I’ve listened to many lit RPG series and this ranks right up there with the best. Great world building and characters, refreshing twist on abilities with the use of cards, loved the angle on how actions might change the course of history. MC is likeable and not dumb or a jerk like some other series. No weaving current day politics into a fantasy story which I appreciate regardless of which side of the aisle you are on.
If I had to nitpick, minor complaints: as much as I love everything Jeff Hayes does, this was my least favorite main character voice and accent. Might just be personal preference. Also, there are several examples of the author skipping over outcomes of events that I would have really enjoyed hearing in detail. It seems like this is done for a “slow reveal” later in the story when you learn about the final outcome but it was a bit confusing and frustrating. Example (spoiler): after learning David’s entire backstory, suddenly it’s the next day and events continue. It’s not until later we learn that David decided to come with Rowan as a summon card. Why not just tell that part of the story right as it happens. Another example is when Rowan uses like 7 charges of the relic to upgrade his cards. All we hear is “2 upgrades here, 1 here, 1 here,” etc. The cards being upgraded and gaining new abilities is one of the coolest parts of the story…I wanted to hear about each one as he upgraded them!
Overall excellent book and writing and can’t wait for the next one!