Memory's Flame by Pirateaba
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

.........

I've been crying more during the reading of this book than any of the others. Indeed, I've lost sleep. I've been pacing. I've been feeling the full gamut of emotions and some much, much more than others for a much longer time that any book has any right to invoke in me. And I love books.

This is a brilliant book. The whole series is one absolutely batshit insane brilliant story.

And it has killed me.

Just in this one alone, I never would have guessed that I'd see Saliss of Lights be anything more than a sometimes nuts battle alchemist or a shameless nudist. At the beginning of this book, I never would have guessed I'd see Saliss's whole tale and cry so damn much, especially when we got to the Lady of Flame and Ryoka's massive arc... and everything around that being too brilliant for words. I laughed and I cried and I laughed some more and it tore me to shreds at certain points and then healed me and then tore me to shreds again.

And yet, if that was it, it would have been enough. Enough to cement this mini-arc and the whole long tale as one of the very best, most satisfying tales ever. And this is coming from someone who has read a LOT.

But then... something else happened. And I don't think I'm going to get over this for a while.

Even as I'm strung along and given something truly wonderful and wild and epic to give me that one little fire of hope, I'm still in.... grief.

This is a grief that is just as real as anything. And I'm raging. In denial. Not even close to acceptance. And not even numbness can save me. Not with this author.



This is not hyperbole. This is not a simple overstatement of facts. This author is... should I say it?

Evil.

Or pure good.

But either way, it, and the stitch witch, has sunk its threads into my soul. And it is making me pay all the prices.


Recommended? Oh, you have no idea. It may be a long tale, but life is long, too. And just as painful.

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The Path of Ascension 12: A LitRPG Adventure by C. Mantis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I personally think this is a major step up from the previous two books. Why? The war is over. We're back to living a life without war.

It's a major breath of relief for me.

That being said, wow, to be a true Duke of the empire, bringing a world almost exactly like Earth into the fold, was VERY amusing. And just as frustrating as it might seem.

And I love the establishment of Matt's long-time dream of a guild. I even love their new home world.

All in all, I had a great time with this particular novel.

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The Path of Ascension 11 by C. Mantis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wanted to like this a ton, especially because the ramp up and expectation of a full war had been building for many books, but the majority of this novel just felt grueling, dark, depressing, and way too monotonous to be particularly thrilling or interesting.

That's not to say it was actually bad. It's just a topic that depresses me and I can't quite ever get into it. Not without some major side plots and/or character development that spins it into beautiful fancies that keep its head above the war-water.

But anyway, there WERE some pretty great fights, so there really was a lot of good in it anyway.

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The Path of Ascension Book 10.5: A LitRPG Adventure by C. Mantis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Honestly, I think this would have been even better in book 10 proper. Sure, it makes it much longer and keeps diverging into PoVs of friends and enemies across all the realms, pinpointed on the moment when the trio finally finished the 25th Tier path, but it really DOES deepen the moment.

And for that, I am glad I picked this up, too.

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The Path of Ascension 10 by C. Mantis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For as much as I was enjoying this series BEFORE the war officially kicked off, it was something of a difficult thing to enjoy AFTER it got well under way.

Why?

Because our monsters ARE actually monsters. Challenges aren't challenges. It's just progression, getting everything they want, getting all the support they want, and trouncing any combatant that gets in their way.

Don't get me wrong, I DO like that aspect a lot more than the alternative, where nothing ever goes their way and they're constantly beset with hell and no success, but the balance is still off.

Most of the best tales that go this direction also tend to divert our attention to new goals, new highs, with genuine challenges to go along all the satisfying trouncing.

I hope we get something more than "Oh, the empire is going bankrupt and the poor are all going to get hit the hardest," including some nice genuine challenges that require a LOT of purposeful effort from our monsters. Of course, I DO see that on the horizon, but I think there should have been more of a focus on that rather than just seeing the Tier 25 talent in play.

And maybe I'm grousing for no real reason. The issue, to me, is just one of balance in the storytelling, and it's no worse than many others I genuinely enjoy. And I'm really looking at it from the PoV that I've been seeing the author manage some great balance tricks between novels already, so I'm tisking at the bit of what I would consider laziness on the author's part.

Still fun, especially if you like a long war campaign where you're on the winning side.

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The Path of Ascension 9 by C. Mantis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Speed run through Tiers, all the way to the big milestone.

I can't say I mind. There were a few deep focuses and plenty of little milestones, but for the most part, I'm quite happy to jump right to the good stuff when all the masks will finally come off.

The aftermath will be in later books. But this one? I'm very satisfied. Good payoff. And if I didn't know any better, I'd call it a good ending-point. But that ignores the war, no?

War, onward!

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The Path of Ascension 8 by C. Mantis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This one might not be everyone's favorite kind of change of direction, but it tickled me no end. The big immortality Tier 15 milestone has arrived, bringing a wedding, a tearful goodbye to a certain chilly fox, and a start of a mini-career as a pair of cocky rookie galactic space cops in the Empire.

Seriously. It went there. And it was delightful for all we are prepared for all out galactic war on our doorstep. It was nice. Relaxing. Adventuresome. Space Opera.

And THEN we switched over to the chilly fox and the novel just made me cry tears of fun joy because she went to Beast Hogwarts. I loved every second of it. And again, it is a wonderful aside before war starts.

Good stuff. :)

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