Sufficiently Advanced Magic is my first real lit-RPG read, and I'm delighted to say that I quite enjoyed it! What is LitRPG you ask? It is a genre that combines many of the conventions of computer RPG games with fantasy and sci-fi. In Sufficiently Advanced Magic we follow Corin as he works to hone his magical capabilities at the magical military school so that he can be allowed to climb the mysterious and puzzling Serpent Spire to search for his missing brother. 

Normally I would start with who this book is for, but in this case, I'm going to do the opposite. Who is this book NOT for?
- this book is not for you if you do not like a lot of description, exposition, and internal monologuing. Just due to its nature as LitRPG, there is a lot of description and internal exposition. This is especially true since it's written in first person. At times it's almost like reading Corin's mental journal.
- this book is probably not for you if you struggle to suspend your disbelief and just go with the flow of the book. This is a slow start and you really need to go in with the mindset to just accept what's thrown at you and trust the author will make it make sense later.
- this book might not be for you if you have never played any RPGs. If you've played things like Final Fantasy, KotOR, etc, some of the plot devices will make more sense. But those same things might feel completely random if you have no experience with video games.
- this book might not be for you if you don't like alternatively constructed novels. The narrative structure and characterization are more akin to a computer game than how most traditional novels do it. I still thought it was effective and thought the characters were well done, but it takes some patience to get there since it doesn't follow an entirely standard pattern.
- this book might not be for you if you expected this book to be adult fantasy. The level of complexity is there, but the characters read younger, so just be aware of that. Some of the dialogue also reflects this and the humor will probably be hit or miss. 

OK, Zoe, that's a lot of reasons to NOT read the book...did you even actually like it?? Yes I really did and I would absolutely recommend Sufficiently Advanced Magic! Reasons you might love this book:
- fascinating sci-fantasy setting and magic. This is magic used as technology in a lot of ways and, while the worldbuilding takes a bit of getting used to, it is a really cool world that is explained well if you give Rowe enough time.
- a magical school and found family tropes. I personally think the found family is a bit weak in this book, but I enjoyed what we got and there's tons of potential for future books. But the magical school is very fun. If you like following characters to classes and activities, this will give you that.
- the main character is underpowered and kinda vulnerable. Corin's family have mostly all been powerful combat people, but Corin turns out to be an enchanter, who makes magical items. He's also just not very powerful, and he has to figure out how to give himself other advantages. He also appears to suffer from OCD and/or anxiety, and in general isn't not a people person. I really appreciated these dynamics.
- characters from all walks of life with good characterization. As I mentioned above, some of the characterization takes quite awhile to develop since Rowe is also explaining a big magic system and world, but I do feel that he did a good job with the characters. Things that annoyed me early on got developed and made sense for the characters by the end of the book.
- accessible writing. Thank goodness for this cause with the amount of detail here, I couldn't have handled more flowery prose.

Overall, I really enjoyed  if you liked Scholomance, Foundryside, or Harry Potter or love intricate magical systems a la Sanderson, I think it would be worth checking out Sufficiently Advanced Magic, provided none of the items on the top list bother you too much. I'm looking forward to continuing the series and seeing where the story goes.