Fresh from the success of capturing Gwain’s Keep, Alpha Company is in high spirits. Flush with coin, everyone is eager to get better gear and see what new zones they can go fight in.
Not everything is roses though, as the first testing phase is about to come to an end. A number of those who ventured forth with the guild are about to return to their regular lives, and the next wave of testers brings even more players to embrace Alpha World as their new reality, if only for a limited time.
Alburet has new complications to deal with, but he doesn’t have to face them alone. Two other loving women whom he has accepted the love of, Fluffball and Karen, will be at his side as the revelation of his past comes out.
Will Alburet be able to handle what he has hidden from himself, with the love of the trio of women beside him? Or will he break and fail, leaving his Spirit Fractured?
(This book contains adult themes. You’d think I could stop with these disclaimers but even this far into the series people are shocked by the content. This book contains a Polyamorous relationship, with one of the four people in it being a Succubus. You’ve been warned.)
My Opinion: 350 pages??, $4.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
Full disclosure, I received an advanced copy for review. I purchased a copy when it became available.
Warning: There are sexy scenes in this story and also moments that may bring you to tears for other reasons.
The first part of the story is a lot of clean up from book 4. Consequences from past quests, training, getting new gear, and setup for future storylines. In addition to that, there are some very emotional moments to the story that land with varying degrees of success.
This entry in the series, revolves around dealing with the psychological issues the MC has. Throughout the last few novels there’s been an emotional and memory exploration of each of the women the MC loves. We’ve seen their tragic pasts and the source of their issues. This time, that same mechanic is used to probe the issues of the MC. I’ll be honest, the first emotional moment landed a bit flat for me. There just wasn’t enough build up in this novel to make it moving, for me. But by the last revelation, I was shaking my fist at the author for being so cruel to his MC.
This is also one of the less action oriented entries in the series. There are two fight sections, one early on that’s pretty small and one late in the story that’s a good 15% of the novel. But it’s all part of the setup for the next book and feels a lot like XP grinding. Which isn’t bad, it just is.
Overall, I liked reading the story. If you’ve read any of the other novels in the series, you’re already aware that it’s a good series. The highlights of this novel are the story updates and the big emotional moments.
Score: 7 out of 10