Rifts & Boundaries (LitRPG Portal Fantasy)

Information

Status

Hiatus

Author

GK.Vaughn

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• drewkellyRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  If you've ever watched Made in Abyss you can get some of the vibes from this story. I'm enjoying the writing and the narrative is solidly brutal and fantastic. YMMV but if you want a story that crosses "Boy and his dog" with "Made in Abyss" this is it.
• HWPerfidyRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Story: The story so far is interesting. Castor, his dog, Blue, and a young man, Micah find themselves faced with monsters and skills straight out of a video game, Rifts and Boundaries. Watching their struggle for survival and how the world has changed with the implementation of the video game mechanics makes for a very entertaining read. Plays into tropes a bit, but it does it well enough that you don't really mind.
  Style: I adore the style of this story. It puts down only what needs to be said and keeps the descriptions short, but does so in a way that allows the reader to vividly picture what’s going on. The use of metaphors was great, and I really appreciate the work that went into this.
  Character: So far there’s been 3 key characters. Our main character seems fairly competent so far, though I couldn’t tell much of his personality beyond loving his dog. Blue seems… a bit too smart for a dog (in the chapters before Bond). He follows along with orders and doesn’t seem to make any bad calls aside from the incident at the sewer entrance. I know that dogs can be pretty damn smart, especially border collies, but his cleverness seems a bit too convenient for the plot early on.
  Grammar: A few mistakes but nothing that breaks up the flow of the story
  Overall: I loved it! Eager to see more!
• HonourRaeRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Like the title said: I'm a sucker for a boy and his dog against the world stories and this one looks like it's going to deliver. As of the writing of this review, we're still in the early stages but well into the action.
  This is a System Apoc type story, though with a few twists. Seems to be in a local area (Miami, southern FL) and the characters are at least somewhat familar with the new world they find themselves in due to it being like a popular video game.
  One thing I will say is for squimish people like me, the first scene of the mental torture and murder of young children does NOT represent the rest of the book. I mean, there's some normal LitRPG action/violence later on but it's not as grim/dark as the initial scene suggests.
  Style: Easy 5 star. This is easy to read, easy to follow. If I had to nitpick, the story is a little purple with details in the first couple chapters (the children murder thing again) but it quickly evens out and is smooth sailing from there.
  Story: Again, easy 4.5 stars. It goes from a normal moment in life (well, sort of normal for a dog shelter B&E) to a LitRPG format. The stakes seem to be escalating nicely as does all the main characters powers. Even the dog. Lol.
  Grammar: I didn't notice any big hiccups. 5 star!
  Character: This is a fast paced story and the characters are still being fleshed out. However, there have been some nice moments so far which show lines they are/are not willing to cross. I like how there was an instant team up when the danger became real -- I personally like to see characters working together instead of at each other's throats.
  And of course, Blue. 5 star for the good boy!
• Jack0fheartRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Rifts & Boundaries starts off right in the thick of things with a very powerful beginning that sets the dark tone of the rest of the story. I have to also add that I love the synopsis!
  Style score 5/5: I'm a huge fan of this kind of dark and gritty story and the author doesn't disappoint!
  Story score 5/5: The story is very nicely setup from the beginning. It doesn't take long for the action to start. In fact, the reader is dropped right in the middle of it!
  Grammar score 5/5: This is the least important rating for me. I only require a story to be legible and this story far exceeds my requirements. There are no glaringly obvious grammar mistakes that ruin my immersion.
  Character score 5/5: Castor is very level headed and immediately takes charge of the situation once things start going pear-shaped. He hasn't got the friendliest persona but that sets him up perfectly to thrive in his new environment.
  All in all, Rifts & Boundaries is a great grimdark story with no beating around the bush when it comes to exciting action scenes. I highly recommend this story to anyone who loves dark settings with gory undertones! ♥
• A V DalcourtRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  At first, I thought I was reading yet another Lit RPG, but chapter after chapter the themes of the story get a little darker. What I'm really enjoying is that the characters don't start off overpowered AND they have to work at developing their skills. It's not BAM! New skill acquired - and now they can set the countryside on fire at a thought. It's refreshing. I also love that each skill comes with consequences for its use. Again refreshing.
  At this point in the story, we're well acquainted with a trio, two human, one dog. We just met two more people, sisters, who have suffered a tremendous loss but have found it in themselves to assist the people who have wronged them, understanding that survival was at the core of their brother's death, not malice.
  This lit RPG takes place in the backdrop of a city sewer which seems to be suffering from a prolonged period of malicious rain (whose effects we remain uncertain of). I like that despite being a dungeon, it's set in an urban setting - compared to vast fantasy settings that dominate the genre.
  Well worth giving a shot to see if the themes are to your tastes.
• WhiteFire001Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  So far, I think this story shows some real promise! Admittedly, I'm reviewing it at chapter 3 (technically 4, counting the prologue), so I'm sure that statement won't hold as much weight as more chapters are uploaded, but as of right now I'm enjoying the direction it's going!
  STYLE:
  The writing style here is really solid. Word choice is good, solid imagery, and I'm always a sucker for people using italics for emphasis in narration. As a note for the prospective reader, the author uses line breaks. Like, a lot. There are many 'paragraphs' that only consist of a single short sentence. I personally have absolutely no problem with this, and in my opinion it's used to good effect at times, emphasizing a single sentence by isolating it on the page, but I know it can bother some people, so it's probably a good thing for you to know.
  CHARACTER:
  The characters here are pretty good. We only really know two of them so far, the main character and a guy he teams up with early on, but I like their dynamic. They aren't friends, don't really know each other, and are really only sticking with each other for survival, and it shows in their interactions. There are a couple awkward moments, the main character gets kind of annoyed at the other guy once or twice, etc. It's irritating to me whenever two people who don't know each other in a story get all buddy-buddy the second the plot pushes them together.
  That isn't to say that the two of them dislike each other, of course, they talk and help each other out and everything, and I have no doubt that later on in the story, after they spend some time together, they'll be best pals for life. But as of now, they're strangers, and I like that the story reflects that.
  The only other character we really meet is some villain guy in the prologue, who seems like a stereotypical "super sadistic and bad evil guy" character, but he's only there for like half a scene and we haven't even met him outside of that, so I don't think it's fair to judge all t
• bchammerRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  So far grammar and storytelling is good, lots of potential, unique-looking system, hope to see the author deliver on it. I'm a little worried that this is going to be a story where stat numbers are irrelevant after ten chapters but I'm also pretty excited for the path and skill system that's probably gonna be the focus.
• caerulexRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Classic system apocalypse type story, but with its own nuances. Suddenly a block of the world's people disappears. The MC and his dog find themselves in a survival situation where a popular video game has become reality, and they're pitted against dnd monsters like kobolds and zombie-like ghouls. The death rate is high and the MC is determined to survive and gain power.
  What makes this better than the vast majority of genre titles are the characters and overall polish. It's well executed.
  Highly recommended!
• cerealissoupRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Rifts and Boundaries has been a very engaging story that has had me hooked from the first chapter and I could only manage to let go after catching up.
  Style:
  Perfectly done. The LitRPG elements are very well portrayed and explained and the meaty stuff of the story has been very engaging. I really appreciate how the author sets a perfect tone on the chapters while keeping the expositions to a minimum.
  Grammar:
  I'm not a native speaker, but I didn't notice any grammar errors at all. There are some typos now and then which don't detract from the story at all and get fixed.
  Story:
  The story is very engaging and amusing. The world of the actual Rifts and Boundaries, that is the game that has taken over the real world must have been one amazing game considering how it is unraveled. The powers, the abilities, the mechanics, and the scenarios that we see, they've all been made splendidly with a lot of thought and care to bring you a lot of enjoyment.
  Characters:
  I think the characters are being developed at a slow pace, each chapter reveals more about the key characters and continues to keep us engaged. This can lead to thinking that the characters are slightly bland in the beginning, but I am learning more about them and that is what matters.
  Castor and Blue are also very interesting as a protagonist and best friend with their being able to display high levels of competence without seeming contrived.
  Overall:
  For fans of the system apocalypse and LitRPG genres, this is one amazing work that is worth checking out for at least the first five chapters. I am sure everyone can enjoy it.
• KageMugenRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  The author likes to keep the mystery of what is happening shrouded in veil with intermissions and even the stats itself are abbreviated that you have to guess for yourself what they mean.
  The duo/trio of a teenager and a grown man with a pet dog give a good contrast to each other at how they perceive waht is happening.
  The man worrying about  his dog and himself while the teenager at moments perceives everything like a game to play and explore. The voice of reason versus the lackdaisical teenager. The dog acts as an anker in the story to make Castor seem more human.
  The story of how much there was of it written so far flows nicely and keeps the suspense. I hope the author will keep writting.
  There were errors in almost all chapters but as long as people contribute suggestions and the author follows them it will be easily fixed.
  So far the story was very enjoyable for me and hope to see more of it although it has been a month. The author did come to the forum to offer reviews so he is still active.
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