# Shade's First Rule

By A. F. Kay · Divine Apostasy, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/shade-s-first-rule-57de98fa/

Ruwen dies for the first time on his Ascension Day. After he is revived, his body can learn spells and abilities for the class the goddess Uru gave him, and death no longer sticks. He had planned to become a mage and track down his parents. That plan falls apart when a rival god tries to kill him, and he has to work around an unexpected class to reach level five.

## What makes it funny?

Readers of the first book describe the humor as plentiful, silly and light-hearted without going over the top. The friendship between Ruwen and Sift is the part several of them liked best, and readers single out Blapy mocking Ruwen at every turn as hilarious. Others praise the snappy dialogue.

### The comedy at work

Most of the comedy sits in conversation. Ruwen trades needling with Sift and takes constant teasing from Blapy, so the jokes come from character voices. Readers say it sits alongside crunchy progression and action instead of replacing them.

### Try this if…

This suits LitRPG readers who like a cultivation flavor and a hero who has to work around an unexpected class, with buddy banter doing much of the comic work. Series readers in LitRPG groups rate the Ruwen and Sift banter highly, and some say it gets better as the series goes on.

### Good to know

Opinion on the humor is not uniform. A critic at Worth the Credit finds the funny Ruwen and Sift relationship thin in this first book, while readers of the book itself say the comedy is there from the start and that what improves later is Ruwen's competence. One listener found the banter excessive, with every conversation turning into it, and some readers found Ruwen annoying or the teasing grating. Others were put off by the deaths and a bathtub scene. Death and respawn are frequent, and the book ends on a cliffhanger. The author says there is no swearing, readers describe the series as PG, and a critic notes combat violence but no sexual content. Readers recommend starting with this book. A few series readers found the mechanics dense.

## What to expect

- Genre: Fantasy · LitRPG
- On the shelf: Cultivation · Progression fantasy
- Kind of humor: Banter
- Format: Novel

## A few distinguishing details

- A hero who dies on Ascension Day and comes back with a body that can learn his class's spells
- Blapy mocking Ruwen at every turn

## Questions readers ask

### How crunchy is the Divine Apostasy?

The author calls it crunchy but not overdone, showing stats and notifications when something changes.

### Is there swearing?

The author says there is no swearing or cursing, though there is monster fighting.

### Is there a cliffhanger?

The author apologizes for the first book’s cliffhanger and says later books ease that pattern.

## Sources & further reading

- Review: [Worth the Credit: series and first-book review](https://www.worththecredit.com/reviews/divine-apostasy)
- Author commentary: [Author: book FAQ](https://afkauthor.com/faq)
- Book information: [Apple Books: unabridged audiobook](https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/shades-first-rule-a-fantasy-litrpg-adventure-divine/id1514681377)
- Reader discussion: [Reader discussion](https://www.desertcart.in/products/150671277-shades-first-rule-divine-apostasy-book-1)
- Reader discussion: [Reader discussion](https://facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books/permalink/5217045694985391)