Even in Chains

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

[ON HIATUS TO DO A BIG EDIT.]Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom before healing can begin.Kendall is a young teen who struggles to cope with her past of sexual abuse by beating down Robbie, her classmate, in any way she can. As the years go on, her bullying grows more vicious, and it begins to emotionally break down Robbie with no signs of her stopping.In a desperate attempt to get Kendall to stop, one of her teachers steps in to talk to her about waking up her anima, the mental manifestation of a person's inner self. However, anima hold far more super natural powers than Kendall would ever expect, and can possibly push both Kendall and Robbie to their breaking points as they try to help.Even in Chains is a story about the recovery and management of various forms of trauma. This means it will dive into content that some may find uncomfortable.From relentless bullying, alcoholism, loss of loved ones, sexual abuse, self-harm and suicide.With that said, this story is not a tragedy.Updates everyFriday and Tuesday at 6 PM CST

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2021
Author: Vivian M.K.

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.4/ 5.0
Followers: 22
Views: 6,025

Chapters(7 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(9)

BullerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A bit too real for me, actually. Like, dude, I like fantasy guys beating up fantasy creatures and getting fantasy money out of it. This? Way too out of my comfort zone when reading anything.
And maybe that's the point. Really emotions out, huh? Good stuff, if I must say. Do recommend it to anybody who wants to be utterly unsettled.
EggTeddyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Good story worth plenty of emotion in it. Does have upsetting moments yet there will always be a warning for it. Characters are unlike most everything else on royal road in that they have depth to them. Few actions are without consequence or cause. Chapters are of good size, formatting all fine and no issue with grammar. In general a read I recommend that I’ve recently binged up until the latest chapter. 👍
*****
bulgariansumoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A very complicated look into teenagers and trauma. The characters are fascinating to read into. I've seen it touched upon in other stories focusing on mental health that people who are hurting can end up hurting other people. However, where this story truly shines is that it shows that even if someone is acting out of pain, there are still consequences for those actions, while also balancing that out with the notion that these people still deserve a chance to heal.
For instance, the things Kendall does to Robbie are beyond cruel. The story recognizes that and doesn't let her off the hook, but it still made me symphathize with her struggles with abuse. The way she was written gave me the hope that she could eventually make a better life for herself, her loved ones, and maybe even the people she hurt. But it's also realistic about these journeys. Healing isn't presented as a cakewalk and forgiveness even less so.
As for the content warnings, you get exactly what's mentioned in the summary, so do heed those. There's extra warnings for chapters that deal with specific things, which I found to be a nice heads up. The author manages to say a lot with a little, so don't worry too much about drawn out, graphic depcitions certain subjects.
Writing in first person can be hit or miss, but I feel this case was definitely a hit. Emotions shine through without being too overbearing. Outside of first-person narration, the dialogue felt natural for both the teens and adult characters. Grammar/Formatting-wise, I could count the mistakes I noticed on my hands, and none were really big enough the hinder my enjoyment of the story.
Overall, I enjoyed this story and will be keeping up with it in the future.
world_wandererRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I will start with the grammar. It's good. Everything is clear. I found no spelling mistakes. Author made a good job.
Style - it's good. I liked how author used those formats to show character's thoughts and dialogues with anima selves. It's a 1st narrative with POV. Though I usually don't like them, author succeeded with his style. It wasn't boring for me to read about the same events from different perspectives.
Story -this is where this novel shines, but also struggle. It's a dark story about a person who tries to deal with her mental problems. Author made a tremendous job in showing how and why MC acted in certain way. He is too good in it that it can become a problem. This novel is not for everyone. It can be hard to read for some people, that's why I put 4 for story because it needs a specific audience.
Characters - in short they are good. Author made a god job and showed Kendal, Robbie and other characters in a good way. All of them feel lime real people and readers can easily sympathize with them. Because even when Mc acts like a true monster, we can still understand why she acted that way and who was responsible.
Overall, Even in chains is a good and unique novel. I have never read a story like this especially on the webnovel platform. That's why if u have time, just give it a try.
Father GrimRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
A great title, gorgeous cover and the kind of story that you don't often see here on RoyalRoad. I've heard some good things about this story so I was curious if the praise was deserved. Reading through the first 10 chapters, I can say it was. Let's break it down:
The Good
Kendall. Our protagonist. She's the biggest strength of this story by far. She isn't all that likeable - a vicious bully, a liar and a coward. Also a victim of abuse that struggles with what happened to her, choosing an unhealthy way of coping with her trauma. She's real, that's all I can say. Victims tend to continue abuse because the way they've been treated is the only way they know. The author does not shy away from showing Kendalls negative sides and that people like that don't just become damsels waiting to be rescued.
The story isn't all that fast paced. That's alright, a slow burn fits this story well. No matter its pace though, it doesn't lose time introducing the central conflict and forces Kendall (and later on Robbie) to act in ways they'd rather avoid. I'm very big on conflict and this story has enough of it to keep it interesting, especially since I can't predict the way this story will go. Great stuff here.
The story does its due diligence in highlighting both sides of the coin. Basically, Kendall isn't just a vicious bully, she has her redeeming qualities too. Robbie has his darker sides as well and struggles with a ton of suppressed anger. You can see that fear is a driving force for both her and Robbie, but the story doesn't allow them to just wallow in it. This is crucial, because in most stories bullying is handled as a cheap source of conflict with a good side and a bad one. Portraying it as a perpetual cycle of abuse where both sides are victims feels more honest to me.
The Bad
White room syndrome. It's when the surroundings have so little description that it might as well be an empty, white walled room. Suffice to say this story struggles a bit with it. We get school, home, a
OznyanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Even in Chains is about overcoming traumas. The book is complicated, dark and great! What I mean by complicated is not a convoluted and overarching plot. No, this book is complicated because it tackles many real-world problems that many of us struggle against. I think it is worth it for most people to read this book simply because of how well these topics are portrayed.
The book mentions in its blurb that despite having these heavy topics, it is not a tragedy. I agree with it. Things are dark...but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Recovery is possible. I believe that’s a great message to send to people that are struggling with trauma, bullying, sexual abuse, self-harm, etc.
Overall I really enjoyed reading this fiction and it really reached out to me.
Grammar: 5*
Very good. Nothing to complain here as it is well above the average Royal Road story’s grammar. I don’t see any obvious errors or any error that breaks my immersion. I rarely see some minor mistakes like a comma missed or wrong tense (like once a chapter).
Style: 4*
So this is a very subjective thing (writing style). Even in Chains employs a first-person style that does its job very well. I think this is a great fit for it. I generally like some descriptions of people and some details sprinkled in about the setting/place/time. Some scenes in this story lack it so they end up being not nearly as impactful to me. The character only describes what they want to, and if they consider someone’s appearance as something they don’t notice, they won’t mention it.
This means that there are a lot of places and scenarios where vivid descriptions are lacking, but on the other hand, it also means we get unfiltered access to the raw emotions that the characters are feeling. As a result, this is a story that I feel. As in, it’s heart-wrenching, it has lots of strong emotions and it does a great job reaching my heart. I genuinely feel bad for some of its characters when the bullying happens or there are instances of
azel-againRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
This Story tackles a very sensitive issue, one that affects me thus I have some conflicted feelings about and my review will definitely be biased as it will be heavily affected by my personal experience.
first of all, i need to say that the author has done a great job writing the story, i especially like the style of their writing and the content warning given(if needed) at the start of each chapter. it helped me went through it much easier and for that thank you.
now as to why i put a lower score for the story and especially the character. It has to do with me having been a victim of bullying myself in the past, and all those who bullied me, even though they range in severity, has a common trait. They were all having trouble at home/family, though nowhere near something as serious as what Kendall here has gone through, its mostly around divorced parent or one of their parents died while they were young.
to me the problem with the story is the fact it's first of all following the trope of the abuser is also a victim, and i had a hard time trying to stomach through that, even now i really find it hard to forgive Kendall, but in the end Kendall is a nicely written character. the weak link in this story is all the other character surrounding Kendall
Starting with the teacher, Mr roland, he reminds me of all my teacher that asked me to forgive my bully using their troubled home life as an excuse. as of now, its hard to see him as anything other than plot device.
next is robbie's friend(+girlfriend). maybe it's because robbie didn't tell that he was going to the ward due to a suicide attempt of all thing or maybe it's because they're young and they didn't think or imagine how horrible the bullying Kendall did (i certainly never got followed home) suspicious when even after they saw what Kendall did to Malissa, they didnt even spare a thought about what she did to Robbie or that she lied about never going so hard on robbie (which is a lie considering she made him eat a fr
fknmzRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Kendall gives life to an anima, but it seems it's more of a tulpa.
Even in Chains grapples with trauma, culpability, personhood, and exactly how to handle some of the issues that arise from that. From the first-person perspective, it weaves a profoundly broken individual, shattered through deep trauma, much of which is shown in splinters, like shards of glass.
The story, thus far, has a quite earthy approach to its writing. It uses a close, tight style of a pretty mouthy, curse-laden Kendall, whose voice is very standard for a teenager suffering from past abuse. It cordons off these sections of downtime to emphasize her now-loving home. However, that loving home is (at the time of the fifth chapter) teetering on real precarity. Healing, in this sense, is not only a healing of the mind but also a healing of more material circumstances.
The bullying is relentless, persistent, unpredictable, and rawly accurate. Her treatment of Robbie is not - and never thankfully - enters any libidinal stage, no "unrequited feelings" or any of that. Instead, she metes out misery because it gives her a sense of control. Through this, Kendall exercises a willingness to shape her own subjectivity relative to someone she deems weaker than her.
There's also an interesting thematic connection with the woodworking aspect of this story. It's hands-on, physical, shaping and making something in a way that requires tight precision, carefulness, and intuition. In this sense, Kendall's work reflects her emotional state, a self-healing practice through creation.
Where does that put the anima? Esmer is interesting, but I'm not sure where to place it. It has a voice of its own, clear and rational, but it speaks with the sort of sage advice of someone who knows more about the situation than Kendall. The anima has only been around for a brief while, but it feels less like a being manifest out of the murk of Kendall's subconscious problems and more like an angel (or devil) on her shoulder, offering free
InpartiorKNORoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
I spent, like, an afternoon and then some reading this, and all I have to say is wow. This story was a total blood pumper, and while reading all of it at once has gotten me stressed as hell, I still feel like it was worth it.
STYLE: 4
The story uses different styles depending on who's talking and the emotional state of our protagonist, and I feel like this was done effectively. I don't think the story would have evoked such a strong emotional response from me if the style wasn't so great at inserting me into the mind of our protagonist, so kudos to that.
STORY: 3.5
The story's good when digging into the minds of our characters because the writing style is great at conveying emotions and mental states, but I feel like it lags a bit when it comes to the worldbuilding. The whole anima concept is pretty cool and a good way to creatively convey what our protagonist is thinking, but it felt a bit ham-fisted when it was introduced, and I feel like the story would have been better off if Kendall just had visual hallucinations or something.
GRAMMAR: 5
No complaints.
CHARACTERS: 4
The main characters and the parallels in their arcs are great, though where I started out really hating Kendall for being a total bully and feeling bad for Robbie because of what she did to him, the script's been flipped a bit after reading more about Kendall, her history, and her psychology and Robbie going too far. Their arcs feel kind of cyclical, really, and it's interesting. At chapter 55,
Robbie's kind of at the point where Kendall was at the beginning.
I'm really looking forward to how the characters develop going forward as a result of this event.
I do feel like some of the side characters were a bit bland, though, but that's really just a consequence of them not being focused on and that's about it as far as complaints go.
Afterword: So, if you want to read something that'll make you feel a lot of intense emotions and has a lot of realistic, flawed characters, then this story is just for yo