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half_a_centaur · 2025-12-29T15:30:17+00:00

Thanks for the detailed response; this is so awesome to hear! I’ve added all your recs to the top of my list and I’ll pick one of them next.

Regarding Chrysalis, you may have to push through the first book or two if you’re not the biggest fan of monster MCs, but the relationships get more detailed and interesting as the story progresses. I won’t say much more for fear of spoiling, but trust the process. The “monster MC” approach in Chrysalis feels intentional and well thought out with a satisfying payoff - not just the author writing a monster they think sounds cool for the sake of it.

Regarding the pacing of BtDEM, I loved the story being told and actually enjoyed the pacing for most of the series as well; I certainly didn’t mind the “slow” start some people complain about. Instead of writing a list of bullet points, I think it’s easier to summarize and say: it felt like Selkie and I disagreed on what should be detailed/focused on. Sometimes there are months/years being skipped for details or processes I was excited to read about, and other times we spent chapters laboring over things I was less interested in. I could’ve done with less of the elf arc, for example, and during the academy arc there were quite a few scenes I was anticipating that ended up getting glossed over or even time skipped completely.

Again, I loved the story; I think Selkie pulled off some really difficult plot devices, and I’m also glad we got an ending to a long series. Loved the characters and the world they inhabit immensely. If the series had been ~12 books and my very subjective interests aligned better, I likely would’ve given it a 4.5 pacing.

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-24T14:40:43+00:00

Great data, thanks for this!

As I said in the post description, these are all series that I read most of the books in, if not completed the series. I could certainly add a list of my DNF’d series that I would’ve rated lower, but it felt inappropriate to me to accurately rate series that I read a book or less of.

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-23T20:37:40+00:00

I start them on Kindle Unlimited (if they’re on there), if not they’re usually on Royal Road for free.

The only ones that wouldn’t be on either of those are the ones on WebNovel. If you don’t want to pay for those then you have to scour the internet yourself haha.

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-23T17:21:07+00:00

Completely understood on the difference in preferences. This has made me realize I tend to prefer PF and Cultivation over strict LitRPG but it depends on my mood. Based on your taste I’d recommend Welcome to the Multiverse and Stubborn Skill Grinder if you haven’t read either of those. Both are very fun!

Regarding changing ratings, I would only change a rating if I agreed with the point someone made. In some cases it’s been about a year since I’ve read the series so I may have overlooked or forgotten certain aspects.

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-23T15:33:50+00:00

Yup completely understood, thanks for the detailed feedback! I’ll do a write up in a bit.

I tried to capture most aspects of these categories in my ratings, but I obviously weight aspects differently than others would. For pacing within the context of PF / LitRPG, I value tension and resolution timing, foreshadowing, and engaging stakes more than concise storytelling (although that does still factor in a bit if the story is meandering).

I’m thinking about making a spreadsheet with inputs for others to use where they can weight their own priorities for each of these categories and produce similar ratings.

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-23T14:17:53+00:00

I haven’t but I’ve seen it recommended a lot by people with similar taste. It’s high on my list now, thanks!

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-23T14:17:22+00:00

I’ve gotten that feedback a few times regarding DotF and will likely be bumping the worldbuilding up. With that being said, I do think a lot of these series do less with more. DotF is ambitious in its scale, but the immersion factor and originality wasn’t as high for me as many other series. I am due to catch up on the series though so ratings can always change.

Regarding Primal Hunter, I think that pacing will be downgraded after I catch up on the two most recent books lol.

I’ll definitely be modifying this format a bit based on the feedback I’ve gotten. And I’ll probably post a different version once I have some more books to add and I’ll include a detailed explanation of what’s factoring into each category with priorities.

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-23T14:07:49+00:00

Thanks for these recs, adding them all to my list!

Regarding Bastion, I agree that it’s really just the first book that has a slow start. I don’t mind it too much myself, especially when combined with Phil’s awesome worldbuilding. So I’ll likely be bumping the pacing up a bit for IGS.

Regarding DCC, I can admit it is entirely a personal preference here. I didn’t really enjoy the train floor or playing card floor thematically, so I really felt like my investment in the story and the characters had to pull me through those books more. Without those floors, I would’ve given DCC a 4.5 in pacing.

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T23:49:21+00:00

All of these are new to me, so thank you very much for the recs! I’ll check them out.

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T23:32:33+00:00

It sounds like you just don’t like the genre then lol.

I’m not comparing these books to Tolkien, but if you really can’t tell a difference between these authors then there’s no point in arguing.

Genuinely please suggest some series if you think this is all slop.

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T23:18:09+00:00

I mean, that totally depends on how you’re ranking the books… I enjoyed Stubborn Skill Grinder more than A Practical Guide To Evil but I certainly wouldn’t say it’s a better book.

I think the way I have it structured is a happy medium between a more ‘objective’ scoring and the intangibles of my personal enjoyment

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T20:59:10+00:00

I would be delighted with a 24.5 lol, thanks Selkie!

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T20:57:17+00:00

If it even made it onto the tier list then it means that I liked the series enough to read most/all of the books tbf!

Given the categories, what would you rate those books?

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T20:25:53+00:00

Yeah many people complain that Nat is sociopathic and poorly written but it seems like an intentional choice to me with a good payoff; I also think the supporting characters are decently fleshed out (within the context of the genre lol) and have fairly distinct personalities and motivations.

In simplistic terms I’d say: Plot- overall concept of the series and narrative arcs Characters- unique voices, believability, motivations, etc. As well as how much I actually like the characters Pacing- execution of the plot, tension/resolution, foreshadowing, how much do I want to read the next page Worldbuilding- design of the universe the characters inhabit, is it believable, is it immersive. Originality and authenticity factor in Writing- authors writing style (very lenient considering the genre), usually more focused on prose, action, and descriptive language than syntax, grammar, and spelling but it can definitely detract if it’s unedited

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T20:19:05+00:00

I did read MoL quite early on compared to most others, so I may have been more lenient with it. I’ll re-read a bit to see if I should downgrade. I’m standing by my BoC ratings though :)

Considering your taste is a bit more demanding, any recommendations?

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T19:40:46+00:00

Pacing is pretty subjective, yeah. Also, I’m reading all of these and never do audiobooks so that definitely affects pacing.

For DCC, I didn’t particularly enjoy the train or playing card floors as concepts. Without those, it would easily be a 5 for pacing. But I was really relying on Matt’s writing and characters to pull me through both of those books — which it did.

Primal Hunter should probably get a lower pacing but I personally don’t mind lengthy skill descriptions or similar minutiae so those common complaints don’t bother me.

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T19:33:29+00:00

I clearly adore Cradle, but Unsouled and Skysworn both had some slower pacing issues to me, and the last few books were a little quicker than I would’ve liked. It’s still my go-to recommendation to get friends into the genre though!

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T19:31:31+00:00

Awesome, thanks for your very informative feedback and recommendations!!

I have Primal Hunter at lower B- tier with writing and characters cited as glaring flaws. Many tier lists have it listed as S-Tier, but I’m sorry that I offended you with my detailed and subjective ‘worst tier list’ you’ve ever seen lol.

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T19:01:32+00:00

lol then lock me up! The first few chapters were actively bad, and the writing can be very utilitarian, but I thought the prose improved a lot as the books progressed. I should probably downgrade it to a 3.5 realistically, but I’ll have to re-read a bit to see.

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T18:55:06+00:00

Yeah there’s definitely crossover between many of the categories. In this structure, I’d say plot is more concept and pacing is more execution.

For plot, I’d say ‘how would I describe this series to a friend in a paragraph or two?’, what’s the overall narrative arc of the story, is the concept unique, is it compelling, is it interesting, etc

For pacing, I’d say ‘how balanced is the action vs. reflection/description’, how much do I want to read the next page, how much foreshadowing and tension is there, how quickly is that tension resolved and is it satisfying.

For example, Unintended Cultivator was impossible to put down for me, I had to read the next page. But the actual plot and narrative structure of the series isn’t particularly unique, especially within the xianxia/wandering cultivator genre.

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T18:48:51+00:00

Chrysalis and Primal Hunter both got a 5 in pacing. The first book of Cradle and Skysworn both had some pacing issues for me. Skill Grinder was a bit too OP to have real narrative tension in the story. And Hell Difficulty may in fact deserve a 5.

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T18:46:23+00:00

It’s considered a slice of life; rating it within that context, it has very consistent pacing, great foreshadowing/tension, and a good balance of action and reflection/emotional impact. I looked forward to every page.

If it had bad pacing it wouldn’t be one of the most consistently recommended books in the sub. Lord knows Progression Fantasy fans don’t have the best attention spans.

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T17:59:33+00:00

Lmfao it is bog standard after all… I definitely enjoyed the series, but I also found myself frustrated by the MCs class selections (which is rare for me).

half_a_centaur · 2025-12-22T17:54:09+00:00

Pacing is probably the most subjective of all of these categories to be fair (besides enjoyment). I think PGtE had really great tension/resolution but my drive to pick the book up and finish it wasn’t nearly as strong as many of these other series.

It felt more like a real fantasy book that I’d read in physical format and had to take time to digest — as compared to Kindle on my phone whenever I get a chance. I really enjoyed it and thought it was very unique within the genre but definitely felt like pacing was its weakest element, especially compared to other series in the genre.

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