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A review by sentry
He Who Fights with Monsters, Book 4 by Shirtaloon, Travis Deverell
5.0
This one has been my favorite book so far in the series. I think the return to the real world and the return of Farrah were both wonderful steps and I'm eager to see how they return to the new world and prepare for the Builders plans while dealing with Knowledge, Purity, and the other gods.
I feel a bit confused about Farrah coming back to life. I haven't decided how to feel about her return because I'm glad she's back, and I'm excited to see their next adventures together. Her death meant a lot to Jason, her friends and family. Death is important in stories and forgoing it makes it cheap. Characters experiencing the loss of their loved ones shapes who they are. If death is meaningless, so is life. So is the story.
Anyways!
I think the neice Emi is now my favorite side character. The introduction to his family in all has really been a good move. It's the cement to the foundation of Jason's personality and him struggling with the changes and the choices he's made to survive has been fun to read.
He struggles with his sense of self and his own humanity while coming to grips with who he is, the choices he's made, and who he wants to be. I am excited to continue this journey and see what happens with his family and friends.
He's got a big target on his back, and the writer is building him up to be this great important superhero that is trying to save both(maybe) of the world's he's called home, I'm excited to see how he is going to grow with this weight on his back and how it will affect his life and the choices he makes going further.
I think I only have two critiques to offer. they're not very big and won't stop me from finishing the story.
I haven't read passed book 4 so I might be reading things completely wrong but so far the story seems to be hinting at sort of a haremy tropey direction. I know creating multiple lady characters who all have an interest in Jason is a fun play to get readers pushing for their favorite, but it's a bit distracting. I personally think if romance is going to continue, and I think it definitely should, I'd like to see more personality from the potential main love interests. And some interest reciprocation from Jason would be good too. I know he's been struggling with his sense of self, but he attraction and interest are a part of him.
The second criticism I have is about the new bbeg set up.
Specifically just around his motivation.
At this stage it's been set up that the Astral beings are the top dogs. The Builder has beef with Jason and wants to accumulate more power. But it's not really clear why he wants more power, or things he can't have. He's obsessed with power but what are his motivations? Just to own everything physical out there? He's an Astral Being with coworkers that tease him for being young and inexperienced (having mortal tendencies). The other God-like characters have all been built up very well, hinting at their infinite powers and motivations, but at book 4, I'm still not sure what we're suppose to feel about this particular bbeg.
I feel a bit confused about Farrah coming back to life. I haven't decided how to feel about her return because I'm glad she's back, and I'm excited to see their next adventures together. Her death meant a lot to Jason, her friends and family. Death is important in stories and forgoing it makes it cheap. Characters experiencing the loss of their loved ones shapes who they are. If death is meaningless, so is life. So is the story.
Anyways!
I think the neice Emi is now my favorite side character. The introduction to his family in all has really been a good move. It's the cement to the foundation of Jason's personality and him struggling with the changes and the choices he's made to survive has been fun to read.
He struggles with his sense of self and his own humanity while coming to grips with who he is, the choices he's made, and who he wants to be. I am excited to continue this journey and see what happens with his family and friends.
He's got a big target on his back, and the writer is building him up to be this great important superhero that is trying to save both(maybe) of the world's he's called home, I'm excited to see how he is going to grow with this weight on his back and how it will affect his life and the choices he makes going further.
I think I only have two critiques to offer. they're not very big and won't stop me from finishing the story.
I haven't read passed book 4 so I might be reading things completely wrong but so far the story seems to be hinting at sort of a haremy tropey direction. I know creating multiple lady characters who all have an interest in Jason is a fun play to get readers pushing for their favorite, but it's a bit distracting. I personally think if romance is going to continue, and I think it definitely should, I'd like to see more personality from the potential main love interests. And some interest reciprocation from Jason would be good too. I know he's been struggling with his sense of self, but he attraction and interest are a part of him.
The second criticism I have is about the new bbeg set up.
Specifically just around his motivation.
At this stage it's been set up that the Astral beings are the top dogs. The Builder has beef with Jason and wants to accumulate more power. But it's not really clear why he wants more power, or things he can't have. He's obsessed with power but what are his motivations? Just to own everything physical out there? He's an Astral Being with coworkers that tease him for being young and inexperienced (having mortal tendencies). The other God-like characters have all been built up very well, hinting at their infinite powers and motivations, but at book 4, I'm still not sure what we're suppose to feel about this particular bbeg.