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The Path of Ascension #4
The Path of Ascension 4
After participating in the Empire's vassal war, Matt, Liz, and Aster now have a fire nipping after their heels. Or rather, their new manager, Luna. And she demands their best at all times, or she will drive them off The Path of Ascension.
With the Tier-10 tournament looming in front of them, the gang is going to have to dig deep if they want to continue on the path, but Luna isn't the only one who has plans.
Can Matt, Liz, and Aster survive the machinations of a Tier-40 who has created several Ascenders before? Or will they simply be another statistic on The Path?
Don't miss Book 4 of this action-packed fantasy adventure that blends everything you love about LitRPG with Xianxia.
About the This is a mix between LitRPG and Xianxia. It's like a car that looks like a LitRPG with dungeons and skills, but the interior and engine are all Xianxia. It features a magic system and progression system that are logically and internally consistent, as well as realistic fight scenes and a rational MC.
With the Tier-10 tournament looming in front of them, the gang is going to have to dig deep if they want to continue on the path, but Luna isn't the only one who has plans.
Can Matt, Liz, and Aster survive the machinations of a Tier-40 who has created several Ascenders before? Or will they simply be another statistic on The Path?
Don't miss Book 4 of this action-packed fantasy adventure that blends everything you love about LitRPG with Xianxia.
About the This is a mix between LitRPG and Xianxia. It's like a car that looks like a LitRPG with dungeons and skills, but the interior and engine are all Xianxia. It features a magic system and progression system that are logically and internally consistent, as well as realistic fight scenes and a rational MC.
512 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
December 5, 2023
This is fourth in a cultivation fantasy in space. Read them in order or you'll be extremely confused about pretty much everything.
You know what you are getting. Like the second book, this is kind of a placeholder while Liz and Matt grow, experiment, and take on random challenges on their way to the big thing that happens at the Tier 10 tournament that's due in the next book. They go from Tier 6 to 9 and months and weeks are skipped along the way as we learn more about how growth and expansion work in the Realm.
This book starts with Melinda and their team still hanging around and they occupy a lot of the first parts of this because much of the structure of the book takes place in that initial Tier 6 phase. I'm not that big a fan of Melinda and cohort. They're interesting enough, but the contrast with Liz, Matt, and Aster does them no favors.
As usual for this series, my main draw remains Aster, the Winter Fox and Matt's bond companion. I love her development and that she maintains her frivolous side (and love of ice cream) despite managing to keep up with the more driven Matt and Liz and be a true and contributing part of their team.
I'll leave it there. This is four stars, though barely that high. It really is a lot of flavor/filler on the way to better things.
A note about publication: I'm still following this on Royal Road so I'm technically waaaaay farther in the story. I pulled this to support the author and read it just for the nostalgia of their younger days. It didn't fully pull me in, but it entertained me enough that I kept reading to the end. Maybe it really does deserve all four stars right-out given that's the case.
A note about Chaste: Matt and Liz are definitely a couple and sleep together. There is zero steam and nothing explicit. I don't even remember much kissing. The author just doesn't go there, though their intimacy and bond is clear. It just isn't germane to the story being told.
You know what you are getting. Like the second book, this is kind of a placeholder while Liz and Matt grow, experiment, and take on random challenges on their way to the big thing that happens at the Tier 10 tournament that's due in the next book. They go from Tier 6 to 9 and months and weeks are skipped along the way as we learn more about how growth and expansion work in the Realm.
This book starts with Melinda and their team still hanging around and they occupy a lot of the first parts of this because much of the structure of the book takes place in that initial Tier 6 phase. I'm not that big a fan of Melinda and cohort. They're interesting enough, but the contrast with Liz, Matt, and Aster does them no favors.
As usual for this series, my main draw remains Aster, the Winter Fox and Matt's bond companion. I love her development and that she maintains her frivolous side (and love of ice cream) despite managing to keep up with the more driven Matt and Liz and be a true and contributing part of their team.
I'll leave it there. This is four stars, though barely that high. It really is a lot of flavor/filler on the way to better things.
A note about publication: I'm still following this on Royal Road so I'm technically waaaaay farther in the story. I pulled this to support the author and read it just for the nostalgia of their younger days. It didn't fully pull me in, but it entertained me enough that I kept reading to the end. Maybe it really does deserve all four stars right-out given that's the case.
A note about Chaste: Matt and Liz are definitely a couple and sleep together. There is zero steam and nothing explicit. I don't even remember much kissing. The author just doesn't go there, though their intimacy and bond is clear. It just isn't germane to the story being told.
September 24, 2023
This series felt like it was slumping last book and unfortunately continued that trend into this one, so I ended up dropping around the 10% (50 pages) mark. These books are way too long to have so few interesting things happening.
The first couple of books in a series usually have a lot going for them. There are all sorts of shiny things to throw at the reader to keep their attention: introducing the setting, the game mechanics/cultivation/magic system, the characters, and, of course, the plot. Once we get to know the characters and have an understanding of the setting, the burden shifts more and more onto the plot, ongoing characterization, and the author's writing.
I feel like the characterization plateaued back in book 2, the plot is boring and failing to present genuine drama for the characters, and the writing hasn't improved. This series was only 4 stars for me even at its best, so I'm calling it quits here.
There will always be people who say that things get really good down the road, but that's never the case. If the author could do something that good, they would have course-corrected before getting me to the drop point in the first place. I don't care enough about any of these characters for anything to really pay off down the road.
It really makes me appreciate HWFWM since it had not one but two slumps, but the author pulled things together in the following volume. But as it is, there are way too many good books out there and very little time to justify continuing a series that allows two dud volumes in a row.
The first couple of books in a series usually have a lot going for them. There are all sorts of shiny things to throw at the reader to keep their attention: introducing the setting, the game mechanics/cultivation/magic system, the characters, and, of course, the plot. Once we get to know the characters and have an understanding of the setting, the burden shifts more and more onto the plot, ongoing characterization, and the author's writing.
I feel like the characterization plateaued back in book 2, the plot is boring and failing to present genuine drama for the characters, and the writing hasn't improved. This series was only 4 stars for me even at its best, so I'm calling it quits here.
There will always be people who say that things get really good down the road, but that's never the case. If the author could do something that good, they would have course-corrected before getting me to the drop point in the first place. I don't care enough about any of these characters for anything to really pay off down the road.
It really makes me appreciate HWFWM since it had not one but two slumps, but the author pulled things together in the following volume. But as it is, there are way too many good books out there and very little time to justify continuing a series that allows two dud volumes in a row.
September 14, 2023
I’m conflicted
On the one hand…this is not a great book. Kind of ho-hum. Training montage with little to no peril; even when in danger there is a high Tier trainer watching over their shoulder.
On the other hand, there is a massive amount of world-building. And a large variety of situations and different types of training that will become important later.
See, I am a patron. So I know where this is going.
Book 5 = tournament, but not just arena competitions. Rift speed running, crafting competition, and exploration make up the first half of the tourney. They do end with team v team and solo fights, but there is a lot going on.
Then…MINKALLA. Book 6 is one of the best quasi-tower concepts in LitRPG. (Chapter 172 on RoyalRoad starts the briefing). The author and his beta-readers actually roll dice to decide if secondary characters entered Minkalla and what combination of floors they saw. It is awesome. And there is. No. Net. The carnage is inspired.
So, while I don’t see *this* book as strong, the overall story is excellent. And it is very nicely written(though there are a few more proofreading errors than I expected).
Enjoy this as a pleasant tale, knowing that the future is *very* bright.
On the one hand…this is not a great book. Kind of ho-hum. Training montage with little to no peril; even when in danger there is a high Tier trainer watching over their shoulder.
On the other hand, there is a massive amount of world-building. And a large variety of situations and different types of training that will become important later.
See, I am a patron. So I know where this is going.
Book 5 = tournament, but not just arena competitions. Rift speed running, crafting competition, and exploration make up the first half of the tourney. They do end with team v team and solo fights, but there is a lot going on.
Then…MINKALLA. Book 6 is one of the best quasi-tower concepts in LitRPG. (Chapter 172 on RoyalRoad starts the briefing). The author and his beta-readers actually roll dice to decide if secondary characters entered Minkalla and what combination of floors they saw. It is awesome. And there is. No. Net. The carnage is inspired.
So, while I don’t see *this* book as strong, the overall story is excellent. And it is very nicely written(though there are a few more proofreading errors than I expected).
Enjoy this as a pleasant tale, knowing that the future is *very* bright.
September 19, 2023
Excruciating read
This series started out really well but has been going steadily downhill. This is absolutely the worst book so far and reads like a badly edited lab report for nearly 600 pages. Nothing of consequence happens, no interesting characters, interactions, twists or fights take place. This book could have been once sentence. The characters do nothing and dick around for 20 years. The end.
This series started out really well but has been going steadily downhill. This is absolutely the worst book so far and reads like a badly edited lab report for nearly 600 pages. Nothing of consequence happens, no interesting characters, interactions, twists or fights take place. This book could have been once sentence. The characters do nothing and dick around for 20 years. The end.
February 10, 2024
The disparity between this book and book 1 is just absurd to me. Book 1, which I haven't written a review on yet because there's too much to write about and I'm lazy, is close to the perfect book to me, it has everything I want in a book. This book was so far from how good book 1 was I find it hard to believe it's the same writer. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. It's all tell and very little show, the audiobook was around 17 hours long, and it should have been at least 30+ hours if the writing style was similar to the first book, it just felt like it was cutting corners. The reason I like this series so far, is because not only are there strong side characters with very interesting world building, but it's because we see the MC's strength grow in "the Path, and we also see his very human interactions with his friends and later on girlfriend, these interactions really make me feel invested, they also help it from becoming just pure action without true substance like so many other "litrpgs". This book had none of that, it just felt like a 3rd party watching everything wrote a diary and this was it. Also, by the end of the book I think Matt and Liz should be close to 30, yet Liz is still being so childish about staying on "The Path" when it negatively effects Matt's power and it risks his well being because he can't be incognito. I get it, she wants to prove to her peers that she's as good if not better than her parents, and she thinks sticking to the path will prove that to people, that's interesting when she's a teenager, but your 30 at this point girl, you should be mature enough to realize that random peoples opinions mean fuck all if your putting the person you supposedly love in danger and are hurting his potential on top of it, all because of pride and strangers opinions. So all in all, this was a disappointing book, it was entertaining, but not entertaining enough to keep me from focusing on the audiobook 100%, instead I did some work and gaming with it in the background and I felt I didn't really lose out on much. 2.5/5, I'll round up because I enjoy the series so far.
September 30, 2023
A really good middle book
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 3/5
Narration: 5/5
Favorite line: NA
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 3/5
Narration: 5/5
Favorite line: NA
February 16, 2024
Finally a good book in this series , all the others so far were average at best.
This book has a lot more world building, seeing how mc affects the world and sends ripples that mc can’t anticipate.
If you are here for combat or the usual poa plot you’d be disappointed.
This book has a lot more world building, seeing how mc affects the world and sends ripples that mc can’t anticipate.
If you are here for combat or the usual poa plot you’d be disappointed.
June 4, 2024
Imagine everyone around you gets some kind of superpower, but when it's your turn, you are stuck with something that is deemed detrimental even by the most benevolent AI. Want to know what it feels to bamboozle the heck out of a situation like this? Then step with me on the Path of Ascension!
Well, we can't choose the hand we're given, we simply have to play it to the best of our abilities.
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Read this review on the blog - the layout is better 😃.
******************************
Path of Ascension is all about self-improvement in a distant future of humanity (and other types of beings). The story follows the main character - Matt - as he starts to find ways to turn his seemingly useless talent into something that will, sooner or later, rock the universe and all the great powers. It is an underdog story, where the underdog will inevitably turn into the top dog.
In the typical fashion of LitRPG, this is done with talents, levels (called tiers, in this case) and skills. And it is quite clear that the author has done some mathematics about his skills.
I like Matt - well, liking the MC is always something to be desired when reading a series. But I like him for the fact that he is down to earth, makes reasonable decisions and tries to come on top of a situation that seems utterly depressing at first. And he's far from the only likeable character throughout the story!
My opinion on Matt.
Of course, his bond Aster - an ice fox - and his girlfriend are great characters, too, but even some of the "villains" are actually likeable enough, and have a clear purpose they're following.
Another thing I really like is how breathing, living and fleshed out the world of this story feels like. It's almost like another character, and some chapters allow us to glance behind the curtain and see some of the intrigues played out on the higher levels.
Even the political stuff is intriguing enough!
On the downside are a few chapters that feel downright sluggish. Not everything moves the plot forward, and there is a lot of exposition. If that is not your style, you might want to skip - either the series, or a few pages here and there while reading. I think the pace could be better, but then again, this seems to be a common problem for the genre, and it isn't too bad here, overall.
All in all, one of the better LitRPG series so far, with detailed world building and really great characters. 4 out of 5 Phoenix feathers!
*This review is written for books 1 - 6 of the series*
Well, we can't choose the hand we're given, we simply have to play it to the best of our abilities.
******************************
Read this review on the blog - the layout is better 😃.
******************************
Path of Ascension is all about self-improvement in a distant future of humanity (and other types of beings). The story follows the main character - Matt - as he starts to find ways to turn his seemingly useless talent into something that will, sooner or later, rock the universe and all the great powers. It is an underdog story, where the underdog will inevitably turn into the top dog.
In the typical fashion of LitRPG, this is done with talents, levels (called tiers, in this case) and skills. And it is quite clear that the author has done some mathematics about his skills.
I like Matt - well, liking the MC is always something to be desired when reading a series. But I like him for the fact that he is down to earth, makes reasonable decisions and tries to come on top of a situation that seems utterly depressing at first. And he's far from the only likeable character throughout the story!
My opinion on Matt.
Of course, his bond Aster - an ice fox - and his girlfriend are great characters, too, but even some of the "villains" are actually likeable enough, and have a clear purpose they're following.
Another thing I really like is how breathing, living and fleshed out the world of this story feels like. It's almost like another character, and some chapters allow us to glance behind the curtain and see some of the intrigues played out on the higher levels.
Even the political stuff is intriguing enough!
On the downside are a few chapters that feel downright sluggish. Not everything moves the plot forward, and there is a lot of exposition. If that is not your style, you might want to skip - either the series, or a few pages here and there while reading. I think the pace could be better, but then again, this seems to be a common problem for the genre, and it isn't too bad here, overall.
All in all, one of the better LitRPG series so far, with detailed world building and really great characters. 4 out of 5 Phoenix feathers!
*This review is written for books 1 - 6 of the series*
September 30, 2023
The Path of Ascension 4 disappointingly serves as a timeskip filler, offering little meaningful progression in the story. The promised conflicts and potential intrigue remain largely unexplored, leaving readers longing for a more engaging narrative. Overall, a lackluster addition to the series.
August 6, 2024
4.25 stars. I am enjoying the series, but I am starting to feel a little removed from the action with all the huge leaps forward in years.
September 18, 2023
Boring
So I was very disappointed in this book. I had to force myself to finish and I wish I hadn’t. I didn’t miss anything.
This was a book about training. They do stuff and apparently get stronger even though nothing feels like it is changing. No new skills or developments really. Just train and do a little crafting. It was essentially a very boring slice of life book. Wish I had skipped it.
So I was very disappointed in this book. I had to force myself to finish and I wish I hadn’t. I didn’t miss anything.
This was a book about training. They do stuff and apparently get stronger even though nothing feels like it is changing. No new skills or developments really. Just train and do a little crafting. It was essentially a very boring slice of life book. Wish I had skipped it.
November 6, 2023
Should have been Novellas
This one bounced all over the place without a coherent story. This should have been shortened and released as a few novellas. It has 3 story arcs that are disconnected and nothing of note happens. The next book should have started around the last 50-100 pages of this book (or less).
This one bounced all over the place without a coherent story. This should have been shortened and released as a few novellas. It has 3 story arcs that are disconnected and nothing of note happens. The next book should have started around the last 50-100 pages of this book (or less).
March 10, 2024
If the author pulls the same crap as the last two books, this will be the last in the series I read and maybe the last of the author. Padding your work with inane crap and stifling the progress of the protagonist isn't something I support.
I know there was a 3.5 book / short story released. I won't be reading it, so I hope there aren't major plotlines for the main series in there, as that would just be poor writing.
While I like the protagonist using his abilities to create rifts, and exploit the requirements for spells, etc, etc. I can't deal with filler shit. Which this entire book seems to have been.
They are gaining experience, but are told to vent it (can't have the protagonist advancing too fast, the author won't be able to milk the series). I won't have minded this as I love a good creation research in a book, once it leads to some usable information, etc. But the author used book two an three as fillers. Compared to book one, the protagonist is crawling.
Now that there is some bullshit the trainer is using so they continue to do shit like books two and three. Now there is supposed to be some tourney shit next book, and going by the author's track record, they will stretch that shit out for maybe two books, and put in some rules so the protagonist doesn't / can't progress for as long as the tourney goes on.
I don't want to read a tourney arc from this author, and I'm fed up of their stalling shit. I'm not even halfway through this book and I feel how it will go. If this book ends promising, I will read book five, if not, I will drop the series. As the author wrote four books that could have been condensed into two.
Series should be renamed to "The Path of Stagnation".
I just finished the book, and this was just a foundation laying for future books. We experienced years with the protags, and now they are decades older.
I still don't want to read the sequel, as while the protag did "progress", it took so long. His cheat gimmick supposed to make him stupid powerful in a short time, but meh.
I will read the reviews for the next book, if they go on and on about the tourney arc, and it seems that the author stretched it into the next book (six), I am done.
Have to learn when to cut losses.
2/5 Stars
I know there was a 3.5 book / short story released. I won't be reading it, so I hope there aren't major plotlines for the main series in there, as that would just be poor writing.
While I like the protagonist using his abilities to create rifts, and exploit the requirements for spells, etc, etc. I can't deal with filler shit. Which this entire book seems to have been.
They are gaining experience, but are told to vent it (can't have the protagonist advancing too fast, the author won't be able to milk the series). I won't have minded this as I love a good creation research in a book, once it leads to some usable information, etc. But the author used book two an three as fillers. Compared to book one, the protagonist is crawling.
Now that there is some bullshit the trainer is using so they continue to do shit like books two and three. Now there is supposed to be some tourney shit next book, and going by the author's track record, they will stretch that shit out for maybe two books, and put in some rules so the protagonist doesn't / can't progress for as long as the tourney goes on.
I don't want to read a tourney arc from this author, and I'm fed up of their stalling shit. I'm not even halfway through this book and I feel how it will go. If this book ends promising, I will read book five, if not, I will drop the series. As the author wrote four books that could have been condensed into two.
Series should be renamed to "The Path of Stagnation".
I just finished the book, and this was just a foundation laying for future books. We experienced years with the protags, and now they are decades older.
I still don't want to read the sequel, as while the protag did "progress", it took so long. His cheat gimmick supposed to make him stupid powerful in a short time, but meh.
I will read the reviews for the next book, if they go on and on about the tourney arc, and it seems that the author stretched it into the next book (six), I am done.
Have to learn when to cut losses.
2/5 Stars
September 29, 2023
Yet again for this series, this is a 2.5-star book that just about scrapes its way into being rounded up. This was not the banger of a book that was needed after the last entry, which was very sub-par.
The main issue here is actually the opposite of one of my main issues with book 3. In that book, I was frustrated at how slow everything was moving and how there was no progression. Here, things were moving too fast and there was too much progression... or rather, there was too much progression without doing the character and world-building work to go along with it. I would have been happy with this amount of progression if it was told as a story through the eyes and struggles of the main characters. Instead, this is a very zoomed-out view of events that is surface-level at best.
A good example of this is that there are huge time jumps in this novel and the characters are aged up severely. Yet they still act precisely the same towards each other, have exactly the same relationship statuses, and are essentially not changed at all despite the huge amounts of time that have passed by. This book is little more than a training montage that gets the characters where they need to be for the next story to happen. It's low-stakes and kind of boring.
The reason why it manages to scrape its way into the 3-star category is that it was just about enjoyable enough to keep me reading to the end, it was more engaging than the last story, and the final part of the story was genuinely interesting. Matt getting a chance to see how far he has come was the kind of character work that has been missing from this book (and maybe even from this series for a while now).
After finishing this book I am undecided on what I'm going to do with this series going forward. On the one hand, I find myself still attached to Matt and Liz enough that I want to keep reading, but on the other, the last two books have had such a low impact on me that I am just not sure I care enough to pick up the next one. I guess time will give me the answer to that.
The main issue here is actually the opposite of one of my main issues with book 3. In that book, I was frustrated at how slow everything was moving and how there was no progression. Here, things were moving too fast and there was too much progression... or rather, there was too much progression without doing the character and world-building work to go along with it. I would have been happy with this amount of progression if it was told as a story through the eyes and struggles of the main characters. Instead, this is a very zoomed-out view of events that is surface-level at best.
A good example of this is that there are huge time jumps in this novel and the characters are aged up severely. Yet they still act precisely the same towards each other, have exactly the same relationship statuses, and are essentially not changed at all despite the huge amounts of time that have passed by. This book is little more than a training montage that gets the characters where they need to be for the next story to happen. It's low-stakes and kind of boring.
The reason why it manages to scrape its way into the 3-star category is that it was just about enjoyable enough to keep me reading to the end, it was more engaging than the last story, and the final part of the story was genuinely interesting. Matt getting a chance to see how far he has come was the kind of character work that has been missing from this book (and maybe even from this series for a while now).
After finishing this book I am undecided on what I'm going to do with this series going forward. On the one hand, I find myself still attached to Matt and Liz enough that I want to keep reading, but on the other, the last two books have had such a low impact on me that I am just not sure I care enough to pick up the next one. I guess time will give me the answer to that.
September 14, 2023
Good continuation, but…
I have been loving the story so far. The characters and world building have been great and I love it; however, this book felt overly bloated by useless fluff to pad the page count. Honestly only about 1/4 of the book felt like it mattered. Blatantly setting up for the next book to be much more fast paced again, but this one just felt extremely lackluster.
I definitely can’t wait for the next book and hopefully get back on the track of progress we had in the previous 3.
***Minor Spoilers ahead***
So basically the book was WAY to filled with overly useless technical aspects of rift creation and the experiments they were doing. There was a massive amount of time spent going over the individual steps taken to create different types of rifts and things. It was honestly extremely useless information in my opinion. Matt can clearly create his own rifts as previously established, but I don’t know anyone who really cares about the very technical process he is using for it.
This is compounded by sudden time skips of months/years where they did more “training” but nothing much was explained. Instead of going over chapters and chapters of technical jargon and such, maybe expanding more on what he was training for. The entire espionage training sessions felt rushed and an afterthought to try and give an excuse for other skills he might use later but you don’t know he had from “training”.
There was some good catharsis for him at the very end of the book, but everything just felt rushed. The vast majority of the book felt way too unfulfilling.
All in all, the book is good and made some progress to the main story, but I felt like it was just a fluff/filler episode that everyone hates in shows. Added almost noting but slight foreshadowing and preparation for later.
I have been loving the story so far. The characters and world building have been great and I love it; however, this book felt overly bloated by useless fluff to pad the page count. Honestly only about 1/4 of the book felt like it mattered. Blatantly setting up for the next book to be much more fast paced again, but this one just felt extremely lackluster.
I definitely can’t wait for the next book and hopefully get back on the track of progress we had in the previous 3.
***Minor Spoilers ahead***
So basically the book was WAY to filled with overly useless technical aspects of rift creation and the experiments they were doing. There was a massive amount of time spent going over the individual steps taken to create different types of rifts and things. It was honestly extremely useless information in my opinion. Matt can clearly create his own rifts as previously established, but I don’t know anyone who really cares about the very technical process he is using for it.
This is compounded by sudden time skips of months/years where they did more “training” but nothing much was explained. Instead of going over chapters and chapters of technical jargon and such, maybe expanding more on what he was training for. The entire espionage training sessions felt rushed and an afterthought to try and give an excuse for other skills he might use later but you don’t know he had from “training”.
There was some good catharsis for him at the very end of the book, but everything just felt rushed. The vast majority of the book felt way too unfulfilling.
All in all, the book is good and made some progress to the main story, but I felt like it was just a fluff/filler episode that everyone hates in shows. Added almost noting but slight foreshadowing and preparation for later.
December 16, 2023
Matt, Liz, and Aster are joining up with Melinda's group for some intense training with Luna. Now that they have more direction on how to grow their skills, they're making real progress . . . and suffering like never before. But it's also a time for the team to explore some things outside of battles. Matt can finally study rifts with a mad scientist who is just as interested.
So this book is a bit of a change from the previous. There aren't any specific goals in play, just a step back so that they can set a good foundation. It's interesting to see what kinds of training Luna prioritizes. As sadistic as much of it looks, it's also not too hard to see the real lessons she's trying to teach.
But my favorite part, by far, is the very large chunk of the book dedicated to Matt and Erwin exploring how rifts are made. This is the amped-up version of what Matt was doing by himself. Now he has professional help with getting experiments set up and documented, and he's able to make so much progress he's becoming a national security hazard. Again. Rifts are such a huge part of this story that it's fun to see more of the mechanics of how they work, and I also just really like this kind of magical exploration.
It's also a time where Matt and Liz need to decide just how they want to face the future. Luna is determined to make them the best---but she also believes the Path is holding them back from that. Matt's Talents in particular have some unique issues, where the fact that he'll eventually outpace mages above his Tier means he'll need resources similarly high-leveled (and therefore too expensive to afford solely with what he can earn, and thus too expensive to be gifted as well).
This may not be the most action-packed, but I really like what this part of the story is doing. Also Erwin is such a fun character. I rate this book Highly Recommended.
So this book is a bit of a change from the previous. There aren't any specific goals in play, just a step back so that they can set a good foundation. It's interesting to see what kinds of training Luna prioritizes. As sadistic as much of it looks, it's also not too hard to see the real lessons she's trying to teach.
But my favorite part, by far, is the very large chunk of the book dedicated to Matt and Erwin exploring how rifts are made. This is the amped-up version of what Matt was doing by himself. Now he has professional help with getting experiments set up and documented, and he's able to make so much progress he's becoming a national security hazard. Again. Rifts are such a huge part of this story that it's fun to see more of the mechanics of how they work, and I also just really like this kind of magical exploration.
It's also a time where Matt and Liz need to decide just how they want to face the future. Luna is determined to make them the best---but she also believes the Path is holding them back from that. Matt's Talents in particular have some unique issues, where the fact that he'll eventually outpace mages above his Tier means he'll need resources similarly high-leveled (and therefore too expensive to afford solely with what he can earn, and thus too expensive to be gifted as well).
This may not be the most action-packed, but I really like what this part of the story is doing. Also Erwin is such a fun character. I rate this book Highly Recommended.
October 4, 2023
Rating 3.5 stars
To be honest this is more of a 3 star book. The series itself is 4 stars hence the 3.5 star rating for this one. How do I decide whether to rate it 3 stars and upstar it versus rating it 4 stars and downstaring it. No specific criteria except for my feelings on the rest of the series. If I am going to pick up the next book right away when it is available, then it is 4 stars. If I feel I might pick it up later or maybe even not continue the series then it is 3 stars. I am conflicted on this book. It has all the elements that I love but it just didn't work for me. It has characters I really like, great world building, fighting, crafting and magic. All the things I love. This entire book is one long training montague lasting well over a decade. I love training books but for some reason this one didn't speak to me. The author focused on things that I didn't find that much fun. Was it interesting. Sure. Was it memorable and exciting. No. Not really. The first book had a little bit of everything with great balance between those aspects. Since the first book I have been a little bit let down. It isn't a bad series and I still like it, I was just hoping for so much more after that first book. Instead it is a good series that doesn't quite reach to my favorite list. There have been moments in the series that make it worthwhile and I feel it can get back to that great balance going forward.
To be honest this is more of a 3 star book. The series itself is 4 stars hence the 3.5 star rating for this one. How do I decide whether to rate it 3 stars and upstar it versus rating it 4 stars and downstaring it. No specific criteria except for my feelings on the rest of the series. If I am going to pick up the next book right away when it is available, then it is 4 stars. If I feel I might pick it up later or maybe even not continue the series then it is 3 stars. I am conflicted on this book. It has all the elements that I love but it just didn't work for me. It has characters I really like, great world building, fighting, crafting and magic. All the things I love. This entire book is one long training montague lasting well over a decade. I love training books but for some reason this one didn't speak to me. The author focused on things that I didn't find that much fun. Was it interesting. Sure. Was it memorable and exciting. No. Not really. The first book had a little bit of everything with great balance between those aspects. Since the first book I have been a little bit let down. It isn't a bad series and I still like it, I was just hoping for so much more after that first book. Instead it is a good series that doesn't quite reach to my favorite list. There have been moments in the series that make it worthwhile and I feel it can get back to that great balance going forward.
October 10, 2023
Least favorite of the series
I was honestly a bit disappointed.
I love the world that's been created, but this book tried to be so many things. Mission Impossible: Anti Ascension Assassin. A Brief History of a completely made up system based on a real system that's been completely fantasized and romanticized. Looney Tunes. Path of Ascension.
I get that more powerful people can do more, but when did they get the power to reform their bodies from goop with cartoon-esque bandages and lumps? I'm not even joking and it was more than one person, so I doubt it was a talent.
They went deep into the whole thief/spy story. I found it interesting, but it felt a little wedged in.
The chapters of crafting kinda killed me, especially the alchemy. Having a full intellectual discourse regarding a crafting system, including lore based historical references? Way deeper than I personally needed. Not sure how better to cover the years of rift experiments but it was a bit of a slog. It makes the friends' perspective more believable when Matt can now target rare resources and literally generate unlimited wealth.
Really looking forward to the next book as that should be the tournament.
I was honestly a bit disappointed.
I love the world that's been created, but this book tried to be so many things. Mission Impossible: Anti Ascension Assassin. A Brief History of a completely made up system based on a real system that's been completely fantasized and romanticized. Looney Tunes. Path of Ascension.
I get that more powerful people can do more, but when did they get the power to reform their bodies from goop with cartoon-esque bandages and lumps? I'm not even joking and it was more than one person, so I doubt it was a talent.
They went deep into the whole thief/spy story. I found it interesting, but it felt a little wedged in.
The chapters of crafting kinda killed me, especially the alchemy. Having a full intellectual discourse regarding a crafting system, including lore based historical references? Way deeper than I personally needed. Not sure how better to cover the years of rift experiments but it was a bit of a slog. It makes the friends' perspective more believable when Matt can now target rare resources and literally generate unlimited wealth.
Really looking forward to the next book as that should be the tournament.
September 19, 2023
Review of Books 1-4
Quite a engaging & fun read. Good enough that I binged all 4 books in 3 weeks.
What I liked the best:
+ Easy prose. Immersive enough to drag you in, but not too flowery to drag down the pace.
+ Engaging characters. The MC and his supporting cast are loveable and ones that I wanted to flourish and win. Though not overtly complicated, there's enough moral ambiguity to not make things all vanilla.
+ Macro world & characters. This is phenomenal. Loved the macro politics that defines actions of those we follow. The world is set up very well and it all makes sense. The macro super-powerful characters are exciting and I was happy whenever they make an appearance. The gradual buildup in scope perfectly baited me to binge finish this.
What I liked less:
- There's a lot of mana magic math. Pages of stats showing how certain attributes progress over the next few hundred years / 50 levels. There's also lot of calculations to explain the math behind power progression. It just felt dry to me and after the first few tries, I just skipped all those without any noticeable difference in reading enjoyment.
Highly recommended.
Quite a engaging & fun read. Good enough that I binged all 4 books in 3 weeks.
What I liked the best:
+ Easy prose. Immersive enough to drag you in, but not too flowery to drag down the pace.
+ Engaging characters. The MC and his supporting cast are loveable and ones that I wanted to flourish and win. Though not overtly complicated, there's enough moral ambiguity to not make things all vanilla.
+ Macro world & characters. This is phenomenal. Loved the macro politics that defines actions of those we follow. The world is set up very well and it all makes sense. The macro super-powerful characters are exciting and I was happy whenever they make an appearance. The gradual buildup in scope perfectly baited me to binge finish this.
What I liked less:
- There's a lot of mana magic math. Pages of stats showing how certain attributes progress over the next few hundred years / 50 levels. There's also lot of calculations to explain the math behind power progression. It just felt dry to me and after the first few tries, I just skipped all those without any noticeable difference in reading enjoyment.
Highly recommended.
September 23, 2023
excellent story if you like building and crafting, not as much action as I’d like.
If you like a more slice of life, story with less action than you will enjoy this book. The characters are likable and well done. The storyline on a hole is excellent. There are so many machinations that are happening in the background as a reader i need to know what’s going on and need to read and understand more. I particularly like the time lapse between the years so that the story does not drag out year after year. I just wish something more substantial had happened in this book. It was more character building and power growth, then actual happenstances in the world. As I said, the storyline is engrossing and worth reading. Now I have to wait a long time for the next book in the series. Keep them coming I will keep reading them.
If you like a more slice of life, story with less action than you will enjoy this book. The characters are likable and well done. The storyline on a hole is excellent. There are so many machinations that are happening in the background as a reader i need to know what’s going on and need to read and understand more. I particularly like the time lapse between the years so that the story does not drag out year after year. I just wish something more substantial had happened in this book. It was more character building and power growth, then actual happenstances in the world. As I said, the storyline is engrossing and worth reading. Now I have to wait a long time for the next book in the series. Keep them coming I will keep reading them.
September 15, 2023
Another fine addition to one of my favourite series. This book is slower, focusing on training, progression and crafting. I didn't mind it since I like the universe and characters enough that even just talking about rift experimentation kept my interest.
I appreciate the author's problem with progressing the characters along a journey that spans millennia. I wouldn't be enthusiastic about just large time skips without explaining how the characters are growing. I also wouldn't really want to see them spend another three or four books plodding their way to tier 10. This volume feels like a satisfying way to speed through the less exciting tiers while still feeling like you get to experience their growth and development.
I appreciate the author's problem with progressing the characters along a journey that spans millennia. I wouldn't be enthusiastic about just large time skips without explaining how the characters are growing. I also wouldn't really want to see them spend another three or four books plodding their way to tier 10. This volume feels like a satisfying way to speed through the less exciting tiers while still feeling like you get to experience their growth and development.
September 30, 2023
I'm a fan of the series overall but this has been the weakest one so far. It's not necessarily bad but it suffers from a common theme I don't like, time jumps. I realize it's necessary in a story that features immortals and the tier system but I honestly lost track multiple times on the multiple years that went by and felt like the tiers and skills basically didn't matter much this book. Another thing is there is almost no character growth or change over the course of all these years that are skipped through so it feels like a random set of training montages and side stories rather then a somewhat complete story.
December 9, 2023
This felt like a filler book. While a lot of the personal storylines were moved forward in time (10 years or more in fact) I felt like stopping the story at lvl 9 was a cop out. Nothing really important or personally taxing happened to the main cast. Yes there was the tier 9 rift, but that was literally an artificial barrier set by one of the other characters. Yes there were some heavy personal observations and decisions made where to progress the story forward and why it is necessary to limit the main casts completely overpowered abilities. But honestly it was a filler book.
Expecting a lot from the upcoming book 5 where the tier 10 tournament should be happening.
Expecting a lot from the upcoming book 5 where the tier 10 tournament should be happening.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2024
The Path of Ascension 4 makes decent progress for the characters getting ranked up, though this one is mainly concerned with political gains more than anything else. I'm not generally a fan of political stuff, but apparently it's necessary for the over all story arc, so I guess I'll tollerate it. In any case, since the next one is out, I guess I'll move on to that one, and see if this gets any better. Much more of this, and I might have to bow out on this series.
September 17, 2023
A fantastic fourth book for a fantastic series!
C. Mantis is one of my favourite fantasy and cultivation authors, and this book is a great example of why. The series has excellent progression, world-building, and an intricate power system that has kept me intrigued since I started book one, while also having a suitably impactful yet still human MC. This book in particular is a great segue into what promises to be a high point to the plot, while constituting ample amounts of character development. My sincerest compliments to the author.
C. Mantis is one of my favourite fantasy and cultivation authors, and this book is a great example of why. The series has excellent progression, world-building, and an intricate power system that has kept me intrigued since I started book one, while also having a suitably impactful yet still human MC. This book in particular is a great segue into what promises to be a high point to the plot, while constituting ample amounts of character development. My sincerest compliments to the author.
September 24, 2023
Not quite sedate
This book moved both slowly and quickly. Time passes quickly, but studies and lessons are learned and the path to them is detailed. I'm not sure how to think about Matthew and Melinda's team. They are fundamentally different than Matt, Luz, and Aster. I like how many different and extremely varied Luna's lessons seem. The inevitable conflict is getting closer, and I personally think Matt will have a big impact on it. I love how determined he is to build up the less advantaged, and to become a force of change.
This book moved both slowly and quickly. Time passes quickly, but studies and lessons are learned and the path to them is detailed. I'm not sure how to think about Matthew and Melinda's team. They are fundamentally different than Matt, Luz, and Aster. I like how many different and extremely varied Luna's lessons seem. The inevitable conflict is getting closer, and I personally think Matt will have a big impact on it. I love how determined he is to build up the less advantaged, and to become a force of change.
October 1, 2023
My Rating System:
5- Perfect for my taste, I could not physically stop reading/listening and wanted more afterward.
4- Almost perfect, could not stop reading/listening, probably wanted more afterward.
3- I enjoyed the book and could see others loving it, I need to think if I want more.
2- I can see why others might like the book, but I could not, I do not want more.
1- What is this? What went wrong? Why did they do this? This doesn't make any sense! (No idea who it is for, but definitely not for me).
[Audiobook Version]
5- Perfect for my taste, I could not physically stop reading/listening and wanted more afterward.
4- Almost perfect, could not stop reading/listening, probably wanted more afterward.
3- I enjoyed the book and could see others loving it, I need to think if I want more.
2- I can see why others might like the book, but I could not, I do not want more.
1- What is this? What went wrong? Why did they do this? This doesn't make any sense! (No idea who it is for, but definitely not for me).
[Audiobook Version]
September 16, 2023
Ramping up the pace
It’s always difficult for a story to move forward in time quickly without losing what made it so entertaining when covering smaller time periods, but this book covers it superbly. Have just finished book 4 and honestly can’t wait for book 5 to be released so I can dive straight into it with the same passion Matt has for rifts! If you haven’t joined the Path yet, don’t wait any longer, get on board and follow it till the end!
It’s always difficult for a story to move forward in time quickly without losing what made it so entertaining when covering smaller time periods, but this book covers it superbly. Have just finished book 4 and honestly can’t wait for book 5 to be released so I can dive straight into it with the same passion Matt has for rifts! If you haven’t joined the Path yet, don’t wait any longer, get on board and follow it till the end!
September 28, 2023
This book is the opposite of a training montage. Instead of skipping over the boring parts, the whole book digs into the non-consequential aspects of their training (the rift creation is particularly dull). It feels like very little happens, there’s not much development, the stakes are low. It’s just a boring book. The author has proven themselves enough that I’ll keep trying with the series, but this one was a dud.
October 4, 2023
A bit slow but good.
This was one of those typical training montage novel. Everything in the story was important but at the same time moved a bit slow then jumping forward in time. The constant dichotomy between the extremely powerful characters and the average can be quite jarring sometimes. If anything, it shows just how much father, the main character has to go before he can defend himself properly.
This was one of those typical training montage novel. Everything in the story was important but at the same time moved a bit slow then jumping forward in time. The constant dichotomy between the extremely powerful characters and the average can be quite jarring sometimes. If anything, it shows just how much father, the main character has to go before he can defend himself properly.
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