A Hive of Bone and Chitin [A Biomancy and Hivemind Litrpg Adventure]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

When an extradimensional invasion destroyed Earth, Anya did not die. Being isekai’d? That was fine. But why did it have to be a world whereevery god dumped their heroes? To be Godtouched is to be an omen of unrest and calamity for the residents of this land, if she was lucky. If she was not lucky? Being an indoctrinated weapon was certainly not off the table.

An uncaring dead god’s inescapable scheme for vengeance, a skill that would kill her just as soon as it would her enemies, a much diminished descendant of an ancient horror that had once challenged the very gods, and a traumatized girl who had spent her entire life struggling for survival. Could they be enough to kill a godkiller?

Warning that this story will be dark at times. The first few chapters are also rather number heavy.

Readers can expect:

Numbers!

Occasional horror (both implied and shown)

A world that was NOT improved by the existence of the system

An mc who is mentally affected by her skills and will drift away from humanity

Constant progression but don't expect the mc to roll over her adversaries

Weak to strong but SLOWLY

CW for spiders and similar creepy crawlies if you have arachnophobia

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2025
Author: Vareniya

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 790
Views: 211,900

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(8)

IstaNonCuroRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Picked the story up because I liked its themes, but was a bit iffy about the Progression LitRPG part. Yet I was positively surprised. Contrary to most such fics on this site, this one doesn't live off dopamine-rushed caused by numbers going up and jumping from fight to fight where the enemies are conveniently powerscaled to never be a true threat.
No, most of the "progression" we have seen so far was more about the MC finding her footing in the new world, which combined with the rather interesting worldbuilding leads to a far more satisfying experience than killing monster after monster.
On the other hand, if you want to read about a main character fighting stuff and being awesome, this story will probably less your thing. While the main character slowly becomes more effective, she was still a minor factor in most combats so far and often more occupied with staying alive than actually influencing the outcome significantly. In the end, she is a very small fish not knowing the rules of the world she ended up in. I myself found this rather refreshing and grounding, while also making her progress feel far more real and deserved.
The world itself is definitely what I would call grimdark, but definitely not grimderp. Darker elements don't feel forced to convince the reader that this world is bad and nothing good will ever happen. But on the other hand we do get to see potentially disturbing things like magically taking away free will, genocide, the common folk getting shafted by the powerful as collateral, or sometimes just out of convenience, and other more heavy topics. So if that bothers you, you should probably skip this story.
Lastly, the body-horror, while taking a bit to arrive, is very well done. Immersive, super interesting, and with a dash of macabre humor.
Overall, I binged the first book of this story in a day, definite recommendation from me. I don't give out 5/5 stars unless I am actually lacking complaints about a story.
JimQuillRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is really well-written with no obvious errors. The lore is dumped pretty early, but it is AWESOME lore. kind of gives off H. R. Giger vibes. I can see the story unfolding into something epic.
Also, numbers go up FAST. So if you like that, you’ll like this story. I think it’s fine, but I do wish there was more time to really get to know each of the classes.
Style: The story evokes an edgy (in the good way) vibe. It’s all death, bones, and ancient gods, creating a unique feel for the world, story, and characters.
Grammar: No noticeable flaws, spelling mistakes, grammar errors, or the like. But I’m not the best at spotting these. At any rate, nothing distracted me.
Story: The strongest demon is immune to god power, so a mortal must slay it. That's metal AF. A lot of the story is told through the system, and it's fast. There’s a strong goal, but it's open enough for other minor stories to develop down the line.
Character: An interesting character with a complex origin and situation. My only minor gripe is her cold-bloodedness, which is an actual stat, but that’s just a personal take.
M.E. CheRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This review focuses on the first three chapters of the series. The story, written in first person, starts with a compelling hook that effectively establishes the world and the protagonist's perspective. The main character is presented as jaded but retains their empathy and humanity, having been forced to make difficult decisions. This creates a nuanced morality that goes beyond simple black, white, or gray.
The worldbuilding is well-balanced, incorporating familiar genre elements while maintaining its own identity. The story addresses climate issues and refugee themes in a relevant and personal way, creating a believable apocalyptic setting before introducing more extraordinary elements.
The narrative efficiently establishes its stakes while leaving room for future mysteries and revelations. Rather than relying on unnecessary mystery, it focuses on engaging the reader early. The LitRPG elements feel integral to the character's development rather than superficial, offering interesting theorycrafting possibilities without overwhelming the story.
Additional Notes:
While this review primarily covers the first three chapters, I continued reading beyond this point and plan to follow the series' development. The foundation is solid, showing clear potential for growth with continued effort from the writer and reader support.
RainshadowRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Lore so far has been the real kicker for me in this story. The cute spider pet too. It is fast paced and requires an open mind prior heading into this novel, but I love it so far. For what it promises, author has been quite honorable in that regard and I'm only expecting more of a hivemind later on in the story as we go. looking forward to alot more
redelectricRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It's not a bad story but I came into this expecting a protagonist that was a hivemind shaping creatures to their needs. We're 36 chapters in and we got a spider pet. I think a better description of this story would be a Ranger Litrpg.
I liked the idea of them become a forensic mage but all that meant in the story is once in blue moon there's a sentence about her stone heating up to call her into work and that's mostly it. It ether should have been part of the story or not at all
LovelyDovelyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
The world was introduced as something giant and the sense of scale never lessens besides from her day to day but otherwise a story with a massive future goal. She’s meant to beat the big bad Evil Bone God however she dosent immediately get all powerful she’s weak really weak especially in this world and this worlds sense of scale is gigantic the real start for her “cheat” was her connection to the third calamity something so grand her mind can hardly contain her form. She most likely is going to fight this one or become allies and that is the first step towards her true goal.
The writing is fine it’s interesting and detailed and I don’t feel bored reading it and I can never really spot typos.
the system is a lot more unique than others with the class amassing plot makes it very real the dangers of choosing a top strong class are interesting and very well written.
the characters are interesting and i know it’s going for realistic such as seeing people who’s name she knows but dosent interacts with but i felt like too many were introduced that way like we were expected to know more than we actually did about them? The main character is dope I love her personality and how she changes with her several mental skills! I also appreciate her recent changes and self talk about being like the people she despises by choosing an easy route and can’t wait for a surgeon arc tbh!
other things! Personally I love the system and wouldent turn my nose up at more pages “not full chapter only little plot kinda thing” of system talk maybe Ike a class history or a evolution history so people can see how the skills evolved or unlocked? Maybe a glossary chapter going over all of her stats, skills, classes, or magic? Finally this story is great and you don’t have to take anything I say as the truth but I love your story it’s my current favorite for the last month now also do you have a patreon?
Undead AdventurerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
The characters and world building are wonderful, I feel like i learned something that either directly contributed to or had implications on the setting every chapter!
One thing I did have as a complaint until a certain point (and that another person who reviewed has complained about) is the lack of matching the supposed hivemind theme it claims to have. Well let me clarify to potential readers that it is just a slower build up to that point!
The story is most definitely in within the theme it claims, and so far it seems to be doing it quite well in my opinion.
NightbulbRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
If you came here for the hive content and monsterization, you'll need to be a little patient- Anya doesn't really kick those into gear until chapter 25. But after that point, those themes only continue to accelerate. It scratches that transhuman itch better and better with every chapter.
And if the summary saying the MC will be "mentally affected by her skills" squicks you out, you can mostly relax. It's a gradual, rather natural-feeling affect in general, not a sudden permeant warping of her perception. It thus far feels less like a violation of her will, and more like she's getting limited wikapedia entries shoved in her brain, and experiencing the natural struggle of deciding between a body that feels optimized and a body that isn't hideous. I'm betting she'll find a middle ground before she gets too much more mentally inhuman.
Cold Blooded feels very artificial, but it's an active skill that only ever effects her mind temporarily; it isn't turning her into a psycholopath. I hate protags who's "inhumanity" just drives them to be loners; I'm glad that's not what's happening here. While Anya's social life feels a little on the lacking side, like her friends could definitely stand to be more significant characters with more screentime, she's becoming more invested in maintaining positive interpersonal relationships as she monsterizes, not less.