Ronan Grey: Chains of the Lowborn

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Born into the slums of the Ravencia Empire, Ronan Grey knows hardship like the back of his hand. Cynical, disillusioned, and burdened with untapped potential, he is thrust into a world far removed from his bleak upbringing when his latent magical abilities gain him entry into the prestigious Lumenbourg University of Mystical, Combat, and General Studies. Which he hated at first.

But Ravencia is an empire on the brink—its secrets darker than the shadows Ronan has always known. While navigating the competitive guilds, ancient magic, and the rigid caste system of the university, Ronan stumbles upon anomalies that could shake the very foundations of the empire. As he uncovers hidden truths about the university and its connection to Ravencia's decaying power, Ronan must decide whether to embrace his role as another wheel in the empire’s machine or forge his own path in defiance of the system.

In a world where strength and cunning determine one's survival, Ronan’s sharp wit, growing magical prowess, and sarcastic charm might not be enough to face what lies ahead. When the darkness begins to consume the empire, will Ronan rise to challenge it, or will he vanish into the shadows that birthed him?

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: jkaarsan

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 131
Views: 21,525

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

William OhRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The potential in this story is so obvious. The main character is relatable and starts at the lowest of low points, which makes him both rightfully wary and secure. The author composes clearly and well. They can be quite evocative whilst also driving narrative. While we are quite early in the process, I am excited to see where this story goes.
Drake41Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
There isn’t enough story yet to give a nuanced review, but I enjoyed the characters that are out throughly. As such, the five stars.
I already like the MC, big fan of the classic demented slum kid in the noble world. The prose is very professional with no grammar mistakes that I was able to notice. The author’s biggest strong suit so far seems to be drawing a reader into a character’s emotions; I was instantly hooked by the descriptions of grief and loss in the first two chapters. Another reviewer has mentioned it’s too dramatic, but I am a fan of it and think it was fitting for what Ronan is feeling. Overall, excited for where this goes.
I wish authors would stop using AI covers tho.
General PeacefulRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Currently enjoying the start of this story - looking like a standard fantasy rags-to-riches so far with a grimdark start giving way to learning and training in preparation for entrance to a mystical academy.
Characters feel realistic and unique, hopefully this holds up in the future as so far there are only 4 named ones to judge against.
The magic system is still very much a mystery and presumably we the readers will be introduced to it at the same pace as the MC.
Grammar and syntax are all good and there are minimal if any typos if that's a worry.
Weas97Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It doesn't have many chapters yet, but so far they have been quality and long. The story has developed very well so far and is realistic and consistent with its characters. The whole world and magic haven't been developed yet, but from what I can see, everything is well constructed. I read everything in one go and I already hope to see more chapters. Thanks for the novel.
Murk36Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I mostly like what the story's doing so far. I haven't read enough to have a full picture about where the story will go, but what's already here hints at much more. The story has moments where its tone is quite dramatic, some of which were a bit much for my taste. I do appreciate the way it highlights Ronan's emotions. Also, it uses colorful descriptions, both of its environment and characters.
One thing that seems unconvincing to me is the way Ronan interacts with other people. He has lived much of his live in poverty and desperation, a point the story places great emphasis on. However, when talking to other people, it doesn't feel that way to me. This is a subjective point of criticism, but it impacts my reading experience enough that I felt the need to include it here.
BeenBeanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Okay so what I really like in a lot of stories is vague bargains where what the protagonist is offered is "freedom" in some way shape or form. I don't know why, it strikes a chord with me.
It's a classic start. Some kid with a dark backstory winds up with power and has fantasy thrust upon him. Don't let the familiarity of the premise deceive you though, Ronan Grey takes things in a very different direction than you may be used to. Firstly, when a bunch of wizards come knocking on his door to "take him under their wings" in exchange for loyalty he tells them to scram. It takes someone willing to be honest and willing to leave him his little bit of freedom to recruit him, and even then, saying that Ronan was "recruited" is a bit of a stretch.
Ronan does not forget his origins and always seems a little bit bitter at how much easier he has it now that he's got magic. It's said that many poor people don't see themselves as poor, they see themselves as someone who hasn't gotten rich yet. Ronan is the opposite, at least as far as I've gotten in the story, and hasn't been shy about his resentment towards the class he's now a part of for their indulgence and wastefulness. This is at least partially due to the fact that his family died from things that would have been prevented easily using resources that are commonplace in his new life.
The one gripe I have is the prologue(?) being in medias res. It's not a bad start; I just don't like it.
I recommend that you all at least give this story a shot if you have a minute to spare. It might just be for you.
AuroraOfEmberRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Before I actually get into this, I apologize for any rantyness but I am currently quite sleep deprived. Yay for insomnia... (also the author asked me to review this like 2 weeks ago)
The beginning is what happens when you take the rags to riches trope to an extreme: horrifying poverty straight to noble house. While I am somewhat tired of seeing this, credit where credit is due, the transition between the two seems to be done well, which is impressive given the vast difference. Kudos to you, author.
Actively starving, recently lost his entire family, Ronan awakens to magic. He has what appear to be hallucinations, and is then immediately accosted by the servants of nobles trying to recruit him (I am putting it nicely). He is insulted by how they only cared in any capacity about him once he had something valuable to give them he turns them away. Enter nice noble who treats him with respect and you can guess what comes next. Or read. Also works.
Thinking about the protagonist of the story, I find myself conflicted. He seems well enough constructed, but the themes employed permit for little exploration of his character beyond his self-doubts and frustrations. I also find it difficult to relate to him is any real capacity, due to the vast differences in life experience.Alone, this isn't really that much of an issue, but together with the difficulty in getting to know him... The only reason I haven't scored this lower is because it does feel like there is a foundation set for proper exploration of his character. Just... not in the part I did read.
Which brings me to my next point: I sure wouldn't accuse the author of hurrying through the plot. As a general rule of thumb for webnovels, I usually allow 5-10 chapters for it to "get good". This story needs that time. Right now, I am not in a particularly patient mood, so I do think I will be dropping it here. If you have a little bit of patience you will probably find the story worth it, though.
Also, the grammar is squeaky c
NoTime..Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Its still a bit too early to give a fully clear review.
But overall the story, characters and world building all seem pretty decent.
The character is going through a great deal of struggle and will surely go through much more so I imagine his growth as a person should be impressive.
Unfortunately though so far there is nothing really amazing or that keeps my interest too much. I actually got a bit bored reading 10 chapters at once. So I hope future chapters have more interesting and fun developments because otherwise I will need to drop this just due to lacking interest.
MicroShockRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Overall a good book, Little bit dark in places, but an interesting (so far) book about a boy who has hit rock bottom then suddenly unlocks magic.
Very slow so far but hopefully soon he will start learning magic at not-Hogwarts and we will see if he can navigate the politic landmines that are young noble brats.
One minor gripe is that the author tends to over describe every so often and I have to re-read what I just read, to understand what I just read.
Keep up the good work, Author.😊
Rowing SaylorRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
The world seems prepared for a long and enjoyable tale. The main character is created in a way that works well to explain exposition. Their desire to forge their way ahead if logical and the history creates an understandable yearning to move ahead and build a story worth reading.
It is a bit early to truly know how the story will go as we are yet to get into the meat of the story but so far there is no flaws to speak of, just a matter of taste.