Magistaire Chronicles: Shadows of the Past

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Adventurers kill, loot, and most importantly, venture beyond the wintry village Ayko’s been confined to since birth.

Refusing to give up hope that he and his twin brother, Elies, may one day leave and never return, his dreams near reality when an aging adventurer named Yarrow gives him a way out.

Unbeknownst to Ayko, however, this out is not what it seems and neither is Yarrow, who hides a mysterious and, possibly, dark past.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: Xeinzo

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.9/ 5.0
Followers: 9
Views: 4,512

What readers say about Magistaire Chronicles: Shadows of the Past

“It took me a little bit to understand what was going on, but once you get into the story, Elies' attitude and comments are just great! "Who needs the gift of the gods!" The dynamic between the two twins is very realistic, and although I'm not a twin, I can…”
RicardoSalarichRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“The dynamics between the twins Ayko and Elies in this book are fantastic. The dialog absolutely nails brotherhood, with all the love, fighting, rivalry, and fun that it entails. The fantasy world is well thought out, the characters interesting, and the plot…”
christian.bradleyRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(7)

RicardoSalarichRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It took me a little bit to understand what was going on, but once you get into the story, Elies' attitude and comments are just great! "Who needs the gift of the gods!"
The dynamic between the two twins is very realistic, and although I'm not a twin, I can relate to the fights with my brother when I was young!
I'll be reading on to find out more about their adventures!
christian.bradleyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The dynamics between the twins Ayko and Elies in this book are fantastic. The dialog absolutely nails brotherhood, with all the love, fighting, rivalry, and fun that it entails. The fantasy world is well thought out, the characters interesting, and the plot engaging. The magic system provides just the right amount of extraordinary flair.
Lucian T. EinarRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
**Overall:**
Magistaire Chronicles delivers a captivating fantasy narrative, where the dynamics between twins Ayko and Elies unfold in a world filled with mystery and magic. The story's unique approach to conflict and character relationships sets it apart, promising a journey into the unknown.
**Style:**
Zanirius exhibits a great storytelling talent, effortlessly blending scenes and providing subtle yet effective exposition. The author's ability to create a genuine narrative, free from overdramatic anime clichés, is commendable. However, a bit more physical description could enhance the overall style.
**Story:**
The plot presents a refreshing departure from the typical fantasy setup. Instead of external threats, the conflict arises from within, creating a rich and layered narrative. The alternating character points of view, particularly the contrasting perspectives of the twins, add depth to the unfolding tale. The magic system complements the journey without overshadowing character development and plot progression.
**Grammar:**
The writing is polished, and free from obvious grammar mistakes, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable reading experience. I'm not particularly good at spotting grammar errors, but so far, I didn't find anything wrong
**Character:**
The characters, especially Ayko and Elies, are well thought out, bringing the complex nuances of brotherhood to life. The interaction between the twins feels authentic, capturing the essence of love, rivalry, and camaraderie. While the main characters shine, a bit more detail in the descriptions of secondary characters could enhance the overall character depth.
In summary, Magistaire Chronicles: Shadows of the Past is a promising start to an adventurous fantasy series. With well-crafted characters, a unique plot approach, and a touch of magic.
ChaperoneRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The world setting and adventurer fantasy story are 100% my vibe. However I quickly realised the author has either been influenced by a manga/Asian style or specifically chose this. I'll admit this instantly put me off the Magistaire Chronicles as I assumed the book would read like an overdramatic and unrealistic anime. I WAS WRONG! The author shows such genuine storytelling talent that he pulled me back in with natural flowing scenes and subtle but effective exposition. The magic system only aids the journey but doesn't take command as the foundation of the webnovel, which instead will be, like all great books, the character development and plot. Looking forward to seeing where this all goes.
StrahdsillystrawRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I'd like to make one thing clear before I continue with my review, and it is that I am inherently biased towards themes like the ones this book seems to be taking inspiration from. That said, I had a very good time and have found myself with the genuine desire to see more from this author.
The Magistaire Chronicles has a nice flow to it, and a depth surprising for only having five chapters up and available. The world is constantly revealed in little hints every time someone speaks, but it never feels like I'm being bombarded with exposition.
The tropes aren't heavily overdone, though they are present in a decent amount of character interactions. Not that the characters are bad, though; I'm actually rather fond of them despite their faults.
The grammar is, to my untrained eyes, generally fine. There are a few issues with prose in parts, but the editing itself is more than decent. Definitely nothing immersion breaking.
All in all though, Magistaire Chronicles is a quality piece of work despite the scant few chapters it has at the moment. If you've a taste for sibling rivalry, subtle magic, and endearing yet foolish protagonists, this book is for you!
WintydunnoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Magistaire Chronicles presents what seems to be a fairly standard fantasy setting: a small town boy with dreams of being something more, and an aging and unhappy mentor character. The basics stop there. Rather than peril befalling the village and throwing the characters out on their path towards greater things, the conflict comes firstly from within: The would-be mentor is dead set on preventing the supposed hero from venturing down his desired path, going as so far as to enlist the hero's twin brother to help. The hero, on the other hand, finds assistance from outside. What does this mean? Who knows, but both sides seem to be holding important information back.
I do like stories that alternate character points of view, which this story does. The twin's contrasting worldview brings a lot to the table immediately. The biggest stylistic downfall is the overall lack of physical description. Sometimes there are very well inserted details, but these are very sparse and the lack of more of them shows.
There were no obvious grammar mistakes that I noticed.
The two main characters are very well thought out. The other characters are lacking detail, especially in the descriptions. However, this early on it is difficult to include a lot of character building as well as flesh out the setting and the start of the story.
Kia LeepRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Overall: 4.5/5
An interesting set up for a bigger adventure, Magistaire Chronicles introduces our twin MCs who couldn't be more different. The magic system is intriguing and introduced naturally, and the setting (a snowy remote village) is a refreshingly interesting place to start your standard "farm boy to hero" adventure in.
Style: 4.5/5
The prose is mostly easy to read with relatively few bumps. The overuse of smirk, sneer, and "tch!" was the only thing that stood out at me in the first few chapters I read.
Story: 4.5/5
The worldbuilding and magic system are what really shine for me so far in this story, and the setting itself is interesting, as I don't see many books that start in snowy lands. The appearance of characters often feels conveniently times (which happens on multiple occasions) but this is minor and easily overlooked in favor of progressing the story.
Grammar: 4.5/5
Some minor bumps around capitalization and punctuation in/near dialogue, but otherwise cleaner than most of the stuff you'll find on RR!
Character: 4/5
While the characters themselves feel like distinct people with clear desires, their actions and motives sometimes seem to be mismatched, which pulled me out of the story on occasion. For Instance, Akyo gambles in Ch 1, and then tells someone he doesn't gamble in Ch 7. He wants to convince Yarrow, and adventurer, to take him as an apprentice, but then intentionally sabotages the task Yarrow has given him (collecting some berries) by crushing them all and then getting mad at his brother when told not to do so. Another example is that Yarrow has no desire to train the twins and take them adventuring with him, but he does this by... training one of the twins how to use magic. The reason is that Eleis is supposed to use this magic to convince his brother to not go adventuring, but it's never really explained how this is supposed to stop him. There could be some streamlining to write characters and their motives more consistently; otherwise they