Confluence of Fates: First Fist, Book 2

First Fist #2

by T.J. Reynolds, Daniel Wisniewski (narrator), Rebecca Woods (narrator)

After defending the Sanctum, hearth and home of the Jackal Sect, Luca and his disciples have worked hard to establish a foothold on their little island.

The Skalds remain undealt with, however, and the Wylish folk face an unforgiving winter. Without the meat and herbs Luca harvested, many would have already died from starvation and sickness. And the cold will only deepen with time.

Luca's shouldered a monstrous burden. In addition to extending his protection to the exiles, the cultivator has taken on a most improbable raising the nascent Jackal Sect to a position of power.

One of seven in Andaya abroad, Luca's sect lacks what its six sister sects have aplenty. They have few resources, limited manpower, and far too little time to amend these shortcomings.

Most dire of all, their deity is young. Though Leshra's wit is sharp, her own powers fall well short of the gods Dai and Ro.

The Chaos Monks will not let the theft of the Divinity Scroll remain unchallenged. With all the trials Luca faces, he has no choice but to strive for greater power.

He's set his eyes on the island's interior. There lies priceless reagents, the potential to make up for the lack imposed by their isolation, and if he plays his cards right, the boon of much-needed allies.

First Fist is a progression fantasy series containing elements of wuxia/cultivation, light and creamy LitRPG, sect- and base-building, light crafting, and epic fantasy. While this book contains cussing and graphic violence, it does not contain explicit or sexual content.

Genres: Fantasy

Audible Audio

Published July 2, 2024

About the author

I'm a lover of fantasy, gaming, film, and most other forms of miraculous escapism.

I have kids, and a flock of baby dragons we are trying to raise to be house trained.

I write LitRPG/Gamelit books... Feel free to message me or reach out at any time!!!

Reviews

[XR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting read. Love the characters… especially Randall haha.

[Vivek Satyasi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long time coming

I’ve been waiting for this book to come out for a long time. It was great to read about Luca again and to see what kind of progression and antics him and his friends got up to in attaining more power and stability it their crazy world. Good writing and good plot momentum. Will continue this series for sure

[Julie S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book

I have enjoyed both the first and second books. Likeable annoying fun characters. I'm looking forward to the next book. I hope she continues on with the series.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good sequel, although it does sometimes feel like the author’s strength in writing communities and relationships is strained by the inclusion of very gamified litrpg mechanics.

Luca and crew are settling into their sect, slowly building up their strength while outside forces coalesce against them. Like in the first book, I really like the Wylish community and Luca’s internal dialogue about war, life, and responsibility. The magic system is fun and I’m always excited for the next progression. However, the very explicit litrpg elements sometimes feel a little forced as it doesn’t feel like Leshra’s style (I know its a system enforced by the god of order, but Leshra also contributes her own elements). I think a softer cultivation style magic system (with maybe explicit numbers for the base) would feel more natural to me. Also, the dynamics between Luca and his disciples is fine, but it isn’t were the story shines. The tone shift between serious and fraught choices concerning the Wylish village verse the joking, juvenile vibe of Luca training wasn’t my favorite. However, the end of this book does seem to signal a better merging of the two threads (due to the growing size of the sect) and external forces are finally revealed to the main characters, providing a convincing reason for them to progress, so I think most of my issues are getting fixed.

Recommended if you enjoyed book 1!

[John-Torleif Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growth of the Jackal Sect

I like that Luca and his sect are able to help the Wylish, and uncover secrets about their island. I also like that we find that the Dai cultivators are still active against Roe, even if they are far beyond our Wylish sect’s current capacity.

It will be interesting to see how Luca will fit into the larger sect structure, and perhaps, bring some kind of parity between them all. I also am interested to see if the Jackal Sect can repair the damaged relationship with the island’s natives.

[Murphies_law · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of the book consists of endless training, alchemy and meaningless juvenile banter. At the point where Luca gets a tail, thus making him a monkey man, i strongly considered to stop to read..

The protagonist desperately tries to become stronger but in most fights is the weaker one and succeeds only due to plot armor..


Criticism and comments

Cruelty is not a strain of masculinity. Women, children and even animals can be cruel as well..

[Cameron Noire · Rating 2 out of 5]

The romance at the end there ruined it for me!!