(Discontinued)

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

This is a story of a fictional world at war.

Information

Status
Hiatus
Author
Paragonix

Tags

ACTIONFANTASYADVENTUREMAGICFEMALE LEADSCI-FISUPERNATURALROMANCE SUBPLOTMALE LEADSECRET IDENTITYHORRORMULTIPLE LEAD CHARACTERSNON-HUMAN LEADREADER INTERACTIVELOW FANTASYKINGDOM BUILDINGGRIMDARKVILLAINOUS LEADMYTHOSSOFT SCI-FIURBAN FANTASYSPACE OPERAPROGRESSIONDYSTOPIAFIRST CONTACTATTRACTIVE LEAD

Royal Road Stats

Rating
3.4/ 5.0
Followers
4
Views
6,910

Chapters(20 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

  • Reccos21Royal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    Yeahhhh, I'm not gonna waste y'alls time with listing out my very long backlog of reasons that try to emphasize and endear just how much I love reading this novel. But do you know that feeling where you're lying down in bed about to fall asleep, and you suddenly feel like you're being watched? You quickly open your eyes and boom, cloaked in the darkness of your own room, you realize you left your closet door open. But you don't sigh in relief, no... upon further inspection as your eyes adjust to the darkness, you can't discern if you're looking at a coat... or a person.
    That's the vibe I get from The Devil Assured Me, that kind of feeling that makes you skin crawl as you always wonder about, "okay... what's the catch?" in almost every scenario. Dante is such a dope mc. And the plot, while slowly articulating itself at the beginning, really flourishes as you progress further into the story as well.
    That being said, I just caught up with the story today and frankly, as the title of my review suggests, this novel is a must read. The Devil Assured Me has it all if you're willing to give it a shot, so give it a shot y'all, you won't regret it.
  • VVerityRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    A story of a poverty stricken family in Victorian England, slowly lurching into a gothic tale of horror. Can't play all the cards in your hands immediately, after all!
    Characters
    A name like Dante practically beholdens the poor kid to a life of terrible misfortune in one form or another, but that's why we're here! While some MCs in gothic novels display the same amount of situational awareness of a cucumber in the initial parts of a novel, Dante is much more self-aware and yet is logically set up for situations that drag him through. The other characters feel kind of orbit-y, but that's fine and there's still plenty of time to develop them as well.
    Story
    The story is a gothic flavored mystery so if you're looking for something that'll explain things all at once then hustle along because this isn't it. The dripfeed of plot does make things feel rather slow, especially with the size of the chapters, but I found it fits the needs of the webnovel pretty well.
    Style
    The style is one of the few issues. It's very dialogue heavy, which is fine, but I feel that the author leans too hard on the pictures as a crutch so one gets the impression the characters are actually talking in a void rather than in the room depicted in the AI-generated image. I think if the author stops using the pictures so often (instead of in every chapter, maybe one every few chapters) and stretches out their descriptive powers some, it'll improve quite a bit.
  • JaysanerdRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    “A beautiful Dream” is a vivid portrayal of the harsh reality faced by a poor family in rural England in the year 1827. The author provides rich details about the family's living conditions, the laborious work they undertake, and the abuse suffered by Dante at the hands of his father. The narrative captures the despair, hopelessness, and exhaustion experienced by Dante and his family. The writing is engaging, and gets me drawn into the story, empathizing with the protagonist's plight.
    The story is well-written and sets a good scene for the reader, the images help set the scene even more. It gives insight into Dante’s work environment and the people he works with. The goth vibes are big in this one :p
    The dialogue between the characters is realistic and adds to the authenticity of the story. The author's use of sensory imagery is particularly effective in creating a sense of atmosphere and mood.
    One possible critique is that the story feels a little bit slower-paced and might benefit from a stronger hook to draw me in more quickly. Also, I’m not sure if this is a stylistic choice, but I feel like some chapters could’ve been merged together, some chapters we’re really short and having to go the next chapter so quickly kinda pulled me out of the story. Some readers might prefer the short chapters though.
    Overall, however, the writing is engaging and the characters are interesting. The author does a good job of creating a sense of camaraderie between the characters, which could lead to some compelling interpersonal dynamics in the future.
  • Jack0fheartRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    The Devil Assured Me is a captivating and emotional story that follows the journey of Dante, a young man living in 1827 England.
    Overall score 5/5: This story is a masterpiece of historical fiction. The author's attention to detail and skillful writing create a world that is both immersive and authentic. The story is emotionally resonant and thought-provoking, leaving a lasting impact on the reader.
    Style score 5/5: The writing style is beautiful and immersive. The vivid descriptions and engaging dialogue bring the characters and their surroundings to life. The author has a way of capturing the reader's attention from the first page and keeping it throughout the story.
    Story score 5/5: The Devil Assured Me tells the story of Dante's struggles and hardships, and his deal with the devil that changes his life forever. The plot is intriguing and well-paced, and the characters are well-developed and relatable. The novel explores themes of love, loss, redemption, and the consequences of one's choices.
    Grammar score 5/5: The grammar is excellent, with no obvious errors or typos.
    Character score 5/5: Dante is a complex and compelling protagonist, whose experiences and emotions are vividly portrayed. The supporting characters are equally well-crafted, adding depth and dimension to the story.
    In summary, The Devil Assured Me is a well-written and thought-provoking story that is sure to captivate its readers. The author's attention to detail and vivid descriptions make the story come alive, and the characters are well-developed and engaging. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, morality tales, or stories that make them question their own beliefs! ♥
  • KinAkira1996Royal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    I really enjoyed reading The Devil Assured Me, which follows 16-year-old Dante, detailing his life in the early 1800s. The story is a slow burn and takes its time to develop and define the norms and rules of the society that he lives in. Despite certain circumstances that occur in the story, the work itself is surprisingly grounded and takes steps to ensure an air of authenticity when describing the Victorian-era setting.
    The style is unique, almost written like a film script or a light novel. This might be a little offputting to people used to more traditional methods of storytelling, but I think it works well in this case, especially as there are images to set the scene. The pacing is also helped out by this style of writing, and despite the slow-burn storytelling, the chapters fly by very quickly.
    I found no issues with grammar.
    I have to say that I only really connected with two characters, that being Thomas and Dante. However, their interactions and personalities are quite interesting and endearing. There's a natural banter between the two of them that works well for the time period that they live in. My only issue is that some of the dialogue is a little blunt about certain topics rather than providing the reader with subtle hints.
    Overall, this is quite an interesting story and the delivery keeps it fresh and unique. I would recommend this to anyone who is tired of more over-the-top fantasy and wants to dive into something that is written more practically.
  • M.G DriverRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    It is exactly as the blurb suggested - a Victorian esque novel with dialogue, setting and character expressions perfectly matching the era.
    The dialogue is fast, clean and the main way the story is told. The emotions of each and every character stands out to me, stringing together to form a well-told story of a desparate young man (teenager) trying to fight against the seemingly overpowering system of class hierachy.
    Style:
    There isn't a lot of action scenes, but I can say with certainty that the writer knows his style and sticks with it. Some of the earlier chapters had POV swap issues, but it was quickly cleaned up and fixed in a few short chapters, so nothing bad in my opinion.
    Expressions, verbiage and prose are all up to the standard you expect when you read a novel set in the victorian era. Eloquent is the overall word I would use to describe the style, well done.
    Story:
    There is a fair amount of mystery in the story, so to say I know the entire picture would be a lie. That being said, I'm quite hooked and interested to see what exactly would come to be of the MC's deal with the Devil. The story seems to become a lot more upbeat after he makes his deal, which is to be expected, but you're always reminded by this nagging feeling that the Devil or someone else may just come in and swoop everything away.
    In short, the story is grimdark at first, oscillating to happy-ever-after but with a dread lurking in the background. Great stuff.
    Grammar:
    5/5.
    Character:
    The MC is fairly stable. His actions are logicial and well within the boundaries of what his character was supposed to be. All the characters were written well, very clear and distinct voices even for some of the side characters.
    You may find that the way the characters acts changes slightly on a whole after the deal was made with the Devil, which is also to be expected. Everything is supposed to go well for the MC now, no? This swap is a very good twist in my opinion. Some might find it as "hey when did this
  • kanundraRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 4.5
    Opening
    It seems I missed the visual openings when I was reading this earlier, but I do enjoy this, its sets the tone and style without us diving straight into the work.
    Story
    I like that the author lets us know with so many visuals how they see this. It really sets the era and the style and sets it apart from a lot of things I’ve looked at, read or passed on by as it didn’t get my attention. What it does in general is evoke a sense of fear… of that spooky in the night scary stuff.
    Style
    It is very much a slow in some places and then as fast as possible in others, it might just be that some of the chapters are that short we’re pushed to the next, and don’t really get a sense of something to dig into. Then there’s something that stops us a little. Making us read and think about the actual words the author has used rather than the pictures.
    I did point out that it is dialogue heavy and that does still stand even if I read a bit further.
    Grammar
    I do think there’s a few mistakes here and there, but nothing that wouldn’t be caught at a later point, just the odd missing word or maybe a tag that was needed that wasn’t used. It is very obvious there’s some research done in how they’d talk and talk to each other this adds to the authenticity of the time of the story to me. Especially around his work and home life. Great job.
    Characters
    I loved the atmosphere they all created, the way life unfolds around him and how aware the MC is about change, and his possible future, or of those around him. I do think that maybe he’d have a little more of a verbal tick with growing up where he has, but I’m glad that at least later on that he’s healing up and can hopefully move forward with this after Thomas… I admit the thought of the dogs… ugh. Harsh scenes here and there. Some people are really scared of dogs.
    Closing
    A very interesting developing story set in an era I wouldn’t usually read. But it’s interesting and visual enough for me to keep coming back to. I look forward to more and
  • JusttryingtofindawayRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 4.5
    This story has some great potential to it. The buildup, core story compnents, and characters are all compelling sources of narrative delight. That said it reads almost more like a screenplay than a book, which in this case is slightly to its detriment. That said I saw very few gramatical errors which is good news for the authors continued storytelling.
    Style: As I said before it sort of reads like a screenplay. When there is something being explained it is told to the reader not shown. Which is something I'd like to see more of.  The chapter titles are well made and intriguing without giving too much away. I do wish the author would add more detail to scene descriptions and show instead of telling the reader.
    Story: Unfortunately the story itself is almost dragged down by the style that it's written in. Thats not to say that it's bad. I quite enjoy the story in all its aspects. The setting is particularly interesting as most stories on RR tend towards Mythical Fantasy. The grounded nature of this story really helps solidify the narrative.
    Grammar: Not many issues here. Nothing broke up my immersion.
    Character: Thomas and Dante. With those names its almost easy to guess what kind of story this is. I wonder if his name will ever be mentioned alongside Dante's Inferno as an insult. I hope to see more of them as the story continues...yet I must wonder what conequences Dante himself will face for his actions...
  • A. StargazerRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 4.5
    I would recommend this story to teen and young adult readers who like their fiction angsty.  The author describes the story as gothic, and it is that.  The author's style is very verbose, and with the intermixed illustration it is easy to imagine the events described.  However the story is somewhat heavy on dialogue and slightly slow to build, and the author seems to be flexing their vocabulary somewhat too deliberately.
    Grammatically I saw very few issues.
    The story is the classic "Deal with the Devil."  The MC is offered the chance to improve his mortal life and that of his friends and family in exchange for his immortal soul.  He accepts, and immediately his life begins to improve, to the point where the signs of supernatural intervention are obvious.  As a classic, this sort of story isn't so much cliche as one that can be told a million different ways and change with each telling.  The reason I am deducting a point from the story has nothing to do with the originality of the story, and more to do with the author's inaccuracies with the setting.  It's quite obvious that the author chose the setting for stylistic reasons and not due to a knowledge or understanding of the actual history of England in the 19th century.  But ultimately, it's fiction, so some artistic license is allowed.
    The characters are a mixed bag.  The MC is broody and melancholic, and that's great if you like broody and melancholic characters.  He possesses a vocabulary that is quite unrealistic for an uneducated child laborer, but putting that aside he's a very typical gothic protagonist.  The side cast is varied and somewhat diverse.
    In summary, the story is great if you like angst.  Not so great if you like historical accuracy.  Good if you like retellings of classical dilemmas.
  • Writer's ScienceRoyal Road
    ★★★★ 4.0
    The story is extremely dialogue heavy and there is a lack of description in the writing itself. The authour may have tried to mitigate this by conforming to an old verbose upper class style of speech, writing and AI images. However, this review concentrates purely on the writing.
    Style wise, because of the dialogue heavy writing throughout the pacing is too fast and I think it could have benefited from more description to really get a feel for how the character is perceiving their world to immerse us in the story. Since this book is set victorian London there isn't as much description required as with a high fantasy and it would give the reader room to process and feel what's going on in the story.
    Moreover, most Gothic stories are written in past tense omnipotent or 1st person, but these stories were usually written about upper-class people and the language they used was very different to the lower classes which is where the MC is from. In first person present you are mentally closest to the MC. I feel that the verbose language in description and dialogue for the MC is both too old and too upper class which I personally found a bit jarring. While the language used is in keeping with a gothic style I feel it may be best to switch tenses and change up the dialogue to reflect the characters background. It's not probable for the MC to be so well read or have enough contact with the upper class in his situation to speak at such a high level.
    The other option is to have a scene which sets things up so that it's clear the MC is looking back to at this period in their his life. That would also lend an air of mystery to the story as the reader asks themselves: how did he get so far in life that he's clearly changed social classes? but that would still require a majour shift in the dialogue for the 'younger' MC.
    Grammar score: I'm not particularly harsh on grammer and I haven't seen anything of note either.
    Character score: The writing style let this down a bit, it's all wri