How to Live with a Golden Totem

Caedmon says:

Well, this is actually the first story on this site I finished. I recommend you give it a try. For a pros and cons breakdown.

Pros. Main characters works if you like a more canny characters. I was genuinely amused at times at what he said, and how he approached problems in more unique ways. He’s not like many main characters. The side characters, and heroines, also play a massive role throughout. MC is not the strongest, and most of the heroines are. There are also just consistent side characters blatantly stronger than MC. Basically, the core of the entire premise and story I felt was solid.

Cons. If you do want the MC being the strongest, you will not be satisfied. He’s never useless, but the entire basis is ‘use power of the whole group’. MC is also the canny guy who manipulates people, so a number of side characters are critical of him. If you would be annoyed by people insulting him and saying his tongue is his greatest weapon, you will likely get annoyed. I will also say that some details felt half-assed or forgotten as time went on. Occasionally you got mentions of things like his learning alchemy, and they almost literally never get mentioned again. Fights also often had great buildups, but sometimes ended anticlimactically. Buildup was the focus.

Overall: It is fundamentally the sort of premise you have to like or you won’t like it much at all. If you like the main character’s tactics and his way of interacting with people, you will be entertained and drawn in from start to finish. If you don’t like the sort of dynamic by a good bit in though(like all stories it takes some time to really reach equilibrium, maybe a few arcs into the Academy), you won’t like it. For better or worse, this story knew what it was and stuck with it. Whether that appeals to you is just a matter of taste.