Ashes Unwritten [Slow Burn Progression Fantasy | Competent FMC | Book 1 Complete!]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

In Hillcrest, power is currency—and Fulminancy is its ruthless king. Underground fighting rings offer a brutal path to the top, where strength is crowned and the weak are shattered. For Kess, a cursed yet supremely talented fighter, Fulminancy isn’t a gift—it’s a gamble. Its volatile surge, tinged with whispers of madness, already cost her everything once. Born with power most would kill for, Kess should be one of Hillcrest’s rising stars. Instead, she’s branded its biggest fraud. Every battle is a perilous dance with destiny—and every misstep, a step toward oblivion.

Desperate to escape a past that haunts her and a future dictated by dangerous magic, Kess stakes everything on a deadly bout against a Fulminancer, seeking the coveted escape promised by a single sash. But when her brother vanishes on that fateful night, she’s forced to unleash her hidden powers to survive—and in doing so, becomes the city’s most wanted.

Her only hope lies with Rowan of Northmont, a disgraced noble inventor whose obsession with Fulminancy is as intoxicating as it is deadly. As Fulminancy unravels into chaos and the city trembles on the brink of destruction, Kess and Rowan must uncover the ancient mysteries of their capricious power before the Ashfall consumes them all.

In a city where every storm might herald the end, can Kess master the magic that both damns and defines her—or will it ultimately be her undoing?

SLOW BURN. NO EASY WINS. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

Volume 1 complete!

Volume 2 complete and releasing 9/30!

Volume 3 in progress (50% done).

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2025
Author: Gabrielle Charlotte

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 424
Views: 105,062

Chapters(173 total)

Reviews

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Community Reviews(8)

BoptodatopRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
THE FONT WAS FIXED YAHOO
NOW FOR EVERY OTHER THING
If I had to put an initial descriptor to this whole thing, my gut would go with vaguely dystopian magic-punk. Which is an interesting setting, so what I'm about to say next works fairly well.
This story adopts the tactic that I'd formally refer to as, hitting you with so many things in a row that you don't have enough time to process all of them. Very eloquent, I know.
These first few chapters constantly try to keep you looking forward to what's next. Being short, using a bunch of different words that you can sort of figure out through context clues, and not saying much if anything about its characters besides very, very brief moments of introspection. This isn't to say there's nothing about them, just that it's probably something that the author will hold close to their proverbial chest throughout a good chunk of the story.
As for grammar, I only ever noticed a single typo, so, that's chilling.
Characters, like I said, haven't really shown too many of their cards yet, so I can't say much on that front, but from what I've seen it looks like they have a fair amount of room to grow. Though, I will say, the MC feels a little shallow as of my chapter.
Overall, this could be a pretty interesting read depending on where the author goes with it. The possibility of the world's expansion is very interesting, and I think there's a solid foundation here along with no notable issues in their writing.
Besides the font.
>:(
Otherwise, give it a shot!
Rowdha Al SolRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Ah yes, how does one precisely explain what 'the magic factor' is. It only really comes around every once in a while: that moment where you actually care about the direction of a story enough to continue on. While I found the opening chapters on the weaker side (as I often do), this story picks up pretty impressively around the midpart.
Now I am not huge fan of the actual writing, as in the mechanics. It is fairly simplistic. However, it does exactly what it sets out to do and maintains consistency on a professional level. And it simply pairs well with the sort of narrative the author is looking to tell. It is pretty traditional and reads like it was smoothened out either professionally, through AI, or some other software like Grammarly. The polish is simply superb with occasional typos.
Is this really a progression story? So far, not really. In the general sense of what we think when it comes to progression fantasy with stat increases and boxes. (No, not LitRPGs). This doesn't have any of that, so you may be turned off by that. I still wouldn't completely rule it out because there is some "power-creep", and I use that term loosely. At its heart, this story reads like a drama, and a really good one at that. Chapters are full of dialogue, mainly, but they are curated to invoke a sense of character.
Now on the actual characters: mixed feelings. I really think this is one of those stories that spends a lot of time developing character relationships but perhaps to too far a degree, where it feels more like a scripted back and forth rather than an organic transition of events. Maybe that's just me. I just found myself skimming a lot of sections to get to the meat of what the story actually is. They're not terribly written by any means (in fact, this is some solid competence for a web novel), but they just do not compel me. A lot of them sound the same, not as in they literally speak the same; they just have the same motivations with maybe the slightest differentiation. I
StudioBunBugRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Style: the magic is uniquely named and seems to have varieties and character that deviates from the generic, and the name gives no hints as to its nature. There are mysteries around its nature and its reliability, and it is very much a part of those who use it. There’s profanity all relating to storms and weather… it’s all building towards a very evocative setting. The city that occupies the first four chapters is alive and full of unexplained (as yet) mysteries, and carry the weight of a disparity in wealth, favoring the poorer districts with the bulk of the exposition. There are plentiful initial capitals giving the reader a sense of what words carry gravity in this new but understandable world, and what words are commonplace, to be absorbed through inference.
Story: The chapters are just long enough to keep you engaged, short enough and with intelligent breaks that make you want to read one more chapter.
Grammar: I found no grammar errors, and the verbiage avoids unnecessary or unsightly repetition.
Character: a strong suit, even a character who shows up for a few paragraphs is vividly illustrated. The protagonist(s?) have pasts they’re wrestling with and presents they’re just trying to survive. Even between two narrators the feel of the story changes, reflecting the unique circumstances of each character.
vorlefanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall: Ashes Unwritten has interesting flavor, where right at the batch, the readers know that living inside the world will not be easy. You need to have power; otherwise, you will be a slave for those who have. From the prologue to the early chapters, you will be exposed to Fulminancy, the energy that empowers and also destroys those who seek a degree of freedom. The narrative strength lie in this concept — Fulminancy — and how the world react to it. However, the weight of exposition and the terminology early on may be a negative impact for some readers, since it requires being conscious of those terms.
Style: The writing style is detailed and has a good chunk of action sequences embedded. The only thing I particularly didn't enjoy was some of the structure choice in the style, where in some paragraphs it blends dialogue, dialogue tag, and thought, while others have dialogue from a character, then dialogue tag of another character, and his dialogue. In my view, it would be better to be split, making it easier to understand.
Grammar: Well-executed and generally precise. It has a good variation of sentences. I've spotted some minor errors in the dialogues, but nothing a fast review wouldn't fix.
Character: It has interesting characters with distinct voices and views of the world. In the prologue, we know two that possibly will interconnect with Kess at some moment in the story, and it's a multiple lead character. The side characters are well done, exposing the myths and their living through the dialogues. One thing to improve is, while each character is given unique traits, at times the narrative risks minor confusion shifting perspectives and backstory insertion. Some dialogues could be clearer in distinctions to prevent overlapping traits.
Story: While I didn't read much yet from the story, I can grasp some of the concepts that were shown and try to picture how things will develop later on. The concept of Fulminancy — dangerous, unstable but powerful —, the diff
NyxarisRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Ashes Unwritten: Oblivion’s Heir delivers a compelling blend of epic fantasy and light progression, centered around a strong female protagonist. From the opening pages, the author’s confident style caught my attention and the prose strikes a perfect balance between vivid, immersive descriptions and smooth pacing that keeps you hooked. Each scene unfolds with ease, drawing the reader in to this world of intricate layers without drowning you in unnecessary detail.
The story itself grips you with its blend of intrigue, character growth, and magical elements. Rather than rushing into explosive action, it builds tension slowly, but that patience pays off as the plot develops. The worldbuilding feels both expansive and precise. You can tell the author has spent time crafting the lore behind the story.
Technically, the novel comes off very professional. There are minimal grammatical errors or clunky sentences. Which allows the story to shine amongst others in this genre space. The author clearly creating a smooth, enjoyable reading experience, and it shows.
Character development is where Ashes Unwritten truly excels. The female protagonist shines as more than just a collection of tropes. She brings nuance, and realistic internal struggles that hit home for the reader. Her growth feels earned and authentic, making her victories genuinely satisfying. The supporting cast also receives thoughtful development, each character crafted with enough individuality to feel real.
My personal takeaway is that this story shows what happens when an author truly understands their genre and audience, delivering exactly what they crave—a smart, emotionally compelling journey with thoughtful progression and impressive storytelling craft. For readers on Royal Road or beyond seeking a well-crafted story with a compelling FMC, this novel is for you.
Shayne SummersRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Read the first few chapters and it's a wild ride so far. The vibe is gritty and intense, and the characters seem well written so far. The pace is a little bit hectic at times, and I'm not sure where the prologue is going but I'm definitely hooked. The whole underground fighting ring thing gives it a Rocky feeling, though I don't know how the whole magic system works with the rings yet. So far it seems relatively well edited and has a promising start. Worth checking out in my opinion!
Mister NobodyRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Fantastic mix of tension, worldbuilding, and banter. Fulminancy is woven in smoothly without info-dumping, making it feel natural. The buildup of unease is subtle but effective. Solid pacing, great dialogue, and an ending that makes you want to flip the page immediately. I'm already getting invested in the characters, Rae and Reina, and the relationship between the two.
ZeebieRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
This story feels like you're thrown into the deep end and are drowning, there is and overwhelming number of unique terminology in first five chapters. Rather then helping you understand the world building it forces you spend more time trying to decipher the story than enjoying it. While show don't tell is usually a good thing in this case it impedes the reading experience.
Despite these issues the writing shows a strong technical ability of the author. The sentence structure, pacing and description all do their job in helping you understand the characters. The characters and the dialogue is another strong point making each character feel unique with their own voice. Making them stand out as interesting and having their own motivations.
As this is an early review the overall story remains untouched but with foreshadowing and visible hints it seems like it is heading in the right direction. The intriguing premise with a potential for development especially with the class system within society and the different groups.
overall the story has a promising start. Once the learning curve is over, I believe it would an enjoyable story to read and an interesting world to learn about, especially with possible political and themes and mysteries to solve.