On the Shoulders of Titans (Arcane Ascension Book 2)

No spoilers.
First read book one before this one. It just reads better. Second there three or four editing errors that slow down story but not badly. Pretty good book, and pretaste for four sounds Great as well.

The book has a pretty good storyline and a really developed idea on how magic should work in this universe. I almost am more interested in the "forbidden information" than the story line. Nevsr experienced that with another book. It is definitely worth the read cant wait till supposwdly 2020 when book 3 is released.

I have literally been waiting for this book the moment that I finished the first book!

Honestly, is it perfect? No. But, it’s entertaining, not predictable, and I think it tackles a really important thing: how to accomplish a task that you aren’t necessarily built for.

Don’t take my word for it, go read it!

Fantastic read! This is an amazing and well written follow up to Sufficiently Advanced Magic. It neatly ties off many of the story lines from the first book, and introduces more problems and exciting scenarios for Corin and friends to struggle through. We get some new characters and tons of development on the people Andrew charmed us with the first time around. I highly recommend this book!

The author, and at least half his characters (and ALL of them old enough to have a survival sense) plays dirty.
That's part of the fun.
And it's really delicious to anyone who has lived long enough to have their own survival sense...
I can't say it's realistic, but his timing is on point, and he has characters I would enjoy getting a drink with.

Another great release from Andrew Rowe. The series speaks for itself, go and give it a read, you won't be disappointed by anything other than the fact that the book ends. The world sucks you in and the characters keep you in.

I have literally been waiting for this book the moment that I finished the first book!

Honestly, is it perfect? No. But, it’s entertaining, not predictable, and I think it tackles a really important thing: how to accomplish a task that you aren’t necessarily built for.

Don’t take my word for it, go read it!

Fantastic read! This is an amazing and well written follow up to Sufficiently Advanced Magic. It neatly ties off many of the story lines from the first book, and introduces more problems and exciting scenarios for Corin and friends to struggle through. We get some new characters and tons of development on the people Andrew charmed us with the first time around. I highly recommend this book!

The author, and at least half his characters (and ALL of them old enough to have a survival sense) plays dirty.
That's part of the fun.
And it's really delicious to anyone who has lived long enough to have their own survival sense...
I can't say it's realistic, but his timing is on point, and he has characters I would enjoy getting a drink with.

Another great release from Andrew Rowe. The series speaks for itself, go and give it a read, you won't be disappointed by anything other than the fact that the book ends. The world sucks you in and the characters keep you in.

These books are super engaging. I love diving right in and burning through them. I actually love the length because I read them fast but they’re long enough to be satisfying. If you haven’t, check out the author’s other series. Apparently they’re about to cross over, which is pretty exciting.

Wonderful follow up to a wonderful first book. This one does not have as tight a plot thread and goal as the first book, but instead has a broader base of world building. It is still one of the better books that I've read this year.

A very solid continuation of the story, with good character development.

My only reservation is that many strong oponents are "weaked" or "holding back" through out the fights. This makes it seem like the main character is lucky / stakes are not so high.

Much like Sufficiently Advanced Magic for me this hit just about all the right notes, though I think it definitely has a very defined audience, this one splendidly catered to it's niche audience instead of trying to be more generic. People that didn't like the first probably really won't like this one, meanwhile for people who did enjoy the first this really digs in a lot deeper into the main narrative points of the previous. I also had enjoyed the characters in Sufficiently Advanced Magic, but the characters here were even better fleshed out and felt like they had depth.

The pace early on was quite slow, as usually can happen with a 2nd in series since it's got an established readership, but this book really made it work by jumping satisfyingly right in on the heart of the epilogue cliffhanger from the previous book and keeping that at the forefront while also taking it's time (a lot of time) doing a deep dive in magic theory.

Farther along the way we also get back into dungeons and spires, magic classes and tests as the class year is winding down, along with lighter topics of Corin's socialization, and heftier topics of politics. However, I loved that we spent the bulk of the time focused on Corin theorizing and testing ideas, being inside his head, that's really what makes this series a true gem.

On the Shoulders of Titans is a worthy successor to Sufficiently Advanced Magic. The latter has been one of my favorite reads of the year, so I was nervous that the sequel wouldn’t live up to it. I needn’t have worried. Andrew Rowe has given us a sequel that doesn’t fail to keep the winning formula of the original. It does this in a way, however, that keeps things fresh and doesn’t feel like a rehash of the previous novel.

While the setting continues to offer impressive depth and the plot keeps one guessing at the loyalties of various parties, what really stood out to me in On the Shoulders of Titans were the characters. From our viewpoint character Corin Cadence to his band of friends to various individuals they encounter I felt like each character was unique, well-fleshed out, and had their own voice. I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing the growth of various characters. I’m referring here not merely to their growth in raw power but to their growth as individuals. Corin obviously receives the lions share of character development, but the other characters grow, learn from their mistakes, and don’t feel the same by the end of the novel. In a novel with so much impressive world building and a very intricate plot it would be easy to sort of coast when it came to character development and Rowe has refused to do this. As a result, this novel truly shines.

I criticized Sufficiently Advanced Magic for its info dumps. While there is still a lot of detail in this sequel, I personally found the times when information was needed to feel smoother, less drawn out, and just generally better integrated into the novel. Fair warning: I do enjoy intricate magic systems, so I don’t mind some explanation with them. I think On the Shoulders of Titans strikes a good balance. One of my very few complaints with this novel is that at times the plot seemed to slow down a bit. Sometimes I lost track of exactly how what the protagonists were doing contributed to the overarching plot. In fairness, this is partly because they’re students and—surprise, surprise!—they don’t always have control over how they spend their time. Even so, I felt like things could have perhaps been more tightly plotted. In the end though, this did not significantly impact my enjoyment.

Rowe has given us another wonderful novel in On the Shoulders of Titans. While it certainly feels like a middle book at times, it still does an excellent job of pulling you in and keeping the pages turning. I eagerly await the next book in the series. 4.5/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – I liked it, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing

Continues to tell an engaging magical story. Keras, sera, and mera are my favorites. The book did great strides in character development, but plot slowed down. Not much plot until the mid way ponit, hope the pace is better in the next installment.