Having arrived at the Order of the Malefic Viper, Jake is eager to improve his alchemy…
However, reality can often be cruel. Because while trying to do just that, Jake will be dealing with the political landscape of the Order. Between hiding his identity as the Chosen of the Big Boss, being forced to attend get-togethers, visiting vampires to sell ancient memorabilia, and trying to actually learn some alchemy, Jake's busier than ever.
Earth also still calls. There, he helps friends deal with family issues by going on a nice road trip with Carmen and Sylphie. On the way, he can hopefully find time to hunt down the final Primas he needs – powerful monsters with unique key fragments – to participate in the upcoming system event dubbed the Seat of the Exalted Prima.
An event that hopefully – no, certainly – won’t have any unforeseen Bloodline-induced shenanigans.
The side character are amazing and a lot of fun. Their interactions and story is infinitely more fun and interesting than the MC Jake. Without them I honestly would have dropped this series already.
I have been loving the story and overall world building, but honestly I couldn’t give a crap about Jake anymore. He is so one dimensional as an MC that I genuinely would wonder if he is on the spectrum. All he cares about is fighting, like literally nothing else registers in his mind other than a “good fight”.
Seriously he is so one dimensional and plain that he should be following the war god since that’s all he cares about. I found myself REALLY skipping through this book, and got to the point where Jake is just annoying. Pretty sure the hulk has more emotional range than Jake does.
I feel like I already wrote this review about a week ago when I finished Defiance of the Fall 11, because I have almost exactly the same thing to say.
These web series are some of the most enjoyable books I read at the moment, but they all suffer if you try to read them as individual instalments rather than as part of a series binge. The web-series model (with a few notable exceptions) doesn’t worry itself in creating stand-alone stories that have a satisfying beginning, middle and end of their own whilst still moving on the larger story. Instead, they are literally just a section of the web novel that has been pulled out of context and packaged as a book.
I’m not against it as a concept as I enjoy this more polished final form to the more rough-and-ready web-novel format, but it doesn’t work unless you have multiple books at a time so you can make meaningful progress on the story.
This book didn’t feel like filler, but it also didn’t really do anything so significant that it stood out. It’s enjoyable light reading, but as a stand-alone book it’s a little underwhelming.
** Update 19th September 2024 **
As suspected, this was much more enjoyable as part of a binge read. It's still not 5-star material, but it is definitely worthy of bumping up to a 4-star read.
I was concerned that this series was getting a bit long in the tooth, but book 7 kept me engaged. There really is no end to the potential for the MC (assuming he survives, of course) but at some point I'll lose interest. Hopefully the end comes before I get to that point.
I did not think i would see a magical academy arc in this series but here it is and it works. In fact I really enjoyed that our MC keeps to advance and deal with some of the common school tropes.
Even though the story starts off slow and very political, it very quickly gets better. Surprisingly, Jake finally gets some ‘tail’ according to Villy. Didn’t expect that part and with who as well. The Prima section started out crazy as well, and the system event allows Jake to view the life of his doppelgänger.
Overall a very interesting read 4.5/5. As I write this I have already started listening to the next audiobook.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Could use more character development and dialogue. Also could use less random events and shorter fights, they are just to complicated. Sim-Jake could be removed.
Primal Hunter Book 7 by Zogarth takes the series to a whole new level, dropping Jake Thayne into the heart of the multiverse’s most dangerous political games—The Council of Lords. And yes, Jake doesn’t just show up… he dominates. This isn’t your average LitRPG progression novel anymore; it’s a cosmic-level chess match where Jake’s raw power, cunning, and growing influence start to shake even the upper echelons of the Order. The way he steps into a room full of ancient beings, kills a godspawn in front of everyone, and still manages to keep his cool—if you’re not reading this, you are absolutely missing out on one of the most badass power moves in the genre.
Jake’s evolution hits overdrive in this book. He refines his arcane venom to terrifying new levels, forges deeper control over his sphere of influence, and even takes on a unique path in the form of a “Primordial Path” that sets him apart from nearly every other combatant in the multiverse. He also finally begins leveraging his relationship with Villy—his mysterious patron god—in ways that start tipping cosmic balance. Oh, and let’s not forget the dungeon challenge where Jake essentially solos one of the most brutal multi-stage trials yet, including a floor boss that would’ve slaughtered entire teams. This book is nonstop growth, danger, and flexing.
If you’re still not reading Primal Hunter, you’re missing the evolution of a character who’s not just climbing the ladder—he’s breaking it and forging a new one. Jake Thayne isn’t just getting stronger—he’s becoming something the system itself wasn’t prepared for. Between god-tier enemies, political power plays, and jaw-dropping skill breakthroughs, this book is stacked with moments that leave you grinning like a madman. Zogarth isn’t pulling punches, and Jake? He’s not asking for permission—he’s taking what’s his. Catch up now, or get left behind in the dust of something legendary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
In book 7 Jake does just what Jake wants. It's what he's always done. There are too many plot points to capture in a short review so I won't even try.
What I liked most about book seven is that it focuses on one of Jake's shortcomings. How the author goes about this is odd and somewhat unsatisfying (why not just get a trainer at the Malefic Academy), but there you go. The city of Paradise was also enjoyable mostly because Jake teamed up with someone else. I know it was to prove a point that shows up again later on, but it was nice to see.
The system event is very blah IMO, especially compared to earlier ones. Hardly anyone takes another path, and besides the person who is chosen by Yip of Yore, who cares? There is absolutely no city building in this book as Jake never makes it to Haven at all.
I'll stop my semi-recap there. The editing is fair and the stats are ever present. I think Jake relies on the Malefic One a bit too often, but that's me. If he's so independent why not just try and figure things out himself? There is a ton of action as always.
I enjoyed this book more than book six, so that's good. I will absolutely read book eight when it comes out, but I'm also wondering what the end game is. We're seven books in and I still have no idea. At some point the series needs to end. 5/5* recommended.
Seriously I had debated on whether or not I would continue to follow this storyline. Not that the series was bad, just the opposite in fact all the stories were 5⭐'s. I had been just debating on whether or not I should cut down on the number of series that I follow since seemingly that list keeps getting longer and longer. I swear Goodreads is my brain 'cause without it I wouldn't be able to keep up! But again Zogarth comes through with another 5⭐ story. I love Jake and all his cronies especially Sylphie the green feathered murderbird. She's actually a powerful magical hawk 😉. And for some reason (maybe my love for all animals) I feel a kinship with all beast's, and the books where they're actively included in the storyline. In this book Jake again doesn't spend much time in Haven (home base). He's busy spending time making poison potions. He also has'ta go to another world event where he receives a quest. And a friend, Carmen asks Jake to payback the favor he owes her. And soooooooo much more! So yeah go grab this audiobook, sit back and enjoy Travis Baldree's sublime narration as he tells you Jake's story!
Once again great book and continuation of the story, I really love your work, I seriously struggle finding new litrpgs to enjoy while waiting for your next book, characters, world, leveling system, the system itself, just your fuckin mind to penmanship I really resonate with the MC as well some of the other characters, no spoilers but "what could have been" literally could have been the book from then beginning and I still would have love that too ha, side note I still can't wait to see Felix's work, on the verge of crazied fan but man I really enjoy this world and the story you are telling I pray for it to continue all the way to God Hood and more. Now if you excuse me I have to try and go find something to hold me over for several months 😒 I even took my time reading so i could make it last longer ha.
This is turning into one of my favorite series in the genre. It has all the elements but more importantly it has a good balance between those elements. There is just enough of each element to be effective without becoming boring. There are good characters with great banter but not enough to be overdone. There is fighting, crafting, magic, world building. Just enough mix between it all to always seem fresh. I love a snarky MC but if that all he has going for him it can be kind of boring. The same with crafting and fighting. I love those elements but there is only so much I can take at a time. This author does a good job switching between these elements so it is never boring. The only real complaint I have is that the audiobooks are backlogged so this is the first time I had read a book in the series instead of listening to the book. I just couldn't wait the 3-4 months for the audiobook to come out. Can't wait for the next one.
Seeing how the order functions within the multiverse was really neat, they are incredibly lax in most things. Which I wasn't really expecting, but they amount of antagonistic behavior from everyone was expected of an objectively evil order.
I think Jake's character development is growing in a way that makes him less and less human. Which isn't a bad thing overall, he was already incredibly selfish. I think as he progresses into the higher grades, we'll see him completely disregard anyone who he hasn't deemed important for the sake of the hunt.
I have always hated the "revenge doesn't satisfy you" trope, people wouldn't seek revenge if it didn't work... So seeing Carmen finally deal out her justice to actually horrible people was awesome. Carmen and Jake's relationship has deepened, and I'm now even more conflicted on who I root for romantically.
This prima event seems weird, but im sure it'll be entertaining as always. Great book!
What's better than one? Two. Reviewed on Amazon in the United States on September 26, 2023 I really love how this story and series flows. Jake sees something he needs to improve? Proceeds to hyperfocus until he meets a minimum goal. At this point, his Deity Bestie just seems to shake his head at Jake's progression speed. I really like sim, and that whole tangle seems to fit them both perfectly. I'm not surprised in the least that some idiot humans are going to probably cause massive trouble. Jacob's moment of self-doubt and warning to a friend reassure me that an important friendship might not be lost. The torture for Jake at the end of the book is absolutely hilarious. The ending snuck up on me, as it always does in a great read.
I can't care about this series anymore. Not because of the MC's one dimensionalness, I can handle that. It's just, the stakes, they don't feel real anymore. MC is literally friends with a top dog (snake) in the established universe, who could revive him if he ever dies, and is now in his faction.
The top dog supposedly won't revive MC because MC doesn't want that. But like, MC's bloodline is also continuing to improve somehow. It's so good, not even the top dog has ever seen one that good, and it's just like... I'm not interested anymore.
I don't care about Jake anymore, I don't care about the world. It's so blatantly obvious that nothing matters, I just can't be bothered to keep reading.
Finally Jake does some actual hunting. He actually uses his tracking ability. He actually used his stealth skills. In the previous books these abilities might be mentioned in a paragraph or two but that’s it. He’s still a self absorbed self centred adrenaline junky. But at least he gets called out for it. The whole series he’s basically an alchemist. An archer that kills animals for the most part. Still don’t like the idea of not eating sleeping or shiting. Or being able to come back from losing 1/2 a brain. But dying when your head is cut off. But that’s a lost cause. I was thinking of getting out of this series after book 6 but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Hopefully the next one is just as interesting.
The MC’s progress is definitely slowing down as he advances through the stages, as you would expect. In this novel he spends some time in the academy doing his alchemy, traveling with a friend to track down her family, killing said family, battling monsters, hanging out with his friend the god, and doing the usual MC stuff. He does encounter an enemy or a rival maybe who almost tricks him into revealing about his bloodline but he catches himself at the last moment after having already revealed quite a lot of information.
Overall, there continues to be plenty of action, progression, adventure, relationships, and other areas of interest in the story to keep me interested and coming back for more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The story line is a good continuation of the previous books. I like the way this author transcribes their work though I think another editing session would improve the overall quality the books are well worth the time taken to read and have some great comedic relief moments that had me in tears I was laughing so hard. I am concerned about the author doing a Robert Jordan issue of making the series so long people stop reading the series and with this being a web based series that would kill it unlike Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” series that was paperback and pre-purchased by the publisher. I look forward to seeing many more stories from this author in the future.
I can’t really complain about this book, except for one thing, Cliff Hanger. That takes one star away. In all my reviews I say to authors, your story should hold up on its own. Don’t leave us hanging with a cliffhanger. The story is excellent. The MC’s character development is very well done. He’s learning to be a human being, who has become more well-rounded. The POV of the side characters give them death and development of their own.R The world building is great. The action sequences are good. As I said, cliffhanger, if you don’t like cliffhangers wait till the next book.
Life in the Order is busy but such is life everywhere
System events are a worth reason to divert time from alchemy and fighting only because there’s usually fighting and great rewards. But the system is a mysterious entity of sorts and only through great challenge can one earn the greatest rewards. However, the event this time around is not just for Earth and Jake meets a new enemy, well new to him as it appears he was targeted because of his status as a Chosen… or just bad luck. Once again Jake bends the system to his way by stubborn determination, oh and it’s not actually Jake but it is Jake.
Jake becomes the chosen primal hunter for his patron god .
Jake becomes the chosen primal hunter for his patron god . He travels through space to reach the Academy of the order of his patron god . He lives their taking classes for strenghting his class of power an leveling up attacking monsters . He also travels earth to help with his training .Accepts quest help friend's wirh errands run system event's better earth's position among the factions of different races . no challenge to big . recommend reading excellent series
I can definitely see how some of these books could be condensed into one. I liked all the plot points, though some of the story lines to connect them were rather bland. I really liked Carmen's story (and about time, Jake) but the Prima story line just felt odd? Maybe it'll be super important later one. I honestly felt more invested in what was going on with Meira there towards the end, but i guess that's normal to feel with the nature of these books.
It was nice to see Jake start to work on levels again. I also like that he is keeping everything balanced on his way to a perfect evolution to C grade.
Sim-Jake was a bit of a surprise for me, and it is interesting how the System seems to indicate that is the ultimate reward for such an event. Also, I definitely get the impression that while Ell’Hakar might be strong, he will certainly have underestimated both Jake and the Fallen King.
I have listened to the previous 6 books via Audible and just zoned out during the long, boring technical parts. For book 7, Audible is not available yet. From page 500 to almost the end, I pretty much lost all interest in this series. (SPOILER) I personally don't give a damn about sim-Jake, which takes up a huge portion of the last part of the book, page 500 to almost the end. What a waste of pages. I doubt I will read book 8. Otherwise, I really liked this series.