| Title | : | The Fusionist (Magical Fusion, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 437 |
| Publication | : | First published July 16, 2023 |
The Fusionist (Magical Fusion, #1) Reviews
-
This was both boring and grating. The author is walking to the story where Larek doesn't even get to the academy until a quarter through. And why would you invent an "instinctive disgust" in an entire kingdom for tall people? Larek is tiringly isolated and I was sick of him being falsely accused of capital crimes before the first time it happened. And that's not even taking into account that the only sympathetic characters were all killed defending a town I don't care about.
And don't get me started with referring to his axe as "my best friend". Yeah, that's deeply sad, but that was conveyed the first time it happens. By the time he props it by his bed at school like a very stiff teddy bear I just couldn't with it any more.
Add that he is super magic boy who comprehends everything immediately and has super special powers besides and I stopped being able to take anything seriously. Which is a problem when you're already bored with waiting for anything interesting to happen.
This is a one-star dnf and a story I heartily recommend avoiding. -
If the author were a law enforcement officer, I would say that he is probably guilty of entrapment. The author is the main antagonist of this Gulliver Travels-like story. An adolescent of about 15 years old is tall and considered a "giant-monster" by the little people around him. But all those little people do everything possible to capture, incarcerate, torture, this Larek Holsten, main character. Why?? because the author wrote it this way. Is the main character evil? No. Is the main character doing bad things to the small people around him? No. So, why does the author hate his main character, Larek Holsten, so much??? Does the author have suicidal tendencies? Does the author hate his story so much that he tries to destroy it as much as he can as soon as he can??
Why on Earth, would a reader be interested in a xenophobic/discriminatory group of small people, that do everything in their power to get rid of the only "giant adolescent" around?? It goes way beyond bullying and malice and there really is nothing interesting in this fantasy-hell-like-small-people-world.
There are no maps, there are no inside illustrations, no introduction, no conclusions, no real world-building describing the territories, the geopolitical, social, economic, etc. systems in place in this other world.
I do not recommend this "fantasy"-hell-like-place-with-hateful-little-people story. -
I realize this series has been out for a while now but I'm only just getting to it.
Larek lives in the Northwoods where he and his family, his neighbors, and everyone else chop down magical trees. He's good at it too. One day he is sent to market where he has a run in with the headman's daughter, who instead of telling the truth decides to lie when she is injured. Larek is taken away from everything he knows.
That's the setup for the book. He eventually ends up at a magical academy, where he learns a couple of things. Being a seven foot tall freak isn't helping him any, and the one thing he's good at is something the dean of the academy hates.
The magical academy is a bit of a letdown. Larek is introverted and normally shy, so he doesn't interact with anyone except his roommate and a few others. There are no power dynamics like we usually see at academy's, and most of the focus is on Larek's work being a fusionist.
The editing is fine and the stats are fine without showing up too frequently. I've already picked up book two and plan to read it. 5/5* -
KU Review
Riveting and kept me glued to the book, but at the same time I kept wanting more from the MC. I know he’s young and grew up completely isolated. The prejudice and torment were unusually cruel to have never been explained to him by his parents even though they knew. Definite page turner. I just hope to see more emotional growth from the MC in the future.
General disclaimer: I want to be clear in that I do not factor cost into any review and as such, this is simply a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis. -
a book with no plot
Crazy overpowered mc. Spends time thinking poor me. Stuff happens. Once in a generation talent overlooked and scorned because he looks different. Punished routinely for no reason. Bears no grudges. End of book 1. -
Honestly reviewing this book feels a little bit like punching down. I do not like this book, i cannot like this book and I cannot imagine why somebody would like this book. Honestly, the book is like a collection of all the worst tropes found in litrpg.
Do you like arrogant government officials who threaten to execute people for petty reasons with no discernable check on their powers? (Not just soldiers and lords, but the actual principal at what amounts to a middle school?)
Do you like somewhat slow protagonists who have zero agency in their own lives, being pulled around here or there because if they don't, they and their whole family may be arbitrarily executed?
Do you like watching an author intentionally make their story as confusing as possible by setting up rules for how their world works before immediately backpedaling or undermining everything they say or going out of their way to make simple concepts as confusing as possible? Have you ever wished for a litrpg system where low-stakes repetitive skill grinding was actually more effective than killing monsters which do not award XP in this system? -
Waffled on this rating as it (mostly) held my attention despite some serious story deficits. The MC doesn't make a compelling character, as his depressive withdrawals into his own world aren't interesting. He is OP AF in his chosen field, but arbitrary grief from the dean of the school seems tacked on to generate angst for the MC.
The end of the book seems to throw the entire story to that point out the window, so it makes me wonder why I read all of this about a dysfunctional coward. I understand not being motivated to save the skins of a bunch of people who hate you, but he's barely willing to defend himself and that doesn't make me root for him. I'll give book 2 a go when it comes out, but the character had better progress personally very quickly. -
The starting few chapters were light on details about the magic, focusing on setting up a few things for events to come, etc. The writing was easy to follow and pacing was good, so it felt as if the starting of the main plot came too soon. When things took a much darker turn before I could even get a good feel for the setting, I almost dropped the book. Fortunately, I kept reading and the magical academy chapters that followed were awesome, especially the crafting parts. However, I wasn't a fan of the overall plot, had many minor complaints and would've preferred if some of the nicer side-characters had been given more scenes to shine on their own. I think I'll still give the sequel a shot, despite being darker than I'm comfortable with.
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Help me read more books
Well, I really like building type LitRPG. This book isn't exactly a building story, but it's one of discovery and experimentation. That's pretty close to building from scratch (just of a different kind), so it works for me. I really enjoyed this book, and fully intend to read more in the series. The story is a pretty good one, and the main character is about as human as they come, despite his magical and physical differences. It's a story I'm likely to remember for a while to come. -
love it
This is an awesome YA book! The MC is a naive young lumberjack cursed with a physicality that inspires fear and loathing in people. The wrong place wrong time reveals magical potential and he is drafted into the nations guards and sent to training. There he learns he is more different than he thought and able to do more than is normal. His growth is rapid and the world suffers an invasion that forces him to leave the school for a different one and the next novel.
Creative world, great story and pacing, please enjoy! -
Very interesting
Good storyline needs a better editor. Parts were like reading a textbook. I have no desire to actually learn how to cast magic so I ended up skipping those sections. Low and behold an actual story appeared. The last couple of pages with the parents are worth skipping. They shouldn't be in this book they should be in the prologue of the next.
Still though a fun read. -
Really great read. Heavy on the game mechanics but still fun fast and entertaining!
A really good story that was enjoyable throughout. The world building in the plot was logical and made sense, however anyone new to game theory, it may have been a little heavy in the explanation.
Personally I really enjoyed the read, can't wait for book two, and we'll probably explore other books by this author.
