I really like all the characters in this book.  Everything everyone does in this book has a reason.

A lot happens in this book and I can’t figure out how to tell you about all the cool content and the intrigue that draws you in, without spoilers.

There isn’t a single unlikeable character in the book!

I noticed some reviewers complaining about the Main Character (MC) making stupid decisions. This only happens over a limited span of time.  There is a story reason for it as well, which those reviewers ironically missed.  To explain, allow me to backtrack.

In the beginning of the story the MC makes intelligent, reasonable decissions.  But then [spoiler redacted] damages his wisdom stat dropping him from average wisdom to below average.  This also causes him to become afflicted with a “Foolish” Debuff, which COMPOUNDS with his below average wisdom.  Later he fixes his Wisdom stat and removes the debuff, from then on he resumes making intelligent, even insightful, decissions.

MC even intellectually recognizes the debuff and how it hampers every decission he makes, but because the debuff is a mind altering effect there is very little he can do about it until he clears it (although he does cleverly use math to circumvent it at one point in the story).

I think a lot of readers assume that because the debuff gets applied to him as a result of his stat falling below average, that it must meerely be descriptive of low wisdom stat at the time.  However, the debuff is listed as an active effect not a calculated value (there is a specific section for those in the character’s interface).  The debuff is the same type and severity as a “Clumsy” debuff we see, and the Clumsy debuff litterally causes a character with a dex identical to MC’s wisdom to crit themselves, and are seemingly incapable of catching anything thrown at them.

Also, worth mentioning.  The MC’s “stupidity” while under the debuff is exactly par with the stupid decissions of your average YA book protagonist, the difference is–unlike your typical YA MC–once he fixes his stats his decission making improves!

Some reviewers called him “whiny,” but that is really excessive.  He complains less than Luke Skywalker, but MC has far more justification.

I loved every character in this book, and can’t wait for my next credit so I can buy the next book!