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All the Skills #2
All the Skills 2
With his new card, Master of Body Enhancement, slotted in his heart deck, Arthur has his hands full discovering how he can best pair it with his powerful Master of Skills card.
Time is not on his side. A once-in-a-generation Legendary dragon egg has been laid. But the competition to bond with it will pit Arthur against the most powerful card wielders in his generation… including his own cousin.
Time is not on his side. A once-in-a-generation Legendary dragon egg has been laid. But the competition to bond with it will pit Arthur against the most powerful card wielders in his generation… including his own cousin.
583 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 13, 2023
997 people are currently reading
725 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 278 reviews
July 8, 2023
Completely undoes the foundation laid on by book 1. Full of plot holes, contradictions about the rules, contradictions about the characters, and absolutely unimpressive use of available resources.
This protagonist has been spoon fed two legendary cards, and yet, all I hear throughout this book is him moaning about wanting a combat card. When he does have an option to choose a combat card, he overrules it with adding another utility card, and then keeps moaning how he needs a combat card.
The protagonist also manages keep to switching between sickeningly altruistic to disgustingly greedy all throughout the book.
You'd think that an author who has based his fantasy world on building decks of cards has planned carefully and double-checked on inconsistencies, but its clear that he's just winging it as he goes. Find it hard to see myself reading the third instalment.
This protagonist has been spoon fed two legendary cards, and yet, all I hear throughout this book is him moaning about wanting a combat card. When he does have an option to choose a combat card, he overrules it with adding another utility card, and then keeps moaning how he needs a combat card.
The protagonist also manages keep to switching between sickeningly altruistic to disgustingly greedy all throughout the book.
You'd think that an author who has based his fantasy world on building decks of cards has planned carefully and double-checked on inconsistencies, but its clear that he's just winging it as he goes. Find it hard to see myself reading the third instalment.
June 16, 2023
This was a great sequel and the series is officially one of my gamelit favorites.
This series does so many things so well. Its characters, pacing, and world-building, plus its organic integration of game mechanics. I can't stress enough how important it is to me that game mechanics are not just for decoration, but necessary for resolving plot points in a gamelit story.
I also think the consistent pacing and story development are major contributors to my enjoyment. Sure, we are only two books in, but we are steadily advancing with no sign of getting lost in the weeds. Even when the MC is just trying to focus on advancing his skills, the story isn't waiting for him. It arrives at his doorstep and demands entry. Considering so many stories go off on tangents and seem to forget where they're going, the relentless plot is refreshing and it makes for an immersive experience.
I'm very excited to see how things progress in the next book!
This series does so many things so well. Its characters, pacing, and world-building, plus its organic integration of game mechanics. I can't stress enough how important it is to me that game mechanics are not just for decoration, but necessary for resolving plot points in a gamelit story.
I also think the consistent pacing and story development are major contributors to my enjoyment. Sure, we are only two books in, but we are steadily advancing with no sign of getting lost in the weeds. Even when the MC is just trying to focus on advancing his skills, the story isn't waiting for him. It arrives at his doorstep and demands entry. Considering so many stories go off on tangents and seem to forget where they're going, the relentless plot is refreshing and it makes for an immersive experience.
I'm very excited to see how things progress in the next book!
June 18, 2023
Enjoyable, but too unoriginal.
I like the overall feel of the story and the characters, but they're too generic. The point-based skill system is the same as in any LitRPG, and the card-based magic system is too uninspired.
Most importantly, it copies way too much from Cradle (not that Cradle necessarily invented any of these, but still):
Had there also been unique or interesting elements in the book, that could have tipped the scales. But there's nothing more to it. It's just Cradle all over again (or whichever story Cradle borrowed its elements from). Which is funny, because I think some aspects of this book are done slightly better than in Cradle.
The audiobook narrator's acting was... very theatrical. And not in a good way.
I noticed several grammatical mistakes, which is disappointing, especially since my own English grammar isn't the best and therefore the errors I notice are the most blatant ones. I expected an official audiobook to be better edited.
2 out of 5, but I enjoyed it. Will probably read the next part when it comes out.
I like the overall feel of the story and the characters, but they're too generic. The point-based skill system is the same as in any LitRPG, and the card-based magic system is too uninspired.
Most importantly, it copies way too much from Cradle (not that Cradle necessarily invented any of these, but still):
Had there also been unique or interesting elements in the book, that could have tipped the scales. But there's nothing more to it. It's just Cradle all over again (or whichever story Cradle borrowed its elements from). Which is funny, because I think some aspects of this book are done slightly better than in Cradle.
The audiobook narrator's acting was... very theatrical. And not in a good way.
I noticed several grammatical mistakes, which is disappointing, especially since my own English grammar isn't the best and therefore the errors I notice are the most blatant ones. I expected an official audiobook to be better edited.
2 out of 5, but I enjoyed it. Will probably read the next part when it comes out.
June 17, 2023
KU Review
Pretty sure this series was my introduction to deck building stories and it’s still my favorite. I can already tell the new addition is going to make the story even more enjoyable with some humor added in.
General disclaimer: I want to be clear in that I do not factor cost into any review and as such, this is simply a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
Pretty sure this series was my introduction to deck building stories and it’s still my favorite. I can already tell the new addition is going to make the story even more enjoyable with some humor added in.
General disclaimer: I want to be clear in that I do not factor cost into any review and as such, this is simply a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
June 25, 2023
couldnt finish it
Ended it early because it was triggering me.
Its a fun book. Good pacing and interesting developments. But I dont like the main character and i wish the combat were cooler. More below but with spoilers*
Spoiler alert:
Arthur's actions kind of piss me off. He steals from Penn, who is actually not a bad guy, and then justifies it to himself that Penns family did him wrong first. And thats cool and all, power to the flawed protagonist, the issue I have is that everyone else in the book seems to be under the same impression.
Marion and echo both side with arthur over penn, even when it sort of gets revealed that he stole his legendary card from penn. They all sort of put arthur on a pedestal and that takes me out of it.
Additionally, arthur got the body enhancement card, and then got clobbered at the duels. Why didnt he just do some training ahead of time, lift some weights, etcetera? Instead he ran in a circle for hours, training his running skill. It makes zero sense.
I just cant stand him. He lies to everyone with zero remorse, and then somehow excels with zero repercussions.
Oh and then he gives his assistant the "I worked for it" excuse. As if he hadnt stolen his first card, and then used all those advantages to get where he was. Sure he had it hard but he also had a legendary card and all its benefits. I dont like seeing the capitalist grindset in my fantasy novels. Couldnt finish, 2.5 stars
Ended it early because it was triggering me.
Its a fun book. Good pacing and interesting developments. But I dont like the main character and i wish the combat were cooler. More below but with spoilers*
Spoiler alert:
Arthur's actions kind of piss me off. He steals from Penn, who is actually not a bad guy, and then justifies it to himself that Penns family did him wrong first. And thats cool and all, power to the flawed protagonist, the issue I have is that everyone else in the book seems to be under the same impression.
Marion and echo both side with arthur over penn, even when it sort of gets revealed that he stole his legendary card from penn. They all sort of put arthur on a pedestal and that takes me out of it.
Additionally, arthur got the body enhancement card, and then got clobbered at the duels. Why didnt he just do some training ahead of time, lift some weights, etcetera? Instead he ran in a circle for hours, training his running skill. It makes zero sense.
I just cant stand him. He lies to everyone with zero remorse, and then somehow excels with zero repercussions.
Oh and then he gives his assistant the "I worked for it" excuse. As if he hadnt stolen his first card, and then used all those advantages to get where he was. Sure he had it hard but he also had a legendary card and all its benefits. I dont like seeing the capitalist grindset in my fantasy novels. Couldnt finish, 2.5 stars
September 8, 2023
Worth the wait
Great story great characters well worth the wait from book one of you are already on the page and it's not by accident just know it's one of the best 6hours I have spent.
Great story great characters well worth the wait from book one of you are already on the page and it's not by accident just know it's one of the best 6hours I have spent.
June 20, 2023
Everything that happened in book 1 comes to a head in book 2. The book starts off slightly different showing another point of view other than Arthur’s, but then we were off to the races.
I think the biggest difference between the first and second book is that whatever Arthur tries to do (and he tries to do a lot of things) are for keeps. His relationship with his cousin Penn is tested, and he is constantly on his toes to keep the various lies and thefts from being found out.
I won’t spoil anything more than that. This is an enjoyable enough book that I would hate to deprive someone of the full story. I didn’t encounter any dead spots and was on board all the way to the end. Arthur certainly has his work cut out for him in book three.
The stats are consistent as far as I could tell. This series is somewhat similar to another LitRPG series called, All Trades where someone joins a VRMMORPG and learns all the possible different trades in the world. Arthur and his cards are very similar.
The editing is just okay, but that’s on Aethon, not on the author. Recommended. 5/5*
I think the biggest difference between the first and second book is that whatever Arthur tries to do (and he tries to do a lot of things) are for keeps. His relationship with his cousin Penn is tested, and he is constantly on his toes to keep the various lies and thefts from being found out.
I won’t spoil anything more than that. This is an enjoyable enough book that I would hate to deprive someone of the full story. I didn’t encounter any dead spots and was on board all the way to the end. Arthur certainly has his work cut out for him in book three.
The stats are consistent as far as I could tell. This series is somewhat similar to another LitRPG series called, All Trades where someone joins a VRMMORPG and learns all the possible different trades in the world. Arthur and his cards are very similar.
The editing is just okay, but that’s on Aethon, not on the author. Recommended. 5/5*
June 14, 2023
Another great addition
This was just as great as the previous book (if not better!), and I wasn’t bored for a second during it. Definitely worth the read! :D
This was just as great as the previous book (if not better!), and I wasn’t bored for a second during it. Definitely worth the read! :D
June 16, 2023
Arthur's world is deeply flawed and injustice is widely ignored. In this case, the fish is rotting from the head down. The more we learn about the true state of things the less I like it. Meanwhile, Arthur is keeping his head above water, juggling his many deceptions and the exploration of his cards' powers and uses. It's all interesting but also a little frustrating.
We are shown a path toward Mythic power at the same time as we learn the world is a bigger place than previously thought – and in worse shape. Thus Arthur's challenge escalates.
We are shown a path toward Mythic power at the same time as we learn the world is a bigger place than previously thought – and in worse shape. Thus Arthur's challenge escalates.
January 13, 2024
Pure awesomeness. This series is highly addictive and fun. Setups and payoffs galore. Subtle wit. Power progression. Dragons. Arthur is a hero I think most readers want to root for, even when he gains a lot of power. I am reading the third book ASAP.
June 18, 2023
Still going strong
The story now has a good direction, and things are being revealed at a steady pace
The story now has a good direction, and things are being revealed at a steady pace
June 27, 2023
Lost an entire night of sleep because of this book!
March 10, 2024
Een beetje kinderachtig, wel vermakelijk.
June 15, 2023
Uneventful.
This has cemented the failings of the kingdom, the nobles and the Hive. Very little happens and all of it makes you hope the Scourge wins. I do not see myself reading anymore of this series, I find it rather pointless.
This has cemented the failings of the kingdom, the nobles and the Hive. Very little happens and all of it makes you hope the Scourge wins. I do not see myself reading anymore of this series, I find it rather pointless.
September 26, 2023
Fun and Unique
The story and characters are fun with exciting personalities, and the card magic system is a unique way to balance the litRPG system with storytelling without getting bogged down in numbers
The story and characters are fun with exciting personalities, and the card magic system is a unique way to balance the litRPG system with storytelling without getting bogged down in numbers
July 1, 2023
Also continuation of a great series. Really cool magic system and liked the character interaction. Loved the intensity and excitement in this book. I can’t wait for book 3.
April 16, 2025
Lots of intrigue and some interesting mechanics. I enjoyed it.
May 21, 2024
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
okay ignore the fact that it took me so long to finish this book but this was the first time I've ever read a litrpg book and i honestly didn't know what to think. i started reading this bc my older brother suggested it to me and we've always had similar tastes so i shouldn't have been surprised that i would enjoy this series so much.
this was honestly so much fun, and i'm still obsessed with the perks the Master of Skills card seems to give Arthur. Like you'd really think he should have zero chance but it's honestly amazing what he can do with such mundane skills.
I love his dragon so so much, what a sassy lil beast and honestly this was literally just so much fun and so engaging. Honour Rae honestly had me freaked out for a good chunk near the end of the book ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡
i am obsessed with this series & im so excited for the paperbacks to come out so i can have physical copies !! (as if i didn't already buy the kindle book LOL)
okay ignore the fact that it took me so long to finish this book but this was the first time I've ever read a litrpg book and i honestly didn't know what to think. i started reading this bc my older brother suggested it to me and we've always had similar tastes so i shouldn't have been surprised that i would enjoy this series so much.
this was honestly so much fun, and i'm still obsessed with the perks the Master of Skills card seems to give Arthur. Like you'd really think he should have zero chance but it's honestly amazing what he can do with such mundane skills.
I love his dragon so so much, what a sassy lil beast and honestly this was literally just so much fun and so engaging. Honour Rae honestly had me freaked out for a good chunk near the end of the book ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡
i am obsessed with this series & im so excited for the paperbacks to come out so i can have physical copies !! (as if i didn't already buy the kindle book LOL)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2023
I really enjoyed this one. I'm not sure what it is about it that I find engrossing, but I do. It's an easy read that had me wanting to keep picking it up whenever I could, which is a very nice experience.
I don't think it'll be for everyone; the overarching setting is something you can probably find in many other places (dragon riders, kingdoms, demon thingies) and there's a bit of a need for an editor (quite a few grammatical and punctuation errors, plus there's one character whose name just abruptly changes its spelling for no apparent reason). But the magic system is kinda cool, somewhere between hard and soft in that while there are a fair few rules and numbers and things involved, any given card might yield pretty much any loosely or narrowly defined effect, and for some reason the whole thing's just immensely readable to me.
I don't think it'll be for everyone; the overarching setting is something you can probably find in many other places (dragon riders, kingdoms, demon thingies) and there's a bit of a need for an editor (quite a few grammatical and punctuation errors, plus there's one character whose name just abruptly changes its spelling for no apparent reason). But the magic system is kinda cool, somewhere between hard and soft in that while there are a fair few rules and numbers and things involved, any given card might yield pretty much any loosely or narrowly defined effect, and for some reason the whole thing's just immensely readable to me.
May 14, 2024
Great sequel to a great book. Had a lot of fun with Brixaby, he kind of reminds me of Frank from the Ripple System. I did kind of miss Arthur's recruiter friend, felt like she was forgotten along the way. Not sure what else there is to say, I've already started the third book though.
February 20, 2025
Noice!
You know those series where they just go on and on, with filler books and fluff? This ain't one of them! Great plot advancement, twists, development, and houighty toighty young dragons. What's not to love?
You know those series where they just go on and on, with filler books and fluff? This ain't one of them! Great plot advancement, twists, development, and houighty toighty young dragons. What's not to love?
March 12, 2024
Unusual
This is a very fun book. Lots of humour, an easy to understand 'system's and great characters. Very much looking forward to the next book.
This is a very fun book. Lots of humour, an easy to understand 'system's and great characters. Very much looking forward to the next book.
March 19, 2024
Really enjoyed this book. Cannot wait to see where the story goes.
November 6, 2023
Absolutely one of my favorite series! Love the mechanics of adding magic cards to your heart deck, and the mystery of what's going on in the kingdom. Plus DRAGONS!
Read it, you'll love it!
Read it, you'll love it!
July 7, 2024
I am thoroughly enjoying this series. Arthur is kind of a morally ambiguous hero, but it doesn't take away from his likability. And I love the little dragon's personality!
July 18, 2025
Brixaby has my heart! 😭
March 18, 2025
4.5 stars. I much appreciated this second book in the series. It moved very quickly, and I had a difficult time putting it down.
April 24, 2024
Good second book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 278 reviews