Humanity to save. Alien threats to annihilate. Aim your spells accordingly.
Drew and his team are the entire counter offensive plan against the Naga. He knows that the serpents must be dealt with, but watching the Sidhe forces take the nodes near his old home and turn them violet is weighing on him. Even worse than the external threat is the pressing fact that the gathered humans are beginning to fracture into factions with competing desires.
The mana shield over the stadium was supposed to solve every one of their problems. The Naga disagreed, and their frequent skirmishes are ramping up into a constant drain on resources. Drew’s only possible response to the humans, the aliens, and the strange urban jungle appearing across the Potomac is to increase the count of his own red nodes and build up his strength; all in a race to save humanity.
As tensions rise, Drew wonders more and more if he can solve everything with a well-placed fireball.
If you're going to skip forward in time an arbitrary amount (to a point where Drew is actively pushing up against a pseudo-level cap), why not skip forward a little more? Why stop here?
Reading Fracture, for me, was both disappointing and painful. Nothing happens that can't be summarized in a sentence or two and I'm sure you'll be able to put it together from context in the next book. A far fall from the first two.
I’ve been patiently waiting for this series for some years now. I’m glad I wasn’t disappointed. Compared to the earlier instalments, this book took more of the traditional dungeon crawl/ exploration route. There were many different monsters and we got to see various types of powers used.
This book also showed the growth, complexities and interactions of the side characters. In particular, the shift in Kady’s personality and a crack of the MC’s romantic relationship. It was realistic and understandable, not everyone is built to face life-or-death battles on a daily basis. Although she was very vague in the way she broke things off, I look forward to see how things develop from there.
The MC had many memorable shows of power in this one. The naga fight as well as the undead fight we’re quite entertaining. There were some parts that confused me though, I would have expected the MC to have a more visceral reaction to the knowledge of his pet being under the thrall of an alien especially after just being reunited in a post apocalyptic scenario, but that’s just me.
The MC is reckless and his unwavering heroic inclinations are only justified because of his powers excessive power for the early stages of the apocalypse. Some of the MC’s flaws were quite obvious. He isn’t perfect with social interactions but as a leader he had to step up more often than in the previous books.
There was more world building and we got a glimpse of the politics involved in the wider universe. We also saw other Gods other than Ares and Isis. Hades was a prick but he did give the MC a xatherite power so for now he hats a pass.
Overall, I enjoyed the retribution path the MC is taking. And I am even more excited for the next instalment. Hopefully it won’t take as long to get released.
Not as good as the previous books. The biggest problem is that it had been 2 years since the last book came out. It was hard to pick back up with that long of a wait. The author decided to take the style of writing in a new way. What I liked most about the previous 2 books is that the author focused on new powers. It was trying to survive, finding new people to help and getting stronger. I loved that about the previous books. This one was different. It was just going from one fight to another. There really wasn't much advancement in Drew's powers. There wasn't much advancement in the story until the very end. All and all I felt it was very boring. Non stop action without much of anything interesting happening. I skimmed through a lot.
Drew is heading for the stars one day, if he survives long enough. Magic has come to earth like an invasion and this is part three of a USCG Red Mage’s story of surviving and protecting humanity after a reality split brought magic and monsters to our reality. A system of power crystals called xantherite in constellation style maps drives the magic systems Some changes to the team will cause more havoc than just battle preparations.
Drew will have to cross multiple situations with some new people in his group on a long term mission. Multiple objectives and huge challenges drive them to an unexpected situation in the sidhe grove. What looks like betrayal from a new member cascades into an army of undead chasing the team to the sidhe grove that just happens to contain huge numbers of humans. Drew’s seraph companion Luke sees all sidhe as enemies and counsels such. They spent millions of lives to get this one ship here possibly to kill the Red Mage, our main character Drew. Does he level their base with his powers from afar or learn more before judging? Retribution should only be invoked in dire circumstances… as all power has a cost.
A really good 3 rd installment. I really enjoyed it though I feel that it was way to short and had a bit too much uninteresting things at the start and midway. It only got really really good towards the end. I hope we don't have too wait as long for the next installment of the series or if so that it's better paced.
Another solid entry in Boyce's series. It felt a little slower at first, but the pace amped up at the end. I think this was partly due to just having to consolidate the results of the last two books. But now I can't wait to get into the next one.
The story was really enjoyable as I did not want to put it down. The world building continues to be both engrossing and enjoyable as I look forward to seeing what happens next. The author has kept me wanting more.
Mixed bag, and the wait for the payoff was difficult
Been waiting for the next entry in this series, but unfortunately I didn't enjoy the majority of this one.
A lot of the book is bogged down with American military jargon, and I mean a LOT of jargon, moreso than the previous books where it wasn't an issue. Rough part is not all of it was explained and that was alienating enough, but then the story stalled as well. It felt like the author wanted me to connect with Drew's hometown? Things slowed down and there was a lot of descriptions of the city... Except all of the descriptions were name dropping landmarks that are not familiar to me, or were references that I don't get and would have to look up so it was having the opposite effect. Overall these parts just didn't land for me and made me want the story to move on or try actively describing stuff rather than referencing other things.
Even the core group of main characters didn't see much progress in this book at all. A few abilities upgraded and a few new ones added, but we don't get to see the star maps at all, or a real overview of any changes that happened which was very frustrating.
The story only really comes alive in the last 30% though. The looming threat of the Aliens making their huge forest has been present for a while and it hangs around for the entire narrative until we're almost done with the book. But when we reach that part, its all go again.
I did enjoy the theme of fracture. Many things get fractured in this entry, so I get why that's the title and that theme throughout was very well done. Relationships, trust, language, beliefs, expectations, limits. All fractured. Those parts were great.
Overall I'm still invested in the series but this was not a hit for me. Amazon 4/5 Real life 3/5
Nothing is clear in this new world. It’s plainly evident that the US Government is no longer functioning, and yet, the Sons of Liberty are claiming that because of that, they don’t need to obey a clear chain of command, while simultaneously spouting off statement about their rights, which are no longer valid.
Drew is facing a lot of change, in this book, and it looks like the changes will only get bigger, going forward. He spent a good portion of this book holding himself back from developing his xatherite and creating new links in his map. I have a feeling that will no longer be an option, especially if the Protectorate starts becoming directly involved in the affairs of Earth-3.
And what was it that fractured? Does this spell trouble for Drew? Has he fully attuned all of his xatherite now?
I thought I knew what path this book was going to take, but I found I was mistaken time and time again. The introduction of new characters, both anticipated and not, were excellent additions to the storyline. The ending left on a bit of a cliffhanger and leaves me excited for the next book in this series. Drew's development over the series has been a bit of a slow burn, but I feel like after this installment his tale is really going to take off. I'm a bit late to the series, but I now find myself among the long-time Xander Boyce fans anxiously anticipating the next book. I was already drawn the LitRPG genre, and this series being my first of it all has me hunting for more while I wait to find out what happens next to Earth-3, the safe zone in the stadium, and the universe as a whole.
I REALLY enjoyed books one and two. However the OP nature of Drew that made him so fun seemed like it took a hit with the introduction and emphasis of mana fatigue. He had powerful spells, yes, but long cooldowns. It's a great trade-off system. I don't know why we had to add the mana fatigue on top of it though. This changed the book from unique to basically everything having a quantifiable mana cost just like every other LitRPG out there. I still love the uniqueness of the system and the constellations, the connections, etc. One other sad thing about this book was just how much Drew sucks at relationships. He's basically alone at the end of the book. Sad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A good next entry into the series. A few points were somewhat annoying, but not enough to distract for long, as it was mostly just information beeing teased but then "forgotten" about for a few chapters. That included the end of the last book and its followup information in the first chapters of this book. As this was already sort of like this in the last book as well, it did not distract to much. In this series there are only some enemies left alive or rather run away from, and one such is in this book which was also kind of annoying. That seemed to have a bit of a purpose later on, to limit the teams options, but it didnt seem to realy fit into the flow of the rest of the book.
Everything in the book is just so nonsensical, that the author ended up having to use an otherworldly being/human (Luke) to basically explain the world to the MC (and by extension the reader). In general as I mentioned in my previous review, the book is just kind of boring and I find it kind of hard to pay attention. I also don't like the military ranking system they use to organize themselves (and for whatever reason that's how the intergalactic beings organize themselves too). It also doesn't seem like much overall progress has been made in these past two books. Not sure if I'll be reading the next ones when they come up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Drew has secured many of the nodes in the DC area. There are a handful left before the can start looking across the Potomac. This is where the elves have landed. Luke is convinced that this will be a huge problem. On the other hand, his old apartment is along the way. Maybe his roommate and dog are alright.
My only complaint is knowing that book 4 is not complete yet. Drew makes for a great character. If you enjoy dungeon dives, this is definitely the series for you! Each node is so wonderfully varied. Luke Daniels does a wonderful job with the narration.
Definitely enjoyed the book. A little sad that it was so short. After a two year wait I was hoping for MORE. Can't wait for the next book though and hopefully it doesn't take as long to release.
Drew is still massively overpowered, which plays into the larger plot line. The fact that it is acknowledged several times in the book by several different characters doesn't less the fact that the stakes feel really low when he can literally clear city blocks and defend against entire armies while most people have trouble wiping themselves.
Well, I saw it coming... Bailing out at chapter 20.
Too much military acronyms (You know your stuff, we get it!). Too much game lingo. Too many skills. Too much skill tree description. Repetitive action scenes (you can only put so much emotion in clicking a skill button...) Not enough ACTUAL story. Not enough character development, and a tepid MC (Drew is OP, what else? Katie had a more interesting thing going on. Who wants to follow someone who only cares about "the next step"?)
I have a new favorite author. Only complaint is that he takes too long between books. I read Advent when or very shortly after it was first published and had to wait for book two. Mr. Boyce has a back for pulling you into his character and making you feel what he is going through. If you’re his significant other, give or get him whatever he wants or needs to facilitate his writing, I beg of you, help him keep this going.
This book felt like it went by fast. The world is starting to expand and drew is slowly growing in power. The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is because of how heavily overused acronyms are in this book (and the last). It seems something can be introduced once and then only listed as an acronym from that point on. Makes it hard to follow what is going on sometimes, but overall a pretty small gripe
This book takes the element of RPG too far, as in I feel like I’m mindlessly grinding the whole time. I’ve waited long enough, and still have not seen elements of exploration, world-building or anything different really compared to the last two books. It’s quite literally the same thing. Literally. Just the MC going around blowing things up, he’s the only human on earth that isn’t half useless.
Wish the book had a recap at the beginning. So many names and so much time has gone by between books it was hard to remember details.
Really like the concept of skills and how they are set up like constellations with links and color variations that can affect how those skills manifest. So refreshing and interesting to read in each book.
The ending was insane. Can’t elaborate much without spoiling things, but wow. Just wow.
I smashed through these books surprisingly fast. At first I thought it might just be a good story. Over and done with in three books. However I now find myself looming about and waiting for the next installment. The storyline gives me an impression of a long journey, and many books.
I'm here for the long run and I will be watching for each book in this series. Xander Boyce you have won me over.
The author's building an in depth and deep world, although I'm enjoying the story it seems to be just a small part of a bigger universe. Easy to see the series going 10 more books with some spin-offs even, and I love reading those all together so having it coming out one book at a time is just a little frustrating. 🙂.
So this book is so well done. Seemed a little slow going at first but once it picked up a little steam it sailed forward. Speaking of aquatic vehicle metaphors I am 100% cruising the Noli-Drew ship. 5hank you for this book I was a little afraid you wouldn't write another one and I'm glad you did and I think you left it in great place. Im hooked again.
Unique concept to the books that really plays well. Super interesting and look out I really hope Gary gets played hard super fun build. The first two lacked limitations on Drews powers that have been finally introduced this book. So it is more interesting to see how he overcomes those.
We follow Drew in the aftermath of creating a habitat node. There are some changes to people on the team and otherwise. Some of the changes seem to come out of nowhere and will hopefully be addressed in the next volume. We finish the book with Drew beginning to address the Fae situation introduced in the last book.
Too complicated, that's what I think at the end. First need a review. There so many of these type a book they start to blend together. Without a review takes longer to get in too the book. Plus the author system was fine in book one, complex to stand apart from others was good, but now can't remember what's what....
As a Audible listener, this is to big a time gap for this book. I blame it on Patreon users. The pacing of the book is still way to slow, this group has literally not left a couple square miles in the DC area in 3 books!! To much forced politics and relationships that have no business in the book to begin with. This is still very much a YA novel with the drama to go with it.
The series is getting better and clear growing towards something, but part of that is a lot of pieces of the story that are built up but not actuated, clearly waiting for later books.
Still some of the issues from the earlier books remain, with great set pieces that aren't given time to grow and settle before moving on.