Lady Cherusay's Daughter, Book I: The People

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

As the last of a magical empire implodes under barbarian invasion, the dragon who founded it stirs strange forces to restore the crumbling power of her chosen people. Caught in the vortex is the half-fay foundling Rothesay, swept into a game of magic and intrigue whose rules she struggles to discover. These currents carry her into the grasp of the former elite guard of the now-empty imperial throne, the dread and mysterious Runedaur knights. From them she learns what true power is -- and how to wield it. Now can she save the emerging young king from becoming their puppet?

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: mellyrn

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 5.0/ 5.0
Followers: 10
Views: 11,098

Chapters(65 total)

Reviews

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Community Reviews(1)

MythtressRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Rich world, grounded magic, layered reality, deeply whimsical.
This is a great story -- one of my all-time favorites.
From the structure of the earth to the movements of the heavens, the patterns of history and culture and the psychology of peoples and individuals, this is a rich and varied world, researched and consistent, mysterious and enchanting. Magic is a hereditary potential, and like much learning in this time of collapse and chaos, much knowledge and skill has been lost. Much like the ability to learn, itself -- there is training available. This is the power the half-fay girl finds as fate, or dragon magic, or divine whim sweep her from her poorly thatched shelter into a storm of armies and ancient enmity. Are the Runedaur demons? Are the legends true? Are the gods just metaphors? How do you find a king who isn't a king?
This is in the style of high fantasy, rich with description, history and legend. The language is vibrant and subtle, intentional, precise, and poetic. Classical other races do not play a major role in the story, allowing the humans to get up to their human business, but they are present at the edges, allowing glimpses into realms of non-human otherness.
This is a really fun story! Adventures both large and small, some dramatic and heart-clenching, some ridiculous, and some charming. In the greater picture, it is an original with deep roots in creative mythology but not derivative of any particular structure. It could be classified as a growing-up story, especially for primary two protagonists, but "growing up" could also be considered a theme.
The grammar is occasionally unconventional, but never incorrect. There is a fashion for sparse commas and em dashes which the author does not follow, but as more than one creative writing professor has instructed: as long as it reads the way you intend it to be read, legibility is the only criterion. There are no errors in grammar or spelling that I have found.
The characters are always one