[book info]
Volume seven of Chugong’sĀ Solo Leveling light novel is a little bit uneven. The plot is really accelerating at this point, with Jinwoo ready to fight all comers, Monarchs or Rulers, and the mystery about Jinwoo’s father being resolved as well… but the pacing doesn’t work amazingly, with an interlude in the middle of pitched battle while Jinwoo essentially watches a flashback of what happened to the original Shadow Monarch.
I don’t know how I’d prefer that section to be done — maybe the flashback was necessary! But it feels a bit rushed, like the author has to suddenly cram in all the info we need to make the upcoming conflict make sense. Obviously an extended flashback with Jinwoo just watching wouldn’t be super enjoyable, but… maybe we should’ve seen stuff from Ashborn’s point of view again?
All the same, the final chapters of the book ratchet things back up again, with Jinwoo’s minions appearing, and then the beginning of the end — perhaps for the whole world. It genuinely feels high stakes, and I think does it better than the manhwa for my tastes. I felt a bit choked up when Jinwoo asks what his future will be. Knowing how the story ends makes that more poignant, of course.
Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)
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