My first few weeks at Zenith Academy were hectic. I made friends, but also enemies, and got myself into a death duel. Our triumph from defeating the dungeon’s first floor boss was short lived, however, as a rather grim notification popped up. What did it say?
A colossal beast and its swarm of bloodthirsty monsters was headed our way. That was the bad news. The good? We had time to prepare.
I have my own party now, made up of a feisty earth girl, a naive but lovable moon elf, and a larger-than-life giantess. Who also happens to be a princess. We need to find a fifth member to round out the party, before it is too late.
What do we do?
Cultivate strength.
Form alliances.
And hope we’ve got what it takes to save Sklava City.
Well, as of the time of writing this will be one of the few more negative reviews. The pro's in this series are that the levelling is somewhat intuitive, although this is a continuation of the first book and not really something that has to stand out for this second volume.
Now onward to the more negative parts. The book is, overal, pretty boring and mediocre. There are a couple of fights, some dialogue but none of it really spoke to me or sucked me into the story. There was no depth that would keep mee reading. I've finished half the book and decided to give up since it was becoming a chore to read it.
To be honest and upfront- I enjoyed the majority of the book. The humor is great, the characters are entertaining (mostly) and the characters steady rise in power is enjoyable to behold.
What I did not like was the “harem”. I enjoy harems- but in this case- there is almost no point in it. Especially as the MC shows clear favoritism towards one of the women- even when she treats his other mates like shit. Which brings me to my next point- the first book I loved Chloe. Very easy to understand and she was very well written. However, in the second she acts like a downright bitch at times- and when you think JD will reprimand her or call her on it- he just goes to give her one-on-one time. Ok cool- but what about the other two? That’s not fair to them in any way shape or form. Honestly, I was disappointed in how their relationship progressed in this book, but I will stick around in the hopes that things get better.
It was a great read otherwise- don’t let my view discourage you from continuing- whether you are the reader or even the writer himself. I hope to see more of this story in the future.
Not a whole lot of interest happened in this book. Nice battle at the end though.
Scarlet, Mabel and Nergal are likable characters, while JD, Chloe and Skadi are annoying af. Seriously, how hard is it to shut the fuck up during class? They get struck by lightning, but they still keep talking in class.
Great Story, but a Problematic Love Triangle Drags it Down
This is a very strong sequel in many ways. I read it on my Kindle while listening to the Audible narration, and the experience was seamless. The writing is fluid, the plot twists are genuinely engaging, and the development of characters like Scarlet, Mabel, and Nergal is fantastic.
The book's biggest flaw, however, is Chloe. Her presence shifts the entire dynamic from an interesting harem setup to a frustrating love triangle. The MC, JD, shows such clear favoritism towards her that it undermines the entire premise. This is especially jarring considering that in Book 1, Chloe herself assured him that exclusivity wasn't necessary and that multiple partners were the norm. Unfortunately, her character in this book is defined by jealousy and envy, making her scenes incredibly tiresome. She reduces the MC to a passive observer in his own story, and the narrative becomes shallow and boring whenever her drama takes center stage. It honestly felt like a chore to push through her chapters. To make matters worse, it's revealed that Chloe only rushed to perform the bonding ritual to get ahead of Scarlet. The author's attempt to justify this with a flimsy backstory simply doesn't work.
I would still recommend this book, but with a major warning: if you get easily frustrated by this kind of dynamic, you might struggle. Be prepared for far more interesting characters like Skadi, Mabel, and Scarlet to be consistently pushed into the background.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Good, not great, but good. Story loses itself like trying to get a little too technical.
A much better attempt than the first book. The storyline drags and over explains. The banter between the main characters is still a bit cringe-worthy however the author kept the story moving instead of dialogue which actually helped. Too many ideas were thrown in at once for an average reader to be able to grasp the gaming matrix but overall the story moved, rushing you towards an ending that was probably the book's strongest point. Mostly the issue in the story is when the author gives too many inconsistencies with the main characters Manta which fuels their power. Seemingly little action wears them out but yet they can go through whole battles and always have reserve leaving it to the authors discretion instead of logic. A much better attempt in the first book The end saving it even though it was chaotically written.
This story has a little bit of a lot of things. It has cultivation elements it has DND elements it has adventure it has intrigue it has monsters it has beautiful women great enemies great friends and challenges galore for our characters. The main character is not infallible and he's definitely not OP and I found myself a little bit angry at him here and there but he is a good main character. The different characters both the good ones and the bad ones have definite personalities separate and the way they interact with each other gives a sense of reality and I for one can't wait to read the next book to see what happens next.
A truly outstanding story in an awesome series!!! The ending of book two is by far one of the most epic battles!! I'm also seeing much more of this chaos to come for these characters!!!
This book built open the first and then exploded! JD and team must bring desperate groups together to defend the city or all is lost…you need to read to find out if they survive their greatest challenge.
JD an his female students come together to forge a bond that just might keep them alive
A 24 year old male is recruited for his artist abilities to help save the academy an the defense of the surrounding city . recommend reading excellent series .
Excellent series, waited for the second book to write a review just to make sure I wasn't setting myself up for disappointment, but AWESOME is the most honest review I can make.
The MC is a background character in his own life. Nothing really impactful happens. The MC is weak in the grand scheme of things which makes it an interesting premise but a boring read. The world building is good, but this book should not be a harem. It was so FRUSTRATING
Just finished this and I have to say it’s an excellent series. Love the world and the storyline. Characters are engaging as well. Looking forward to the next book in this series!!
This was Awesome! I loved the epic fighting, and the buildup of power that JD and his party accrued. Great ending, definitely wanting more, can't wait for book three.