Amber & Flame: Puffin's Perch

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

This story is published on Scribblehub AND RoyalRoadtakes place in the same world as my other webnovels Tatzelwyrm and Mundus Subcavus, but neither of them are necessary to be read first, this is intended for new readers and those who wish to see the story of Tatzelwyrm continued.Carolinia of House Dwyllaigh is a noble and as such, has the gift to cast magic. She is told all her childhood that she has to wait until the Academy to get to learn magic and now, she has finally arrived. But while she always liked to be by herself, she is now forced to associate with other people, notably the outgoing commoner Meredith, who shows far more reverie for nobility than Carolinia herself.Then she is drawn into the presence of the odd non-human that seems to arrive everywhere she is.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: the_Enn_Gee

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.0/ 5.0
Followers: 3
Views: 3,605

What readers say about Amber & Flame: Puffin's Perch

“I recommend sticking with this one a while before making judgement on it. The story is definitely a 'slow burn' sort of plot, and the importance of the various elements, and the motivations of the characters, come out bit by bit instead of being dumped on u…”
EpicanisRoyal Road4.5 / 5
“Disclaimer: review swap. The author spends a lot of time on broad descriptions that contribute to world building but the story is lacking granular details that would drive the plot forward. At Chapter III I’m still unclear on why the Academy and its student…”
LAScottRoyal Road3.5 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(2)

EpicanisRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I recommend sticking with this one a while before making judgement on it. The story is definitely a 'slow burn' sort of plot, and the importance of the various elements, and the motivations of the characters, come out bit by bit instead of being dumped on us all at once. (It's Chapter X or so before we find out what the "Puffin's Perch" in the title refers to, for example). This does leave us as readers with not very much to drive us forward at first, but it feels like it is continually building up and becoming consistently more interesting.
I will say that if I had tried to review the story after only a few chapters it would not have seemed as good, just because it takes a while to build up. If the story continues to build in the future the way it has for me so far, I think it will be just fine in the end.
Also note that this isn't like "G.I. Joe" or "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" where there is a very obvious antagonist that the protagonists will be fighting. In fact, so far the "antagonist" seems to be "noble society" and its associated arrogances and prejudices in general - so far this is a story more about the characters' growth as people than any sort of blatant fight. Many of the characters that the protagonists have to deal with seem to be unpleasantly pompous, so I find myself hoping the protagonists manage to cause unpleasant problems for them all.
(There are hints that there may be a more traditional villain/antagonist coming at some point as of where I am in the text so far, but I'm still not certain. I don't think this is a problem, as the protagonists have personal problems of their own to overcome to keep them developing.) If you are hoping for a "smash bad guys" story, or a story more about "powers" or "weapons", or an overt LitRPG "look how big my numbers are!" story, you will probably be disappointed in this one, but I think there is plenty of substance here if you're interested in the actual characters instead. (This is, of course, a "ma
LAScottRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
Disclaimer: review swap.
The author spends a lot of time on broad descriptions that contribute to world building but the story is lacking granular details that would drive the plot forward. At Chapter III I’m still unclear on why the Academy and its students matter. For that matter, I’m still unclear what the Academy does. The main character claims it’s her birthright but even the revelation of her true title does little to explain why it’s her birthright.
Grammar is fine but this story could use some copy editing to bring it up a level. There’s a few errors found within. Nothing terribly egregious but it does take away from the experience. I’ve provided a comment saying as much but breaking down blocky paragraphs would also help with readability for mobile readers.
I’m acknowledging that it’s early in the story but the characters, with maybe the exception of Meredith, are fairly one dimensional. Spending more time on their inner thoughts, motives, etc. and less on sweeping descriptions of the world might remedy this. On the topic of Meredith, I would suggest more sensitivity. Right now it is uncomfortable, and not necessarily in a thought provoking way, with how she is treated with respect to her peers. Her skin colour, social standing, and mannerisms are shown to be different from her peers (white, titled and rich, mainly) and they draw scorn towards her. It doesn’t read as nuance or as a hard hitting social commentary. These are damaging stereotypes, and I’m seeing early themes of white saviourism/using a POC as a lesson to improve the morality of white characters that doesn’t sit well with me. Take this advice as you will but I would rethink some of her introduction.
Overall, some review and revision would go a long way. Good luck with your story!