Claws and Wits

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

More than 30 stone of muscles and bones, the best of goat, cat, and squirrel (do not underestimate them) merged with a stale soul using outlawed magic; appearing on a battlefield, with more strength and endurance than the centaurs. The next step for the Kwal armies. The signs were clear.

But the capitulation came before she was awakened. And then, everybody's first thought was 'how cute', by unanimous vote of either children, healers, clerics, or mages. It certainly wasn't because Kiara remembered being pushed in front of a subway train during rush hour and couldn't speak a word. Even with claws out and fangs bared, their scare would last only seconds. Otherwise cute.

This isnota story of a hero fighting to save the world. This is the story of how a woman makes her way in the world she was thrown and in a new life, and the opportunities which fall into her lap. If she had a lap. Her new body might not bend that way.

Despite the tag, the sexual content is minor to the story. Contains nudity but for a reason. No game elements.

The story is finished.

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2022
Author: prissi

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.2/ 5.0
Followers: 151
Views: 95,896

Reviews

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Community Reviews(4)

GoodGrammarRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
What would it be like to isikai, not as yourself, but as a cat/squirrel centaur, in a medieval -magic setting? I binge-read this & loved it! There is some sexual content but it's not the story focus; there are a few grammar quirks but one or two a page not every other paragraph. Travel is on foot (paws), and constrained by medieval limitations, but not uneventful! If you liked The Hobbit or The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, you'll like this.
Rookie12Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
What will you do if, one day, you end up apeparing in the new world? Well, probably will check if you have stats and such))) . However, Kiara (the MC of this story) ends up being both less and more lucky than this. After dying on our Earth, her soul was taken by a mage from another world, who used it to make a new creation.
The mage planned to use Kiara in battle, and lucky for her, she ends up being saved by the opposite side. Now she must adjust and learn how to live in this new world, in this new and wonderful body, and with several souls merged into one. On top of that, she also must learn the new language!
The world is colorful and interesting, and the setting itself is really bright and hopeful. Even the war at the beginning does not come off as overly horrible when it is revealed that neither side is truly evil, both sides try to lessen the losses, and you can clearly see why the clerics want to put some sort of restraints on mages who graft new souls onto other living beings.
There are a few grammar mistakes here and there, but overall, I really enjoyed reading the story.
The characters are really well made, from Kiara, who learns about the new world, to Freya, (a healer who decides to join her out of curiosity before becoming a friend later on). Each of the characters has their own motivation for acting the way they do.
So far, I can't say much about how the plot turns out. Kiara is not really interested in becoming stronger, her slice-of-life adventure is really awesome and cute to read about, and the lore was interesting enough to keep me invested. If there are any world-shattering events on the horizon, I have failed to notice them.
A really solid story about a journey in another world. Give it a try, it really nice.
HallulayaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
"Claws and Wits" could have very easily been a body horror story about a woman who is killed and awakes inside a chimera. Instead, what we are given is something far more wholesome. Cozy and quaint would probably be the best descriptors of this fiction and it would best be suited to read at night or on a rainy day.
The style is quite solid. It is clear that the author is well-versed in all facets of a medieval setting and uses it to flesh out the world with practical terms instead of more flowery language. As the author will readily admit, this was one of their first forays into a 1st person POV and there are hiccups along the way.
This is a slice of life, so expect a story that focuses on good food and fun interactions than any significant action. That decision will have the benefits and detractions inherent to the genre. Those who see a mythical centaur and are looking for a conqueror, you must look elsewhere.
I am no professional editor. I think the only time I saw any real issues was when some of Kiara's broken dialogue accidentally bled into some other characters. But, overall, there wasn't anything that killed my momentum within the book.
The cast up until Part 3 is almost exclusively Kiara and Freya. Kiara, admittedly, reminds me very little of the 36 year old office woman that she remembers herself to be. She is bashful and silly and sometimes brazen like a teenager in love for the first time. This goes beyond the broken sentences caused by her newness in a foreign world. It bleeds into her inner monologues as well. Freya is a character that we know a lot about on the surface, but I feel like her deeper thoughts and feelings are just around the corner.
ItkovanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This story is about Kiara, who died on an earth-like world and woke up in another where she finds herself in a chimeric body based on fluffy/cuddly/cute animals.
The world she awoke in has magic, but we're mainly introduced to soul-magic which is forbidden, and then healing.
Most other kinds of magic seem to be glossed over as it seems to be fairly "useless".
Lengthwise the story is "only" 62 chapters, but it manages to complete its tale, so consider it as a standalone book, rather than a series.
The author has confessed to not being an english-professor so i can forgive a lot of errors, though i believe most of the flaws i stumbled upon were of the spelling variety...
Though i'm not a native english speaker myself, there were a few places i had to stop and re-read sentences.
For the most part there's a "red thread" in the story we're following and the plot itself seems feasible.
I would also like to point out that for the epilogue chapters, while they tie up nicely the story even if it jumps ahead some years, it also addresses something that i've found many authors don't seem to take into account with chimeric beings.
No, i won't actually spoil the epilogue
Read the story yourself instead
Now, if i were to be annoyed by anything, it would be the lack of attempt for the local language before the protagonist picks up on any of it in the beginning.
Such as:
"Wrgxfcx"
Again, another of these awful noises, denying me my rest. Half awoke, bloated, like a balloon, skin stretching over my body.
"Cwarthgexrficex!"
In my mind, the author have experiences from Germany, UK and Japan, so surely they would be able to make some hodgepodge words from all three languages.
This issue does not seem to appear in later chapters, where there seem to be more "actual word" type of spelling for new foreign phrases.