Lightning Is The Only Way

Warma's weakest book, but still great⚡️

Uhh, only tip I have is to not focus on the 'Laws' and s*it, as it'll waste your brain power and slow down your reading.

Plus it makes Sword God and Kill the Sun more enjoyable since you'll understand the endings better ⚡️

it is pretty entertaining at times and Gravis getting stronger is pretty enjoyable.ig as far as cultivation novels goes it's pretty aight. 

Likes:

- Comedy, definitely one of the funniest series I've read in a while, had me howling at multiple parts of the series near the end in laughter.

- Good classic weak to strong, mc starts at near the bottom of the barrel with only one to two advantages which slowly snowball into him becoming a one of a kind genius.

- Side characters aren't bad when you are in their arc but imo weaken when it isn't the arc where you meet them.

- Mc gets a romantic partner which isn't actually that bad.

- Mortis... my love, big brain had me howling.

- Really liked the idea of the power system.

- Really loved all the years of training and seclusion, showing how many years it took to learn something just did something for me, loved seeing it.

Disliked:

- The author can get rly fucking repetitive with stuff we already know saying the same thing over and over, sometimes in the next sentence after they already said it.

- Imo I didn't like the author overcomplicating a sentence or just making it alot longer than it needs to be just to make the mc seem incredibly intelligent (And then proceeds to have the mc f*ck up and have someone bring him back on the right path).

- Characters after their arc they were introduced in really just become 2d shadows, you barely seen them and then after hundreds of chapters you are supposed to feel overly emotional, for some I was but those were few, alot of them I really couldn't care.

- Felt like the power system could have had more done with it, it felt like a cool power system was used just to have everyone be the same thing, there were never any cool or genius use of power, it was all just straight forward slashes, explosions, dodging, parrying and such. The mc had some unique abilities but outside of that everyone was pretty basic just with different elements.

- It really felt like the author sometimes punished Grav just for the hell of it without it rly adding anything to the story or emotional value, with just a little change some parts could have been better imo.

- If you like your mcs being in a group then you will have to wait for about 2/3 of the series, it's understandable at some of the times and he does join other groups for a short duration but he always leaves for some reason or another.

Other:

- Ending was not bad imo, seen others like it, reminds me of a few series which I also liked.

- The final arc wasn't the worse, it did feel like it was dragging on and then when we finally got to the part we had all been waiting for it skipped that entire power level. I can't tell if that was a good choice or a bad choice as everything was getting a little repetitive.

All Up:

It was an enjoyable read, definitely wasn't the best but not alot of things are, the comedy was gold and was one of the reasons I stuck around to read it, the rise in power also was enjoyable although imo the battles weren't always the most enjoyable.

Would have enjoyed it more if the final bit was extended more to show more about their final journey but other than that I'm happy with the read. Will have a go at the authors other works after this. 

 A story that is both interesting and detailed, while also frustrating. 

Let's go over the good points first. The fights are rather detailed and unique. Most of the time it focuses on realistic actions and mentalities in combat. Taking advantage of gaps, outmaneuvering the enemy, etc. It's usually good. The combat aspect is one of its stronger ones.

In the beginning, the character's growth is good. We see him become more mature and face loss, and becoming better for it.

The aspect of each element being different and having their strengths and weaknesses is interesting. I'm not sure I would entirely agree with some of its concepts, but a good amount of work was put into it. And it helps make the fights more unique.

Now for the bad parts.

It constantly complains about how heaven is interfering with the MC and frequently brings it up as if we've never heard it before. You will find this concept interesting in the beginning and then get absolutely sick of it. I get that this is supposed to be frustrating to the MC, I do. But there's a difference between getting the readers to understand the character's struggle, and simply annoying them by endlessly beating a dead horse. Would you find the same joke amusing if it was told to you dozens of times?

There is a problem with heaven attacking the MC with bad luck, or absence of luck as it were. And that is...nothing is off the table. Pretty much anything can happen at any time. A meteor falls from the sky and nearly kills someone? Heaven. A big bird just so happens to land under the MC's enemy and save him? Heaven. Heaven is a literal Deus Ex Machina. Does it make sense story-wise? Yes. Does that make it good writing? No. Just because anything CAN happen doesn't mean it's good. It causes shortcuts, allows the author to skip any build-up, and can even ignore explanations. Even if it's "possible" it still detracts from the quality.

Despite having troublesome moments, I still enjoyed it and pushed on for a while, but became frustrated later on. Some random person knows one of the MC's biggest secrets. (Won't spoil who) They're barely been interacted with, disappear for dozens of chapters, appear out of nowhere, and know his biggest secret without any hints or build-up to it. It's as if there was no real thought process behind this event. Not only is this weird, but I couldn't be bothered to become interested in the sob story of that random person whose barely even been in the novel.

That said, thank you for the entertainment up until this point. And good luck.

A wonderful cultivation novel that doesn't follow the usual script. We see actual character growth from our MC. The cultivation methods are interesting, the general flow of story and methods of progression keep changing multiple times, the side characters are fun to read about and often are not just one-time visitors but a recurring cast instead. I really loved every part of it.

"Lightning is the Only Way" stands out with its captivating narrative and impressive atmosphere. The author uses a fluent writing style that immediately draws the reader in, while the story’s unexpected twists and unique plot keep the element of intrigue alive. The emphasis on the psychological depth of the characters makes their internal conflicts and development feel particularly believable.

On the other hand, there are moments when a deeper exploration of the characters’ motivations could have enhanced the overall experience. Additionally, some sections of the narrative tend to become overly complex at times, which can occasionally distract the reader's attention.

Overall, despite these minor shortcomings, the novel's innovative storytelling, smooth language, and engaging atmosphere earn it a rating of 4 out of 5.