Daniel Patrascu

Surprisingly good isekai story

Reviewed: 06-06-24

The story was amazing. It really put a spin on the whole idea of reincarnating as the villain. Overpowered protagonist? Yep. Surprisingly rich world? Yes. The heroes are often as despicable as to make the protagonist the 'lesser evil' to the world, which in a way is dancing around the theme of "reincarnated as a villain", but the main character is so enjoyably theathrical it's amazing.
While it is a very big positive that the series also deves into the nerdy side of the protagonist often, sometimes it feels like placing too much pop culture is pulling away from the story.
Overall it was an amazing time. The performer was a bit of a slow reader so I had to listen at 1.2x, but when the moments mattered, they put a lot of emphasys and effort to really make the dialogue flourish.
Can't wait for book 2.

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A brilliant story with a few tiny flaws

Reviewed: 29-05-24

The book was fantastic in so many bits and stretches. It has been the capstone of a series that was, to me, as novel and interesting as can be. A whole new concept for a universe that spans a similar-yet-different reality, with plenty of intrigue and wonderful themes, conflict and lots of moments where one questions morality and choices.
It however has some parts where this book in particular goes away from the shine and becomes a bit dull. Not because of the skill with which the chapters were written, but because of the emphasys that feels like the author had a checklist of interactions to do and story strands to finish up.
The beginning of this book was brilliant, it kept interesting up 'till the midway point, but then it delved down a bit too much (in my oppinion) in the inter-character drama and with too many moments of closure or catharsis for the conflicts and drama that were set up in previous books. Thankfully the book picks up after those few chapters and brings the story together into an amazing and heartwarming conclusion.

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Another wonderful story

Reviewed: 16-01-24

I started this amazing journey with Final Core, then went onto listening to Demon Core.
I really liked Final Core and felt a bit like Demon Core wasn't hitting the same notes, but this book really brought back that wonder and amazement I felt.
The characters are amazing, the black knight is the best form of an isekai trope that isn't just another Kirito-wannabe and the drama and suspense make every chapter be enjoyable to listen to.
The performance was honestly awesome, with more than enough changes in tone and speech to sell the scene and bring about a colour to the characters that few can.
Can't wait for the next book!

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2 people found this helpful

It hit me in the feels

Reviewed: 06-12-23

I didn't know what I expected of this story when a friend recommended it to me.

I sure didn't expect to have my perspective on life shifted and to be given hope and closure.
All while making me feel emotional through a good chunk of it.

Apart from the ending, I thoroughly loved every bit of this book.

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1 person found this helpful

I want a sequel!

Reviewed: 06-12-23

The first two books were wonderful, and this one sure delivers on all the build-up.
I honestly loved all the detailed interactions and the growing cast of characters, even as I felt a bit disappointed at how one of the villains developed onwards.
The ending was unexpected and I honestly liked it. It makes me want to know what happens after, so if there's ever a sequel, I'd be more than happy for it.

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1 person found this helpful

Am excellent follow-up

Reviewed: 06-12-23

The first book was interesting and fun. This book however kept on the initial plot and managed to improve upon it.
It is such an interesting read and I honestly loved every moment of it.

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1 person found this helpful

An unexpectedly good book

Reviewed: 17-11-23

This is becoming one of my favourite series.
The start may be a bit awkward to get into, but soon after the story takes shape quite well. It has been so far enjoyable and there's plenty of suspense and grand moments, but the true highlights have to be the author notes.
I have rarely seen stories have author notes that are interesting to listen to at the end or during many chapters (the most recent I had listened to was the Ciaphas Cain series), but these are more than wecomed additions on the IRL mythology used and side commentary.

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A wonderful continuation to the series.

Reviewed: 13-11-23

After how amazing the previous book was, I had no idea how well this one would do.
Safe to say that I listened to the first chapter and I couldn't contain the laughter to follow.

Much like the first book, the story continues strongly with its semi-comedic tone in the parts that matter and as well adds plenty of serious, sad and hype moments as you go through the story.
In a way, this story shows the process of growing up, letting go of the past graduately and becoming your own self, as the main character does.

I was not expecting such a turn of events, with the story arcs to follow going through themes that I absolutely was unprepared for (Including a very deep conversation on the meaning of existence that resonated deeply with me).

Overall, this has been a marked improvement in many fields, even if the previous book was amazing as it was.

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I was not expecting such a good story

Reviewed: 13-11-23

I have listened to quite a few of these 'isekai' and 'VRMMO' titles before, and most end up quite disappointing. So I went into this one without any expectations.

From the very first chapter the story was compelling and introduced in a very natural way the reason for the VRMMO part. From there, the story was carried on by this initial premise and bloomed into a wonderful mix of MMORPG, mistery drama and plenty of pop culture references for the average gamer to pick up on.

This honestly has become my favourite series, sometimes it's a bit slow in parts due to how many recepies are followed, but they always have a purpose to why they are done.

This is a series worth a listen to. The really emotional parts hit hard, the comedy is on point and the know-how on the way MMOs (and their communities) work shows that the author had a passion when researching the topic.

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The sequel that almost equals the first

Reviewed: 12-07-23

Shortly after finishing Children of Time, I got this book and was expecting just as good quality. I wasn't disappointed, as the same tones as the first book were mirrored to a degree in this one, however the evolutionary scenario changed, and that made all the difference. This book stands as a very interesting thought experiment on uplifting species and handing them all the tools, while the first book had the species mostly deal with their own means.

The secondary plot with Nod was decent for most of the story, however I personally feel that it was a bit too overdone near the end. The story up to 2/3rds of the story was astounding, but the Nod plotline definately felt like the point where I was more soldiering on to listen to the story than immersing into the tale. I however appreciate greatly how it all ended up, as the story took unexpected twists that would play a good role in the next book to follow.

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1 person found this helpful