Monk Of Black Flame: Book Review

My journey into Lit RPG novel led to a fun and explosive novel called Monk of Black Flame by J.R. Wales. It was unlike any other Lit RPG novel I had read before. Keep reading to find out what I thought of this book and if you should read it next!

After discovering the Lit RPG genre, I traveled down a rabbit hole and read a couple after reading the book blurbs. One of those novels was this novel and my first novel written by Wales.

I hadn’t researched this genre and the must read books so I was going in blind. I found the books on Kindle Unlimited and that made it easy to keep reading books from this genre. And boy, there are a lot of Lit RPG novels on Kindle Unlimited.

Monk Of Black Flame Summary

Fang is a monk with a useless skill called the Dormant Hell Monk Class. He is shunned by his fellow monks but when he ends up in the Seventh Hell, his dormant class finally wakes up. Now, Fang has a new class that he is set on leveling up in hell,

But he knows that to truly become strong, he must attend the martial academy of the Heavenly Accord. It is there where he meets other students and is able to make a name for himself. But the trail ahead of him is not an easy one. He has to become strong as fast as he can if he wants to reach the deepest levels of hell.

Commentary

This Lit RPG novel was a lot different than my prior experience. I really enjoyed this novel a lot and fell in love with Wales writing style.

The pacing made me really enjoy this novel and I enjoyed seeing levels and abilities. A big difference between this novel and A Thousand Li, the first Lit RPG series that I read is that there was a “system” that the protagonist could see. As the reader, you are shown the protagonists levels and abilities. This feels like a true Lit RPG and you will feel like you are playing a game.

This is a big part of Lit RPG novels and many of the Lit RPG novels that I have read since then have this format. Even with a visible system for the protagonist, there is often another element that is not visible. Many authors love to mix things up and that is what makes the genre so fun. The possibilities are endless.

Trying to keep track of all the abilities and powers can be confusing which is why many novels show the powers, levels, abilities, and effect of abilities and weapons. And often times, this also applies to other characters in the novel. Wales does a wondeful job of not overwhelming the reader and keeps things simple and straight to the point.

Conclusion

I have read a bunch of Lit RPG novels and this novel was one of the standouts. Wales is a brilliant storyteller and I love the fast pacing of his novels. In Monk of Black Flame, the action starts fast and you don’t get a break until the end of the novel.

I can’t wait to read the rest of this series and other books by Wales. The genre has its ups and downs but this one is one I would recommend to readers interested in fantasy novels that want to read Lit RPG books. Just like the protagonist, the novel packs a punch. Until next time, happy reading!

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