What do you think?
Rate this book
Battle Mage Farmer #3
Cultivation
With the mystery of the world deepening, John Sutton is running out of time.
The apocalypse is approaching as his Doom Points tick up and John is filling it harder and harder to keep it together. His deepening knowledge of magic seems to be helping but as a hidden society creeps out of the shadows, intent on throwing the world into chaos, it may not be enough.
The only good news seems to be the new crops springing up on his farm. Balancing his growing relationship with Ellie and the increasing productivity of the farm with the impending destruction of everything he fought for, John has no choice but to step back into the limelight, whether he wants to or not.
The apocalypse is approaching as his Doom Points tick up and John is filling it harder and harder to keep it together. His deepening knowledge of magic seems to be helping but as a hidden society creeps out of the shadows, intent on throwing the world into chaos, it may not be enough.
The only good news seems to be the new crops springing up on his farm. Balancing his growing relationship with Ellie and the increasing productivity of the farm with the impending destruction of everything he fought for, John has no choice but to step back into the limelight, whether he wants to or not.
459 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 22, 2022
1,265 people are currently reading
601 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews
November 26, 2022
Big change from last 2 books and I didn’t like it. The villians are OP until they are out Oped by MC. Additionally they changed the doom points to seconds now just to have a reason he is it using full power but still uses power.
Also by the end Doom points no longer make sense, they work off seconds but also don’t.
The end is just one Deus ex Machina after another to the point I have literally no clue what happened. I will probably not read the next as the end of this book gave me a visceral reaction and changed my view of the series.
Also by the end Doom points no longer make sense, they work off seconds but also don’t.
The end is just one Deus ex Machina after another to the point I have literally no clue what happened. I will probably not read the next as the end of this book gave me a visceral reaction and changed my view of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2022
The best parts are missing.
The things I loved from book one are gone. This has become a generic apocalypse book. The villains, the ending, the doom points, it has all become mundane and boring.
The things I loved from book one are gone. This has become a generic apocalypse book. The villains, the ending, the doom points, it has all become mundane and boring.
December 6, 2022
Rating 4.0 stars
A good addition to the series. I still think the first one was the best. While there is still some farming in this one it seems like action that has been put on the back burner for the last 2 books. Don't get me wrong, I liked the fighting and the magic system. I liked the characters. However, this was built as a farming series and except for the first book that part has been lacking. We find out the reason for the end of the world in this one. We find out that John is the problem. They have come up with a way of slowing it down. The problem is that there is a horde of undead coming to the valley. Overall I really like the series and I am looking forward to the next one.
A good addition to the series. I still think the first one was the best. While there is still some farming in this one it seems like action that has been put on the back burner for the last 2 books. Don't get me wrong, I liked the fighting and the magic system. I liked the characters. However, this was built as a farming series and except for the first book that part has been lacking. We find out the reason for the end of the world in this one. We find out that John is the problem. They have come up with a way of slowing it down. The problem is that there is a horde of undead coming to the valley. Overall I really like the series and I am looking forward to the next one.
December 5, 2022
3.5 Stars
This one didn't hit as strongly as the first two books. There didn't seem to be a lot happening.
The undead army encroaching on the valley should have caused a feeling of dread but in the end, it felt like one of those faceless Marvel armies that the hero can exterminate without guilt. The biggest drawcard of a zombie army was left out... contagion. It was implied that the necromancer could use the allies' dead to fuel his army but it was never demonstrated. Thus no exponential threat growth.
The ending was a bit of a mess. It wasn't clear to me how the antagonist's soul power worked, thus I didn't understand why such a convoluted setup was necessary. Couldn't he just walk up to someone and do his thing? If not, why not? Maybe I missed something.
This one didn't hit as strongly as the first two books. There didn't seem to be a lot happening.
The undead army encroaching on the valley should have caused a feeling of dread but in the end, it felt like one of those faceless Marvel armies that the hero can exterminate without guilt. The biggest drawcard of a zombie army was left out... contagion. It was implied that the necromancer could use the allies' dead to fuel his army but it was never demonstrated. Thus no exponential threat growth.
The ending was a bit of a mess. It wasn't clear to me how the antagonist's soul power worked, thus I didn't understand why such a convoluted setup was necessary. Couldn't he just walk up to someone and do his thing? If not, why not? Maybe I missed something.
May 26, 2024
Another good addition. The book is getting further away from slice of life and everything is getting much more plot focused. We will see if this a good thing or not. The plot is cool. Things are moving a lot faster than I would have expected. I’m interested to see what happens next.
March 1, 2025
This is the end. I understand the author continued the series after the 3 book long threat and boss was vanquished but I don't want to restart the same journey except with a less likeable MC. The thing I liked about the series was the MC. He was a great character and an ideal strong male lead. As book 2 and 3 oozed out he was slowly corrupted into what I guess people want in a male lead these days... softer. meeker. emotional. ugh. I'm going to stop here and not witness his final transformation into a beta simp.
Also the plot is stupid. The bad guy is going to empower a powerful ritual by killing 300 people by sending 100's of thousand of zombies to kill them?
Also the plot is stupid. The bad guy is going to empower a powerful ritual by killing 300 people by sending 100's of thousand of zombies to kill them?
February 12, 2023
I'm still interested but it's getting gimmicky. Lots of very tedious tropes all over now. Being self-aware doesn't fix the issue.
October 12, 2023
Absolutely fantastic series so far. Damn I wish I knew about these books sooner. I'm sad that my humble bundle ended with this one. Lit-RPG may be my new favorite genre. So many good moments and character realizations, makes it hard to stop reading.
April 18, 2023
Battle Mage Farmer: 3
This book is set two weeks after the end of the previous one, and supposedly it's been two years since John arrived on the farm - really? Where did all the time go? After using his abilities to defeat Earl Vacek, who turned out to be a vampire, John is dismayed to find that the doom points are currently at 95/100, and he decides he needs help to try to determine why they seem to be going up and down seemingly at random and turns to his new ally, Rebya. The threat of Infinitum, a group of mages seeking immortality, ramps up, and John is forced to use his strongest attacks, inching the doom points closer to max. Unfortunately, though there are bits more farming in this book than the last, it's obvious the farming concept has fallen by the wayside. The author juggles several plot threads, and the characters are still well drawn and evolving, but this book felt less interesting than the previous, being mostly battle after battle where John is forced to keep using his devastating mana attacks. Am losing interest in this series, unfortunately, though I do love Ferdie and Sigvald.
This book is set two weeks after the end of the previous one, and supposedly it's been two years since John arrived on the farm - really? Where did all the time go? After using his abilities to defeat Earl Vacek, who turned out to be a vampire, John is dismayed to find that the doom points are currently at 95/100, and he decides he needs help to try to determine why they seem to be going up and down seemingly at random and turns to his new ally, Rebya. The threat of Infinitum, a group of mages seeking immortality, ramps up, and John is forced to use his strongest attacks, inching the doom points closer to max. Unfortunately, though there are bits more farming in this book than the last, it's obvious the farming concept has fallen by the wayside. The author juggles several plot threads, and the characters are still well drawn and evolving, but this book felt less interesting than the previous, being mostly battle after battle where John is forced to keep using his devastating mana attacks. Am losing interest in this series, unfortunately, though I do love Ferdie and Sigvald.
November 23, 2022
Pheeeeewwwww
This book made me so nervous! This series is good over all and this particular entry in the series was no different, but there were so many times where I thought the author was going to leave it at some terrible cliff. But he didn't so its all good, and this story ended excellently. Looking forward to the next one.
This book made me so nervous! This series is good over all and this particular entry in the series was no different, but there were so many times where I thought the author was going to leave it at some terrible cliff. But he didn't so its all good, and this story ended excellently. Looking forward to the next one.
May 22, 2023
Rise of the doom points!
This books up right where the last left off. Mostly it was more of the same, but in a good way. It wasn't a rehash of the previous stories, but a fascinating continuation. And a bit of a twist at the end. I definitely enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next book.
This books up right where the last left off. Mostly it was more of the same, but in a good way. It wasn't a rehash of the previous stories, but a fascinating continuation. And a bit of a twist at the end. I definitely enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next book.
March 2, 2023
Great Book that pushes the series in a new direction.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. This book started off as more of the same and I was wondering if he could spice it up in terms of the overall story. I am no longer worried. I can’t wait for the next one.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. This book started off as more of the same and I was wondering if he could spice it up in terms of the overall story. I am no longer worried. I can’t wait for the next one.
May 14, 2024
I really enjoyed the first 2 books but this one just got dark and I found myself not always enjoying the story. One day I’ll leave better reviews haha.
December 8, 2024
Unlike many others I'm not bothered by the MC being overpowered, no idea why though as this is totally something that would generally irk me.
February 15, 2025
This is a really satisfying series!
March 13, 2024
there was a build-up throughout the series that came to a point i was both expecting and not - it was the way it happened and the subsequent events that made me keep going. onto the next!
December 4, 2022
Nearly and ending
Enjoyed the continuation of the story. Can't wait to see how the story keeps unfolding. Making cheese to save the world.
Enjoyed the continuation of the story. Can't wait to see how the story keeps unfolding. Making cheese to save the world.
November 29, 2022
Book 3
Very well written, very well edited. I did get the sense that a lot of time has passed between book 2 in book 3
Overall I enjoyed the book. I will be reading book four.
I’ll give this book a seven out of 10 due to my sense of feeling like I’ve missed a bunch.
Very well written, very well edited. I did get the sense that a lot of time has passed between book 2 in book 3
Overall I enjoyed the book. I will be reading book four.
I’ll give this book a seven out of 10 due to my sense of feeling like I’ve missed a bunch.
November 25, 2022
KU Review
Another great entry. Much more high intensity in this one. Ramping up into a climactic ending. Or maybe just a new beginning.
As the title says this is a review for Kindle Unlimited and as such is a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
Another great entry. Much more high intensity in this one. Ramping up into a climactic ending. Or maybe just a new beginning.
As the title says this is a review for Kindle Unlimited and as such is a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
November 24, 2022
wild ride
An excellent blend of themes from the first and second book. And I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Looking forward to the next book.
An excellent blend of themes from the first and second book. And I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Looking forward to the next book.
November 22, 2022
Stilted prose, awkward dialogue, and a plot begging to be taken out back and put down. Probably not worth reading.
Seriously, the dialogue is awful. Haha. That's how every character expresses humor, by the way. Haha. Don't you think that's entertaining? Haha.
On the plot:
This story is basically Ubermensch John and and TradWaif Ellie deciding to grow magical GMOs (TM) and fighting the necromancer mentioned in the previous books. But somewhere in between doing those things, they're struck by the colonial impulse and decide to civilize some silly Mongolian horse archers who are too brutish and stupid to understand the benefit of trade. (It's fine, it's cool to do that because John has a raider friend). So obviously the Eternal Flame needs to wave his flaming John around to get 'em in line.
Also had a really fun time with the
Okay, back to the painful dialogue. There are so many Whedon-lite quotes in this story it's impossible to keep track of them all. Here's one example:
It's just painful.
Seriously, the dialogue is awful. Haha. That's how every character expresses humor, by the way. Haha. Don't you think that's entertaining? Haha.
On the plot:
This story is basically Ubermensch John and and TradWaif Ellie deciding to grow magical GMOs (TM) and fighting the necromancer mentioned in the previous books. But somewhere in between doing those things, they're struck by the colonial impulse and decide to civilize some silly Mongolian horse archers who are too brutish and stupid to understand the benefit of trade. (It's fine, it's cool to do that because John has a raider friend). So obviously the Eternal Flame needs to wave his flaming John around to get 'em in line.
Also had a really fun time with the
Okay, back to the painful dialogue. There are so many Whedon-lite quotes in this story it's impossible to keep track of them all. Here's one example:
“Do you know what he’s doing?” Katrine asked, staring at Ellie, whose eyes had brightened. “I have no idea, but doesn’t he look awesome?” Snorting, Katrine just rolled her eyes, but inside she secretly agreed.
It's just painful.
January 10, 2025
John Sutton the man that you are
July 23, 2023
This third book has dropped the farming content to barely any. John and Ellie delegate most of the chores to others and focus on magical research instead. The last quarter of the book is an extended action sequence that seem to annoy and bore even the characters.
I probably won't bother continuing the series.
I probably won't bother continuing the series.
January 10, 2023
I do not like the battles and this book has many.
Did not finish the book. Stopped at 80%.
Did not finish the book. Stopped at 80%.
December 31, 2022
Still a good book, still a good addition to the series. But I do feel there are a couple missteps in this one. We finally learn about Doom points, and the answer is really unique and interesting! Ellie, John, and Ben have great character development in this book, really liked their arcs. Also the Morotoi continue to be one of the coolest things in this world and there's a great arc there too.
As for the missteps, Katrine is a bit rough around the edges, as a character. The way she acts doesn't really fit her backstory. I also agree with other reviews that the final combat drags on. It feels like the author had a whole big plan for this association of villains, and tried to cram it into about 100 pages. I'm guessing he came up with a new plot idea for the series going forward, but had to resolve this major plot point before taking the series... wherever it goes next.
Don't let that dissuade you though! If anything, when the book starts to drag in the final third, hang in there. Skim and skip a bit if you need to. I really loved the ending, it's on par with Ellie's storm awakening in the second book. Seth Ring also opens the world up for all kinds of possibilities going forward. Very excited to see where we go from here!
****MAJOR Spoilers****
As for the missteps, Katrine is a bit rough around the edges, as a character. The way she acts doesn't really fit her backstory. I also agree with other reviews that the final combat drags on. It feels like the author had a whole big plan for this association of villains, and tried to cram it into about 100 pages. I'm guessing he came up with a new plot idea for the series going forward, but had to resolve this major plot point before taking the series... wherever it goes next.
Don't let that dissuade you though! If anything, when the book starts to drag in the final third, hang in there. Skim and skip a bit if you need to. I really loved the ending, it's on par with Ellie's storm awakening in the second book. Seth Ring also opens the world up for all kinds of possibilities going forward. Very excited to see where we go from here!
****MAJOR Spoilers****
April 6, 2024
Death is only the Beginning…
John has been trying to complete his quest to create a strain of wheat that can survive in the poisoned lands where forbidden spells were used. He is running out of time as his doom points (95 out of 100) continue to slowly rise. Without any new quests, his only way to remove some of the doom points is to produce the wheat. He doesn’t want to be the reason why every living creature/person on the planet is killed (except for him).
Life of the farm has kept them all busy. But if a wheat strain is not developed in the next few weeks, John may bring on the apocalypse. John and Ellie are not entirely sure if Rebya can be fully trusted. John decides to let Rebya know about the doom points, how points are added and removed. John needs to be more part of the world instead of separated from it. Rebya, the plant lady, is trying to help with the knowledge she has as well as focusing on retrieving historic knowledge that might help the quest. She designs a way for Ellie and John to pass mana back and forth that is both calming and reduces a doom point. She warns them that it will take longer and longer each time.
John and Ellie go to town to celebrate Sven’s life and his sacrifice for Ellie. Ester is going to be taking over the tavern as she was closest to Sven and he had no family. Sven ended up being a watcher and so they will need to discuss how Sven was killed in the shadow tower against the earl (in the previous book) with the Ecclesia. Ellie is nervous about being questioned about it. During the questioning, the refuse to provide the details where it happened as it would lead to mage secrets being discovered as well as Rebya’s hiding place. This leads to contention between John and the 2 holy knights. Later in the book, their show of disrespect is tempered when the knights’ leader acknowledges John as the Eternal Flame and ask for his help. And so it begins
John has been trying to complete his quest to create a strain of wheat that can survive in the poisoned lands where forbidden spells were used. He is running out of time as his doom points (95 out of 100) continue to slowly rise. Without any new quests, his only way to remove some of the doom points is to produce the wheat. He doesn’t want to be the reason why every living creature/person on the planet is killed (except for him).
Life of the farm has kept them all busy. But if a wheat strain is not developed in the next few weeks, John may bring on the apocalypse. John and Ellie are not entirely sure if Rebya can be fully trusted. John decides to let Rebya know about the doom points, how points are added and removed. John needs to be more part of the world instead of separated from it. Rebya, the plant lady, is trying to help with the knowledge she has as well as focusing on retrieving historic knowledge that might help the quest. She designs a way for Ellie and John to pass mana back and forth that is both calming and reduces a doom point. She warns them that it will take longer and longer each time.
John and Ellie go to town to celebrate Sven’s life and his sacrifice for Ellie. Ester is going to be taking over the tavern as she was closest to Sven and he had no family. Sven ended up being a watcher and so they will need to discuss how Sven was killed in the shadow tower against the earl (in the previous book) with the Ecclesia. Ellie is nervous about being questioned about it. During the questioning, the refuse to provide the details where it happened as it would lead to mage secrets being discovered as well as Rebya’s hiding place. This leads to contention between John and the 2 holy knights. Later in the book, their show of disrespect is tempered when the knights’ leader acknowledges John as the Eternal Flame and ask for his help. And so it begins
January 31, 2025
Series Info/Source: This is the 3rd book in the Battle Mage Farmer series. I borrowed this on audiobook from Audible.
Thoughts: This series continues to be excruciatingly slow. I like the world, the magic, and the characters. However, Ring spends so much time over-explaining small details we just do not need to spend time on, and it really drags the story out. Really, these books should be half the length and two books should be combined in to one.
This continues the story of John and Ellie. John is trying to figure out how to stop the apocalypse, and Ellie is learning to harness her new powers. They end up taking on a undead threat as the number of undead plaguing the valley starts to increase.
My husband has been enjoying these a bit more than me, but for this book even he was getting frustrated. We've been listening to these together in the car, but I decided not to continue with the series after this one. He was going to give it one more book...however...we were getting these through the Audible Plus catalog and it looks like all but the first three books have been removed from there. So we would have to use credits to get the audiobooks or buy them outright. After finding that out, he was like, "Never mind, totally not worth it."
It's really a pity that the pacing isn't better here. I do love the characters, and I find the world intriguing. There are some good battle scenes, and some new characters have entered the story. Things are just explained in such long, excruciating detail that you can miss hours of this audiobook without really missing anything. I know; I've fallen asleep a couple of times and will wake up and be "Are they still talking to the raiders?",my husband will be "Yep and that is pretty much all that has been going on for the last hour."
We originally started this after loving Dungeon Crawler Carl and looking for some other good LitRPG. Our search will continue.
My Summary (3/5): Overall this series has some strong points but the slow pace of the story and over-explanation of things in the story are outweighing the good parts for me. I really love these characters and find the world intriguing. However, I don't need things to be so over-explained and find it frustrating to stay engaged. I won't be continuing this series.
Thoughts: This series continues to be excruciatingly slow. I like the world, the magic, and the characters. However, Ring spends so much time over-explaining small details we just do not need to spend time on, and it really drags the story out. Really, these books should be half the length and two books should be combined in to one.
This continues the story of John and Ellie. John is trying to figure out how to stop the apocalypse, and Ellie is learning to harness her new powers. They end up taking on a undead threat as the number of undead plaguing the valley starts to increase.
My husband has been enjoying these a bit more than me, but for this book even he was getting frustrated. We've been listening to these together in the car, but I decided not to continue with the series after this one. He was going to give it one more book...however...we were getting these through the Audible Plus catalog and it looks like all but the first three books have been removed from there. So we would have to use credits to get the audiobooks or buy them outright. After finding that out, he was like, "Never mind, totally not worth it."
It's really a pity that the pacing isn't better here. I do love the characters, and I find the world intriguing. There are some good battle scenes, and some new characters have entered the story. Things are just explained in such long, excruciating detail that you can miss hours of this audiobook without really missing anything. I know; I've fallen asleep a couple of times and will wake up and be "Are they still talking to the raiders?",my husband will be "Yep and that is pretty much all that has been going on for the last hour."
We originally started this after loving Dungeon Crawler Carl and looking for some other good LitRPG. Our search will continue.
My Summary (3/5): Overall this series has some strong points but the slow pace of the story and over-explanation of things in the story are outweighing the good parts for me. I really love these characters and find the world intriguing. However, I don't need things to be so over-explained and find it frustrating to stay engaged. I won't be continuing this series.
July 16, 2023
WHAT?!?! That is NOT an ending! How do you leave it like that?! What does that even mean?!
Warning: this has so many spoilers I’m so sorry.
This book is going to give me an ulcer I’m so stressed out.
On the plus side, I feel like John’s mental model pulled a Raphael-sama yet again, making us all worry when it had it under control this whole time. I LOVE that. I know a lot of people don’t like OP characters but listen. I love them. They are fantastic. Rimuru in My Life as a Slime? Adore it. Jin woo in Solo Leveling? I’m swooning. This will forever be a favorite trope. It’s just good okay. If you don’t like that this isn’t the book for you but if you do you will love this book.
Things come to a very quick and violent head in this book so fast you’ll get whiplash but I enjoyed it (of course I did).
Katrina stays true to form!!! I love that girl! She’s makes me laugh so much. Which is just rare for female characters… It was just one moment. One tiny little moment where her and Haver were in sync in this book and of course, OF COURSE, my brain took that and went “I ship it!” Because why wouldn’t I want two of my most favorite characters to fall in love? But listen, just hear me out. They would be so hilarious together. We’d just laugh through the whole book. How is this a bad thing?
But seriously regardless if they get together or not I still really like them both and appreciate the levity their personalities bring. And I especially like Havers character growth, it brings me so much happiness!!! How is Haver ultimately the one whose trust is so tight he’s like “nah he got it”?… I just! Love! Him!
We were introduced to a magical universal council of sorts in this book and while I guess it’s not really relevant to our characters I’m really intrigued by what the author has set up and hope we get to learn more in subsequent books. Guess we’ll see!
Warning: this has so many spoilers I’m so sorry.
This book is going to give me an ulcer I’m so stressed out.
On the plus side, I feel like John’s mental model pulled a Raphael-sama yet again, making us all worry when it had it under control this whole time. I LOVE that. I know a lot of people don’t like OP characters but listen. I love them. They are fantastic. Rimuru in My Life as a Slime? Adore it. Jin woo in Solo Leveling? I’m swooning. This will forever be a favorite trope. It’s just good okay. If you don’t like that this isn’t the book for you but if you do you will love this book.
Things come to a very quick and violent head in this book so fast you’ll get whiplash but I enjoyed it (of course I did).
Katrina stays true to form!!! I love that girl! She’s makes me laugh so much. Which is just rare for female characters… It was just one moment. One tiny little moment where her and Haver were in sync in this book and of course, OF COURSE, my brain took that and went “I ship it!” Because why wouldn’t I want two of my most favorite characters to fall in love? But listen, just hear me out. They would be so hilarious together. We’d just laugh through the whole book. How is this a bad thing?
But seriously regardless if they get together or not I still really like them both and appreciate the levity their personalities bring. And I especially like Havers character growth, it brings me so much happiness!!! How is Haver ultimately the one whose trust is so tight he’s like “nah he got it”?… I just! Love! Him!
We were introduced to a magical universal council of sorts in this book and while I guess it’s not really relevant to our characters I’m really intrigued by what the author has set up and hope we get to learn more in subsequent books. Guess we’ll see!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2023
Still somewhat enjoyable with flaws
I considered giving this book 4 stars but thought that would ultimately be unfair. I did enjoy this book but I was also bored a fair amount during parts of it and I rate for how much I enjoyed.
The world widens in this book and some enjoyable elements are introduced. However there are so, so many fights that are all basically the same thing. Johns power is limited to an extent by doom points but you still know that he’s going to intercede in and level any threat. You also know that he’s probably got a plan cooking in the background that will be revealed when he does. Having an unreliable narrator that holds back information from the reader can be an interesting approach but it’s been done in every one of these books. It’s getting old, I know it’s coming and so it bores me.
The characters had their moments but they fell flat for me a lot here. There’s moments of inconsistency like John telling Ellie that wise women don’t use spells and then they do exactly the kind of stuff she’s doing…. Telling her that the moritoi can’t see her use magic under any circumstances and then her, John and Katrina throw around powerful magic and they don’t blink. Normally these are caught as ‘well actually there was this going on the whole time’ in a grand reveal, some better some worse but all exhausting at this point. This time though they were just left as glaring holes and there’s things in the other book that aren’t covered by the grand reveal.
I’m possibly going to read the next but feel I’m going to abandon this series in the near future. Narrative techniques are overused, the characters feel static, the romance was sweet but is tiring. The series just feels like it’s treading water to me.
I considered giving this book 4 stars but thought that would ultimately be unfair. I did enjoy this book but I was also bored a fair amount during parts of it and I rate for how much I enjoyed.
The world widens in this book and some enjoyable elements are introduced. However there are so, so many fights that are all basically the same thing. Johns power is limited to an extent by doom points but you still know that he’s going to intercede in and level any threat. You also know that he’s probably got a plan cooking in the background that will be revealed when he does. Having an unreliable narrator that holds back information from the reader can be an interesting approach but it’s been done in every one of these books. It’s getting old, I know it’s coming and so it bores me.
The characters had their moments but they fell flat for me a lot here. There’s moments of inconsistency like John telling Ellie that wise women don’t use spells and then they do exactly the kind of stuff she’s doing…. Telling her that the moritoi can’t see her use magic under any circumstances and then her, John and Katrina throw around powerful magic and they don’t blink. Normally these are caught as ‘well actually there was this going on the whole time’ in a grand reveal, some better some worse but all exhausting at this point. This time though they were just left as glaring holes and there’s things in the other book that aren’t covered by the grand reveal.
I’m possibly going to read the next but feel I’m going to abandon this series in the near future. Narrative techniques are overused, the characters feel static, the romance was sweet but is tiring. The series just feels like it’s treading water to me.
January 24, 2023
I was extremely disappointed with this book. The writing is clunky and the plot is overly convoluted. The characters are one-dimensional and the dialogue is poorly written. The concept of using skulls as a form of control is unoriginal and not well executed. The pacing is slow and the overall story is uninteresting. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
The dialogue is stilted and unnatural, with characters speaking in a manner that is not in line with their personalities: for example, when and the female are having a heated argument, their dialogue is stiff and lacking in emotion, making it hard to believe that they are truly angry and upset with each other. Also, the female use of the phrase "messing this up means getting punished" which sounds more like a warning rather than a threat, is not in line with the personality of someone who is supposed to be a cultist who is angry and hateful.
The use of cliches, such as "murderous glare" and "anger and hate in her eyes" detracts from the overall quality of the prose. The over-reliance on descriptions of physical actions, such as "John's fingers touching her skin" and "John standing still for a moment" rather than showing emotions and thoughts of the characters makes the book dull and unengaging to read.
I will _not_ be following upon this series.
The dialogue is stilted and unnatural, with characters speaking in a manner that is not in line with their personalities: for example, when and the female are having a heated argument, their dialogue is stiff and lacking in emotion, making it hard to believe that they are truly angry and upset with each other. Also, the female use of the phrase "messing this up means getting punished" which sounds more like a warning rather than a threat, is not in line with the personality of someone who is supposed to be a cultist who is angry and hateful.
The use of cliches, such as "murderous glare" and "anger and hate in her eyes" detracts from the overall quality of the prose. The over-reliance on descriptions of physical actions, such as "John's fingers touching her skin" and "John standing still for a moment" rather than showing emotions and thoughts of the characters makes the book dull and unengaging to read.
I will _not_ be following upon this series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews