Soulsmith (Cradle) (Volume 2)

Will Wight seems incapable of writing a bad book, and writes with the speed of a demon. Soulsmith is a great sequel to Unsouled and leaves me hungering for more. I don normally write reviews, but this book deserves every good word it receives. The only real question is why are you reading this and not Soulsmith immediately?

I always enjoy the rag to riches stories and Will just nails it. Unlike his earlier works where it seemed overnight the main character was a powerhouse. There is true character progression here. I just really enjoyed it and can't wait for the next one. Definitely going to recommend this one

Loved it. Can't wait for Blackflame. I love the struggle the characters go through. It's not a triumph but another step in a long long journey frought with hazards. Can't wait to see how they get through our will they

Very disappointed in how the author wrote the main character. I'm talking about the scene where he's talking to Yerin in the baths area. Each time I read it I get angry and disappointed at the author. No sense of companionship, loyalty, gratefulness, empathy. Despite having grown up in an environment where most are selfish, the main character had been selfless and heroic through the first book and the beginning of the second. This scene is so out of character. Why would the author sabotage a good character like this? I was enjoying this book prior to this despite the author making a point of emphasizing the main character's obsequiousness and spinelessness. Now the anger is fading away and I"m left with bitter disappointment.

I decided to try reading on a bit further but was disappointed again. The main character ends up planning something very foolish and drags Yerin into it. She goes along with it despite how stupid the idea is. I thought she was 'experienced'. The novel certainly mentions that multiple times when they first come to the camp. They also don't consider the possible ramifications to their allies. This bunch of stupid actions is not only out of character but boring.

Read further... it gets better. I am expecting too much from the author because I loved Traveler's Gate.

I started reading Will Wight because of a random the store recommendation and the price was right. Now I am an avid fan. Unsouled was a bit of a slow start due to the world building, but the pace went from slow to light speed halfway through. Soulsmith is a high paced ride that leaves you begging for more. I can't recommend this book enough, and by the way if you aren't taking advantage of the free offer of Unsouled this week you may want to reconsider.

First I will premise this review with praise for Will Wight as an author. He writes superbly with few typos and a good mix between prose and explanation. The world is also quite interesting and varied with a plethora of powers and abilities.

Now for the reason this is a one star or worse. The main character is still absolute garbage. Wight continually hints at a greater destiny for the MC but his growth is absolutely glacial. He is a cringing, cowardly, stupid, ignorant idiot. He has practically no redeeming features or reason he should be a MC at all. Just like the first book he is weaker, by far than everyone else. You would think that after two entire books the MC would be somewhat interesting to make you want to see his growth. Nope. I will not be purchasing anymore books in this series and I recommend any xianxia lover should avoid this.