An Arch Magus dies, only to find himself in the body of a young man in a medieval kingdom. He finds out that he is the second son of a duke, exiled to a desolate town by his own family. Shackled by the notorious reputation of his new shell, he tries his best to develop his domain, implementing new policies and innovations that lead his subjects to prosperity. In this world where magic is undeveloped, he shall once again pave a new path.
Well, this was a disappointment. Aimless, repetitive, and redundant, I gave this about 100 pages before throwing in the towel. I only picked this up because the afterword of the previous volume said this would be the last entry in the series, but the author decided to publish all this side-story fluff instead of bringing things to a close.
As much as it's a shame to go so far into a series and not finish it, I don't owe anyone anything. For me, this has turned into a sunk cost problem and I'm confident now that I won't have a good time with the remainder of the series.
Best of luck to everyone who keeps trucking on, but this is my stop.
This series is always intriguing to me. Honestly, it is rough around the edges, a bit clunky and frankly, no offense, amateurish. On the other hand, there’s aspects of it that rise above the tropes of the genre. So, all in all, I always enjoy these books with characters I like and a satisfying building element. That said, this is filler. There’s no real story arc here, just maintenance for the next book, the last in the series. There’s barely any fighting. I don’t understand why the author feels the last book needs to be a certain length? Why not just write a long final book? I guess there’s money to be considered, and I understand that. But it’s gonna cost you a star.
As I said, this book is a bit rough around the edges, clunky with thorny dialogue, but I chock that up to not being professionally edited. Yet, I really like the main character. I like his backstory. And I really like the way he operates.
It’s not just the builder element of this character, and the story in general, it’s the way the MC rises above the tropes of this genre despite himself being a reborn, overpowered mage and thus a trope. Take the conversations with the various powers that MC has with various leaders on his diplomatic tour. He states what he wants, he listens, and he doesn’t force the issue. He notes things about the states of the nations he visits, and the character of their leaders, but he doesn’t openly judge them or comment on them.
This is because Lark isn’t your average always-right, righteous pursuer and enforcer of justice like most MCs in this genre. He doesn’t want power. He doesn’t want to make the world adopt his views. He just knows there’s a threat, and is doing his best to prepare everyone for it. He does this by holding his tongue, and taking the middle ground, the path of least resistance to achieve that goal, to face the threat and win. I love that.
I also found his conversations with the new Princess character startling deep for this genre, really getting into the reality beneath the superficial ideologies of governing. Pretty cool.
Honestly, these interactions probably saved me from rating this three stars as the clunkiness is on another level in this book, and the lack of a story arc, fighting and payoffs is a little too off the trail of the tropes of this genre for me to see this as anything but filler. A decision based on money, and I can prove it because this books ends randomly.
I hope the end of this series is worth the wait. And I bet it will be.
This story needs to end ASAP. I would be happy to see future novels about Lark that once more follows his journey to regaining his Arch Magus status and potentially moving beyond that, but this series hasn't been that for a long time now and is suffering for it.
This demon war and alliance building is drawn out and tedious to the extreme. I literally don't care for any of the characters introduced since Lark took over as king and any time we spend with them is time wasted in my book.
The most frustrating thing is that this is a series with a lot of writing quirks that could easily be viewed as flaws. The charming nature of the early stories that were much smaller in scope meant this writing style worked well for it and was more of a flavour than a distraction. Now that the story is much larger and more political in nature, the series has lost that charm and the writing feels clumsy rather than charming.
It took me forever to get into this book and I'm starting to lose patience with a series which is a massive shame because I loved the early parts of the series so much. This book was supposed to be the end and while I would very much like to get back to the early part of the story and see more books like that, at this point I will just be happy to see an end before anymore damage is done.
Unfortunately, the author can't seem to help himself from creating new characters and doing more world building with every new book though, so I don't see it ending anytime soon despite what he says.
Why not chase down the bloodstone? He wasted 2 days in Thorneforge but couldn’t chase down the bloodstone fragments which could be worth decades of kingdom expenses?
Why not relocate the arachnids since the eggs are useful for healing?
Why not chase down the mysterious group and artifacts after pretending to be the leader?
Why not revisit the dukedom?
Why not scout the demon realm?
Why not carry a communication device?
What’s happening with the elves?
How are we just finding out now about gryphons and dragons in the demon realm?
I think there’s a lot of plot points that could honestly be fleshed out in another few books.
This book flows well, but by the end it feels like there won't be enough time for the author to properly resolve everything in just one more book unless it's planned to be bigger then any of the largest novels of all time.. there are so many characters that haven't had a chance to really shine yet in these last few novels. And it took so long to get this one id forgotten the storyline so far completely. If they next book takes even longer to make sure it covers everything it needs to I worry for this series as a whole.
I thought the last book was supposed to come out next year. So I was pleasantly surprised when this book came out earlier than expected. But for the most part this book was boring. Not much action. Long winded philosophical discussions. No closure to any of the story lines. As a matter of fact the addition of several new story lines. The next book is going to have to be about 700 pages long just to tie all these lines up. Good luck. I don’t know if I’m going even try.
I was sorely disappointed that the last book was supposed to end the series and it seemed like there was a lot of loose ends so when this came I out I approached it with some caution….this book is amazing and the author is not just rushing to finish everything. An overpowered MC is okay because the story is awesome and so satisfying. Do yourself a favour and read this series!
The story and characters are sweet, but it takes the author three times longer to describe the action than it should. The only way to read his books is by skimming. This being the second to last volume in the series (volume 15 of 16), the romance angle is still barely hinted at, which I think has mostly to do with the author’s discomfort with the subject. It has become a hole in the plot, though. Still, it has been a fun series.
I have read this series a few times now and it is one of my favourite stories, good plot, good writing. ( you have that talent that lets people read without wanting to put the book down, other authors may have a good story, but after maybe half the book, the reader gets bored and uninterested) so keep writing and I will keep a lookout for your next chapter and any future works you publish.
As I said in a review of an earlier book, I think the author got pulled into the trap of ‘more is better’ and at times the ‘more’ is so ‘forced’ it just becomes ludicrous. Also I can’t help thinking the author has dragged out the story with quite a bit of inconsequential filler just to complete more books and as a result the latter books in the series have lacked focus and at times become a bit tedious.
The possible relationship feels hamfisted but I guess since it’s been alluding to a harem it’s fine to some not most. Feels like a lot of plot lines introduced throughout the series as a whole haven’t been nipped in the bud yet. Granted, they all don’t have to be but there feels like there is too many or not enough closure.
I love how the author continues to build anticipation of the final battle. The main storyline hasn’t lost any momentum while side stories are told. It all comes together so nicely that I find myself unable to wait for the next book. Only the knowledge that it’s yet unfinished holds me back. This installment was truly a great read.
So, first I was glad to see that the next installment was available. And then I started reading and got immediately confused by all those different fractions and complicated names.
I don't have the capacity for this complications right now. I need feel good stories, some humor and a good distraction from the enormous shit show that life has become recently.
This is one of the best series I have read in a long while. I look forward to every release with bated breath wondering what other shenanigans the characters will get up to. Truly a fun read, keep up the good work Mr. Sisa!
This is one of my favorite series right now and this book was absolutely great. Aside from some minor spelling errors, it was a joy to read. Easy to read and very intriguing. Can’t wait for the next installment and hopefully it won’t be the last!!!
I still enjoy the MC and the cast of characters. The editing is really good. I did have a lot of stoppages using the Kindle reader, 30+ times. I look forward to the next book.
Write is not the best book I've read its still a book that i enjoy reading when they get released. I'll be said to see this story end but have enjoyed the journey so far. How you release more books and you continue to improve your writing.
It is truly a joy finding a series that keeps getting better and better with every book. I thoroughly recommend giving the series a try. It is quite an enjoyable read.
I’ve been following this series for a couple of years now and have loved the story and the world that’s being built. The author is continuing to improve and I can’t wait until the next volume!
I know the story is slowly coming to close, but everything is just so good… the new additions and paths laid out. Just hooking you right back in wanting more…
I love the world building and how certain things are being wrapped up while introducing some of the other regions. So happy that we get 1 more after this!
This story of a old demon hunter archmage getting a body of a young noble and rebuilding his power and resuming his old quest was a fascinating fantastic read.