Moonrise: When Hope Returns [Villainess Regression Fantasy]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

When Asha wakes up in the past after being killed by her fiancé, she realizes she has a chance to save herself and her family from their gruesome deaths. Her first order of business: getting out of the way so the man she loves can be with the woman he loves. But somewhere along the line, Asha starts discovering problems on a grander scale - schemes in the empire and the world that she hadn't noticed the first time around - which may have been the real reason why Asha and everyone in her House was murdered.

Will she be able to solve the mystery behind her fiancé's betrayal, and her own return to the past? Or will she be doomed to suffer another miserable end?

What world is the story set in?

Moonrise: When HopeReturnsis set in a fantasy world with magic, aura, demons, and gods. There exists monarchies and nobility, as well as various religions from monotheism to polytheism.

Cultures, customs, and faiths are made up, so there will not always be similarities to real world / other fiction worlds.

Writing style:Present tense with inner monologues

Edited on Chapter 33 release: What kind of character is the protagonist Asha?

Asha starts off as a regressed villainess who doesn’t carry everything over, in the truest sense.

What this means: her character evolves as the world around her & her knowledge change.

Are we going to see a lot of action?

There’s a bit more content that suits the Adventure genre label from Chapter 35 onwards, though the initial chapters are more focused on politics / high society games / setting the stage & characters.

Is this story told entirely from one viewpoint?

No, it switches between different characters’ points of view. ‘Perspective’ is one ofMoonrise’s main themes. Expect unreliable narrators everywhere.

Added on 2nd phase chapters’ release: I’m here for the time loop / time travel. Can I just start reading from Chapter 33?

If you prefer, but I write chapters on the assumption that readers already ‘met’ the cast earlier and sort of know who I’m talking about. Plus the earlier chapters hold hints.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: LunaSea

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 3.9/ 5.0
Followers: 192
Views: 80,122

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

Luca DRRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is truly an amazing, touching and heartfelt story written by someone who poured their heart into it and never backed down from doing their absolute best!
And it shows.
There is stuff you could say about this novel. There are criticisms you could conjure up especially when given the average and median values of novels on this website. The present tense, the pacing, the inner monologue and the style certainly do not reflect what other novels are present on RR.
HOWEVER. This is not to say they are bad. Admittedly it took me a while to get used to the use of the present tense. I felt like, when reading the first chapter, it took away from the enjoyment of the story. I was, I learned later, very wrong.
I can't say for sure that it adds, but it certainly does not detract from the value I found in the novel. Which, this is for sure, is not a value to be searched in the use of verbe tenses. It's everywhere else.
It's in the undying passion for the characters and the story. It's in the drive and struggle to tell a heartfelt story, to forge meaningful characters with deep love and hatred for each other, complex emotions and conflicting goals. This is where the novel shines. This is what I did not expect to find but found it nonetheless. This is what made me think that I have found a gem hidden in the rubble, by pure chance.
It took a while to realize it. But when I felt a little tear streak down my cheek I knew it. I knew that I was reading perhaps not the best polished story but a gem that could be turned into a beautiful diamond. I will come back to read this, author, but please never rush your work in pursuit of fame. It will not be worth it. Take your time, be slow and methodical, and keep telling great stories!
GopardRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This is actually my first Review on RR ever, I comment a LOT and enjoy talking to others about the stories I read, but somehow I never actually wrote a revuew! The reason WHY I write this one is simple: I really enjoy the story and I know that reviews can help a story grow and gain awareness of more readers so here I go!
Characters seem actually alive and the line between "subjective knowledge" (opinions/facts "known" by any character based on past/future events/actions) and actual facts is shown very clearly. We as a reader may know things that the different protagonists don't and the sentiment "If only they would just TALK to one another" is definitely one I had many times reading this. However at the same time, I understand WHY they are not just "talking to one another" because based on what they "know" terrible things may or may not happen!
While in the beginning I thought it may be a bit fast paced or that some characters are acting strange, many things were already somewhat "explained naturally" along the way(though there are only 10 chapters out) and I'm definitely looking forward to see the different plot-lines unravel in the future.
The fact that even "Villainous Characters" are developing in the (only) 80 pages we have so far is another great point for me, I have yet to see any character that I would say is blatantly "fictionous" or "obviously fake" in their behaviour!
In general so far this story has managed to have me both invested in the main cast introduced AND the still unclear but defintely visible "bigger plot-lines" that come up in fromtime to time!
As a last thing it should be said that (so far at least) there is NO actual fighting monsters or "magic application" in the "normal life" and the focus is political intrigue and emotional conflicts between characters.
That is a fact I like about stories but some may not so just as a heads-up!
I would defintely recommend reading this if you enjoy seeing characters devolop as a person and in relation to t
TealiciousTeaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Fast paced, easy to read and written with compelling characters. If you are fan of villianess regression stories here is another one.
I personally like the emotional struggle the mc has with her conflicting feelings. I hope she doesn't go back into a relationship with her fiance. Instead she moves on, but that is just imo.
I also hope her friends get fleshed out more.
Overall good writing!
rdriftRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Story: We get dropped right into the heart of things—the MC Asha definitively changing the course of future events by making a magic-bounded promise to get her fiance-slash-former-executioner together with the girl he's actually in love with. But actually, while that romance plotline is there, I really feel the heart of this story is actually the familial relationships Asha has with those around her, and the mysteries of the nation. It's a good choice that sets this story apart of similar regression stories.
However, this higher ambition does mean there are some rough edges to be polished, since it requires a much higher worldbuilding bar. While the author clearly has thought things through, the placement / pace of exposition can be smoothed out. I'd also like to see more "everyday" worldbuilding - in some parts, the aesthetic of this world appears more medieval magic fantasy, in others high court intrigue ala regency, in others an edge of Asian fantasies (mainly in the style of address, "teacher" or "this lowly etc"). This appears to be intentional, but I can't be sure. Some descriptive flourishes to the current scenes, some more social scenes etc, will be all it takes to help me understand this society better without taking away from the exciting and brisk pace the author is setting.
Style: My score here is tied to my feedback on the story. It's third-person present tense, with clear delineation between dialogue, thoughts/assumptions, and descriptions. But it can sometimes move too fast, sometimes it feels like the author has cut out some of the description/exposition or connecting dots, so the pacing feels a bit jerky. Not a big issue, and honestly I imagine an easy fix with a second read or a beta reader who can just note "More detail here please!". And it's never like I'm ever confused in the story. I always had enough to go on to keep reading. Just something to consider as the author polishes.
Characters: This is really where the story shines. And it's (imo) t
PaulTBRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Grammar and spelling is good. The plot is (so far) fairly straightforward but interesting and the characters are engaging.
One thing I don't care for is that the MC is turning into some sort of inventing genius. The first things (gunpowder and such) were fine as they benefitted from her prior life knowledge, but now she's just pulling stuff out of thin air. She isn't some university student isekai victim so it's jarring. I think it would have been better to concentrate on her magic and fighting skills.
PriapusTheQuestionableRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
I had the advantage going into this of having been told about the twist that was coming by a friend, and thus found it easier to push through the bit where people not unfairly interpret it as a Mary Sue story.
For things are not as they seem, and the impression that things are proceeding in a non-naturalistic fashion is quite intended, for reasons that become clear in due course.
Even in the "Mary Sue" section, there is an excellent undercurrent of a Rashomon thing where every POV character has distinct, competing and incomplete viewpoints into events, and you have to piece them together without necessarily believing everything they think.
Additionally, the tumultuous relationship between the male and female leads is always entertaining and often affecting, as they both try to navigate their own, and each others' damage in their own ways while becoming hopelessly entangled.
It's a good read.
MiG-25 FoxbatRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
I posted my first comments on this story (after years of accountless lurking), so it's got a special place in my heart. I like it a lot, but there's some problems I've brought up in my comments which the author hopefully addresses in the future. My overall score is 4/5, based on the average of the four ratings below.
Style: 3/5
This is where the story suffers most. Generally, the author's style is good. Events are conveyed clearly, characters have solid descriptions, locations can be a little vague but I can't fault the author too much, it's easy cut corners on scenery in chacarcter-driven drama. We're here for Asha, not for her bedroom's curtains. But there is one big problem that came up again and again: we are told something about a character, but it is never once shown. I don't mean in the sense of a certain U.S. president saying "I think I'm very humble, I'm actually much more humble than you'd believe." I mean in the sense we are told the protagonist is interested in subjects like alchemy and economics but we never see her studying alchemy or reading up on economics. She just schools people in these, sometimes on-page, sometimes off-page. But when did she learn this stuff? Sometimes it's never hinted at she knew these things before it's relevant. These informed traits come up frequently, so frequently I have to take two stars off because they really get under my skin. To the author's credit, they said they were going to go back and fix this, so they're aware of the problem. Godspeed!
Story: 4/5
There are constant twists and turns in this story, it's a metaphorical page-turner. There's a lot more going on here than one girl chasing after a prince. Mystery seeps in from everywhere, and there are far greater things at work than personal drama. There is one major plot point I felt came out of nowhere, and I said as much in my comment on that chapter. The author does a better job of building up to other plot points, however.
Grammar: 5/5
It's good. Why is this a ca
JwaishRoyal Road
★★★ 2.5
The premise is fine, the execution not so much. The flow of the story is choppy, the worldbulding nonexistent, the characters bland and confusing. The story itself is inconsistent. How does a vain character that focused all her efforts into wooing her love interest now know all those things she knows now? There's been no explanation of the magic system in the story so far, not even hints of it. For all that there is magic in the story, I wouldnt particularly consider it as having magic. Nothing has been said about the self-improvement of the protagonist. And sometimes the story lacked common sense. All she had to say, for example, was that she didnt want to marry him any more and swear a soul contract to that end. The grand duke would have accepted because he didnt want to marry her anyway. Why did she have to swear to help him get his love interest? Makes no sense. I know Im ranting, but my expectations have been shattered. DNF.
grovekeeperRoyal Road
★★ 2.0
The grammar is good, the characters are good and the story is average. The main issue is that there are a lot of inconsistencies which add up later.
Asha is a pretty vain villainess in first life who didn't know anything about the world and was only fixated on her love interest. After the rebirth her fixation got removed and at the same time she suddenly acquired knowledge about history, political intrugue, designs of guns and gunpowder and all the subjects she was least interested in and did not spend time doing.
Another issue I have is the usual show don't tell. Ideally, we know a character is good because he is demonstrating what he is good at, we see him learning about things or some actual conversations. Here we know Asha is good because the story says she is like that out of the blue. No foreshadowing, nothing.
Characters seem illogical, as one moment they think or act a certain way and the next instant they do the opposite thing.
Asha goes to a diplomatic meeting with a foreign ambassador and manages to impress everyone by giving good counsel and not speaking out loud. However we see in the next few chapters that she cannot stop herself from speaking and speaks whatever comes to her mind, even in Royal presence when full court is present.
Then we get the bombshell that she is an elementalist which no one knew in first life as it never randomly manifested which happened in the second life.
It gets more ridiculous later on, completely making the MC a Mary Sue.
gbfreeRoyal Road
★★ 2.0
Very rushed pace. When reading I once got very confused after missing a major development described by literally one word. Every character feel bipolar as their personality and mood switch massively in a few words.
Inconsistent dialogue and conflicting vague world building. The main character randomly switch between extremely polite and extremely insulting when talking to high nobility (and somehow admired for her wits for being very impolite to important people? ) .