Garden of Silk

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

The power Slate Graystone needs to remain the ducal heir is just out of reach, and he’ll do anything to get it. Even become a demon. Battling new instincts, ravenous hunger, and struggling to find her place in a world that's much darker than expected, Slate—now Silk—will fight to claim the life she rightfully deserves. A life for her and the mundane folk she was sworn to protect. But when Silk learns that the corruption left in the fallen Empire’s wake runs far deeper than her own, she’ll need to choose: stand by noblesse oblige, or tear the whole system down—and the Sects with it. Also posted on Scribble Hub.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: MadMaxine

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 1,926
Views: 154,225

What readers say about Garden of Silk

“The concept is fascinating. The "demonic path" here isn’t just a trope it’s almost alive, a force that consumes rather than simply grants. Choosing it isn’t a decision so much as signing onto an inevitable hunger. I love stories where strength comes with a…”
uwugirl34Royal Road5.0 / 5
“Really cool premise. I love how the "demonic path" shown in this world is completely different to the classic demonic path seen in traditional cultivation stories. Once chosen it becomes less a choice and more a hunger in the literal sense. I love when powe…”
DarkgnomeoxRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

uwugirl34Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The concept is fascinating. The "demonic path" here isn’t just a trope it’s almost alive, a force that consumes rather than simply grants. Choosing it isn’t a decision so much as signing onto an inevitable hunger. I love stories where strength comes with a tangible price, and it looks like the main character is about to face that cost in ways that go beyond the physical.
DarkgnomeoxRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Really cool premise. I love how the "demonic path" shown in this world is completely different to the classic demonic path seen in traditional cultivation stories. Once chosen it becomes less a choice and more a hunger in the literal sense. I love when power comes at a cost, and it seems our mc will pay it in a number of different ways.
Would Recommend!
DemiRapscallionRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I genuinely find it quite excellent. I’ve enjoyed how the cultivation system has been handled, how the prose describes it. This feels like an author that knows how to plant the seeds of things well in advance.
What themes I’ve noticed have been handled with deft grace. I’m looking forwards to more.
Garnet0fFlameRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
In a world where inborn talent matters than any effort a desperate ducal heir risks everything to gain the talent he lacks. It goes about as well as you would expect. Being a demon that feeds on life force is hard after all.
Style: Really easy to read, even for someone who struggles with more traditional xianxia/cultivation stories. The story flows smoothly from one word to the next, and the imagery paints a vivid picture of the world without breaking up the narrative. I also enjoy the nature symbolism for the power system. I picked the story up and found myself unable to put it back down.
Story: It’s a bit early to say for sure, but it has a lot of potential and I really hope the author can pull it off. Set in a early industrial era, the main external conflict comes from the shocking idea that a bunch of elites who rule through the power of their divinely granted magical bloodlines generally aren’t going to appreciate the lessers getting uppity. It’s a natural conflict that pairs well with the more character driven side of the story.
Grammar: It’s good. There’s not much to say about grammar unless it’s done poorly and it is not done poorly in this story.
Characters: Our main character Slate—who is definitely not a girl, that’s just the evil demonic corruption—is pretty easy to emphasize with and root for. A relatively sheltered idealist with some serious insecurities, Silk is arrogant, abrasive, and in desperate need of a hug and a reality check. Her thoughts and emotions hurt in a way that is painfully real to a trans experience. Despite her totally healthy coping mechanisms, she is a legitimately good person who is trying her best, and she’s even got a singular “friend” to set her on the right path.
On that note, Azalea—who is a completely normal commoner and definitely not an alien/time-traveller with a thing for miserable spider-girls—is a really good friend willing to call Silk out when she’s being an idiot. She’s the levity that chips away at Silk’s angsty gr
GrilledCheeseRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The main character starts as noble son who seems to be good at the admirative side of ruling, but lacks cultivation ability, and thus risks losing his position if he doesn't gain strength. After becoming a cannibalistic spider girl in search of this power she has to cope with how she is going to reintegrate with society and pretend to be her old self, and with the fact that maybe she likes being a spider girl. I personally am much more interested in seeing her evolving thoughts on feeling about being a spider girl, but the pretending to be her old self is cool as well and almost certainly play into that. I also enjoy how her cultivation in portrayed in this story. Overall, it's good, and you should read it.
Some_Random_CultivatorRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
You know the drill; familiar pressures, a talentless but clever young master that has a gifted but brainless younger brother, distant noble parents and an old monster (literally) of an ancestor that's locked away under a mountain as he's unkillable and a blight on the family's name.
So the Protagonist does the sensible thing, "Borrows" the key to the prison and steals off into the night, to suck down on the Old Monster's Demon Juice and get enough power to skate past various trials and ensure the family Dutchy isn't destroyed by the younger brother.
Into this comes Azealia, the MC's input of chaos energy and apparently the only one that could hang with the friendless trash without braining them with a brick. She get them to the secret prison, manages to reassure them and then...
Well, the wheels come off, the MC Transforms and plot kicks in...
It's good, it's fun and there's an underlying sadness that pulls things together. Read it.
And of course, here I am trying NOT to give away more plot because of the review wordcount. Bah. Another eighteen words. Now down to fifteen, no, twelve. Wait, ten now? Finally, this whole word count thing gets old really fast.
fyrlreader12Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I had already read about it as a guest, but now that I have my own account I have to do it
I am thoroughly impressed with how Garden of Silk continues to evolve with each chapter. It successfully avoids the stale power-fantasy tropes so common in webnovels, delivering instead a rich, slow-burn narrative focused on psychological tension, intricate world-building, and high-stakes political intrigue.
What truly sets this apart is how it treats its setting not just as a backdrop, but as a living, breathing entity that dictates the story's pace and stakes. The magic system is deeply unique, tightly integrated into the world's ecosystem, creating a palpable sense of danger that feels fresh and exciting. It’s refreshing to read something that challenges the protagonist rather than just giving her effortless power-ups.
The character development is stellar—the protagonist's journey from raw desperation to calculating adaptation is incredibly satisfying to read. The prose is beautiful, poetic, and immersive, making it easy to lose yourself in the Garden. If you're tired of generic stories and want something with genuine depth, complexity, and brilliant writing, this is an absolute must-read!
kroomfyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Have you ever thought: man. My skin feels too tight. There’s a split jaw and a set of arachnid-limbs just lying, waaaaiting, just under it, and it needs to tear itself out to be free? Well this fic might just be for you!
Style: Great stuff. Descriptive and easy to read. The garden imagery and word choice really scratches that itch that other nature-centric power systems normally don’t land quite as well, and I’m liking the comparison between Demonic and Heavenly in the symbolism.
Story: Not much to say this early on, but I like the direction. Flows well, makes sense, doesn’t feel very forced. There’s traces of a build up, and I’m excited to see more.
Grammar: It’s good.
Character: Silk (Slate) is a character that, while deadpan and overly serious, feels really understandable and someone you can root for, despite the gnawing hunger at the back of her mind. There’s various nods and thoughts that Silk shares that really do feel like a gut punch with how genuine those kinds of feelings are, and it’s nice to see the trope of ‘turning into a girl’ not played for simple laughs.
Can’t wait to see more of this!
DagobazRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
So far it seems promising. A cultivation story where the protagonist is questioning the social order, where nobility isn't aspirational and where queer people exist.
The main character begins as your standard xianxia protagonist, the waste son of a duke, but their story quickly deviates as they're forced to confront the corruption the bubbles beneath the surface of their assumptions and upbringing.
I'm enjoying it, and hopefully it goes far.
tyrOSiumRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
As of writing this review, a new chapter hasn't been posted in a little bit. No shame to the author, there's apparently life stuff going on. Anyways, take what I say with a grain of salt.
This story is just... aaaauuughhhh. Forgive my Neanderthal, but... Spider dumb. Love spider for dumb. Spider not recognize love because father no love her and mother not there. Spider do VERY dumb things, but we love silk anyways :3
Only complaint is that, sometimes, and I have to stress that this is uncommon, there's MINOR errors in grammar. Otherwise, go read it! Now! Or else you'll have to unlock your double jump again, or pay for access to your yuri, or something!