Fallen Magic

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Tallulah Roberts isn't supposed to Fall. Her life isn't traumatic, not really.

The stars, or the fates, or whatever forces guide her life don't care about that. Like it or not, she's blessed, or cursed, with magic she can barely control. And soon she'll be dealing with new lessons, new friends and enemies - and a world of power and politics she's not remotely prepared for.

She could be destroyed. Or she could become someone extraordinary.

Winner of the April 2024 Writathon! Updates Sundays and most Wednesdays.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2023
Author: Snowblaze

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 119
Views: 146,957

Reviews

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Community Reviews(8)

DestroyatronMk8Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Sorry about the pun. Couldn't help myself.
SYNOPSIS: Fallen Magic is the story of a magical girl, whose magic manifests through trauma. She is a Malaina, a Fallen. Her type of magic is infamous for madness and destruction. She gets sent to a special school to learn how to control her powers, but that's when the real danger starts.
STYLE: The prose here is top notch. Action, description, and dialogue all flow smoothly, and each character has a distinct voice.
STORY: The story structure wobbles in a few places, jumping characters and showing scenes that don't seem related to the plot at first. That said, the world building is top notch, and the author does an excellent job hinting at larger story threads in the background while our MC deals with the day to day.
CHARACTERS: The characterizations are excellent. Our main MC is likeable, relatable, and deeply repressed about how unhappy she is. The other major characters show depth and interact naturally with the MC and each other. Some of the side characters seem two dimensional, but I believe this is on purpose, as they are seen through the eyes of an angsty teenager.
GRAMMAR: The grammar here is flawless. Better than mine, for sure.
OVERALL: I don't usually go in for Magic School stories, but I binged this one in two days and I still drool a little whenever a new chapter drops. It is absolutely worth your time.
LAScottRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Not part of a review swap but I found this through a comment giveaway and I’m so glad I did.
This story looks at trauma as a central theme and does so in a careful and thoughtful way. Questions about sources of trauma and coping mechanisms are focal points and nothing is hand waved away. It gets messy, just like real life and if I had to pick one key message it would be that nobody can muscle their way out of it. Facing the source and learning to heal with trusted friends are things the main character is slowly learning.
Speaking of main characters, Tallulah is wonderful. She’s sharp, well-studied and has goals that she is determined to see to fruition. Through this, she’s facing her own trauma which has manifested in the form of Malaina; a school of magic is considered to be “fallen”. She’s been subjected to bigotry and prejudice, and not to mention not great parenting, but feels confused about it and brings a “why me?” attitude. That’s not to say she’s a shrinking violet, though her personal growth is about advocating for herself and learning how and when to lean on her friends. Other main and supporting characters, like the obscenely wealthy, prestigious and well-connected Blackthorns, add an element that is somehow more fun than stuffy, despite their high social standing.
There are no apparent grammatical issues, and it's clear that the author puts a lot of care into their work. The style is very easy to follow and the author has a great balance of setting the background while also writing a compelling, character-centric story.
Overall, this is an excellent story with great writing. Well worth a follow!
LifeWisherRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Fallen Magic is an underappreciated gem. One of my favorites to review and read so far.
I have bought paper copies of best sellers that have not managed to draw me in as Fallen Magic has.
The beginning of the story draws us instantly into the complicated and confused mind of a younger girl who is struggling with what appears to be an ‘awakening’ of a certain type of dangerous magic. The author masterfully introduces the term ‘Falling’, without outright dumbing information at all, then slowly unravels the relationships and the inner world of the MC throughout the story.
I personally was instantly hooked and wanted to know more after the very first chapter. This is not a story you begin only to put down anytime soon.
From there the world slowly evolves through the girl's eyes until she ‘falls’ and then we have the POV switches and the storylines that build up the foundations of what the rest of the story will be. Which once again are very well done.
The format of an interview, the distinct voices of the two nameless characters participating in it, and overall, the multiple further POVs that are introduced are all written in a compelling manner that makes the reader sink into each person’s story.
The grammar and style are immaculate if I dare say so.
The magic system, from what I have seen, is vast, complicated, and extremely well thought out. It is not your typical run-of-the-mill elemental diagram and promises depth and possibilities for a very fun story ahead.
I can say a lot more, but I don’t want to spoil anyone reading this review. I’ve been having a ton of fun discovering the world through the MC’s eyes and so should you.
I don’t know if RoyalRoad is the place for such a story, but I sincerely hope it will blow up. If not here, then somewhere else. I’d buy it.
EdLincolnRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This book is very different from most of what you see on this site. It reads much more like a "real book", It is technically Progression Fantasy, but is in the style of a YA Fantasy novel. Note I am not someone who uses "YA" as an insult, to me it is a style. The book does a very good job of displaying teenage angst in a way that is compelling and easy to identify with, without over-doing it and making the characters seem narcissistic and unlikeable...it very much gave me flashbacks to High School.
It is set in a modern seeming world that isn't quite our own, where magic is known and a part of the world. There are several branches of magic and several ways one can come by it, but one way is when you have a magical " nervous breakdown". The MC, a studious overwhelmed scholarship student, has such a breakdown even while knowing intellectually her life isn't that bad. As a result, her life changes and she ends up forced into Magic School.
Reviewing after 10 chapters.
CaedemRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
The first few chapters, not a lot about the world is known and so the reader feels like they don't quite know what is going on. However, once the world is explored in depth (over the course of the first 10-15 chapters, in my opinion) it leaves you with a lot of nuanced character personalities that interact well with each other. Even "unimportant" side characters get some personality, and explanation to their actions.
At time of writing, 100 chapters are out and I can't wait to see how the story goes on!
Kameron HaleRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This seems at heart to be a magical school story, although large parts don’t actually take place in a school (so far, at least). Its greatest strength is in its character writing, in my opinion. All of the characters, including but not limited to the main character, are carefully and lovingly crafted. Their voices shine through, and the emotions they experience as they struggle through their various situations come through clearly. Interactions between characters are equally realistic and well written.
The author switches between differing points of view and perspectives often but in a very seamless way. If it works, it works, and it very much does. The ages of the characters give this a young adult vibe, which also works quite well. The writing is engaging and easy to follow. In some places, physical descriptions of the world feel a little light for my personal tastes. Some chapters feel much like blocks of mostly dialogue with little grounding description at all. But even then, it’s interesting dialogue, and it doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.
Grammar is spot on. No complaints.
There are quite a few characters and point of view switches even in the opening chapters. In some stories, this can leave the reader feeling confused and not truly engaged with any of the characters. In this story, the characters are so vividly written and carefully developed that I never felt confused, and I was easily drawn in by all of them. The early chapters are mostly devoted to introducing the cast and getting a feel for their personalities and starting situations, but you also learn a lot about the world in the process. When the bigger plot starts to show up, the pieces you’ve been learning about fall readily into place. The rules of magic are detailed and well thought out, which I always find intriguing.
In general, it’s a promising start to a story. I’ll be following and stealing time to catch up on the story to date.
DooomCookieRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
I'm 28 chapters in and I've concluded the story is not for me, even if it's good in a lot of ways.
My fundamental issue is that Talulah is nice enough, but she has no agency. She's spent the whole story having panic attacks, getting pushed around and relying on other people. I'm left wondering, why are we reading about her and not any of the other characters who are more competent and interesting?
For that matter, Edward is a bit ...sensitive as well, the scenes between him and Talulah are highly strung. The general vibe for all of their scenes (as well as much of Talulah's internal monologue) is very similar to hurt/comfort or angst fanfic. Which I know a lot of people like, but isn't my cup of tea.
I think the fundamental issue is that a magic system that gives you panic attacks is incredibly not fun to read. It's frustrating because the rest of the magic system and the setting is fun. The story is well-written, the characters and the plot-threads are interesting. And then just when you're getting into it, she has another flipping Malaina attack and it makes me want to roll my eyes.
I think the execution is really good and I don't want to tank the rating when there's so much effort put into it. But I personally can't enjoy the premise.
misssaturnRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
Very interesting story. The way that the magic system works is quite innovative in some aspects as well. The MC story is captivating, specially in how she becomes a fallen.
There are many hints of a promising plot development. Not only in character development, but in the world that she lives in.
The score here is not higher because I feel like the MC takes back stage many times for her male friend, which can be quite frustrating if you are not that interest in him:
Specially when she decides that she will be a politician to support him...Like, c'mon.
Overall, quite an interesting story, but I am not liking some aspects of it and hope that it will change. For now, I am giving it a break.