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School of Swords and Serpents #1
Hollow Core
Jace Warin never wanted anything more than to attend the School of Swords and Serpents to escape the labor camps and restore his family's stained honor.
But the determined young martial artist soon discovers the school he's always dreamed about is teeming with secret plots and sinister designs. To survive, he will have to master long-lost jinsei techniques, repair his wounded soul, and face down a most unexpected enemy: the academy's ruthless headmaster and cunning professors.
Hollow is the first book in the School of Swords and Serpents series, a tale of wuxia adventure, cultivation mastery, and lurking threats.
“Wow, this book is crazy-good. If the Harry Potter series were somehow violently smashed together with the characters from Mortal Kombat, you might have something that comes close to the School of Swords and Serpents.” —James A. Hunter, Bestselling Author of Rogue Dungeon, Bibliomancer, and the LitRPG epic Viridian Gate Online
405 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
October 23, 2019
Dropped it at over half way mark. Lot of people saying its like Harry Potter. That'd only be true if just having your MC go to a far away magical school which had 'houses' is the criteria for comparison.
In all other aspects this book was.. well woeful. For starters there is no explanation given for anything. Words that make up different elements of the story world are just thrown around and we're supposed to 'guess' what they mean. I'd thought when he finally gets to the school we'd start getting explanations, but nu-uh. It just carried on as before. There was no information shared about the world or the working of the system via schooling theme.
Secondly, similar to explanations, the book lacks sufficient descriptions of even the very basic things. To give an example of what I mean, I'm half way into the book, I've no clear idea what the MC and his friends look like. Half handed information is given about details like that. Like skin colour of one guy, eye colour of other girl, hair colour of third guy. I don't know about you guys, but I don't like to just imagine important characters in the books. I want them to be described properly. You don't have do to it in one go, small mentions about their appearances in different contexts work fine too. But for me it is important to be able to visualize important characters properly.
Thirdly, whats with all things glowing brightly? Nearly every object, animate or inanimate, described in the book is glowing with jinsei. That makes for a freakin ridiculous imagery to have just about everything glowing brightly! Even Dragon Ball Z did not have so much glowing shit, and those guys were blasting planets apart right from the first episode!
Finally, and quite irritatingly, there's too much repetition. I was reminded of the MC's condition and his desire to get over that condition at least once every chapter. It starts to sound like whining after first 2-3 times. This was despite the fact that his 'condition' quite obviously was giving him hax advantage.
Similarly, there were a lot of other aspects in the book that we're reminded again and again and again by the author. It gets really boring.
Overall, it had potential, but the writing style was not for me. Too rushed, not enough detailed or descriptive. The MC's personality doesn't add any bonus points either.
In all other aspects this book was.. well woeful. For starters there is no explanation given for anything. Words that make up different elements of the story world are just thrown around and we're supposed to 'guess' what they mean. I'd thought when he finally gets to the school we'd start getting explanations, but nu-uh. It just carried on as before. There was no information shared about the world or the working of the system via schooling theme.
Secondly, similar to explanations, the book lacks sufficient descriptions of even the very basic things. To give an example of what I mean, I'm half way into the book, I've no clear idea what the MC and his friends look like. Half handed information is given about details like that. Like skin colour of one guy, eye colour of other girl, hair colour of third guy. I don't know about you guys, but I don't like to just imagine important characters in the books. I want them to be described properly. You don't have do to it in one go, small mentions about their appearances in different contexts work fine too. But for me it is important to be able to visualize important characters properly.
Thirdly, whats with all things glowing brightly? Nearly every object, animate or inanimate, described in the book is glowing with jinsei. That makes for a freakin ridiculous imagery to have just about everything glowing brightly! Even Dragon Ball Z did not have so much glowing shit, and those guys were blasting planets apart right from the first episode!
Finally, and quite irritatingly, there's too much repetition. I was reminded of the MC's condition and his desire to get over that condition at least once every chapter. It starts to sound like whining after first 2-3 times. This was despite the fact that his 'condition' quite obviously was giving him hax advantage.
Similarly, there were a lot of other aspects in the book that we're reminded again and again and again by the author. It gets really boring.
Overall, it had potential, but the writing style was not for me. Too rushed, not enough detailed or descriptive. The MC's personality doesn't add any bonus points either.
June 1, 2020
A great cultivation story, awesomely narrated. Will wait for the other books to come out on audible as it was such a fun listen.
May 28, 2020
Better than expected
I almost put this book down and didn’t finish cause the first 10% or so just didn’t intrigue me. Boy am I glad I didn’t! Our main character starts off the undercity the “hood” if you will and he only has one chance of ever making it out. He’s built up the mages of society as beings full of honor and justice and throughout the book we see that naivety stripped away. The world building is great and so is the characterization. Can’t wait for book two
I almost put this book down and didn’t finish cause the first 10% or so just didn’t intrigue me. Boy am I glad I didn’t! Our main character starts off the undercity the “hood” if you will and he only has one chance of ever making it out. He’s built up the mages of society as beings full of honor and justice and throughout the book we see that naivety stripped away. The world building is great and so is the characterization. Can’t wait for book two
May 4, 2020
Very YA
In both execution and plot, there is a thinness. For all of the talk of honor, there was essentially none. Secondary characters only existed long enough to advance the MC through the plot. Even adults or powerful figures were mere shadow puppets to alter the flow of the narrative.
It did flow well, and have a straightforward plot with few twists that were outside parameters. The writing was good, with no noticeable flaws.
I finished it, which is more than I can say for a large number of other novels. But I can’t strongly recommend it, unless you like YA and Asian themed but Western oriented stories.
In both execution and plot, there is a thinness. For all of the talk of honor, there was essentially none. Secondary characters only existed long enough to advance the MC through the plot. Even adults or powerful figures were mere shadow puppets to alter the flow of the narrative.
It did flow well, and have a straightforward plot with few twists that were outside parameters. The writing was good, with no noticeable flaws.
I finished it, which is more than I can say for a large number of other novels. But I can’t strongly recommend it, unless you like YA and Asian themed but Western oriented stories.
September 2, 2019
This is a wuxia coming of age adventure story which I would easily compare to the Harry Potter books but this is darker, much darker. Jace Wacin is a young man who had a damaged core, was brought up by his mother, who worked her fingers to the bone to give him a better life than they presently had, living in the undercity, working in the labour camps and with barely getting enough to eat and drinking grey filthy water. All Jace wanted in life was to be accepted into the Sword and Serpents Academy in order to clear his honour, to repair his damaged core and to give his mother a chance to live a better life. He dared to take part in the five dragons challenge in order to be accepted into the school and he passed, but the headmaster singled him out as unsavoury and did not want him due to a grudge he had with Jace's father who had dishonoured the family name when he had been exiled. Once Jace arrived at the school he realised this was not what he had dreamt it would be, instead he found a nest of vipers out to get his blood. The headmaster had marked a target on his back and both students and professors were out to make his life a living hell except for his three good friends he had no one. However, Jace knew giving up was not an option for him, he would never return to a life in the undercity or work in the labour camps, so he suffered all that they threw at him even at the risk of losing his life. In the meantime he studied and learnt how to make up for his crippled core by learning old core techniques and borrowing jinsei energy from creatures around him. He wanted to prove that a camper was nothing less than an Empyreal, that the sins of the father do not always rest on the son's shoulders and in seeing his first year through he might encourage other campers to not give up. In this first book we get to meet this heroic character, who is so full of courage and integrity we the readers just have to admire him, the darkness surrounding him is awful and scary at times especially since he is going up against one of the Patriarchs himself. I loved this book so much I just could not put it down till I read the last line and I just hope that the next book in series will be available soon as I cannot wait to read further into Jace's story which I am sure is just going to get more and more intriguing. Well done Gage Lee for this new compelling read.
September 28, 2019
The world is out to get our intrepid young hero; with his supposed deformity actually being the key to a power that saved the world once before.
Long ago, evil spirits attacked and almost overwhelmed the world; that is until one of the clans created a caste of super warriors from people who had the same deformity as our protagonist. Once the spirit horde was beaten back, the warriors had nothing to fight.
It was decided that it was better to kill them now than risk the potential of them rising up and fight back against the powers that be, and they were all killed to the last man.
Now, this supposed deformity has returned with the birth of our hero, and there are those who wish to use him as pawn to bring glory to themselves, and those who want him dead or enslaved. The story follows Jace Warin and his attempts to learn who he is and where he came from.
The book manages to hit quite a few cliches all in one go: MC born to a disgraced family, yet doesn't know what happened and no-one will tell him, defeating someone may times stronger than him in the second chapter due to 'cheap' tricks; being hated for his weakness, being despised for beating people despite his weakness, a society that prides itself on its code of honor, yet no one seems to follow it, contrived stupidity in the form of the headmaster: "when one assassination attempt fails, why not more?" and more all in the name of driving Jace into a corner where he is forced to learn the one thing that could give him enough power to defend himself, yet he has already proven his ability to defend himself multiple times without the need of some 'forbidden' techniques.
Overall, I enjoyed the magic system and the world behind it, but I just couldn't emotionally invest in the main character or any of his problems.
Long ago, evil spirits attacked and almost overwhelmed the world; that is until one of the clans created a caste of super warriors from people who had the same deformity as our protagonist. Once the spirit horde was beaten back, the warriors had nothing to fight.
It was decided that it was better to kill them now than risk the potential of them rising up and fight back against the powers that be, and they were all killed to the last man.
Now, this supposed deformity has returned with the birth of our hero, and there are those who wish to use him as pawn to bring glory to themselves, and those who want him dead or enslaved. The story follows Jace Warin and his attempts to learn who he is and where he came from.
The book manages to hit quite a few cliches all in one go: MC born to a disgraced family, yet doesn't know what happened and no-one will tell him, defeating someone may times stronger than him in the second chapter due to 'cheap' tricks; being hated for his weakness, being despised for beating people despite his weakness, a society that prides itself on its code of honor, yet no one seems to follow it, contrived stupidity in the form of the headmaster: "when one assassination attempt fails, why not more?" and more all in the name of driving Jace into a corner where he is forced to learn the one thing that could give him enough power to defend himself, yet he has already proven his ability to defend himself multiple times without the need of some 'forbidden' techniques.
Overall, I enjoyed the magic system and the world behind it, but I just couldn't emotionally invest in the main character or any of his problems.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2021
Hollow Core is what you get when you wished Harry Potter was a cultivation novel. There are so many similarities, that you can't help but cringe at some of the stuff that happens in the story.
Hollow Core follows a young man trying to overcome his shortcomings, and it is very much a coming-of-age story. What is problematic however is that the story is set in _our_ world. This means, that there is Christmas, Smart Phones, TV, Computers etc. This makes the story a lot less enjoyable because it doesn't really feel like a different world.
Let's get onto the characters. The characters themselves are pretty bland. The main character _does_ have _some_ nuance, but not a whole lot of it. The other characters become quite boring to read over time. In fact, it becomes a bit of a chore.
Lastly, because this is first-person, it doesn't do a proper fantasy novel justice, and the author fails to take advantage of the first-person narrative, and provide expositions in a really blunt manner.
I was desperate for a cultivation novel, so this is why I read this. I would not usually suggest that you read this.
Hollow Core follows a young man trying to overcome his shortcomings, and it is very much a coming-of-age story. What is problematic however is that the story is set in _our_ world. This means, that there is Christmas, Smart Phones, TV, Computers etc. This makes the story a lot less enjoyable because it doesn't really feel like a different world.
Let's get onto the characters. The characters themselves are pretty bland. The main character _does_ have _some_ nuance, but not a whole lot of it. The other characters become quite boring to read over time. In fact, it becomes a bit of a chore.
Lastly, because this is first-person, it doesn't do a proper fantasy novel justice, and the author fails to take advantage of the first-person narrative, and provide expositions in a really blunt manner.
I was desperate for a cultivation novel, so this is why I read this. I would not usually suggest that you read this.
February 14, 2020
Harry Potter meets Chivalry of a Failed Knight
It took me awhile to remember the concept, but it's the anime 'Chivalry of a Failed Knight.' The most put down, outcast, and seemingly hopeless student with an amazing talent and a small group of friends. Now put that in a Hogwarts style school and you've got most of the story. Not a complaint; merely an observation.
It took me a bit to really get into the story, partly because I felt it took a bit to really get the story rolling. There is some time spent on politics and plots, which is certainly an important underlying aspect of the story, but sometimes it felt like it dragged. Or maybe it was just me. It's been an odd few days for me...
Grammar, punctuation, and spelling were all on point. The writing style is very good as well. I found very few errors which makes me very happy. Errors tend to break the flow of reading which isn't fun for any book.
There's nothing overtly wrong with this story. I'm on my way to read book two right now, so if nothing else, that should say something.
It took me awhile to remember the concept, but it's the anime 'Chivalry of a Failed Knight.' The most put down, outcast, and seemingly hopeless student with an amazing talent and a small group of friends. Now put that in a Hogwarts style school and you've got most of the story. Not a complaint; merely an observation.
It took me a bit to really get into the story, partly because I felt it took a bit to really get the story rolling. There is some time spent on politics and plots, which is certainly an important underlying aspect of the story, but sometimes it felt like it dragged. Or maybe it was just me. It's been an odd few days for me...
Grammar, punctuation, and spelling were all on point. The writing style is very good as well. I found very few errors which makes me very happy. Errors tend to break the flow of reading which isn't fun for any book.
There's nothing overtly wrong with this story. I'm on my way to read book two right now, so if nothing else, that should say something.
June 23, 2020
Overall a good story which improves as it goes along. Some of the antics of the "adults" in the novel feel childish and overall there is a sense of the book being written for a younger audience in mind. I am hoping as the main character advances Gage Lee will tailor the rest of the books in the series for an older audience.
January 19, 2021
An okay young adult fantasy with some reader speed bumps.
(Edit. I had to come back to edit and adjust the rating of this review. The first book I rated it was good but had some minor issues I thought. Unfortunately the entire series while entertaining and fun at times even striking some emotional chords is full of discontinuity and content errors. the abbreviated example is in this book is the main character is from St Louis halfway through the series he states he's from Dallas. at the end of the series a random character who was a minor antagonist and never a friend is referred to as a former friend. but in between books things that occur does not necessarily mean it will be true in the next book. Even at the very end of this book things that are stated as fact or later completely ignored. This can be a fun read and is a purely Kindle unlimited read for me. the best example I can give to the types of errors you will see is in the very last book a creature was first said to have 12 cores and with an few sentences it was then stated to have six chore and then alternately a paragraph or two later it was said to have nine cores. It was an obvious case of the author not looking at what he was writing. Again this is a purely Kindle unlimited read and if you can get by the messy plot and errors it can be a decent one time read.)
Overall this story really did pull me in with a combination that felt a bit like Harry Potter meets Will Wight's Cradle seires. It is told in first person point of view and is appropriate for young adults and above. I can see it being a safe read for preteens as well. The story itself though can also satisfy adult readers. While there are a few mistakes from the author editing and some logical inconsistencies in world the overall the book left me turning page after page looking forward to the next part of the story. If they would have only put the chapter numbers in it would have been a lot more pleasing lol. Just felt sort of wrong to simply have title headings for each chapter.
There is a lot of good in this work. Yes it does borrow quite heavily it feels from The Magic School genre and mixes it with a non-technical martial art cultivation fantasy. Truthfully though it was highly entertaining with just enough reader speed bumps for it to miss the mark a bit. Having a teacher with two different colored eyes one that twitches around the room and watches the other students or the other is focused on the main character was a bit too much like Mad-eye Moody which I think was sort of the purpose lol. Having a sword teach called Aurelius was definitely I think a nod to Will Wight.
The world building happens at a good pace info dumping, allowing you know that is set in more of a modern time but with a martial arts fantasy twist that is world accomplishing. There is the question of if they have jet planes, fireworks and television why wouldn't they have guns lol. At the same time it feels like an alternate history which in and of itself helps with the world building putting the reader in a familiar territory with just a mystical twist.
I did enjoy the characters feeling that they were well rounded to a point. And the setting itself did get a bit psychedelic when trying to figure out exactly what was going on but did not take me too far out of the story and any given point. There's a mixture of wry humor and even a bit of romance perhaps, along with plenty of action.
It is a fairly solid story but some of the reader speed bumps comes sort of in content errors they're quite illogical even when looked at through the eyes of an enthralled reader. At one point early in the story he says he's been at the school for 3 months in the next chapter over the course of a few weeks it is shown to be the end of October meaning he is literally been on the end of the school for 2 months. A few times this sort of time error pops up.
I also feel that the circumstance the protagonist finds himself in with the disdain and outright aggressive hatred by the antagonist and those under him seems to be ridiculous considering these are ancient adults and this is a 15-year-old kid. And that way the story did sort of pull me out but I do feel that the action and pacing of the story helped pull me through and pull me into the story enough for it just to be a nagging aggravation.
So far I would highly recommend this story to any reader who wants to have a little bit of fun without going too deep. I have the feeling that this is going to be a fast paced adventure that will at times tug on the heartstrings while setting up action galore.
(Edit. I had to come back to edit and adjust the rating of this review. The first book I rated it was good but had some minor issues I thought. Unfortunately the entire series while entertaining and fun at times even striking some emotional chords is full of discontinuity and content errors. the abbreviated example is in this book is the main character is from St Louis halfway through the series he states he's from Dallas. at the end of the series a random character who was a minor antagonist and never a friend is referred to as a former friend. but in between books things that occur does not necessarily mean it will be true in the next book. Even at the very end of this book things that are stated as fact or later completely ignored. This can be a fun read and is a purely Kindle unlimited read for me. the best example I can give to the types of errors you will see is in the very last book a creature was first said to have 12 cores and with an few sentences it was then stated to have six chore and then alternately a paragraph or two later it was said to have nine cores. It was an obvious case of the author not looking at what he was writing. Again this is a purely Kindle unlimited read and if you can get by the messy plot and errors it can be a decent one time read.)
Overall this story really did pull me in with a combination that felt a bit like Harry Potter meets Will Wight's Cradle seires. It is told in first person point of view and is appropriate for young adults and above. I can see it being a safe read for preteens as well. The story itself though can also satisfy adult readers. While there are a few mistakes from the author editing and some logical inconsistencies in world the overall the book left me turning page after page looking forward to the next part of the story. If they would have only put the chapter numbers in it would have been a lot more pleasing lol. Just felt sort of wrong to simply have title headings for each chapter.
There is a lot of good in this work. Yes it does borrow quite heavily it feels from The Magic School genre and mixes it with a non-technical martial art cultivation fantasy. Truthfully though it was highly entertaining with just enough reader speed bumps for it to miss the mark a bit. Having a teacher with two different colored eyes one that twitches around the room and watches the other students or the other is focused on the main character was a bit too much like Mad-eye Moody which I think was sort of the purpose lol. Having a sword teach called Aurelius was definitely I think a nod to Will Wight.
The world building happens at a good pace info dumping, allowing you know that is set in more of a modern time but with a martial arts fantasy twist that is world accomplishing. There is the question of if they have jet planes, fireworks and television why wouldn't they have guns lol. At the same time it feels like an alternate history which in and of itself helps with the world building putting the reader in a familiar territory with just a mystical twist.
I did enjoy the characters feeling that they were well rounded to a point. And the setting itself did get a bit psychedelic when trying to figure out exactly what was going on but did not take me too far out of the story and any given point. There's a mixture of wry humor and even a bit of romance perhaps, along with plenty of action.
It is a fairly solid story but some of the reader speed bumps comes sort of in content errors they're quite illogical even when looked at through the eyes of an enthralled reader. At one point early in the story he says he's been at the school for 3 months in the next chapter over the course of a few weeks it is shown to be the end of October meaning he is literally been on the end of the school for 2 months. A few times this sort of time error pops up.
I also feel that the circumstance the protagonist finds himself in with the disdain and outright aggressive hatred by the antagonist and those under him seems to be ridiculous considering these are ancient adults and this is a 15-year-old kid. And that way the story did sort of pull me out but I do feel that the action and pacing of the story helped pull me through and pull me into the story enough for it just to be a nagging aggravation.
So far I would highly recommend this story to any reader who wants to have a little bit of fun without going too deep. I have the feeling that this is going to be a fast paced adventure that will at times tug on the heartstrings while setting up action galore.
August 11, 2020
This book could be used as a classroom example of one dimensional characters, the villains in particular. So the MC has a mystery "core" that defies understanding by all the powerful cultivators he meets. The MC is unable to store magical energy in his core but can still purify magical energy and run it through his body. Using his mysterious technique the MC wins a fighting competition that is to give him entry into a cultivation school attended by several powerful clans but it turns out, in all the world, the head of the school just so happens to bear a grudge against the MC because of who his father was (even though they don't even remotely run in the same social circles with the school head being incredibly powerful and important and the MC coming from the slums). I did not finish this book but in the 30% I got through this "father issue" was never explained. The father gone and the MC's mother and evil school head just hint at the father having done something bad. Which is example of #1 of how shallow this book is:
First of all, why wouldn't the MC's mother just tell him? Second, why does the all-important head of a powerful clan and school even care? How is it that the school head even has time to lurk in hallways to threaten the MC and make vague references to the MC's his father????? Apparently the school head just cleared his schedule for the entire year to harrass someone he repeatedly indicates is beneath his notice???? The school head even calls a meeting of basically everyone in the school except the MC just to announce he doesn't like the MC. Can you imagine the president of a college doing something like that? Of course not because a college president is a real person with better ways to spend his/her time and not a one dimensional character from a book.
So after winning the fight the school head declares he won't the MC attend regardless prompting the head of a rival clan to step in and sponsor the MC. Then this rival clan head essentially sabotages the MC even though his clan's pride is on the line (and, again, this bizarre behavior wasn't explained in the part of the book I read and essentially just came across as the author wanting to make it unbearably obvious that his MC is an underdog/victim). The rival clan head ignores the MC, insuring the MC, who is essentially from the slums but is now heading to a "rich kids" school, is unprepared. Then the rival clan head forces the MC into a job that will take up so much time and energy that the job by itself looks like it will insure the MC's failure. And, again, the rival clan head does this even though the author has already told us the MC's failure would be a noticeable embarrassment to the clan.
More bad stuff happened to the MC but by this point it was just piling on by the author who essentially leaves his MC no possible way of succeeding. I'm sure the MC succeeds anyway since there is a book 2 but by this point in the book the author has failed to give the reader anything to care about, and that is coming from someone who generally likes cultivation stories.
Bottom line: Not even remotely worth the time.
First of all, why wouldn't the MC's mother just tell him? Second, why does the all-important head of a powerful clan and school even care? How is it that the school head even has time to lurk in hallways to threaten the MC and make vague references to the MC's his father????? Apparently the school head just cleared his schedule for the entire year to harrass someone he repeatedly indicates is beneath his notice???? The school head even calls a meeting of basically everyone in the school except the MC just to announce he doesn't like the MC. Can you imagine the president of a college doing something like that? Of course not because a college president is a real person with better ways to spend his/her time and not a one dimensional character from a book.
So after winning the fight the school head declares he won't the MC attend regardless prompting the head of a rival clan to step in and sponsor the MC. Then this rival clan head essentially sabotages the MC even though his clan's pride is on the line (and, again, this bizarre behavior wasn't explained in the part of the book I read and essentially just came across as the author wanting to make it unbearably obvious that his MC is an underdog/victim). The rival clan head ignores the MC, insuring the MC, who is essentially from the slums but is now heading to a "rich kids" school, is unprepared. Then the rival clan head forces the MC into a job that will take up so much time and energy that the job by itself looks like it will insure the MC's failure. And, again, the rival clan head does this even though the author has already told us the MC's failure would be a noticeable embarrassment to the clan.
More bad stuff happened to the MC but by this point it was just piling on by the author who essentially leaves his MC no possible way of succeeding. I'm sure the MC succeeds anyway since there is a book 2 but by this point in the book the author has failed to give the reader anything to care about, and that is coming from someone who generally likes cultivation stories.
Bottom line: Not even remotely worth the time.
December 31, 2021
I like parts of this book a lot more than the whole. The plot and structure of the book is fairly engaging, and it takes unique turns at times. But the actual writing isn't that impressive.
Jace is presented as an underdog that would be sympathized with, but the more I read about him the more I realized that Jace is really kind of a shitty person. He is presented as someone who has trained and worked hard everyday under his mother's guidance in harsh conditions. Working on being honorable and strong in intense poverty and classism. But then, he gets to school and immediately begins to steal and lie about what he can do? And it is framed as a necessity that he steals from his sponsor, but what was his plan? His mom and him trained him his entire life, but they didn't think of what would happen once he actually got into the school? It's not like he was caught off guard by his hollow core. So. That left a bad taste in my mouth.
Jace also is supposed to be a calculating and intelligent character who skirts the rules - which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, it makes the idea of him training constantly and diligently seem like a contradiction. If he works so hard, why does he cheat, and if he is a cheater and only focused on bending the rules, why would he work on his training with his mother so diligently?
Then the characters... While there are interesting roles that characters could play, most of them are all one dimensional. The honest kid is honest. The quirky kid is quirky. The show offs like to... show off. It's not very engaging when his friends all have a single personality trait. The most developed character might be Hahen the rodent slave who teaches him to use the cores of rats. And that was probably the most interesting and 'earned' progress Jace makes. But considering that we don't spend enough time with any of the peripheral characters, is not a good payoff.
This is especially true with the villains. The school director has so much free time to harass a single student. It feels childish, especially when the adult director tells the students to pick on this one kid from the slums. Like wtf? How is that even a situation? Could you imagine your school principal making a big announcement over lunch that everyone should pick on a random kid in rags? And this guy is supposed to be one of the oldest and strongest mages in the world.
Another element of this story is that literally, everyone is out to get Jace. Everyone. No one likes him except 3 random kids who he met before his fight that got him into the school. And even they don't stick by him. In the most casual and unemotional exchange, they all basically tell him that they can't be friends bc he's hated by everyone. The principal Grayson hates him. His clan hates him. The teachers hate him. Tyco hates him but is using him. His peers hate him. At this point I'm surprised his mom didn't hate him. I think I was supposed to pity him, but honestly I kinda hate him too. He's a cheating kid who only thinks about his honor and himself.
The other part of this is the writing. It is very straightforward. The author basically just tells you when and what you should be feeling at any given time. When the author wants you to be sad, he says Jace is sad. When Jace feels happy, then we should feel happy. Instead of nuance and subtle actions that display the tone and thoughts of the characters, the reader is directly told. And it's in a very matter-of-fact way. An example is with the sentencing chapter, arguably the part of the book where Jace should be at his lowest point where his hope of restoring honor is broken. This is the part where he almost died, lost all connection to his only family, will be seen as a cheater and dishonorable person and most likely labeled a criminal. And what emotionally charged description do we get? "Grayson was trying to get under my skin, and it was working." That's it. There's no description of fear or unease or tension. It sounds like someone rattling off a grocery list. The writing style is very much that: a style. I personally didn't like it, but others might find it a non-issue.
I think the main story components and ideas presented are intriguing. I like the idea of a Hollow Core and how that limits and aids someone in this world. I even like the political backdrop and rivalries that are going on. But I don't feel engaged by the characters or invested. The bad guys are bad. The scared mom is scared. There's little depth to the characters and Jace isn't a compelling main character.
Jace is presented as an underdog that would be sympathized with, but the more I read about him the more I realized that Jace is really kind of a shitty person. He is presented as someone who has trained and worked hard everyday under his mother's guidance in harsh conditions. Working on being honorable and strong in intense poverty and classism. But then, he gets to school and immediately begins to steal and lie about what he can do? And it is framed as a necessity that he steals from his sponsor, but what was his plan? His mom and him trained him his entire life, but they didn't think of what would happen once he actually got into the school? It's not like he was caught off guard by his hollow core. So. That left a bad taste in my mouth.
Jace also is supposed to be a calculating and intelligent character who skirts the rules - which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, it makes the idea of him training constantly and diligently seem like a contradiction. If he works so hard, why does he cheat, and if he is a cheater and only focused on bending the rules, why would he work on his training with his mother so diligently?
Then the characters... While there are interesting roles that characters could play, most of them are all one dimensional. The honest kid is honest. The quirky kid is quirky. The show offs like to... show off. It's not very engaging when his friends all have a single personality trait. The most developed character might be Hahen the rodent slave who teaches him to use the cores of rats. And that was probably the most interesting and 'earned' progress Jace makes. But considering that we don't spend enough time with any of the peripheral characters, is not a good payoff.
This is especially true with the villains. The school director has so much free time to harass a single student. It feels childish, especially when the adult director tells the students to pick on this one kid from the slums. Like wtf? How is that even a situation? Could you imagine your school principal making a big announcement over lunch that everyone should pick on a random kid in rags? And this guy is supposed to be one of the oldest and strongest mages in the world.
Another element of this story is that literally, everyone is out to get Jace. Everyone. No one likes him except 3 random kids who he met before his fight that got him into the school. And even they don't stick by him. In the most casual and unemotional exchange, they all basically tell him that they can't be friends bc he's hated by everyone. The principal Grayson hates him. His clan hates him. The teachers hate him. Tyco hates him but is using him. His peers hate him. At this point I'm surprised his mom didn't hate him. I think I was supposed to pity him, but honestly I kinda hate him too. He's a cheating kid who only thinks about his honor and himself.
The other part of this is the writing. It is very straightforward. The author basically just tells you when and what you should be feeling at any given time. When the author wants you to be sad, he says Jace is sad. When Jace feels happy, then we should feel happy. Instead of nuance and subtle actions that display the tone and thoughts of the characters, the reader is directly told. And it's in a very matter-of-fact way. An example is with the sentencing chapter, arguably the part of the book where Jace should be at his lowest point where his hope of restoring honor is broken. This is the part where he almost died, lost all connection to his only family, will be seen as a cheater and dishonorable person and most likely labeled a criminal. And what emotionally charged description do we get? "Grayson was trying to get under my skin, and it was working." That's it. There's no description of fear or unease or tension. It sounds like someone rattling off a grocery list. The writing style is very much that: a style. I personally didn't like it, but others might find it a non-issue.
I think the main story components and ideas presented are intriguing. I like the idea of a Hollow Core and how that limits and aids someone in this world. I even like the political backdrop and rivalries that are going on. But I don't feel engaged by the characters or invested. The bad guys are bad. The scared mom is scared. There's little depth to the characters and Jace isn't a compelling main character.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2021
[Audiobook Version]
My Rating System:
5- Perfect for my taste, could not physically stop reading/listening, wanted more afterword.
4- Almost perfect, could not stop reading/listening, probably wanted more afterword.
3- Enjoyed the book, could see others loving it, need to think if I want more.
2- Can see why others might like the book, but I could not, I do not want more.
1- What is this? What went wrong? Why did they do this? This doesn't make any sense! (No idea who it is for but definitely not for me).
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy cultivation books with an underdog protagonist and to those who like to see the characters get slapped around by nearly everyone (Thankfully this does decrease later on).
This is another underdog series where the protagonist is basically inferior to everyone at first, but that quickly changes before the end of the book. The characters are likable and are not too annoying for the most part. I also, thought the story was pretty decent but it is only the foundation and I think it will pick up more in book 2. The one thing I do wish for is more details about jinsei and aspects. For example, how they really look, the shape, how does it move, and so on. There are small details explained when it is being controlled by others but that's about it. While on the topic of details, I also wished the school was focused on more explain the world better. The world is very interesting but the amount of detail to really envision it is very little.
Overall, I would give this book a rating of 3.5. Personally, a 3 is an average book that kept my interest long enough to finish it and made me think if I really wanted to read more (if it was a part of a series). Therefore, I gave it a 3.5 since I knew I wanted to read more but wished it was done a little better. However, I still think the book is above average and I did enjoy the book and plan to continue the series.
My Rating System:
5- Perfect for my taste, could not physically stop reading/listening, wanted more afterword.
4- Almost perfect, could not stop reading/listening, probably wanted more afterword.
3- Enjoyed the book, could see others loving it, need to think if I want more.
2- Can see why others might like the book, but I could not, I do not want more.
1- What is this? What went wrong? Why did they do this? This doesn't make any sense! (No idea who it is for but definitely not for me).
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy cultivation books with an underdog protagonist and to those who like to see the characters get slapped around by nearly everyone (Thankfully this does decrease later on).
This is another underdog series where the protagonist is basically inferior to everyone at first, but that quickly changes before the end of the book. The characters are likable and are not too annoying for the most part. I also, thought the story was pretty decent but it is only the foundation and I think it will pick up more in book 2. The one thing I do wish for is more details about jinsei and aspects. For example, how they really look, the shape, how does it move, and so on. There are small details explained when it is being controlled by others but that's about it. While on the topic of details, I also wished the school was focused on more explain the world better. The world is very interesting but the amount of detail to really envision it is very little.
Overall, I would give this book a rating of 3.5. Personally, a 3 is an average book that kept my interest long enough to finish it and made me think if I really wanted to read more (if it was a part of a series). Therefore, I gave it a 3.5 since I knew I wanted to read more but wished it was done a little better. However, I still think the book is above average and I did enjoy the book and plan to continue the series.
April 26, 2022
I got this series on another account but I had to get it on mine. this book was so good. from start to finish, the characters were good. the cultivation and the way it was explained was just beautiful. I dare say the cultivation is a good as a thousand li, and if you've read that series you know what I'm talking about. The only thing I don't like about this series is the Mc, he has no backbone in my opinion. Everything else is good. it's not as good as most cultivation books out there like Condemning of heavens, death cultivater, blue Phoenix. but it's a good and explained cultivation story. another thing I like about this series is they actually explain the cultivation and how it works. most books don't do that. The mc isn't overpowered or Super strong in this series. which I like, most cultivation books start off with an overpowered mc. not this one. the character progression is awesome, from start to finish the mc changed to fit the circumstances he was put into. the world building isn't as good tho. the characters were likeable, every character had there own unique abilities. the detail added into the book was just good... Most books push and make the series to fast paced. this book didn't, that's what makes it so good.
August 24, 2020
A coming of age set in a modern world with super powered martial artists. An interesting concept as I have recently been binging on a lot of translated xianxia. For me, the delivery is lacking because of the rough merger between several aspects:
1. The main character's actions don't gel with either his upbringing or the nature of his martial art.
2. The world building, maybe because I only stuck till book 2, didn't give me enough reasons to suspend disbelief regarding the structure of society - i.e., alchemy is a thing in this world and yet they also have quantum computers and the internet
3. Some of the supporting characters have the same discontinuity as the main character with regards to their actions and background/upbringing.
On the plus side, the story moves quickly and the writing is without a lot of the flaws sometimes present in novels published by smaller houses.
For a novel that marries technology and magical martial arts, and one you won't find at Amazon, please try Release That Witch. Readable online at novelfull.
1. The main character's actions don't gel with either his upbringing or the nature of his martial art.
2. The world building, maybe because I only stuck till book 2, didn't give me enough reasons to suspend disbelief regarding the structure of society - i.e., alchemy is a thing in this world and yet they also have quantum computers and the internet
3. Some of the supporting characters have the same discontinuity as the main character with regards to their actions and background/upbringing.
On the plus side, the story moves quickly and the writing is without a lot of the flaws sometimes present in novels published by smaller houses.
For a novel that marries technology and magical martial arts, and one you won't find at Amazon, please try Release That Witch. Readable online at novelfull.
October 6, 2022
The author of this fantasy novel series has a death wish for the main character Jace Warin. There is not enough hatred, prejudice, torture, pain and grief that the author has written for the main character. What would be the point for the reader, to read a novel where the biggest hater-troll-antagonist of the main character, is the author that “created this main character”? Who would want to read the rants and deep rooted hatred for a main character that is weak, self-deprecating and hated by everybody in this novel series?
Why would an author waste so much time, paper, and all of the readers time as well, to write this story about hatred and futility?
Who would make an alternate reality world, then set it on Earth, with cellphones, cities and countries, then have it with a Harry Potter like Magic Academy, and guilds and classes of magics and special magical abilities that have never ever been available on Earth? There is just something that does not fit with the lack of world development and magical history of this story series.
Why would an author waste so much time, paper, and all of the readers time as well, to write this story about hatred and futility?
Who would make an alternate reality world, then set it on Earth, with cellphones, cities and countries, then have it with a Harry Potter like Magic Academy, and guilds and classes of magics and special magical abilities that have never ever been available on Earth? There is just something that does not fit with the lack of world development and magical history of this story series.
November 20, 2020
Don't know what to expect.
Hmm. Jinsei is an energy type... I wonder if they eat or use Ginseng in this world too...
This seems to be a mix of modern technology with archaic forms of living / culture. They have internet, TVs, and cameras (to record the things they show on the televisions), but at the same time people have to show "face", there are teleportation portals and there are "runes" or words of power that channel this energy.
Is this some Harry Potter knock off? What's with him asking the sorting hat- I mean sorting string to place him in a specific house- I mean clan. Was that a joke?
This was a cultivation Harry Potter novel. It even has points being awarded to your house, I mean clan. I don't know how I should feel about this. I will be reading the next book however, since this book didn't have anything raising red flags, and was entertaining. Also, even though the novel was about a young person, I didn't get those young adult vibes I hate in books.
3/5 Stars
Hmm. Jinsei is an energy type... I wonder if they eat or use Ginseng in this world too...
This seems to be a mix of modern technology with archaic forms of living / culture. They have internet, TVs, and cameras (to record the things they show on the televisions), but at the same time people have to show "face", there are teleportation portals and there are "runes" or words of power that channel this energy.
Is this some Harry Potter knock off? What's with him asking the sorting hat- I mean sorting string to place him in a specific house- I mean clan. Was that a joke?
This was a cultivation Harry Potter novel. It even has points being awarded to your house, I mean clan. I don't know how I should feel about this. I will be reading the next book however, since this book didn't have anything raising red flags, and was entertaining. Also, even though the novel was about a young person, I didn't get those young adult vibes I hate in books.
3/5 Stars
January 30, 2021
Katniss Potter and the Prep School for Murderers
The payoff was not worth slogging through the misery to get there.
Post apocalyptic Earth sees the masses slave away in abject poverty while superhuman warriors live in the lap of luxury while preparing to fight off alien demon spirits. Along comes the hero, Katniss Potter, to upset the apple cart and suffer under ridiculously, cartoonishly evil and corrupt authority figures in hopes of starting a new life. Little did he know, these spoiled superhumans think nothing of indentured slave labor and casual attempted murder in the hallways, because that's basically every other chapter. Only at the very end does anyone bother to say, maybe we should follow our own rules and not be flat caricatures of purposeless evil.
I hated this book. But I also hated Hunger Games, so if you liked that, maybe you'll like this.
The payoff was not worth slogging through the misery to get there.
Post apocalyptic Earth sees the masses slave away in abject poverty while superhuman warriors live in the lap of luxury while preparing to fight off alien demon spirits. Along comes the hero, Katniss Potter, to upset the apple cart and suffer under ridiculously, cartoonishly evil and corrupt authority figures in hopes of starting a new life. Little did he know, these spoiled superhumans think nothing of indentured slave labor and casual attempted murder in the hallways, because that's basically every other chapter. Only at the very end does anyone bother to say, maybe we should follow our own rules and not be flat caricatures of purposeless evil.
I hated this book. But I also hated Hunger Games, so if you liked that, maybe you'll like this.
April 28, 2020
Tough start but it sucked me in...
I'm a little new to the wuxia genre but I'd just like to say I'm glad I stayed with it. It was hard for me to get a good picture of what was going on because even though the story was told in the first person, my mind kept trying to read it in the third, if you know what I mean. This is actually the 3rd time I've started this book. The first and second time I just couldn't get past the first person POV. It was conflicting with how I thought this story should be. After Jace goes to school, things start to pick up drastically. And that is where the author got me. Hook, line, and sinker. I ended up going to work with an hour of sleep because I was so engrossed.
I'm a little new to the wuxia genre but I'd just like to say I'm glad I stayed with it. It was hard for me to get a good picture of what was going on because even though the story was told in the first person, my mind kept trying to read it in the third, if you know what I mean. This is actually the 3rd time I've started this book. The first and second time I just couldn't get past the first person POV. It was conflicting with how I thought this story should be. After Jace goes to school, things start to pick up drastically. And that is where the author got me. Hook, line, and sinker. I ended up going to work with an hour of sleep because I was so engrossed.
May 5, 2020
Completely Average
This isn’t a bad book. It also isn’t a great one. In fact it’s completely average in every way. There are a few misspelled or misplaced words, but not too many. The story, which seems to be a Harry Potter cultivation fan fiction. The story is fine, but not great, just like everything else with the book. All in all, I’ll probably read the next book, but this isn’t a book I’d ever reread. Also, is the MC named “Jace” or Jason? Because at least once he’s referred to Jason. Something that slipped through the editing? Also, what was his physical change at the end that was creepy but kinda cool? It was thrown out there and then never explained. These are a few of the very many reasons it’s a 3* book.
This isn’t a bad book. It also isn’t a great one. In fact it’s completely average in every way. There are a few misspelled or misplaced words, but not too many. The story, which seems to be a Harry Potter cultivation fan fiction. The story is fine, but not great, just like everything else with the book. All in all, I’ll probably read the next book, but this isn’t a book I’d ever reread. Also, is the MC named “Jace” or Jason? Because at least once he’s referred to Jason. Something that slipped through the editing? Also, what was his physical change at the end that was creepy but kinda cool? It was thrown out there and then never explained. These are a few of the very many reasons it’s a 3* book.
May 22, 2022
This book had a lot of my favorite elements blended together. There was a cultivation culture with a magic school setting, where all the students train in their paths to level up into strong warriors. And there were also litRPG elements, involving treasure hunts and boss type fights. It was a good blend of the two, but also resulted in both the cultivation and litRPG not being as strong and prevalent as they normally are in such books.
While the characterization wasn't overly deep, it was good enough for me here, since I was in the mood of a lighter book. The friendships were nice. The magic and challenges weren't the most original, but they made a great read. The bully enemy was kind of immature, but again, it was fine for a light read.
While the characterization wasn't overly deep, it was good enough for me here, since I was in the mood of a lighter book. The friendships were nice. The magic and challenges weren't the most original, but they made a great read. The bully enemy was kind of immature, but again, it was fine for a light read.
February 23, 2022
First, this is one of those ebook purchases that I didn't know when I would get around to reading. bought it on sale. Finally got around to reading it and was very surprised how good it was. The Premise made me buy it. Finally a school of fighting. Jace was a fantastic character. Nothing negative about him. Had a good set of friends. Author created a fantastic world of different classes. Kind of like Harry Potter as this book also rewarded points to their clans for winning a contest. The class rank system was great too. The final challenge was great. Overall can't wait to see where Jace goes from here. Will he be full of himself going into book 2, we'll see.
December 1, 2020
Lived up to the hype
I had been wanting to read this ever since it came out, but just recently found the opportunity. I had feared my high expectation of this book might let me down as several have in the past when waiting this long. I was thoroughly impressed when my fears were invalid. The action is great, the dialogue is interesting, and the cultivation magic system is intriguing. Fun suspense, with appropriate build up and even some...romance? Flirting, let's say there's some flirting.
I had been wanting to read this ever since it came out, but just recently found the opportunity. I had feared my high expectation of this book might let me down as several have in the past when waiting this long. I was thoroughly impressed when my fears were invalid. The action is great, the dialogue is interesting, and the cultivation magic system is intriguing. Fun suspense, with appropriate build up and even some...romance? Flirting, let's say there's some flirting.
December 11, 2020
I read this as a book so wanted to see how it went with the audio and i was not disappointed at all , with any new series especially audio it does take a while to get into it.
Even with knowing the book this fealt the same although by 3 chapters in I was into the thread and away with the story. Proczko does a good job with Jace and the rest of the characters and I would go with this new narrator again. Knowing whats in store for more in the series i shall be getting a lot more of these in audio.
Even with knowing the book this fealt the same although by 3 chapters in I was into the thread and away with the story. Proczko does a good job with Jace and the rest of the characters and I would go with this new narrator again. Knowing whats in store for more in the series i shall be getting a lot more of these in audio.
April 4, 2025
An interesting journey to enlightenment
At first I feared another ordinary/flawed individual attending a magic with all the requisite teenage angst. I soon found this story and its characters did not follow the ‘cookbook recipe.’
The protagonist was not a chosen one or extremely talented individual that just needed a chance to develop. He faced the ridicule of all the school and malignant schemes of the headmaster as he needed to learn alternate ways to achieve what was simple for others.
At first I feared another ordinary/flawed individual attending a magic with all the requisite teenage angst. I soon found this story and its characters did not follow the ‘cookbook recipe.’
The protagonist was not a chosen one or extremely talented individual that just needed a chance to develop. He faced the ridicule of all the school and malignant schemes of the headmaster as he needed to learn alternate ways to achieve what was simple for others.
June 17, 2020
I was torn on this book. I found the story and plot interesting, but the situation the MC finds himself in time and time again kind of annoyed me. If you like a book where the MC is getting owned by those around him over and over again this is for you lol. Don’t get me wrong. He has his moments where he shines, but those felt like the minority for me. As frustrating as it was I enjoyed the story enough I will still probably give book 2 a try.
September 19, 2020
DNF/Stopped at 46%
I'm never going to be one of those reviewers who craps on other people's books because I actually understand what all goes into writing a book, and how hard it can be. That said, this book was just simply not to my liking. I'm giving it three because I did like the premise, and also because I don't believe any book deserves less than that.
This was my first wuxia novel, and I just hope I'll find one who suits my taste better.
I'm never going to be one of those reviewers who craps on other people's books because I actually understand what all goes into writing a book, and how hard it can be. That said, this book was just simply not to my liking. I'm giving it three because I did like the premise, and also because I don't believe any book deserves less than that.
This was my first wuxia novel, and I just hope I'll find one who suits my taste better.
November 27, 2020
Very tough book to review
This book, was a ride. I would say the first 45-50% was a slog and would rate that at a 2/5. The next 35% was very close to a 4/5, and the last 15% was great - maybe a 4.5/5.
All in the story improved from a very slow start, without falling back into being boring the second half of the story. This book did more than enough to make me interested in the rest of the series, and if the trend continues I expect that the next book will be very good.
This book, was a ride. I would say the first 45-50% was a slog and would rate that at a 2/5. The next 35% was very close to a 4/5, and the last 15% was great - maybe a 4.5/5.
All in the story improved from a very slow start, without falling back into being boring the second half of the story. This book did more than enough to make me interested in the rest of the series, and if the trend continues I expect that the next book will be very good.
December 5, 2020
This book definitely has a Harry Potter meets Mortal Kombat feel to and I love it! At first I was not sure how this book was going to play out but I loved the twist and turns of the story and the character cast was awesome and unique. But above the amazing characters is the amazing lore of the story you don't get the complete picture in this book however you definitely get tantalizing looks into how the book series could go. overall you should check this book out you won't regret it.
July 28, 2020
Childish
Everyone in this book has the mental capacity of a 5 year old, none of them act anywhere close to what there experience should suggest, like the “righteous” friend who constantly judges the MC for fighting back when people try to kill him. It’s non sense sadly, like most western wuxia novels try to shoehorn YA western ideals into it and it falls apart.
Everyone in this book has the mental capacity of a 5 year old, none of them act anywhere close to what there experience should suggest, like the “righteous” friend who constantly judges the MC for fighting back when people try to kill him. It’s non sense sadly, like most western wuxia novels try to shoehorn YA western ideals into it and it falls apart.
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