Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for this ARC.

This is book 2 of The Exilian Syndrome series, where Mark was sent into the fields without the extra training everyone else usually received. After arriving at the base, things turn for the worse. Now he has to survive in the wilderness, not knowing when help will come.

This was really a survival arc. I enjoyed him learning more about his abilities and about Mime, even though I still have questions. He did advance other skills like his alchemy and engineering with the limited resources he had. I enjoyed the outcome of the book and will be trying to get the next one.

4.5 ⭐️

Even better than the first! I really appreciated that we got even more insight into Mark’s power and how he’s leveling up his abilities. Also, we see more of Mime and I feel like we’re finally starting to understand more of what she can do, and how she’s related to Mark’s newfound awakening.

This second book definitely has a different tone and setting to the first - Mark actually spends a lot of this book alone in the wilderness so we get some more character development and introspection out of him compared to the first which focused more on his training and building relationships within the camp. This also allowed for us to see what the world is like outside of New Emery and get interactions with different types of Exlian, which for me was a huge plus!

Just when you think you know what’s going on, you’re hit with even more questions that will make you want to keep reading. Warning - we’re definitely left on a cliffhanger and I’m already impatiently waiting on the third book in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Out of the frying pan of the city and into the fire of the wilderness, with even more dangers, both of the wild and from mysterious factions of the city who want what Mark is made of. It makes for crazy wild times at the mines but thankfully Mark has a bit more time to figure out his powers (odd though they may be) and to make some advancements (along with the ever helpful and wonderful Mime!) It was nice to see more of the world outside the city walls, even if it brings more questions about how Mark got his powers and what he is actually capable of. I really hope he can beat the forces arrayed against him because they are totally awful, especially when they don't even care whether the innocent people with Mark end up dead, unnoticeable casualties on their way for more power. Be warned, this ends on a humdinger of a cliffhanger which I will say gets Mark out of the fire and into a raging inferno of trouble! I cannot wait for the next book to be released!!!

This is a great series and I happily sped through this second book, even though I now need the third book right away!

The protagonist is sent into the vast wilderness, but their might be a traitor amongst his team? Can he survive out there on his own if he needs to? Who is possibly trying to kill him?

I very much enjoyed book 2, but I missed all the characters in book 2. Also, I thought the middle section was just a bit too long. Hoping all the characters will return in book three, especially Noah & Mark’s brother. Also hope we keep getting books in this world even after book 3!

Review: Not really my cup of tea. The inner-dialogue of our hero is stilted and attempts to cram backstory into that gullet. This novel did not evolve naturally with a solid story line in step with the movement. Some interesting alien types but that was about it. I think the main issue is this is written for the YA crowd.

I received this ARC for an honest review.

I rated the previous book: Advent as a 5 star. I feel I messed up on that, as this book was even better. The story picked up right where the first left off. Advent, I felt had to build up the story a lot; introduce characters and mechanics of the world. In this book all that is put to use to tell an interesting story about Mark's mission. The twists and turns were unexpected and I never felt like I knew what else would happen. Dark Dawn kept me intrigued for the whole novel and then at the end, the hook for the next book makes me want to sit down and read until I finish it as well. Seth Ring did an excellent job with this book and I am excited to read the rest of the series.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in return for my honest review.

Dark Dawn caught me off guard in the best possible way. I didn’t expect the story to head in the direction it did, but the journey was compelling, immersive, and ultimately very satisfying. The pacing struck a great balance—starting at a moderate speed to build context and gradually picking up momentum as the plot unfolded. I love when a story takes the time to lay groundwork early on, then uses that foundation to drive the action in meaningful and exciting ways.

One of the standout aspects for me was the character development, especially of the main character, Mark. The story is told so effectively through his perspective that it feels like you’re experiencing the journey right alongside him. Without giving any spoilers, I’ll just say that watching his powers evolve was a real highlight of the book.

As a sequel to Advent, Dark Dawn is a strong continuation that expands the world in fresh and unexpected ways. The setting may be different, but it complements the first book beautifully and deepens the overarching narrative. I’d highly recommend this to fans of science fiction, litRPG, and anyone who enjoys Seth Ring’s work. I’m already looking forward to the next installment.

This was such a cool concept! I really liked the fantasy elements. This book was fun, and I wanted to read more from the author

Perhaps the most interesting take on the genre in sometime, this book takes the original and magnifies it.

A study in character that speaks to a truth of the human condition, even in a setting so wildly different from anything we know.

Seth's characters always ring true, whole, and human, in all the ways that matter.

This book will keep you up until you finish it, burning away hours as you yearn to learn the fates of our hero and his people.

The ending will shock you.

The second book of the series has a very different setting. You go from the dystopian city to the dangerous wilds outside the walls. The dark past of the world becomes more apparent and you find out how perilous it is. Mark's powers jump by leaps and bounds as he discovers new aspects of his power.
This book is a clean adventure full of edge of your seat action and of course the mysterious cat.

This was another great romp with a rich journey for the protagonist and the discovery of more powerful and interesting powers. I know it wasn't significantly shorter than the first book, but it felt short for some reason. I suspect it was because the journey this round was more focused. I wasn't crazy about the cliffhanger ending, but we know Ring is good for it and another book will be out soon to offer some resolution. Keep up the good work with my thanks.

What an amazing book I couldn’t put it down. Read it in one complete sitting. It is the perfect blend of story to character development with a RPG setting. This world is so immersive and truly take you to new places.

This book was amazing. My only complaint is that the third entry isn't available for me to read already. The cliff is hung at the end and I cannot wait to see what happens next. Expertly written and once again I was pulled right into the world and nothing could shake me out till the very end. Read this series!

This book was really hard to put down! It touched on and improved a lot of the issues/loose ends from the first book. It also sets up the 3rd book to start really strong!

I really like that we got to see more of the world and some of the story building where parts of whats going on came from.

Pros:

Diversity and complexity of the power sets

Potential for growth

Being OP but not all at once

The Cat (mime)

Cons:

Excited for more world building, but still only get a small glimpse

I wish we got more of his teacher/mentor in this, but it also feels like a bigger role will be in the next store

This is a great sequel. Mark is becoming quite the power house but has to keep secrets as not to stand out too much. There is a lot of action and intrigue in the story. I am curious to see where the story goes.
Would've loved to hear more about his friends but it is understandable that was hard with him being sent out on a mission.

Dark Dawn is a great continuation of Advent. The main character gets to experience a new environment and learn a little more about his powers and the intrigue surrounding him. It definitely kept me reading.

After reading the first one I couldn’t help but to dive into the sequel. First thing to note is that the last book takes a while to get going, while this one gets going right away. The change of pace is not what I was expecting, but I liked it. While I did enjoy the sections where we explored the technology and history of the world, I missed the political tension from the first book. Granted this probably won’t be an issue in the next one. This book set an exiciting stage for the next few books and I can’t wait to see what happens. I just hope that we get a chance to learn more about the city itself and the power dynamics associated with it. All in all, this book is fantastic and I can’t wait for the next one.

Great start to a new series by a favorite author of mine. Good world building with characters that are easy to get to know. I won't post any spoilers so as not to ruin the experience for you but strap in for a n action filled progression fantasy litrpg. Actively waiting on the next book which is already scheduled for release.

Just to note: I'm a fan of Seth Ring's books in general, and I was able to review as an early DRC on NetGalley.


Book 2 kicks things up! After reading through the second book, I can confidently say I'm really enjoying this series so far. Without really going into details / spoilers (hopefully), I will say that the majority of this book focuses on Mark coming to understand more about his powers, and ways for him to grow in strength. There are interactions with other characters (book 1 and new), but largely this is all Mark trying to survive and grow stronger. Likewise, we don't get a lot of world building in this one, there are a few things that we come to learn, but mostly you can see where things are established that will help bring about discoveries that will come later. The end of this book is a bit cliffhanger-ish, it's not bad, but you are definitely left wanting to dive right into book 3 and see what happens next. All-in-all, I found it to be a great read! Can't wait for more!