I recall enjoying the 1st book in this series, but I also read it when it was originally published four years ago. I liked how the main character (MC) chose the unpopular race option when he was forced into the game and how interesting the combination of the clockwork race was with the RPG and crafting system. 

However, things shift in book 2. The beginning is a little hard to follow as there is no recap and it’s been a really long time since book 1 came out. By 10% mark, I’d sort of recalled who everyone was and the story. However, a combination of the POV changing every chapter and the petulant main character (MC) made the story a lot harder to like. By the time it got to the action and dungeon diving, I’d sort of lost interest and nothing in the story ever regained it. I mean, the 1st book brought in the clockwork people and some interesting development of both tech and culture. This one doesn’t do that, and instead jumps right into summarized adventuring. Not a terrible story or anything, but it wasn’t interesting either.

Score: 5 out of 10