
Okay, so the main thing I love about this story is also what I felt would be the biggest problem for this series; the main character.
I love Jason as a character. I like his energy, I like the decision he makes, and I like the depth of his character as what you see is obviously surface level that's covering up so much more. Despite a tendency to preach his politics (which I can only abide because it comes in small doses), I think that he is a wonderful protagonist to carry us through the story... and therein lies the problem; he is carrying this story.
I finished this book realising that were it not for the main character, this book would not be worthy of 4-stars. I love the world-building and I think that the supporting cast is great, but neither of those things is explored nearly well enough to keep the reader interested. Add to that the glacial pace of the plot, and you start to have a problem because if the main character slips up in any way, then the story might just start getting boring.
Speaking of that glacial pace, surprisingly little happens in this book. It feels like more is happening because the characters are constantly moving and doing stuff, but if you break down actual plot progression points that matter to the overarching story, then there really isn't much until maybe the last 20% of the novel. That's an issue with novels this long and it's frustrating because I feel like this is a series with the potential to do a whole lot more.
Therefore, I finished this book feeling like I enjoyed what I read, but ultimately was unsatisfied.
SHOULD YOU STICK WITH THIS SERIES?
Up to the end of book 2 gets you to chapter 189 of 450 (as of the date of this review) on the web series. I only intended to read a few chapters when I headed over to Royal Road, but instead lost a few nights of sleep getting right through to the end, so that should tell you something. Here are a few conclusions though.
Jason continues to be the high point of this series for at least one more novel worth of story, at which point the second phase of this story kicks in and the plot gets a big boost that suddenly creates a reason to keep reading beyond just the protagonist.
This second phase to me is where this story really gets interesting and it is why I am so glad I read ahead because if I just read the next novel release, I don't think I would have been nearly as interested in carrying on as I was when reading the web version.
As much as I enjoyed this series and it hooked me though, pacing will continue to be a major problem and that impacts my recommendation of whether to keep reading this series. This leads me to my...
CONCLUSION
If you have really enjoyed reading about Jason's adventures in this book and can overlook how slow the story is because you know it is leading somewhere great, then definitely stick with this series. It goes to some seriously epic places and is worth putting in the effort.
If you are someone who hates stories that are told over an enormous page count when they could be much, much shorter, then this story might not be for you. I personally think that it's worth the effort even though I am one of these readers, but I am also a fast reader which compensates for this flaw a little bit.
So there we go. Sorry for the long review on this one, but hopefully it will be worth it to anyone who was on the fence with this series like me.
** Edit - 14th June 2021 **
I've just bumped this review up to 5-stars because after finishing all the available chapters of the web novel, I was compelled to go re-read this series from the start now that I was armed with that new knowledge. Doing so has enhanced my enjoyment of these books far more than I was expecting.
My below review still stands for a first time read, but just be aware that this is a series that gets better on subsequent readings, and that it is insanely easy to re-read these books thanks to their light tone and easy reading style. Therefore this series has become one of my favourite types of book to read and one of the rare series I can read multiple times in one year.