An Unequal Share [A Dark, Progression Fantasy]

Information

Status

Ongoing

Year

2024

Author

ZATsamizdat

• 2. The Curse of the Moon Chapter 1
  Jan 19, 2024
• 1. An Unequal Share Part I
  Jan 13, 2024

Reviews

Community Reviews(4)

• JAAN957Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I’ve been following this collection of stories since its beginning, though only now got around to writing a full review. It’s a thoughtfully written, carefully plotted series, dark but not too dark, and set in a fascinating world that draws on a wide range of historical eras.
  The protagonist, Vero, is traumatised and damaged, but also strong, determined and sympathetic. She is convincing as a hardened slayer of monsters, but also as a woman in love amid the cutthroat politics of the high nobility. The other characters are all well-written, with her aristocratic love interest Jean and his squabbling entourage being particular standouts.
  My favourite thing (as someone who enjoys a good in-universe lore entry) is the depth of the worldbuilding. The amount of thought that has gone into the religion, culture, magic system and history of this world sets it apart from most fantasy stories. There’s scope for a huge range of adventures in such a well-crafted world, and I look forward to seeing more of it.
• Tuck5891Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I know ZATsamisdat personally and have read the entire short story collection about Vero and her adventures.
  The protagonist Vero and many of the other characters are very well developed and believable, very 'real' people to connect with and take an interest in.
  Since the collection is a number of short stories intertwined with a framing story, the plot is not exactly linear, but I still find it facinating to learn more about Vero and the people she meets as she attempts to find the Slayer Academy. Many of the initial stories hint at things that are not fully revealed until later stories explain more of Vero's past. This is a writing device that I personally enjoy as it really peaks my interest and makes me want to find out more.
  There are elements of the story that are dark and grim, but there are also many sections that are more lighthearted. I find watching Vero meet people she can actually trust after such a rough start with her 'Master'' is heartwarming. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading stories with multidimensional characters. They may not always act the way you want them to, but they will never be boring.
• ZagarothRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This story is very well-written, and the depth of the lore/worldbuilding is easily seen.
  The author easily draws you into empathizing with the protagonist and does a good job of making you hate a certain other character while keeping him 'real' enough that he is not entirely a villain. He still does some stuff I would label as evil.
  It's hard to review the plot at this point, we have a starting point to show us a better point in the MC's life and then a flashback to when the protagonist was much younger and in a much worse situation, so I don't know what the story itself is yet. But our starting point has enough leads to make me interested in learning more.
  While the world is somewhat dark and gritty, I am not sure 'grimdark' is quite accurate, but the labeling system is limited. There is more hope than I generally associate with the grimdark label.
  That said, it does sometimes get very dark.
• maku90Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I've been reading this novel for quite some time and I've finally decide to write a review. English is not my first language so please bear with me.
  It's almost criminal that such well crafted story is not more popular, but i guess such is the tragedy of quite a few stories on Royal Road.
  Vero is a Slayer, a hunter of the unnatural, and we follow in her adventures. This is a character driven dark fantasy story with rich lore and world building.
  For what to expect in the story, read the story's synopsis. It's one of those rare times where the authors was both honest about it and also has the writing skills to fulfil their promises.
  STYLE: 5/5 The writing style is rich and evocative, able to properly showcase the world built by the author. It's also clear enough that it helps me visualise the scenes, something that I really struggle doing when reading.
  The first book is written as a collection of stories, not always told in a linear way, that serves as a proper intro to the story. The second one instead is written in a m ore linear fashion, more similar to a traditional novel.
  GRAMMAR: 5/5 The story is well written and it is clear ZATsamisdat takes their time to edit it before releasing it on Royal Road. Sometimes a few typos sneak their way in, but they are pretty minor and usually fixed by the author once pointed out.
  STORY: 5/5 The world building in novel is phenomenal, it is well thought out in all aspects, nothing is left to chance. The amount of details on history, religion, magic theory culture, politics, etc shows the amazing amount of thought and effort the author put in before writing the chapters.
  It is a realistic medieval fantasy, where the culture and religion has grown and adapted to a world that actually has magic and gods, although it seems the "golden era" of their culture was left behind; somewhat similar to what happened to western Europe immediately after the fall of Rome.
  The story follows the adventure of our MC Vero. This is categorized as a gr