The Dark Summoner #2

The Dark Summoner #2

by Andrei Tkachev

The next books of the series!
The Dark Summoner (Book 3):
The Dark Summoner (Book 4):
The Dark Summoner (Book 5):

I’m the only survivor of a junior branch, but still I’ve managed to build a life for myself. Many aristocrats work with me, my expertise is valued, but a single event changes everything and I’m currently at the Academy in the Empire’s capital.

My problem looks simple — but the solution is complicated. On top of which I’ve got extra responsibilities, now.

Genres: Litrpg

413 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 13, 2025

Reviews

[Akshay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dark Summoner (Book 2) by Andrei Tkachev

The Dark Summoner 2 picks up directly where its predecessor left off, thrusting us into the hallowed halls of the Academy at the Empire’s capital. The stakes have undeniably risen: Gregor, once a noble of negligible standing, now commands respect, influence, and—most perilously—the burden of expectation.

What Works Well

Elevated stakes and setting: Transitioning to the Academy imbues the narrative with fresh intrigue and structure, opening pathways for political machinations and interpersonal dynamics that deepen the world-building.
Unfolding mysteries: The gradual revelation of Gregor’s past and powers keeps the narrative compelling, giving fans of the genre something to sink their teeth into.
Positive reader reception: Goodreads users show strong enthusiasm—4.51 average from 79 ratings—indicating a promising continuation.


Challenges and Criticism

Pacing concerns: One reviewer argues that the book suffers from excessive filler—particularly in a drawn-out school competition arc—as well as an overlong library subplot, all of which dilute narrative momentum.
Cliffhanger ending: Multiple readers note that while the setup is solid, the climax feels contrived and ends abruptly, leaving a sense of unfinished business.
Lack of recap: New readers—or those who read Book 1 some time ago—may feel disoriented; a short refresher chapter at the start could have helped. As one reviewer puts it: “It took me quite a while to remember the first book... a recap chapter would help.”



Narrative momentum: Book 1 served as a robust foundation—establishing Gregor’s world, personality, and escalating conflict. It featured strong world-building and a solid cliffhanger that left readers eager for more. Book 2, while ambitious, feels weighed down by extraneous subplots that compromise pace.
Character agency: In the first book, Gregor’s decisions felt authentic and self-driven. In Book 2, he occasionally feels shepherded by circumstances—frustrating some readers expecting more autonomy.
Reader anticipation: Book 1 succeeded at hooking readers; Book 2 sustains that interest but risks diluting it with slower development and structural indecision.


Rating

⭐⭐⭐☆ ☆ (3.0 / 5 glowing stars)

This installment is solid and promising—but flawed. Strong world-building, a rich academy setting, and tantalizing mysteries earn it merit. However, pacing issues, underused subplots, and a cliffhanger ending prevent it from matching the momentum of Book 1.

“A new arc that builds nicely on the first book... still lots of mysteries about how he gained power, but it’s being revealed, slowly.” —Ray Ritchey

Conclusion

The Dark Summoner 2 is an earnest continuation of Gregor’s ascent, offering deeper plot threads and broader terrain to explore. Fans invested in the magic system and political intricacies will find much to admire. But those expecting a leaner, more action-driven sequel may feel bogged down by pacing lapses and uneven focus. That said, the setup for Book 3 looks compelling, and many—myself included—are invested in seeing where the trilogy goes next.

Hopefully Book 3 picks up the pace and resolves the dangling arcs with payoff worthy of the buildup.

[Ford Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story, but alot of filler and over explanation.

I like the story, as the main character is unique and clever. I like the fact that he set apart with his magic and skills but yet not so much as a freak. The problem with this book is that the story has several existing plot lines moving at once. Anytime you take the agency away from the main character, the book becomes boring and really just a MacGuffin hunt as the main character must follow along. For the most part the main character maintains his agency, however, he's still forced into plot lines that feel forced.
The book starts in a continuation of a team school competition that really is just filler and has no value to the plot line except to try to deepen the characters... But it's over 100 pages too long. The sub characters that are in the tournament really have no value on the plot line except as filler. That whole story arc feels like a waste of time. For the amount of value the reader gets from the knowledge of those actions, the author could have written it in 20 pages. The book also has a crime spree mystery that the main character is forced to engage in. Listen itself feels old and worn tropes and genre.
The book really stands out when the main character deals with an unknown history and family, when he independently makes his own decisions to take jobs or to investigate things.
A lot of filler was wasted on researching a library project, that really only introduced the character of the head librarian and again was overwritten. The battle scenes and conflicts with the main character independent of anyone else are fun and exciting. Again I'd like the story and the main character... The book was way over explained and added much over writing an unnecessary plot lines. Maybe not unnecessary, but way over explained for what it added to moving the storyline forward. Lastly, the main character is entering into romantic situation with polygamy and it's tiresome that a StreetWise main character Acts clueless as if they're completely unworldly with women, yet he's owned a bar for years. He said multiple partners without any real commitment as he prefers it. I'm not bothered by the relationship building, it's the false cluelessness as if the main character is unaware of the negatives or positives of a polygamy relationship in the society the author is built.
Overall a good book simply because I like the story of the main characters history. It reads incredibly slow with bad pacing when dealing with sub characters and filler scenes... If you can get through that, there's enough fun here to enjoy it.

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

All right folks here's my review of this particular Arc, this book picks up directly where the first book ended. It took me quite a while to remember the first book. So this could definitely use a small recap chapter at the beginning. Due to no recap and the amount of mistakes that I found at this time I can only give it three stars. I sent a huge list of corrections in, so hopefully by the time this is published the rest of y'all will have a smooth enjoyable read. The story is not bad, it just took a while to remember what had happened in book one. Until I remembered I felt kind of lost. A recap chapter at the beginning of the book will fix this. This was a great setup book for book 3 which seems like it will have a lot of action in it. So overall I'm going to give this three stars.

6/10

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a review copy of this book

The academy holds no interest for the main character, well, except for the library, the competition can't hold a candle to his group, and he's got plenty of things to try to figure out. There's a whole heap of things here that advance the story nicely, and a whole lot that just add mystery. But, isn't that's what makes an interesting story? Looking forward to the next one.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

good read

Good read. Lots of action and adventure.

What am getting weary of is one of the premises used/proposed. That powerful mages, or “ magicians “ that belong to the aristocracy must have polygamist lives. Come on. Sexist. Insulting. Misogynist. This is not the only book this is suggested that will be happening in the LitRPG genre that I have read in recent months. I’m over it!

Book three is coming up. If I find the same, I am done with this, otherwise, good series.

[Roarke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing happened in the first 3/4 of the book

And the ending was such a contrived cliffhanger. First book was awesome, and a think the series will be great, but this one is a bit of a swing and a miss.

[Ray Ritchey · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting

A new arc that builds nicely on the first book. Still lots of mysteries about how he gained power, but it’s being revealed, slowly.

[Michael Burnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Great book I can't wait to read the next book in the series I would recommend this author to anyone

[Keeley Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it

Love it. It’s an easy read and will keep you on your toes. My only complaint which isn’t really a complaint is the brutal cliffhanger.

[Grant Merrifield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eeeee need the next book

Holy moly i need the next book.
What an epic story. 10 out of 10 I would recommend.
Pax pax.

[Robert L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book

This is a fine fantasy adventure novel. It is well written and edited. I especially like the dog. I anxiously await the sequel.

[Teresa Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooops

Demons are a guy’s best friends. And how fun is that? There’s so much unexpected and cleverly done in this book. Crazy ending!