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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The Path of Ascension 7 by C. Mantis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Concluding the Forge, I have to admit I rather enjoyed the live-another-life sequences. Good benefits, but poor Liz. The near free-for-all at the end was particularly harrowing and fun.

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The Path of Ascension 6 by C. Mantis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The more challenge, the more reward. A special area that chews up pre-15's at an amazing rate, with real deaths on the line.

It's great training. A forge. And better yet, lots of variety and rewards the further you go.

And instead of keeping it as one very long arc, it's obviously going to be cut up into two books. Yay... ish.

I think the best part is the Seasons section, but I honestly had a pretty good time with all of it.

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

I love a good tournament and extended contest with young stars. I especially love it when our young heroes have to voluntarily self-limit their skills, pretending to be other contestants, using all new ranges.

And still dominate. :)

Fun, fun stuff. All the action is rank 10 here, but that's nothing, since it's all fair.

Some great new characters, too.

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