Path of the Stonebreaker [Book 1 Complete]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

**Book 1 posted here on Royal Road was the first draft of the book. The version published on amazon is a later revision, so if you prefer a more polished version, you can read it there (also for free is you've got Kindle Unlimited). But if you're happy being a little rougher around the edges, you can read here on Royal Road for free here**

Path of the Stonebreaker book 1 is available on amazon here

Femira spent her life stealing scraps and looting corpses just to survive another day. When she stumbles upon the chance to steal another's identity, she thinks she's found the ticket to an easy life. But she soon finds the glamour of the runewielder's hall hides as much peril as the bloodslick streets. Can she steal the greatest prize of all, the knowledge to reshape the earth, and make it out alive?

Daegan Tredain—the disgraced Prince of Reldon—may not have the powers of his ancestors but he refuses to die in banishment. Abandoned by his abusive father at the far reaches of the world, will he make it back home in time to prevent a brewing war?

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Content Warnings: Violence, some gore (not excessive). I write how people normally talk so that includes a healthy amount of cursing or "profanities". There is aslightromance subplot that kicks in after chapter 50 so if you're adverse to any form of romance then this a warning for that, I don't particularly enjoy writing romance so I can promise that it will never be a main plot.

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Expectations:

Updates every Monday and Thursday. Chapters will usually be between 2,000 and 5,000 words.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2022
Author: RD Renworth

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 322
Views: 174,593

Chapters(155 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

SMT WhitlingRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I've been following this story as each chapter is released . I'm definitely hooked by the magic system and characters.
I'm mostly enjoying the character of Daegan. Although Femira's story of the thief is training is pretty cool. I'll be looking forward to seeing where this story goes and seeing how the magic develops.
SR FauthRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I've read this up to the current chapter, 10.
With that being said, let us begin:
STYLE SCORE: 5/5 The overall style reminds me of a cross between Avatar Airbender, Viceroy, and Game of Thrones. The magic development, character building, and overall description of the world really set the scenery. It is a well-developed world that drags you into the deepest crevices then washes you up on a beach wondering just what happened.
STORY SCORE: 5/5 The story is deep, developed, and immersable. The characters are believable and relatable. The writing style the author has developed lends credence to every action taken while the change between characters prevents the occasional monotony from taking hold. Overall this was wonderfully written and a highly enjoyable tale.
GRAMMAR SCORE: 5/5 I found a few minor issues but absolutely nothing that detracted from the value of the story or from world development. Overall this is very well written and edited.
CHARACTER SCORE: 5/5 The characters are deeply written and have considerable development behind them. Many are shrouded in mystery, as you never know what their driving motivations may be. Yet others show their cards early on, and you catch glimpses of where they will be going. The characters are believable, interesting, and you just want to find out more about that however you can.
OVERALL SCORE: 5/5 I really enjoyed the story so far. I will be following the book and keeping up on newly posted chapters. The story is just too interesting to drop and I have been more than happy with my time investment in it so far.
BloodForgedBondRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Author's prose and world-building are absolutely breathtaking!
Style Score (5/5): The author's style is distinct, and is always engrossing. It feels like this is being written by a true master of the written word. Everything flows effortlessly. It never gets bogged down with unnecessary details, and exposition is woven into the story seamlessly. The world-building is unique and expansive (as is the magic system), with descriptions so vivid it's like watching a great film unfold in my mind as I'm reading.
Grammar Score (5/5): Very minor issues. Not much to say about it.
Story Score (5/5): The story is engaging and well-developed. This doesn't feel like something that's being written as the author goes along. It feels like this is a writer who plans in great detail--who deeply 'knows' the world they've created and the characters who live in it. This is a writer who already knows the endgame. It's an enjoyable read, and every chapter leaves me highly anticipating the next.
Character Score (5/5): The characters are deeply human and relatable. They're the kind of characters that jump out of the page at you. It's clear the author has done a considerable amount of development to them. I do want to give extra praise to the character of Femira though. It is so refreshing to see a well written female character who is strong, but also feminine. In today's world we are bombarded with the "strong woman" trope, which is basically translated to a man with boobs. So thank you author for creating a genuine strong female lead.
Overall Score (5/5): Just read the story already. You won't regret it.
BullerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I have decided I like this magic system. Give it.
In all seriousness though, I really do appreciate it when authors take a good while to build up how their world works. Sure, having names for every stone on a 10 mile path might be good as well but just the broad strokes of how the future of magic will work is great as well. While reading this, I felt the double-layering of mysteries waiting to be unravelled with time. If anything, I'm guessing a few might even be figured out soon. Who knows?
5/5
AnehaliaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I meant to stop reading at chapter 5 and move on to the next book to review. I was enjoying reading the story too much, and just kept reading till the next button stopped work and I realized I was caught up with where the story is at.
style: The author's style is reminiscent of the massive fantasy books I read as a teenager. Lots of tasty descriptions done in a way that I could follow and read without getting bored and starting to skim.
Story: It starts out with some great action to draw the reader in and then keeps the reader reading with world and plot slowly unfolding. (I wouldn't have read long past my planned stopping point if I was engrossed in the story)
Grammar: Small things, but this is web published and nothing bad enough to make me slow down in my reading or disrupt enjoyment of the story.
Characters: They are all very well developed and round characters. Or at least their personalities are round. Not many truly round shape wise people as most characters are buff muscular warriors. Except maybe princeling. I think he might be lacking muscles. But moving past physical shape of the characters, I greatly enjoyed the personalities and the dialogue.
CloudfallRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Cover: It looks really good.
Synopsis: Well written. It attracts the interest of potential readers.
Style: Third person narration.
Grammar: Excellent. No error that could affect the flow of the novel.
First Chapter: Quite good. It really fits a high fantasy.
Storyline: It follows two MCs. One is Femira who holds the ability to reshape the earth and when walls crumble to dust at her command, what can stand in the way of a thief and their prize? When she stumbles upon the chance to steal the identity of another, she’s swept up into schemes larger than she ever imagined. Her goal is to pilfer the secrets of the Runewielder’s Halls but with the fate of the world at stake, will she do the right thing? The second is Daegan who may not have the powers of his ancestors but he refuses to die in banishment.
Character: Well designed. They really fit their roles.
Overall: A really good novel.
Consistent MilkRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This seems like a must-read for fantasy novel fans because of its well thought out world, complex characters, and consistent magic system. Apart from the FEARSOME walls of text in the first few chapters that the author is already working on, this is a story filled with potential and intrigue.
Concept(4/5): It seemed to me that Stonebreaker has a fully realized magic system that is nuanced enough to keep the story engaging on its own. Yet there are many other plot devices that are used well to make the story more worthwhile
Experience(4/5): I don't know why I got Brandon Sanderson vibes from it and it took me back to when I first read Mistborn with its female protagonist Vin. This is definitely high praise, but it did manage to come off as a properly written fantasy novel.
Tone(3/5): The tone of the story is a bit complicated for me in this case. There definitely was suspense and tension but the long descriptions in the first few chapters sort of messed with the overall tone for me. That is something the writer is working on improving upon though.
Philosophy(3/5): Albeit being a pretty original setting on its own, up to now no specifically interesting philosophical undertone was felt by me. We have the usual power clash, war, and concepts of loyalty - but these are very common in most fantasy novels.
Psychology(4/5): The characters felt interesting and complex to me. Almost all characters introduced up to now had something interesting weaved into them. Femira and the interactions she has with other characters are written very well. The characters are well written but definitely nothing extraordinary - but I must add that it is too early to claim this about them.
Flow(4/5): The story flows well with its scenes, expositions, and dialogues. The writer manages to give vivid descriptions that connect you to the world and introduce concepts related to the magic system in a well-paced manner.
BellwetherRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
We follow a feisty thief on her misadventures to support her favorite master. What is it she has to do? Oh, not that much. Maybe pretend to be a princess, maybe murder a few important officials - kings die all the time so there's no reason to worry. Master won't ask of anything impossible. Will he?
The style? That's one of the most important points of the story. Author is pretty apt when it comes to allusions and comparisons, descriptions seem to flow naturally.
There were a few grammar errors but they were mostly simple typos, nothing that's impossible to get rid of. Mostly with commas, their brethren has been missing their spots a lot.
The characters, mainly the thief and her wonderful master were drawn out brilliantly. The interactions between them have a magical spirit of levity around them even when the topic of conversation is grim. The thief's fake name reminds me of a slavic word meaning "lie".
There's also a unique magic system in play. A bit of guns, a bit of magic and a lot of explosions. Of fun.
Overall, it's a rather lighthearted read even though it describes a lot of grim topics. That merits a separate shootout as it could be pretty hard to write about dark topics without losing that important bit of cheerfulness.
Hekate37Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
1. Style score: RD's style is distinct and comes across strongly. His descriptions and exposition are woven well into the text, and the fight scenes are engaging. He presents information a little at a time, leaving the reader to wonder how the story will take shape.
2. Grammar: Minor grammar mistakes appear fairly often in the text. The most common are run on sentences, the incorrect use of its and it's, and misspellings. Typically, they do not interfere with communication, and RD seems committed to fixing them.
3. Story: Path of the Stonebreaker has vast worldbuilding and an intricate plot. I did not foresee how the story would take shape until chapter 30. The magic system is quite engaging, and RD does not shy away from concepts such as the emergence of new technology, the relationship between the government and the military, and the treatment of the lower class. His passion for the story is obvious, and the interludes and maps add even more context to the plot. This, in my opinion, is the strongest aspect of the work.
4. Characters: RD's characters have distinct voices and backstories. My favorites are Tanlor and Daegan. They are well fleshed-out and realistic, sometimes acting in a morally ambiguous manner to save themselves. However, I have a love/hate relationship with the female lead, Femira. I admire her spunk and ambition, but her character at times seems blurred. We're told that she is a master thief, yet as of chapter 30 we have not seen her truly succeed, and she has been embarrassed more times than I can count. This would lead me to assume that she has an inflated view of her own abilities, yet the General's support of her suggests otherwise. Perhaps, we will soon learn why she is valued so highly.
Overall, this is an excellent work, and RD is committed to developing it still further. The story is extremely promising, with thorough worldbuilding and an intricate plot. I am excited to see where Path of the Stonebreaker takes us in the coming days.
KIDYnSRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I liked the first chapter that throws you directly into the action, the characters are realistic even with fantasy elements, this story is undoubtedly a work that was wrote and rewrote again and again, it deserves this rating in my opinion he did a great job !
It would just need more explanation on the context in the later chapters though.