Pokémon: A Sense of Illusion (OLD)

Information

Status

Hiatus

Year

2023

Author

EducatedFool

• Re-Write is online!
  Sep 21, 2023

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• BananaDragonRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I want to preface by saying that I was very pleasantly surprised by this story! I have no prior knowledge of Pokemon other than the Pokemon Go phase a few years ago, but this story is a brand new reworking that doesn't require readers to know the original story. Additionally, it's a lot darker than the original which gives it a significantly more mature tone. Now for the ratings!
  Style: The style does take a chapter or two to get used to, but I don't think that warrants me taking off any stars. Once you do get used to it, it's very stylistic, easy to read, and straightforward — all of which I appreciate. Also, one of the chapters features a newspaper graphic which is literally one of the coolest things I've ever seen added to a chapter.
  Story: FANTASTIC worldbuilding! Like, seriously incredible. The politics, the civil war, the corruption, the orphanage, everything about it shows how much thought the author put into every part of this plot. I would recommend this story just for the worldbuilding. Sally's story is also incredibly captivating, and the early chapters really leave the reader wanting to know what happens with her.
  Grammar: There are a couple errors that do no take away from the story. While some mistakes like stand-alone dependent clauses are common and seen throughout the whole story, it comes off more as a stylistic choice, is easy to read, and it is easy to get used to it after a chapter. It's a webnovel, so grammar doesn't really matter to me unless it takeks me out of the story.
  Character: Really strong characters. I found myself immediately cheering for the protagonist Sally, since she was a rebellious and humorous spirit. The other characters are also incredibly interesting and play important plot roles. While the interactions at time feel a bit clunky because of the dialogue style, it gives the characters (especially Sally) a lot of personality and speaking quirks that I really enjoyed!
  Overall, I would absolutely recommend this story. It's a ver
• BlareRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Overall score, I have to give it 5/5, mainly because it contains an interesting story about the main character that has to struggle against the world and the challenge thrown at her with a good emotional aspect to just add. Sally herself is struggling in the story, which makes the story likable and I'm not too confused about the pokemon aspect of this book, which is a plus point for me.
  Style: 5/5. I have no problem with the style. The author is very creative to include good parts of the story such as the good border. I also enjoy storytelling so far, so I don't really have anything to complain about at the moment.
  Grammar Score: 4.5/5. I think the paragraph is a bit longer for me, but it's just me. Other than that, the grammar is good enough for me as a second English speaker.
  Story Score: 5/5. Sally is introduced in a good enough way to actually entice me to continue reading. It doesn't introduce itself as a strange thing to a non-pokemon watcher either.
  Character Score: 5/5. Sally is a likable character. I like her so I can give it a 5/5. If you like a story without dumping too much on its fanfic aspect, I highly recommend this book.
• Eric VanderlipRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The Pokémon: A Sense of Illusion follows the story of Sal, an war orphan, and her search for a life of freedom in a conflict zone.
  Style:   a consistent perspective and smooth writing.  However, the text can be a little verbose.  At times, way too much tangential detail is spelled out and information is repeated with different wording.  (Hopefully this review is out of date and a round of editing has lifted the story to its full potential.)
  Story:  Conversation and events flow naturally.  The brewing rebellion in Kalos provides the backdrop which drives the plot.  Serious thought has been given to every facet of this pokemon world and how things would realistically play out in a military conflict.  Even with the wordiness, the pace moves well.
  Grammar:  Easily readable.  The minor mistakes do not detract from the story.
  Character:   Sal and her first pokemon, Trix, makes excellent, sympathetic protagonists.  The rest of the cast is just as vibrant and well-developed, with interactions feeling genuine.  Excellent character development.
  Conclusion:  I recommend Pokémon: A Sense of Illusion because of its gripping characters and fascinating setting.  You'll soon find yourself rooting for Sal, and dreading the future she faces as she is drawn into violent rebellion with her new friend Trix.  It's a pokemon world brought to life in glorious fashion and an addicting read.
• M.G DriverRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Disclaimer: I myself have not played a lot of Pokemon, so most of the references have probably flew past me (ok I still remember Machop, I'm not that old.)
  As of this review, I have read from the Prologue to Chapter 5, and the author only shows undying perserverance and dedication to improving his writing. It's very obvious a lot of effort has been put into crafting the story, and it really shows.
  Style:
  The style of the story slightly changes a bit through the chapters, which is why I can't give a full five. I myself am not sure which perspective I prefer more, but I know that the continuous changing of perspective made it slightly hard for me to get a grasp on what was going on.
  This improves drastically through the chapter, though at times it is slightly hard to pick out who is talking and who isn't.
  Story:
  Love the war and politics going on in a Pokemon world, something we don't see much in the main game. It's not really shown, but I'm intrigued on how our MC will fight in squad battles etc in an urban environment.
  The story is simple, but there's enough world building going on in the back for me to really love it.
  Grammar:
  Great stuff so far, a few minor mistakes that others have already picked up, but no major ones so far as to make it a jarring reading experience.
  Character:
  I feel that maybe too many characters were being introduced in a single go. There was one chapter in which the perspective changed close to four times, which makes it very distracting. It would be better if the POVs were synchronized in terms of timing (like how it led from the merchant back to Sally)
  This way it would make for a smoother flow.
  It's very clear each of the character has a backstory, and I really love the latest chapter's way on showing how Sally deals with the rigorous training.
  Overall, a great short read, albeit a bit confusing at the start. With the improvements the author has been doing steadily, I believe the story will only get better with time.
• RighteousEggRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  So far, I'm enjoying the story.
  Most of the stories I've read  Pokémon fanfiction are happy and even childish adventures. (As if it was supposed to be childish?) Dark Pokémon with Gore Profanity Traumatising content caught my eye.
  Style
  The author's first few chapters each use a different perspective to unfold the world to you. This may give you an insight into each character, but it was a bit of a mess for me.
  Story
  The pace of the story seems a little slow. But that's okay. It also allows me to understand the world better. Pokémon are combined with war and politics.
  Grammar
  There are some minor errors, but not matter much. I'm not a native English speaker. I don't think it affects the reading at all. The free Grammarly can make your grammar perfect.
  Characters
  There is something I like about each of the characters. This may be the advantage of portraying them from multiple points of view. It's a bit messy, but it shows each character's characteristics better.
  If you're tired of traditional Pokémon fanfiction, come try this Dark Pokémon! It will never let you down.
  Keep up the good work. I will continue to keep an eye on this story.
• TeaganIvesRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Hi!
  Firstly, I am loving this story so far. This review is written after reading up to and including Chapter 5.
  It is a tale with many moving parts, each one being fully fleshed out and realised within their areas of the story. I haven't read a story that brings in such visceral and real topics, such as the consequences of civil war, into such a normally cheerful and happy world of Pokemon. With the way this story is being written- it works. It really, really works.
  All of my "negatives" for this story really do just come down to personal opinion and the next reader along could easily say the complete opposite and it would be just as correct. With that said, here we go :)
  I loved the questioning nature of the start of the prologue. It brought up so many thoughts that I'd like answered over the course of the story. Each chapter has parts where they prompt questions for the reader and we have to read on to hopefully figure out the answers, which has been really well done.
  The pacing in each chapter is really well done, each one feels like a short story within itself. However, this leads me to something I wasn't as much a fan of- the multiple perspectives throughout. Each chapter has had different perspectives of characters, some with multiple within the chapter and some being recap/flashback based chapters. While the writing is great to read, it takes me a moment to try and work out when, where and with whom the chapter is taking place each time.
  The action in the story is also well written, with each scene, each character being detailed in their visuals. It makes it easy to see everything that is going on within each scene and each character has felt unique and real- the world of the story has been well fleshed out, with many characters, side characters and pokemon.
  A few of my gripes would be:
  character names- there is a scene with Elizabeth and Beth in the same group of three people. Another chapter has Arthur, Avner and Alexander. Too many similar names- especiall
• ash-saltzmanRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Style:The style was solid. It laid out the scenes and additional world building for the already built pokemon universe well.
  Grammar: There were some mistakes here and there. Those mistakes however didn’t take very much away from the story.
  Story:The author has built off of the original pokemon universe to make the world more interesting and real. The story is dark, especially for the pokemon world that is usually cheerful, and I found myself wondering if I should have been cheering for some of the characters at times. As far as the first couple of chapters go, it is mostly focused on introducing characters. These first few chapters even focusing on introduction are far from unentertaining and really reel you in.
  Character:The main character Sal is likable and smart. She is fleshed out well in the first few chapters showing you her motivations and ideals. The side characters also show depth and emotion. You get to see their beliefs and goals that drive them to do what they do.
  Overall:It is a good and dark story set in the world of pokemon. If you enjoy dark stories, a group of rebels, and companions then this is a good read for you.
• Lara Zanatti ReisRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  First of all, I am a humble illiterate regarding the pokemon universe. I know nothing!
  Let's jump to it,
  For me, the story starts in chapter one with the presentation of our central character Sally. From my perspective, I found her adorable and funny in her inner thought. She wears the mantle of classic web-novel heroes. A heavy past, still innocent with a hand full of street-savvy attitude. A great start, but it ends up with her being sucked into a "city catastrophe."
  Later on, in the next chapter, we rewind back to see the same event, but from the perspective of Trix (or was it Trick?), who took me a bit to understand, is a pokemon. I loved the gradience from her being closed and suspicious until she melted with Sally's friendliness and warmth.
  And finally, next chapter, we are presented with Ray, which is mentioned in the prologue. The narrative becomes much sterner and more political, and it is with him that the author shows us who will be our villains. Bureaucracy!! (Joking, that part of the story you'll need to read it)
  It is very interesting how the author divided the same event around several characters and still performed a seamless transition. Each POV represents a specific nuance, Sally=adventure, Trix=adventure/pokemon natural world vs city and Ray=The complex world built by two-legs.
  The style is flowy, easy to read and mixed with some fun, innocent puns, mostly inner thoughts.
  Something I must note, in a very positive way, is that the author has an open and healthy interaction with his readers. There is visual information for people like me who know nothing about this culture.
  So, if you are a fan of Pokemon and thrill for new action, this is the web novel for you. If you are like me, keep the wiki fan page open and buckle up!
• _FlameS_Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  I've always had a soft spot in my heart for pokemon stories and this one certainly doesn't disappoint. I've really enjoyed reading about Sal's journey. I also want to mention that Zorua never gets as much love as theys should in pokemon stories and I'm really glad to see that here.
  Stylistically, I think the story is very well presented and the author has a very strong voice throughout. One caveat I have is that a lot of a character's philosophy and inner thoughts are often explicitly told to the reader, which makes the prose feel kind of ponderous.
  Grammatically, there are a couple of spelling and other mistakes but other than that it's well done.
  In terms of story, it's very well done and everything seems to be progressing linearly and it all makes a lot of sense. I really enjoy reading and following the tale of the Kalos Civil War, as pokemon fighting wars has always been an interesting plot point to me.
  Finally, in terms of character, I really enjoy each and every one we have met so far. Sal is a really fun character with a mischievous streak and Raymond makes for a very nihilistic voice of reason and defiance that I also find very interesting in a pokemon setting.
  Overall, the story is a very fun read and I highly recommend that fans of pokemon check it out and give it a read!
• Maou RazonicaRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Story: First off, the title of the review. Don't think that the pokemon are an after-thought to the story  They are integrated well into the society, showcasing some really good world-building. On the war front, the conflicts, it's pokemon but with real lethality instead of just fighting to the faint.
  I really liked how it handled the politics of the world, the different ideologies, and their eventual inevitable clash. How their society reacts as a whole to these clashings have been very interesting.
  Characters: A likable main character. A complex ensemble with proper motivations, and understandable ideologies. Whether they're of the protagonists, or the antagonists, no one is but a mad cackling villain that does evil for the sake of it--They don't even think they're doing evil.
  Style: This would be the weakest part of the story IMO. The scene choice can be very awkward, specially for one part in particular that I disliked.
  Without spoiling much, we got an emotional climax for two characters that were never developed. Only for them to be developed further in the next chapter or two. The chronology was flipped, and I was left thinking: For what?
  What ended up happening for me, was that it was hard to care much for when the emotional climax really happened. I think it would have really helped if the chronology wasn't flipped.
  Other than that one occurence though, it was pretty alright.
  Grammar: Some mistakes will be noticed, but it doesn't really detract much from the story.
  Overall: I recommend this story for anyone that wishes for a more mature take on pokemon--andfor those who wish to see their cool powers used in more lethal and less linear situations like matches, basically orderly duels.