With 50 free chapters released and more steadily on their way, now is a good time to write a first review – one I will gladly come back to upon this work's conclusion sometime in the future.
This is the third work in the author’s collection, one completed and one on hiatus, and the experience clearly shows. The author has continued to fine-tune their craft while leaving their core style clearly identifiable, and I am very excited to see how this story develops.
The style is simple and succinct, though not lacking flair. Ease of reading and clarity aside, it lends itself particularly well to the expressive, larger-than-life dialogue, a prominent feature in the author’s works. The vivid and emotionally charged interactions of the characters play an incredibly active part in all aspects of writing, from characterization to world-building. It is a breath of fresh air in lieu of the swathes of grimdark and apathetic one-liners we readers are all too familiar with. The characters themselves live up to these expectations, their outlines clearly defined from the start, while leaving more than enough room for growth as the story develops. At the time of publication of this review, the main trio has been introduced and developed in great detail, yet sacrificing none of the mystery of unknown or untrustworthy character backgrounds. As the main powerhouse prepares for a wholesome exeunt, the two main protagonists, almost direct opposites of each other in all manner of ways, provide the author with a blank canvas to develop alongside the story’s progression. The world-building of the last fifty chapters provides a solid foundation for this approach, hitting all the right buttons. There’s intrigue, mysterious world politics, an innovative power system and enough enemies, hidden or otherwise, to keep the protagonists occupied for many story arcs to come. The power system especially is one I’m interested in learning more about. To avoid spoilers, it takes an unique three-pronged approach with some tasteful strategic terminology that leaves a lot of room for individuality. Unlike in many stories out there, the protagonists are not blessed with a completely unique class or unheard of element. Seemingly aiming to subvert this trope we instead have common building blocks, which will certainly build up to much more by virtue of characterization and originality, and not a fated bestowal of power because you happened to be in the right dungeon at the right time. The story is set up to be an epic progression fantasy, but with a twist best described as “out with the old and in with the new”, which you may have already picked up on. There are no issues with the grammar or linguistic quality of the writing, so the readers will have an unimpeded reading experience.
I am rating it five stars for the quality so far and the great potential beyond, and would certainly recommend everyone to try it for themselves. If you are interested in well thought-out and slow power progression, lively characters, a methodically structured and intricate world, and an adventure story leaning more towards wholesome than dark, this is the book for you.
