Nick, Frost/Lesya, and Violette must come up with a plan to achieve what Nick decided must be done at the end of book one, which is to kill God-King Vaan so Yensere can be freed from the effects of its black sun. Knowing he’s going to need significantly more physical strength, and an army, he decides they should break Batal a formidable man known as the Beast, out of his captivity.

At the same time, we finally get to see what Lesya’s real world situation is like, and though she has food and shelter, she is alone, except for some cats and a dog, on her planet. All of her people, including her sister Irina, chose to enter ascension pods so they could leave their bodies behind and live an entirely digital life. We begin to understand why Frost has worked so hard in Yensere to gain abilities and why she persists in her search for her sister.

Batal has his own plans, and at the moment, Nick's, Frost's and Batal's all coincide, so they make their way to Batal's former home, fighting their way through monsters and soldiers. Batal also reveals to Nick that he can see that various attributes each individual has (e.g., Level, etc.) and how this has always set him apart from everyone else in Yensere.

At the same time, Sir Gareth is recruited by one of the God-King's incredibly powerful Harbingers, and is in pursuit of Nick and company.

This story moves along at a fast pace, and it was good to learn more about Yensure, as well as about Lesya, who is a much, much, much more interesting character, as is Violette, than Nick is. I also liked that we learned that Yensere is not the only artificial world contained in the alien artifacts. Yes, there is more than one, as a different one was what enthralled Lesya's people with its promises of immortality within a digital world.

At the same time, there were so many vicious fights that eventually I just got tired, and started skimming past these to the more meaty and interesting character moments. And there definitely are some for Lesya (this really was her instalment, rather than Nick's); there is so much tragedy bound up in her situation, and though resolved in some ways, there is still the fallout from hers and Violette's actions by the end of the book that I'm interested in following to the next book. And there is still so much to learn about the artifacts and the black sun manifesting above Majeure.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Orbit Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Picking up "Level: Unknown" was super fun for me because it was pretty different from things that I normally read, and I adored it, so I was super excited to receive the eARC of "Level: Ascension". I definitely enjoyed "Level: Ascension", but I'm not sure I loved it quite as much as the first installment. With that said, I will definitely keep reading future books in this series.

Something about the plot of "Level: Ascension" just didn't feel as full and nuanced as the plot of the first book. If anything, the plot felt very much "monster of the week" like. The characters would fight in some big battle, and then travel to the next place, rinse and repeat. Unlike the first book, we hear very very little about what is going on outside of Yensere (dropping several plot points from the first book). I know that this is because we get a lot more of Frost/Lesya's POV, which I really liked, but it made it feel like this book wasn't super connected to the first one.

I also thought that "Level: Ascension" didn't quite have the heart that I thought "Level: Unknown" had. There were definitely emotional moments, and I thought they were well done, but they didn't have the payoff as some of these moments from the first novel.

Overall, this was a fun, fast-paced read and I still adore the world. I'm looking forward to reading the next one and I hope that some of the questions we're left with from "Level: Ascension" are actually answered rather than never speaking of them again.

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

A great sequel in the series! We finally get to see Frost's story, one of the main characters, outside in the real-world. We learn more about the mystery surrounding the artifact and this artificial/digital world. We get answers, but we also get new characters who bring more mysteries, and we realize that some characters we know aren't who they seem? Violette?

The fight scenes are well written and there are plenty of them. But it's the character growth that I enjoyed the most, in this second part. Both on a personal level and in their relationships.

The ending is non-stop action and revelations but the epilogue! Is so promising for what's to come. I can't wait to read the next and final book in the series.

The LitRPG elements are easy to follow, which makes it accessible to someone new to the genre.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for the eArc!

I was lucky enough to get the arc for the first book in this series, which I enjoyed quite a bit. A brief rundown of the first book has the main character Nick transported to the digital world of Yensere, when the people who inhabit a space station find an artifact. Nick finds two companions in both Frost a fellow traveler from another world and Violette a scholar from Yensere. The first book is light-hearted with semi low stakes. The second book raises the stakes in many ways. Nick is now trying to figure out what the similarities between his world and Yensere in an attempt to protect his world.. The author has the characters grapple with the amount of killing the two off world characters have to do to reach their goals. Are they just digital constructs or are they real people? A new character is introduced that adds something to the conversation. I really enjoyed this and the themes that were brought up.

This second book was a strong sequel to Level: Unknown; in fact I think it far surpassed the first book. Now that the reader has the necessary background information, the action begins. How quick it went; I was wishing there was another 400 or so pages at the end to continue the story. I was hooked at the very end with the last two chapters or so, they brought major plot twists that should be quite interesting for the next installment. If you only liked the first book and are not sure if you want to read any more, I would definitely try this one; it really picked up the story and ran with it.

So SATISFYING! super long, super full, so much of everything, feels like two books on one. There are so many action scenes. My favorite character is still Cataloger, then Lesya, and her plotline. There is so much (not just battle against the God King, but also reflection on both worlds, the idea of eternal life, choices, pros and cons, plan behind the idea....) that it must be read and experienced rather than added to a review.
Great ending, by the way, with the sisters... But the epilogue... YES! I am looking forward to reading book 3. I know it's going to be my fav, no doubt! No pressure author.

Nick is getting the hang of this new world now and with Lesya and Violette they are on their way to kill the God King. Good thing they meet Batal the Beast of Emden (also a enemy of the God King) to help out. So many new things revealed, more mysterious stuff too (especially with Batal and Violette who are so intriguing and definitely more than they appear! That world gets more dangerous though because we also meet the Harbingers of Vaan. Much death and destruction with powers and armies and the action never ends (partially because Nick is finally skilled enough, with the help of Sorrow, who is a fantastic sword, to not die as often) and the stakes rise ever higher. I cannot wait to see what happens next, especially since it looks like Vaan is going to finally make an appearance after all the destruction that Batal and his demon friends (Nick and Lesya) have wrought on the country as they make their way ever closer to the God King. Also I am really looking forward to, what I am thinking, is going to be a greater appearance of the Cataloger!!!!! This a is great Litrpg series and I hope the next book comes out soon and answers all the burning questions that happened in this book.

Level: Ascension delivers another thrilling installment packed with high-stakes battles, epic quests, and characters grappling with both external foes and inner turmoil. Nick’s growing party, especially the deadly yet intriguing Batal, adds tension and depth to the mission to overthrow the God-King, and Frost’s personal journey gives the narrative emotional weight. The pacing keeps the energy high, with clever twists and world-expanding lore that deepen the series’ appeal. Though some revelations feel intentionally withheld to stretch the mystery, the payoff is satisfying enough to keep readers hooked and hungry for the next level.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for early copy for review*

What a fantastic sequel to this LitRPG. I truly felt like I was reading a video game or a D&D game. It was so much fun especially when the beast on the cover showed up. Also learning more about Frost's life outside of Yensere was also great (though I did wonder how does the animals get fed when she's asleep). Seeing more of Vaan's forces was also interesting as well as meeting a former foe of his (an potential ally for our demon gang). I'm not trying to get to spoilery so just know that it's a good sequel that raises the stakes and adds humanity to all of character including the ones that are just data.

3.5 stars

This sequel picks up immediately after the events of the previous book, diving straight back into the action and continuing the momentum built in the series’ opener.

One of my favorite things about the previous book, and honestly something this author usually nails, is the POVs. They always feel distinct and add something unique to the story. In the first book, we mostly followed Nick, his brother, and Gareth. I really liked the brother's POV last time, so I was a little disappointed he wasn’t one of the perspectives in this one but to be fair, it made sense with how the plot played out.

A big highlight for me this time around was Lesya. I think she only had one chapter in the last book, but here she’s a full POV character. Her chapters were some of my favorites. They were emotionally gripping and deeply personal. We got a lot more of her backstory and her relationship with her sister, which helped to balance out the heavier action sequences.

Now for the part that didn’t really work for me: the middle section. That’s when a new POV character, Batal, gets introduced. I’m honestly not sure if he’s supposed to be likable or not, but I just didn’t vibe with him at all. Once he showed up, it felt like the entire story shifted focus. Most of the plot and even other characters started revolving around him and his growing army, and I started to feel like the rest of the story was put on pause to build him up. It got to the point where I was wondering if he had some kind of hidden mind control ability or a secret charisma stat buff or something. That said, this could totally be a personal preference thing and other readers might love his arc, but it really didn’t click for me.

Thankfully, the last 30% of the book brought things back together. All the POVs had moments to shine, the pacing picked up nicely, and the story found its rhythm again. The combat scenes, in particular, stood out. They were really well written and there’s plenty of them, so if that’s your thing, you’ll probably enjoy those a lot.

The LitRPG elements felt more subdued this time around compared to the first book. That said, it’s a great series for anyone looking to dip their toes into LitRPG as it leans more into sci-fi/fantasy with some LitRPG mechanics rather than going full stat-heavy.

The last two chapters and the epilogue were honestly fantastic and some of the best writing in the book. They left me genuinely excited for the next installment and reminded me of why I got hooked on this series in the first place.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Orbit in exchange for an honest review.

I'd like to thank Oribt, Netgalley, and of course, David Dalglish for another eARC!!

Oblivion Remaster absolutely took over my life for two weeks, but I managed to get this finished for its release day!!

This is my third Dalglish review this year, so I'm some what of a die hard at this point.

Now, the good! Like usual, good action, really visceral and real. And great character work. Each POV feels distinct and Nick and Lesya are such loveable characters, and to see both of their growth is wonderful.

The banter between Cataloger and Sorrow with Nick is the best part of the series for me.

Now, some of the bad.

Batal feels too much like previous characters Dalglish has written before. Sadly, some of this dialogue or POV chapters would make me roll my eyes a bit, feeling like we've treaded this ground before many times.

And, while Dalglish writes phenomenal action, there was too many sequences of battle here, to the point where it felt the LitRPG side got sidelined for some of these unbelievable fights, even in a game/fantasy setting.

You get the bigger picture of whats happening here, and I'm super invested in the story laid out before us!!

See you all again for the review of book 3!!!

Another fun book! I love how we got more world building in this novel. I can't wait to see what else we get to discover in the next one. I will say there was a tad too many fights for me but I get that's part of the LitRPG category/gaming. Still enjoyed it though!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reader's copy of the book. This was another great book. I enjoyed it more than the first and I think because there's more world building and we got to see more from the perspective of Frost/Lesya. And that ending? The author is a tease. I truly can't wait for the next book in the series where hopefully more of the questions I have get answered.

Review: Well if it is not obvious who cataloger is by now, then bereft of discernment you are. I was never on the ol' "More Cataloger" bandwagon that forced the writers hand. Sure, the more characters the merrier in any LitRPG but dropping the no-clip OZ veil is ho-hum IMO.

This is a dang good read with constant movement that builds great characterization. The stats are not lengthy and OTT like Dakota Krouts and a few others, so you never have to wade through repetitive and lengthy gains.

I received this ARC for an honest review.

4.9/5

Loved the world expansion that we received here, both about Yansere, but also Lesya's home and background.

Something that I think that Dalglish does extremely well in his writing is including and building vast and intricate religious systems that work within the limits and boundaries of the magic of a fantasy world, and one of the best (and terrible) part of this installment was seeing a character dealing with a family member who is now seemingly in a cult type situation and is a completely different person than the one that they knew.

The only part that I didn't like is that things were clearly happening of page that we didn't get a chance to see. We know that this happens in multi POV books (because time doesn't stop), but its rarely mentioned, and here we had Nick and his brother talking about something and there was mention of "what's happened since the last time you are here, right after X" but we never knew about that visit happening after X because we hadn't been there. I guess it was a reminder that Nick is going home without dying regularly, but it was just oddly inserted.

With a course set of "Killing the God King," our heroes set off to do just that. How and with what army is answered quickly (thankfully for them) when the come across Batal the Beast flayed open and yet still alive being paraded across all of Yesenre to remind all of Vaan's foes what happens to rebels. Nick, Lesya, and Violette free him from his shackles and discover that he is so much more than they ever thought. A native citizen of Yesenre and yet far more powerful than even they are as other worlders, and he knows about the levels. Reluctantly, Lesya and Violette agree to ally themselves with the Beast even knowing to do so will spread the flames of war.

Omg this was amazing! I genuinely don't even know where to start. Every new revelation is more exciting (in Lesya's case extremely despressing) than the last one, and oh man, were there a ton of them, and ALL of them are spoilers. So I'm going to keep it minimal on that level, so here goes the short of it: Nick's an idiot but maybe not really? He definitely becomes a bonafied badass in this volume, so there is that, and I think he's finally gotten past his whole "girls I'm attracted to are scary" thing. I'm proud of him there. My heart is so broken over everything we find out about Lesya's past and what she has to do, but oddly enough given what is going on in my own personal life her story was one I needed and gave me more strength to do what I needed to do. There's something up with Violette. There is just no way she's "just a scholar," I call bs. Cateloger, oh my girl, Cateloger. Finally, I want more sorrow.

Now the fight scenes cause yeah, sure, there's this giant Behemoth on the cover, and that battle is *nothing* compared to the final solo battles Nick and Lesya fight. They were both just epic. Nick gains not one but TWO badass spells in the last battle and the last one he picks up? It was like Ramuh raining down Thunder from FFXV. It was perfection, and it was glorious. It made me want to play FFXV 😂 Sviatt (who I hate) was also just an excellent opponent for both Nick and Batal. Batal may be OP, but he is in such a way that there is still very much tension that he could actually die, and I loved that. Writing a character who can crush people's skulls with a single punch but still have the reader understand he is vulnerable, especially when compared to Nick, Lesya, and Violette, is a monumental feat.

Dalglish blew it out of the park with this one. although so help me every god ever if Cataloger goes the way of a certain beloved character in Keepers my rage will know no bounds 😅

As always, thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for the eArcs!