Cycles of Entropy

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Time is fleeting. Blessed with gifted hands or not, Mars is powerless to turn back her clock and reclaim what was lost. Now, looking to the future is all that can atone for betrayal. With only guilt to lead the way, chasing the shadow of her once-shunned sister guides fruitless searches to cold towns. As with all things, only time will tell if her drive is enough. The innocent city of Beddenmor is anything but empty. A magical plague, a rival mage, and a faulty spell beyond her control throw Mars’ broken world into chaos. Trapped within the boundaries of a dying town, surviving a cycle of three agonizing days might be more than her magic can handle. In lieu of looking back, Mars challenges the bleakest future with two goals alone… Escape the loop. Find redemption. This story is inspired by the themes of Majora's Mask, a story that has had a lasting effect on me since childhood. My aim is to recapture the unique feeling it gave me while exploring the same themes in greater detail. I am only allowed 4 genre tags, but Mystery and Tragedy belong on the list as well. This is an LGBTQIA+ story. (It features an aroace protagonist, although this will be a minor plot element until volume 3.) Cover art byThegreysun, Title art byNorktoAccess thediscord serverhere!

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2024
Author: Dreamer's Riot

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.4/ 5.0
Followers: 619
Views: 131,996

What readers say about Cycles of Entropy

“Cycles of Entropy is a wonderfully crafted tale of trauma and healing. We follow Mars who we'll say made some mistakes in her past. Mistakes which she seeks to correct. Her journey leads her to a doomed town where all hope has long been lost. Even so, she v…”
BlueTomoshibiRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“{Disclosure: This review was part of a review swap} STYLE The author does a great job at making sure the scenes feel like something you should care about. The prose feels very natural and it's easy to feel immersed. The narrative’s not afraid to delve into…”
FauxPraetorRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

BlueTomoshibiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Cycles of Entropy is a wonderfully crafted tale of trauma and healing.
We follow Mars who we'll say made some mistakes in her past. Mistakes which she seeks to correct. Her journey leads her to a doomed town where all hope has long been lost.
Even so, she ventures in and finds herself in the middle of a mystery propagated by magic she doesn't understand and that her own magic can't hope to fix.
Mars has issues. She's a well crafted character which puts the readers into the shoes of a woman who has true trauma responses. She has her coping mechanisms, but they take time and sometimes she can't find enough to go around.
The narrative itself is full of mystery and charm. The characters are easy to remember because they're so distinct and memorable. From a pair of sisters to a worldly bar tender, to the gravekeeper, there are so many colorful characters that help you get lost in the world.
DreamersRiot is a wordsmith worth their salt, mistakes are few and far between and any that I spotted were in the comments section, swiftly fixed. It's beautifully written and a treat for the mind.
All in all, I would highly recommend this book. And with the completion of the first book there's plenty to sink your teeth into - what are you waiting for? Get started!
FauxPraetorRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
{Disclosure: This review was part of a review swap}
STYLE
The author does a great job at making sure the scenes feel like something you should care about. The prose feels very natural and it's easy to feel immersed. The narrative’s not afraid to delve into emotions, being somewhat explanative as to their effects when applicable. There is a depth to every scene. It paints a very human sort of picture.
It can also be quite descriptive at times, but again, it never feels forced. If something’s being described to us, there’s a reason why. It also never feels like the story’s on pause while something is described.
It all flows very well. Whenever anything's discussed within the narrative, it fits in, it feels like it’s been brought up for a reason. The style is very cohesive.
STORY
We’re dropped right into meat of it at the start, it's all relatively sequential. The action starts fairly quickly after the location and context are established. The timing of every scene/chapter is always clear on the timeline so far, meaning the sense of pacing is solid even before the narrative itself redoubles on it to make the timing clear.
Worldbuilding and other details are peppered in occasionally rather than dumped, and at no point does it feel forced or exposition-y. It never interrupts the plot.
Even at the start, the story's solid enough that you just know there's both a past and a future to be explored, and the story's enticing to read not just for the sake of following present events, but out of hope to learn more about everything and anything that's been alluded to. Events through the story feel as though they will continue to be in motion, and you look forward to what may come next.
GRAMMAR
No glaring issues. The occasional typo is clearly just that, a typo, and I could count those I noticed with the fingers of a hand. Incredibly minor and with no impact to the narrative. Punctuation and spelling are alright as well.
CHARACTERS
We’re constantly in the main character’s head as
MarcellynIVRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
As a relative newcomer to Royal Road, I initially planned on keeping my reviews to complete or well-established stories so that I may judge them fairly. I will make an exception here, as I think this piece deserves a little more attention.
Cycles of Entropy is presented as a narrative diary written from the perspective of the main character and set in their past. At the time of writing, the author has published a total of two chapters.
Style: DreamersRiot has already published a notable story here on RoyalRoad: Otherworldly Anarchist. If you're familiar with his work, you'll understand that his style is a charming, enrapturing one. Here, it's further magnified; as this story places a further emphasis on prose than his previous work. 5/5 Stars
Story: The story (thus far) is what the description and title implies. With the additional possibility of a focus on family and magical drama rather than the progression fantasy that is so favored on this website. If you're looking for something more in your RoyalRoad narratives beyond the tried and true; Cycles of Entropy will likely be of interest to you. Still, I cannot reasonably deliver a definitive rating until a few more chapters have been released.
Grammar: A cursory read does not reveal any obvious mistakes. No further notes. 5/5 stars
Character Score: Time remains to be seen whether Cycles of Entropy's characters will come into their own, but so far, we have a compelling narrative with no obvious flaws within characters or how they tie into the plot structure. 5/5 stars
Overall, Cycles of Entropy seems to promise a meaningful and in-depth examination of loss, family, and paranoia. All through the lens of a time-loop. I'm personally eager to see it to its conclusion.
MrlemonyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I’m not the best reviewer but if you’re looking for a time loop book with self-improvement, hard hitting themes and beautifully written angst then this is the book for you. I really enjoyed reading it and the emotional rollercoaster it put me through. I love time loops with psychological horror and angst and this book perfectly encapsulates that.
RandomNEETGuyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Cycles of Entropy is an unusual time-loop story, in my opinion. Our protagonist looper isn't some almighty existence, a lunatic, or a 'lock in and grind' kind of person. Mars is a broken woman who did not ask for continously dying and watching others die, who did not ask for the mission of saving this town, and only wants to find her sister.
Despite this, after some early falls, she stands up valiantly in the face of everything the author is throwing at her.
I very much enjoy the 1st person POV writing, as it lets us get a lot closer to Mars(which is neccessary for her thoughts to make sense instead of flowing into whining) and almost imperceptibly drags us into a mindset where we don't neccessarily notice her biases. Though I do admit sometimes the long battles she fights with her own mind do get a bit tiring... and hit a bit too close to home if you are familiar with such a state. Read at your own risk, but read nonetheless, is my advice.
Not much to say about the grammar, a few typos or strange word orders here or there, but I could count them on two hands up to what I assume to be half of the second volume.
The plot is... both straightforward and convoluted, as is befitting of a time loop, and Mars navigates it admirably. Foreshadowings are... probably abundant, since even I, conossieur of missing obvious clues, managed to find and remember a few of them while reading. The fact that the loop stays fresh is an achievement I am in awe of, though I shan't spoil how the author accomplishes it.
The heart of this story, in my humble opinion, the characters are amazing. Mars herself feels raw and real and she needs a hug as I've mentioned before. Her thoughts and actions make sense, she keeps to her own lines in the sand even in a loop, and I find that admirable. The townsfolk we get to know are also great, especially after we are treated to a few paragraphs from their own points of view. The antagonists Mars 'fights' are also really, really well-written and I want to
RavensFantasyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Cycles of Entropy is from the MC’s point of view, to which the author does well at writing. The story has an interesting start which is enough to keep the readers wanting more. Overall the story seems well thought out and well written in general.
Style: The style of the story is quite enjoyable. The author gives enough details to the scenes, characters, etc. There is enough in the plot with what I have read so far, to keep the reader wanting more. All of the details and events going on seem well planned and laid out.
Grammar: Within the first few chapters that I read, there were very few to any grammar mistakes throughout.
Characters: The MC Mars seems to be a well developed character and has an interesting story behind them. As she searches for her family, I'm sure we will see more of her character develop in the future. The other characters I have read so far seem well thought out as well, as the character interaction is nicely done. As the author does well in writing some of their quirks that we get to see right away. Overall, the characters seem to be well written and enjoyable.
In Summary: Overall the author does a good job at setting the story, characters, and overall flow. Nicely done!
SomethingGeneralRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I cannot begin to say how much I loved reading this. It feels like a puzzle piece slotting right into my head like I've been missing it this whole time. It hits all the things I love, the mystery, the tension, the emotional lows and highs, but most of all its the main character that really speaks to me. Mars is such a heart wrenching but lovely character. She's truly relatable in her sorrow but there's always something that keeps you hoping the same way she clings to an ideal to keep going. And as her motivations grow and her reasons for pushing forth come from unexpected places, you can't help but feel a bit of that hope in yourself.
I've loved it so far! I'm at chapter 28 rn and tearing through them with delight. I don't think I've ever read a time loop story that actually kept me invested in each loop, you feel each action's weight just as much as Mars does. I cannot recommend it enough!
StrawberryRainRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I cannot sing the praises of this story high enough. This is one of the few stories on this site that I genuinely binged in one sitting, for the chapters it did have out at the time.
The prose is wonderful. The author makes phenomenal use of literary devices in a way that's both chilling and lovely relative to the setting. The writing flows and is easy on the eyes without sacrificing a single drop of imagery--and the imagery is splendid. Every last depiction of panic and terror is done incredible justice, and the splattering of adjectives is used with great care. A wonderful vocabulary goes a long way, and the scenes are painted with love. The prose alone could carry the entire story.
It doesn't. It doesn't need to. The story itself is a page-turner. Mars' crisis is a spectacularly unique spin on a time loop, hard-limited to three days of wonderful suffering and suspenseful twists that are genuinely unpredictable. Every chapter still leaves me guessing, and I sincerely have no idea where this story is going in the absolute best way. Narrative points are spaced out carefully, and there are no instances of hard lore-dumping or telling over showing. Even the creation story of the world was told with incredible creativity in a way I've never seen a story pull off before.
Grammar is more or less flawless. The handful of errors with punctuation and syntax are par for the course and do nothing to impede the story in any fashion.
Mars is a gem. Mars may actually be one of the best written characters I've seen in a story on this website. She's deep, she's layered, and unraveling her chapter by chapter is a pleasure. The author's love for writing her shines through beautifully, and her trauma is handled with great care. There is a clear amount of research that's gone into writing her darker moments versus leaning into stereotypes, and the depths of her panic are handled splendidly. She's primed for development, and seeing bits and pieces of her character arc slowly come to fr
The.Rat.KingRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story has woven mystery and raw emotion together so beautifully. The mystery aspect is well written - you don't instantly know what's going on but there's enough puzzle pieces for you to start to see what the picture could be about. This would have been great as just a mystery but the character component makes it truly compelling. The question of the Quiet isn't just about people mysteriously dying, it's about how humanity responds to such things, both good and bad. The main character has real development and real setbacks. The use of narrative parallels and foils is delightful. I just finished binge reading and I cannot wait for more. This isn't just a story, it's art.
aDragonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Really loving the vibes of this. It’s depression core fantasy that’s ultimately hopeful. Very different from most time loop stories I’ve read on here in the best way, with the emphasis on phsycholgical horror, it’s less about beating up the big bad to save the day and more finding out why they’re doing this.
Ending with saying I love my little sad girl Mars and I wish she could have a break she’s trying so hard 😭