Mystic Ink

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Life is hard for an orphan on the streets of Tyine, Capitol of the "Glorious Empire" of Haj, thirteen year old Cass knows this well and has managed to survive ever since her parents abadoned her five years ago. She thought her life was as terrible as it could be, but now that she has been grabbed off the street and thrown into a dark cell with many other street children, Cass worries that life may get even worse.

Join Cass on her journey through blood and magic as she learns the power in the ink tattooed into her back and the horror of the worst kinds of people.

(please take the content warnings seriously, this wont be a happy one folks)

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2018
Author: vladerag

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.4/ 5.0
Followers: 439
Views: 283,884

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(8)

ragaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a very well written story. Everything from the worldbuilding, pacing, character portrayals, and plot is great. The characterization especially is very well done, and fairly accurate as to how someone mistreated as the protagonist was, and with those life experiences, might act and react (though she is perhaps a tad too self-aware, though that's debatable).
If anything, my complaint for this story is that it is too well written. As my title says, this story is fairly dark, and when a grim reality is addressed maturely and so well portrayed, it can be difficult for the reader. The protagonist is damaged psychologically by her master's training, and my own personal preference is for indomitable (though often pragmatic) protagonists. A lasting complex is something I find difficult to enjoy, even if I appreciate why the character is that way. I should note, the story is not yet long enough to tell whether it is, in fact, a lasting complex and the character's internal conflict over being psychologically messed up is quite enjoyable.
Still, well worth the read, and something I'd recommend other authors to give a good perusal if they're interested in writing harsher realities and those effects on characters in their own stories.
CarrotandStickRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
One of the best stories I have read on this website by far. The author has created a very unique feeling world in just 8 chapters and I am looking ofrward to reading more. Great use of hooks, a lot of mystery, the more you read the more questions you have. Overall a very interesting take on the hero's journey.
The only real feed back I can give is some of the characters feel similar so far and the main character feels a little generic. However the story is still in its infancy and the author still has time to develop them further.
IndustrialButtRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I can see why so many readers have dropped this. It is intense, and has some very troubling themes for the average readers. To others, it is amazing. Not afraid to touch on areas that many would find distasteful, it is bold and daring and horrible. The grimdark tag is very suitable.
I am particularly enamoured with how the change in the mc’s mind through her experiences evolves throughout the story, as well as her awareness and acceptance of it. Despite her apparent submission, she is not shy about removing obstacles with great prejudice, and lacks the frustrating weak-mindedness present in protagonists of other stories in similar situations.
I love this story so much. I hope this hiatus isn’t forever, despite evidence to the contrary. Please come back!
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TyraelIIRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is interresting and until now (ch 11) pretty realistic.
Almost everyone is a sadist in this story.
Let´s see how this continues...(it gets only better)
cpassmoreRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is heavily focused on world building, character development and the exploration of a not fully understood magic system; Which ultimately leaves the plot progression unto many branching paths that make you stay for the ride.
The author draws you with the battle of morality and the psycological effects of enviroment; The resulting catastrophy is a splendid mixture of horror and compassion.
The story is well written; though there are some overall gaps between mini arcs (nothing drastic enough to distract you) as with all serial format stories.
The grammar, spelling and punctuation are about as profressional as you're going to find without an editor.
While the themes early on suggest this to be a shock factor story, it is so much more than that.
Check it out !
p.s. sorry vlad thought I reviewed this weeks ago. XD
mioRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
truly a dark story, with a psychological aspect that is almost scary in how far you go with it. beautifully written but horrifyingly dark...
i love it, but it gives me goodebumps reading it. i don't' know wether to call you genius or madman, maybe both would be best, though neither seems to do you justice. thanks for the great story!
p.s. i feel like i have to elaborate and tell you that i am a very emotional reader who "connects" with the mc of the stories he (i) reads. so i really really really want to see her escape that slave mindset and grow and blossom as a person with a strong and rich personality... and this is killing me inside!! i want to read as quickly as possible to see it happen, but i want to stop reading altogether because... what if it doesn't happen?? i'd feel soooo bad about it, even if rationally, it isn't real, i'd still go through every fucking thing that happened a gazillion times and change scenarios in such a way that it does happen, and then discard them to find a more plausible one, and then realize it's a futile effort because it's fiction, and then do it all over again...
welp, this little rant is over...
Blue CrowRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
I keept reading looking forward to something akin to a revenge story. But rapidly become a full blown stockholm romance fetish.
Kudos for you if you are into it. But the novel beign of the traditional non erotic kind, the plot feels dry and the characters unappealing at least for a reader outside the niche into mindbreak/mindcontroll side of D/S M/S.
If you like the genre, the novel it's written with effort and worth reading.
teractRoyal Road
★ 0.5
A well written story, no spelling or grammar issues that I could see. However, the throwaway rape and physical abuse of children is disgusting. A master writer can make it work, the act having dramatic impact and as a part of character development (see Jorg in the Prince of Nothing), but here it's very poorly done.