Maidens of the Fall

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Octavia blames magical girls for the collateral damage that killed her parents and left her disabled. She resents their power as figureheads of the state, beyond reproach, beyond revenge. She hates their necessity; magical girls, young women chosen by the Dream-Gods of Earth, are the only ones who can turn back the Nightmares that creep through the open wound in reality, cut through England’s heart. In the decades since the wall between the waking world and the Dreamlands came crashing down, no amount of fire-power can match divine favour. Octavia’s greatest wish is to go unnoticed, to avoid the government censors and the emotional hygiene officers, England’s front line in the war on dreams. She must swallow her rage and her desire. She must ignore a hopeless love for her best friend, though going to university is about to part them forever. But then a magical girl attacks another one in broad daylight, in a terrorist bombing. Octavia finds herself arrested, both witness and suspect. The only way out is a contract with a Dream-God, but this divine trickster isn’t from Earth. Fugitive, public enemy, her life in ruins, Octavia discovers there’s a whole other type of magical girl out there, and now she’s one of them. Freedom and revenge no longer seem impossible. If only her new ‘sisters’ weren’t just as broken as she. But the world can’t go on like this for much longer; things worse than Nightmares are seeping through the ragged edges of reality — Dreamers from the deep, echoes of strange Gods, and magical girls nobody recognises. Octavia knows she’s a pawn in a cosmic game. Can she cross the board and become a queen, before the waking world comes apart at the seams? Maidens of the Fall is a web serial about magical girls and cosmic horror, sapphic yearning and violent resistance, apocalypse and apotheosis. It will launch on November 15th, 2025. New chapters 3 times a month, on Saturdays! Cover art is by Carter W Jessup: https://www.carterwjessup.art/ This Royal Road upload is a mirror of the Maidens of the Fall website, at: https://hungryshedgerow.net/maidens-of-the-fall/ Chapters will be posted here at the exact same time.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: Hungry

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 1,382
Views: 70,921

Chapters(19 total)

What readers say about Maidens of the Fall

“As of this writing, the story has just released with two chapters publicly available. I've been looking forward to this story ever since the author, Hungry, finished her previous work, Katalepsis. Suffice it to say that I feel Hungry has knocked it out of…”
yendlerRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“Easily one of the best authors on this site. Both her other books are fantastic, and this looks like another absolute banger. In my opinion the only reason you might not want to experience this great piece of writing, is if your uncomfortable with some of t…”
Jack GreyRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

yendlerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
As of this writing, the story has just released with two chapters publicly available. I've been looking forward to this story ever since the author, Hungry, finished her previous work, Katalepsis. Suffice it to say that I feel Hungry has knocked it out of the park with this one. It's still early in the story, but the meticulous prose, the characterization, and the details of the world building have me absolutely hooked, and I can't wait to see Octavia's journey unfold.
Jack GreyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Easily one of the best authors on this site. Both her other books are fantastic, and this looks like another absolute banger.
In my opinion the only reason you might not want to experience this great piece of writing, is if your uncomfortable with some of the themes that are included. Which, you know, fair. Do please consider however, at the start of every chapter that might contain material that causes you discomfort/distress, there will always be a content warning to give you a heads up of what to expect.
So, honest advice, give it a go. I'd be genuinely surprised to find you regret it.
ElitshenRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Let us go!!!! We are back with another banger from Hungry :) Girls be feral, girls be magical, girls be fighting everything and everyone. WE ARE IN IT NOW BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.
I am so excited to see where this whimsical ride will take me, hope to see trauma bonding, trauma overcoming, and to generally get hooked on that classical hopium :)
ANd of course, LESBIANSSSS
Julio VillaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
As someone who grew up on darker anime like Berserk, Hellsing, and Basilisk, I’m always on the lookout for stories that aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. Maidens of the Fall delivers that and more. Hungry’s take on magical girls is nothing like the sparkly, upbeat stuff. This is a raw, psychological, and almost horror-infused look at what happens when the world expects you to be perfect, even as it chews you up.
The writing is top-tier. It is intense, immersive, and sometimes uncomfortably real. Octavia isn’t your typical protagonist; she’s scarred inside and out, and her voice hits hard. The worldbuilding is on point, with Dream-Gods, magical bureaucracy, and a gritty, alternate England that feels just as lived-in and dangerous as the settings in my favorite anime. The Dreamlands, Dream Control, and the Trio of Albion all have that sense of deep lore and real consequences you get from classics like Basilisk or Ninja Scroll.
What I really appreciate is how the story doesn’t pull punches. The emotional stakes are high, and the violence feels meaningful, not just shock value, but a reflection of trauma, survival, and the price of power. The magical girls here are more like tragic antiheroes than saviors, which is a refreshing change. The action scenes are vivid, but it’s the psychological tension and character depth that kept me turning pages.
If you like your stories dark, complex, and a little bit philosophical, you’ll find a lot to love here. It’s not for the faint of heart, and it’s definitely not light reading, but if you’re an anime fan who enjoys series with real grit and moral ambiguity, Maidens of the Fall is absolutely worth your time.
Maidens of the Fall: Disarticulation is what happens when you blend the darkness and depth of classic seinen anime with urban fantasy and real-world consequences. Hungry nails the atmosphere and emotional weight. This is highly recommended for fans who want more than just another magical girl story.
—Julio Villa
NicetryRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is really good. I love the setting eben if weve not seen that much.
Ive read hungrys other novels and theyre all peak. So this will probably be real good aswell.
So far it is real good. I also appreciate that its coming out on saturdays where noone else uploads.
NiktukuRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
9.5/10
The best (and only) grimdark magical girl story set in England!
Feast your eyes on amazing actions and witty worldbuilding as the great British Isles are invaded by a feverish wave of Magical Girls, brutal totalitarian surveillance state only Orwell and Alan Moore can dreams up, and the power of belief! It turned the proud nation into the hellscape those darn American yankees always grumble about! God save the queen, yeehaw!
Style: Make no mistake, this story isn’t like the others by Hungry with a long winding narration and world-building heavy intro, but a very refined and streamlined urban fantasy. However, it is still her great prose, character description, great detailed worldbuilding with a hint of snarky capitalism, and set in the mythical land of Britain.
Story: The premise is a gritty take on Magical Girls, a very popular trope now resurging after a certain anime aired, but done in such an interesting and action-heavy way that shows her growth as an author. I am floored by how good it is so far!
The setting feels similar to Worm from the gritty realistic fight to the corruption and anti-authoritarian focus set in a corrupt and dying modern setting, to the fact the ugly duckling black-haired protag with some queer inclinations are bullied mercilessly by a popular trio in the first few chapters, and which can be said to ‘trigger’ their journey into semi-villainy. (Hungry admitted she haven't read Worm, which is still shocking to me)
There is a looming conflict caused by great entities whom crash landed here on Earth and corrupting certain pieces of lands, whom the government is taking great care to fight … and cover up certain other unsavory aspects. There are also heroes who uses their status to abuse others to comply and talks of collateral damage, which is a personal conflict with the protagonist. Speaking of the she-devil.
Character: Octavian is perfectly set up and executed, with clear motivation and purpose, but also flawed and prone to reasonable
SofrioniRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A well thought out magical girl story, We're following Octavia as she figures her way in this messed up world filled with horrors and injustice.
Even disregarding everything that happens in the story, the way that it's written itself, is just a pure bliss to read.
Each chapter is filled to the brim, so long and well written. Every character feels real and I can't help being attached already.
A highly recommend read.
darkscribeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I went into Maidens of the Fall expecting a clever twist on the magical girl formula. What I got was something far more visceral: a story that’s equal parts urban fantasy, psychological horror, and raw character drama. Hungry doesn’t just subvert the genre, he takes it apart, nerve by nerve, and lays the anatomy of trauma and survival bare.
The prose is sharp and immersive, with that rare combination of literary ambition and gut-punch honesty. Octavia’s voice is unforgettable: wounded, bitter, and real in a way most protagonists never dare to be. The worldbuilding is dense but never overwhelming. England’s Dreamland overlaps and magical bureaucracy feel both mythic and brutally mundane. There’s a sense of lived-in history and consequence that grounds even the wildest supernatural moments.
What really stands out is the emotional intensity. These chapters aren’t afraid to get ugly, to show the cost of being “chosen,” or the ways society weaponizes perfection and discards the broken. The confrontation with Scarlet Edge is a highlight: equal parts awe, rage, and tragedy, with a fight scene that’s more about identity than spectacle. Hungry’s magical girls aren’t wish-fulfillment; they’re icons, monsters, and victims all at once.
The pacing is deliberate, sometimes almost claustrophobic, but it pays off in tension and atmosphere. Every chapter ends with a punch to the gut or a twist of the knife. The supporting cast: Willow, Nerys, and the Trio, are sketched with enough depth to feel real, and the dialogue crackles with subtext.
If there’s a flaw, it’s that the relentless introspection can make for heavy reading. But if you’re here for surface-level action or easy answers, you’re in the wrong place. This is a story that demands you feel every wound.
Maidens of the Fall: Disarticulation is a brutal, beautiful deconstruction of what it means to survive in a world that only wants heroes and corpses. Highly recommended for anyone who wants their magical girls with blood under
nytrheaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
And it turns out this combination could never be anything else than perfect!
Do you like magical girls? Yes? No? Then this story is perfect for you!
I tried a few times to get into the genre, and with the sole exception of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, it sadly never held my interest. As such, starting this story I was unsure if I was going to enjoy it... and yet.
It's brilliant. It's creepy. It's dystopian.
Hungry yet again shows just why I fell in love with her previous works so easily. The prose is great without being demanding, while at the same time being wielded like a sword to deliver the intended impact precisely. The world is rich and invites you to come up with your own theories and ideas as to what exactly is going on in there, because sweet Old Gods, there's a lot to unpack.
Octavia's voice starts incredibly strong, and so far (at the time of writing this review, 3 chapters) carries this effortlessly. Octavia herself, too, is a fascinating main character - and while perhaps a touch reactive so far, by the virtue of being thrust into circumstances wholly outside of her control, has really strong drive that shines through when needed.
And, of course, the grammar is spotless.
Therefore goes the review! Herein lies the glowing recommendation for perhaps the strongest work of this season!
Don't miss out on it.
toastytoasterstrudelRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Maidens of the Fall is incredible. Its easily my favorite piece of ongoing fiction. The writing is technically polished, the characters feel alive and dynamic, the world-building is phenomenal, and the story so far is engaging and actively progressing.
What really sets this story apart is the tone and atmosphere. Maidens of the Fall is set in a world where the line between reality and dreaming is being eroded away, and you can absolutely feel that in the writing. The narrator is a deeply broken woman, and her perspective mixed with the unreality of the world around her leads to some absolutely incredible scenes. Beautiful prose, kaleidoscopic imagery and gut wrenching emotional beats really make you feel like you’re stuck in a magical girl nightmare.
Oh, and if I haven’t sold you already, they’re all lesbians, they’re all going insane, and they’re all coping by beating the hell out of each other.
If you’re looking for a new story to read, read this one. I promise you wont regret it.