Being the Saint of Shadows is murder...
I used to be an ordinary thief, but now I'm the most wanted man in the world's most popular virtual reality game: Dragon Web Online.
A simple quest to shake down a crooked merchant landed me in the middle of a deadly conspiracy. Now I'm on the run from bloodthirsty nightspawn killers, ruthless bounty hunters, and a fanatical priesthood. Did I mention I can't even trust my own brother?
Fortunately, I've got a plan that can save my hide—if it doesn't get me killed.
My Opinion: 686 pages, $4.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
Last book, two brothers sign up to play a full immersion VR game to earn enough money to pay their bills and pay for their mom’s medical treatments. The game is unique in that players don't choose their classes. The game does, based on what the players do. One brother, Bastion, gets a warrior that he hopes to turn into a paladin. He planned to make his brother become a cleric but the game had other ideas. Our MC, Saint, instead becomes a thief.
Through some interesting adventures, the two managed to get enough money to pay all the bills they needed.
Now I book 2, the brothers are still trying to earn some money to make a living while taking care of their mom’s medical issues. However, forces in the game are pushing Saint down a path he never intended to go and one that may change the game forever.
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The cover art for this novel makes it look like it has something to do with the Borg from Star Trek: The next generation. But don’t let that stop you from reading a really good LitRPG novel.
Not only do we finally get to learn why the series is called Dragon Web but the story is full of great LitRPG goodness. There’s a lot more detail in the story about how the game mechanics of the world function. Even going so far as providing actual formulas for readers interested in that sort of stuff.
The real world storyline seems to exist to push the brothers into trying to game as much as possible and functions well as such. It’s really the in-game stuff that I find the most interesting anyways.
The broken family dynamics between the brothers is well written and I could empathize with Saint as a fellow younger brother.
Overall, this is an improvement over the first novel in the series and I had a good time reading it. The part of the story I enjoyed the most was the first half of the novel when Saint is struggling to find his path in the game while being pulled in multiple directions from the thieves guild, the church, his brother, and anyone else that thinks they can use him. I was never sure what was going to happen next. There’s intrigue, conflicting powers pulling at the main character, burglary, and spying. Once the story leaves the city it becomes a little more predictable and action oriented but no less an enjoyable read.
Score: 7 out of 10.
Dragon Web Online: Dominion: A LitRPG Adventure Series (Electric Shadows Book 2)