(No Spoilers) I have heard a lot about this series, mainly that it’s addictive and fun, and this first installment lived up to the hype. Not a perfect book, but the equivalent of a good anime action movie or TV show. I’m reminded of Avatar: The Last Airbender in some ways.
THE GOOD
Who doesn’t like rooting for the Underdog? As a rare person born without magic, the main character is treated as less than human by his society, which is very clan based Japanese feudal era-esque. In fact, this reads like a smashup of an anime/manga and LitRPG, and I can’t say I don’t enjoy the combination of elements. The entire world is obsessed with increasing their skill in their chosen “path” and developing new techniques (manga/anime) and the increases in skill/power are very regimented and measurable (LitRPG). Most of the fun of the series is seeing how the protagonist will outsmart his vastly stronger opponents and manage to progress despite being severely limited.
Hard Magic? I do enjoy hard magic systems, and the system of magic in these books is pretty complicated. If you like that sort of thing, there is a lot to sink your teeth (imagination) into. One gripe would be that although there are clearly a lot of rules, they aren’t always explained well, and I’m left not really understanding why some things work the way they do. Presumably this will be addressed in future volumes.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD
Clunky: There are a lot of clunky aspects to the book, as the pacing is all over the place. Sometimes it slows down to a crawl, and the dialogue is nothing to write home about. The prose as well is just “there” i.e. this is not a very quotable book, no great lines. But ultimately none of that got in the way of my enjoyment.
Characterization: I found most of the characters to be painted in broad strokes, with one defining feature each. For instance the main character is basically just pure determination on legs. I couldn’t really tell you more about his personality. The reason I’m rooting for the character is not due to his personality so much as my investment in his journey. There are certainly worse criticisms to be leveled at a book, but I’m hoping the characterization will improve in future installments.
THE VERDICT
Despite some issues, this book was super entertaining and addictive enough to overlook its small flaws. I have a feeling those may improve as the series goes along, considering that as of this writing there are 9 books.