Lord January: A LitRPG Cultivation Saga (Year of the Sword Book 1)by Dakota Krout

Publishing Date: 2022

Genre: LitRPG

Rating: 4.2

Review: I like everything this author writes which leaves me with not a lot to say.

Grant Leap is the lowest of the low, which makes sense as the only place to go is up, unless he fails in a quest that drops him to less than zero…dead.

The world building is good and has innumerable ways in which to expand as Grant moves through kingdoms. The characters are many with care given to each individual build.

The only reason this failed a full 5 star rating were the numerous grammatical and continuity errors throughout. Really, care should be given when editing a work prior to publishing. All Dakota needs to do is put together some Beta reads or hire a better editor. Heck, I would do it for free.

This should be a fun series.

India Bones Series

(India Bones #1-4)

by Set Sytes

Publishing Date: 2019

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4.1/5

Review: This series really surprised me. At first I thought it was strictly for the very YA but as the series unfolds there is a deep sense of danger, foreboding and grittiness that canvasses the story lines.

India and his cohorts are great characters with well established depths that rise to every occasion. Many buckles are swashed and the magic is ever varied but not over the top.

In short I had a good time in this world and long for Caribe.

The Two-Faced Queen

(The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings #2)

by Nick Martell

Publishing Date: 2021

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3.9/5

Review: This installment flows nicely from the first, embracing the growth of Michael as a magic user whom trends towards adulthood.

Mr. Kingman is mostly a PITA to others that vie for presence in the story line and I liked that annoying rub as it lent flavor to a finite world. He is so many things to others in the play that a big helping of suspended belief is needed in order to be palatable. Like Liz says “Fek it” just have fun and enjoy the ride, and a wild one it is.

This story is not over and while this felt like a filler novel before the finale’, it is still a grand escape.

The Kingdom of Liars (The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings #1) by Nick Martell

Publishing Date: 2020

Genre: Light Fantasy

Rating: 3.7/5

Mild Spoilers Ahead

Review: A fairly riveting tale about a young man stripped of his lineage and his fight with nobility to regain his heritage.

There is an odd repeating theme to the story line where Michael is accused of treason by association, being gaslighted or accused of abandoning his friends (2x), when none of those instances is his fault. Yet, he takes the blame like he was directly responsible. This helps expedite a story line without building the required complexity. It often drives the characters into compromising situations that would otherwise not exist. The reason this becomes tiresome for the reader is because the main character is at once rendered clever and moronic at the same time.

I liked Michael, Naomi, Kai (fug) and the Girl in Red. Chloe was great in an understated emo kind of way. The movement is constant, hence enjoyable, and highlights the changes from character to character. The magic is understated yet compelling and drives the reader to wonder at Michael’s provenance.

I will buy the next in series.