Dalliance Rather

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Twelve-year-old Dalliance Rather is expected to become a brutal laborer like his father. Instead, aided by a fairy godmother, he’s secretly a[Scamp]with a plan to win his way into the elite King's Collegiate. He’s going to build the perfect wizard. Reality disagrees. Expect a literary pitch-dark Victorian-era pastiche coming-of-age homage to Mark Twain in a LitRPG setting in which power accumulates gradually and extracts a price. Now on Volume 2!

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: minichirops

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 999
Views: 407,772

What readers say about Dalliance Rather

“This is a great story so far. The style is unique, the characters are very well written, the tone is dark and oppressive (which I love) and the world is interesting. My favorite aspect of the story is the characters. The book really gets you to care about t…”
tft1994Royal Road5.0 / 5
“TLDR; Stop reading this review, start reading the story Come for the Author's poetry, stay for the unique world building and complex characters. Read if ... You like Good People in Shitty Situations You want a world with complex dynamics without drowning in…”
AmbergristonesRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

tft1994Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a great story so far. The style is unique, the characters are very well written, the tone is dark and oppressive (which I love) and the world is interesting.
My favorite aspect of the story is the characters. The book really gets you to care about the main characters and be invested in his struggles. The villains characters feel terrifying and the book does not shy away from showing some dark scenes involving abuse and manipulation.
This is not a power fantasy - it is dark, gritty and things get ugly. And I love the story for it. When the world is oppressive, I tend to get far more invested in the main character's struggles and every tiny win feels satisfying. I love stories like these where you can really feel the protagonist doing his best to survive in a hostile world. I love how oppressive and threatening everything feels. I love how the characters are portrayed - how terrifying the bad guys seem and how despite being a helpless kid in an indifferent world, the main character still has the strength to push forward
The story is a little different from many other litrpgs in this website in how dark it can get. It does not shy away from killing named characters. It does not shy away from showing some truly horrific scenes involving violence and physical abuse. But to me this is what makes this book feel special and stand out from the rest.
If you dont mind darker stories that do not hesitate to show how ugly people can get, I highly recommend this novel.
AmbergristonesRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
TLDR; Stop reading this review, start reading the story
Come for the Author's poetry, stay for the unique world building and complex characters.
Read if ...
You like Good People in Shitty Situations
You want a world with complex dynamics without drowning in exposition
You like puritanical naming conventions
On Story:
Story comes first, with smaller, more mangeable stakes, but you can feel the weight of a much deeper/richer world behind it. The chapters merit close attention. Details and people matter.
On Character:
Daliance is not a cookie-cutter protag-kun. He makes choices. He has flaws. He is figuring stuff out as he goes and that is alright.
The rest of the world is populated with sinilarly rich internal lives. Sometimes you catch yourself liking and agreeing with the Rat *Illegitimate Child* of a Primary Antagonist. Other times you want them dead and their corpse violated by piranhas. The romance is cute. The best friend is weird but guided by a solid internal logic.
Grammar:
Very clean copy, and the typoes that do escape into the publication get addressed relatively promptly. Early chapters are a little heavy in hover-over citation, but at current (Chapters in the mid 40s) the usage is more helpful than distracting.
SeveralMistakesRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It is everything I had not yet realized I wanted from the Lit RPG genre. It has many of the trappings of a classic story. But, that comes with a warning: The prose of the story isn't the light fare that is seen in most of the stories on this website. The presence of virtue names being the first sign of that. The subject matter follows through on this weight. The violence and abuse isn't so exaggerated to be almost comedic. It is practical, it serves a purpose rather than being pointlessly cruel. That makes it both more realistic and potentially way more triggering.So if you can't handle heavier prose or are triggered by more realistic depictions of abuse, this isn't the story for you. Otherwise, I would recommend it.
lumireRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The prologue does a great job showing the relationship between the main character and the pixie he captured. At first, the pixie simply wants him to set her free, but over time, she begins to sympathize with him. This change creates an interesting dynamic and makes their relationship something to look forward to as the story continues.The pacing is handled well. It’s neither rushed nor too slow, giving readers time to adjust and gradually sink into the narrative. The descriptive writing also strikes a good balance—there is enough detail to enjoy the scenes without making the reading feel heavy or overwhelming.The grammar is clear and easy to understand, which helps the story flow smoothly. This makes the reading experience more pleasant and ensures the focus stays on the characters and plot.The story portrays the main character through his suffering, and this emotional aspect gives the narrative an impact. His experiences make the journey feel meaningful and create a connection with the reader.Overall, this story is worth reading. The plot is interesting, the relationship dynamic is engaging, and the characters feel promising. With its solid pacing and clear writing, it leaves a strong impression and invites readers to continue.
rangerwillRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall:
Dalliance Rather is, in my view, one of the standout works on Royal Road and a genuine must-read. I would recommend it even to readers who might not typically gravitate toward this style. The prose can feel dense at first, but I strongly encourage pushing through to around chapter eight—by that point, the emotional and narrative investment in the characters begins to fully take hold, and the story’s strengths become unmistakable. At least that’s where it was sparked for me.
Style:
The writing leans heavily into a “show rather than tell” philosophy, to a degree that is both striking and, at times, demanding. The prose often reads like introspective poetry, capturing the turbulence and uncertainty of adolescence with nuance and restraint. While this stylistic choice may initially present a barrier, it ultimately rewards attentive readers with a richer, more immersive experience.
Story:
The narrative unfolds with a deliberate pace, prioritizing character development and emotional authenticity over immediate plot progression. Rather than relying on conventional exposition, the story reveals itself through interactions, reactions, and subtext, allowing readers to piece together meaning in a way that feels organic and engaging.
Grammar:
The technical execution is strong. The prose is consistent, controlled, and intentional, reinforcing the tone and atmosphere without distracting from the narrative.
Characters:
Characterization is where this work truly excels. Dalliance, in particular, is written with a compelling duality: he is both impulsive and defensive, capable of spontaneity yet prone to erratic behavior under pressure. This contrast makes him deeply human and, ultimately, endearing. His actions can at times appear immature or lacking in judgment, but these qualities feel appropriate to his age and are clearly shaped by past trauma and sometime’s present trauma.
A significant strength of the story is its acknowledgment—for the most part, implicitly rather th
AlphaRueRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Stylewriting is clean. Paragraphs flow well. Dialogue feels natural, if a little mature for the characters (but maybe that makes sense considering how difficult their lives are). The virtue names thing makes a lot of sense in the setting and adds a little bit of culture to the story, something many stories on this site lack. Litrpg elements are not invasive.storysetting is unique. Magic system is also new enough to be interesting from what we have seen already. The content is much darker than suggested by the blurb. Expect levels of fucked up similar to the prince of thorns, if less in your face about it. There is a lot of casual cruelty and a lot of purposeful cruelty as well.grammarexcellent by the standards of this site (although this review is not evidence of my ability to judge grammar, trust that i do know what i am talking about here… im typing haphazardly on my phone and not reading it after the fact). I think ive spotted maybe one of two errors so far, which is on par with many published books.charactercharacters have personalities. Some of the side characters are arguably as developed as the mc, which is a feat. Some characters are annoying (and I think are meant to be). Expect GOT levels of murdering characters. MC is a pretty flawed guy (though he is twelve, forgive him). He makes some (many) questionable but reasonable enough for a twelve year old decisions. This is a good thing.
ColRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Dalliance is a rogue (well, a scamp) who dreams of being a wizard. This won’t be easy -he comes from a family of farmers and his father – a real terror – refuses to accept his son might be anything else.Dalliance has to earn enough exp to survive his father while still growing his stats to be a wizard. In the first few chapters, Dalliance is going through the trials to become an adult – this is hard, as he isn’t particularly strong or tough (or fast? Poor kid).My favourite aspect of this story is the characters. The horrid father who only wants a son who does as he’s told is both a motivator for Dalliance to improve and a real threat to his sister. He’s a great villain. The group of village kids going through their trials have a great dynamic, speaking and acting like they’ve known each other forever, which they have. I thought this was a nice touch. The character names are hilarious – Dalliance, Whimsy, Senior Pants, Probity, Morality Best. We hear the names before we meet the characters, but they make me look forward to learning more, particularly about ‘formidable Morality Best’ who sounds like a great hero or a wonderful villain.The plot is just starting to heat up with great action scenes – who would have thought fighting goblins could be so hard?This is a great story for people who like a rags-to-magical-robes story.
Dentos24Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Unfortunately for the royal road algorithm anything under a 5 stat review is a negative review. I have decided to give a more accurate review for the sake of the readers/author in the review text.
Overall Score 4.6/5
The book is excellently written and better than many novels that I have paid for. It has a clear style and does an excellent job balancing the darkness of the world with brighter moments. The worldbuilding is superb but the pacing is unfortunately a bit slow and it can sometimes be a bit confusing.
Style 4.6/5
The story has a it's own style that lends itself very well to the tone of the setting and complements the worldbuilding. It manages to maintain interest despite it's relatively slow pacing. Sometimes the pacing does stumble, the current school arc has stalled on the rankings plot point and the hunts follow a similar pattern throughout which dulls interest. The text also needs more bridge lines, I sometimes find the jumps jarring. They are still very competently carried out and I still care about the story because of the excellent characters who make it a very enjoyable read.
Story 4.5/5
This is the novel's greatest stumbling block. While it has it's troubles it remains very interesting, the worldbuilding is detailed and excellent. It all comes together to create a cohesive world and environment that feels alive. The arc involving Dalliance's family was very well carried out and I was significantly invested.
However, I have absolutely no idea where the story is going. I'm not sure what happens after Dalliance achieves his goal of getting into the academy or even what that actually entails. This makes it hard to become invested in the outcome of his attempt to climb up the rankings as I lack a sufficient counterfactual, what happens to him if he fails? What does being a [Soldier] mean?
The story itself is still very good, I remain extremely curious about the world itself and I do very much want to know what Dalliance's future holds.
Characters 4.8/5
Foe PawRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
What a story. The world is immediately flavorful, drawing you in with the bizarre way these people live in a solidly built and intriguing manner. Man these kids be crazy. Twelve years old are already crazy even before you introduce life and death stakes. The ghoul hunt was my favorite.
GigabyteRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
What a great novel! It is not often that I find gems like this on rising stars. I think one of the main draws, at least for me, is the wonderful prose. The diction is great, and I especially enjoy the way worldbuilding is sprinkled in with the dialogue and narration. I especially enjoy the mouse-over text, as it helps provide both context and levity. Also, you can tell the author really cares about this and is very passionate, and it really shows in the final product. The story handles its darker themes well too, and I think the characterization is deep enough to avoid many common pitfalls of stories. ALSO! The author is not afraid to have the main character make the 'wrong' decision, or have something bad happen to him that causes him to fall short of a goal-- more so than many of even the great authors are. The character doesn't just have one bad thing happen, and come back with a vengeance. Lets move on to the categories!Style!As I mentioned before, the prose is wonderful. Two things that add to the 'atmosphere' are that the author has clearly done their research, and uses diction appropriate for the time period. For example, I had never heard the word 'chapbook' nor had any idea what one was before this story.Grammar!Grammar is impeccable. Literally have not seen a single mistake, whether due to the authors natural skill or the fact that they always respond to comments, and presumably fix mistakes.Story!I don't actually have much to say about the story -- not that it is unimpressive or not worth reading, moreso that I feel it is not my job to review the story; as that is the experience that a reader gets. It's subjective. It's great, in my opinion. I generally am not adept at reviewing!Character!Characters are realistic and engaging. They are three dimensional and, at least while their wits are lower, act like I would expect children to act.Afterword:Another thing I would like to mention is that it is very clear that the author has worldbuilt a large large part