Sagewood - a farming progression fantasy

Information

Status

Ongoing

Year

2023

Author

BlakeAndKim

• Update on Sagewood
  Apr 23, 2025
• BONUS CONTENT - The Sprites of Sagewood
  Apr 12, 2024
• Sagewood Map and Book Two: Into the Caves update
  Jan 10, 2024
• Sagewood Book One: Restore the Farm
  Dec 6, 2023

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• Clover_FallsRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  At first, i was extremely hesitant to read this story. I'm not one that really loves slice of life, I find it not very interesting, but this book has lots of other parts of it that make up for that! Even the 'slice of life' parts are interesting, even if a little slow.
  I had to push through the beginning, as most readers said to, but the book quickly picked up, and i found myself binging most of book 1 over the span of a few days.
  Style: Overall great. Like I said before, this isn't the genre i usually read, but i found it had other characteristics that made up for my initial unwillingness to give it a try. I found it not only delivered on many isekai/slice of life tropes, but it had action, mystery, a tad bit of romance, and fight scenes alongside the farming/fishing/caving scenes. It was almost like reading the story script of one of those farming games, or choose your own adventure games.
  Grammar: impeccable. I didn't notice anything on the first read through, and when i saw comments with suggested edits i saw they ad already been fixed in the text.
  Story: I feel like this is the most polarizing section of this book. I really liked that there was action and monster fighting, but I did notice some people were mad because of the lack of farming. I thought the amount of farming/fishing/general slice of life was adequate, and if there was any more it would feel like filler chapters. There is NO FILLER in this story, which upset some people, but I had no issue with it.
  Character: this is where the book really shines. The main character as well as the side characters interact well and move the story along through dialouge nicely.
  Overall, I would recommend this book, but I guess give the warning that this isn't JUST a farming book. It's so much more, just overall a heartwarming story and a good read.
• CyberpoodleRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I really like this story. It reminds me of sitting down on a cozy winter afternoon with some tea and a blanket ad the newest harvest moon/stardew valley. I think there are quite a few nods to both games or at least it does feel that way.
  The story progresses reasonably fast, no lingering/detailing every second of every characters life. All the characters have their own motivations, but most are just good natured honest people who want to see the protagonist succeed. The antagonists both are (as of yet) just evil for evils sake, but I don't mind having no grey morals to ponder about.
  As I'm not a native speaker I can't really say anything about grammar, except that it is easily readable and understandable.
  I love the story and want to know, how it ends and if the boy gets the girl and stays with her. I want to know more about the world and the magic and hope there are more books to come.
• Sydn333Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I call the author a meanie because I felt the ending was too rough on the characters! This is a slice of life, right? I settled in for a relaxing farming lit rpg where i could read about a farmer growing some friggin plants, and instead felt gutted over what happened to some of my favorite characters in the final chapters. Classic hook you and cook you imo. NOT NICE.
  Not deduction any stars because the story was so good, but i do feel like i need an apology from the author lol. I'll wait. Mabye at least a violence warning? I guess it wasn't too bad but still. Scared to get too into book two, but know i'm going to anyway. meanie author...
  UPDATE: the authors messaged me to 'apologize'! We are square now! Keep up the great work!
• ZorigemRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I began reading this thinking it was a slice of life, cozy farming story with light litrpg elements. Over the past month, it has absolutely hooked me and I find myself hoping the authors will throw us a bone and double post in one day! ALSO, peeping that new cover and realizing this is a much more action based story than originally promised, which is a good thing in my opinion.
  To start off, it feels like a normal isekai farming story with a likeable protag and engaging dialogue. Matt Miller is whisked away to another world and finds himself floundering with new responsibilities and no way home. I should've guessed around the mid beginning -maybe middle- of the book when the threat of monsters began to surface that I was in for much more than a quiet, cozy read. These authors love to hint at one thing happening (mayhaps a cozy fishing chapter for you?) and then BAM! Something else completely that rocks you and has you coming back for the next chapter, wondering if you're truly in it for the farming or if you're in it to see if Matt Miller survives.
  The last chapter posted did that very same thing, and I find myself wanting to message the authors with "please sir, can i have some more?"
  Overall, a great read. Slow in the beginning, but worth it for the end (so far! will update after final chapter!)
  Style: engaging and gripping. Like i said, I'm hooked. I was drawn in by the cozy elements and stayed because it's just an overall wonderful story with fun and heart warming characters.
  Grammar: I haven't noticed anything, so far so good!
  Story: Absolutely perfection, but not in any sort of predictable way. I'm impatiently waiting for the next chapter as I write this.
  Character: at first there were some characters I didn't like, whether it was their attitude or how they treated protag etc.etc. but i can safely say now that every character is so dynamic, you grow to love even the meanies.
  Keep it up! I am chomping at the bit to read the last chapters!
  UPDATE AFTER EPILOGUE:
• bloodadeptRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I grew up with video games like "Harvest Moon: Back to Nature" being my favorite game for a solid decade. It was the first game I ever played for so long that I maxed out the time spent on save file screen. I believe my longest save went to year 27, when year 3 pretty much concludes the story line.
  This series is a wonderful blend of games like Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons (Current entries in the franchise as of 2015 are now named Story of Seasons a more accurate, if loose translation of the Japanese franchise. Harvest Moon is a trademark of Natsume Inc.) and Stardew Valley. While it mostly keeps to the sedate pace of what you'd expect from the average farming story, it also understands and illustrates how frantic specific time periods are for farmers. That's to say nothing for a farmer whose got to defend their crops from more than just weeds and "invasive pests".
  Matt Miller must defend his farm against the "Toxic Love" of the embodiment of Corruption. I'm not referring to the "Nobility" either, though he's also got to contend with the local noble wanting his land to build Jojo... I mean a manufacturing plant. Because that's absolutely what this small town needs, a manufacturing plant and a few hundred or more new people suddenly flooding into it and weakening the community bonds. If you can't tell, this is sarcasm.
  I've admittedly only read through to the end of book 1 so far. But I will absolutely recommend this series to anyone, and everyone who gives me the slightest chance to do so.
• levitee20Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Preface: I usually do not go for farming stories, as I find them slow and boring. This one came highly recommended to me, so i gave it a chance. I'm so glad I did. It's slow-ish in the beginning, but quickly grabs your attention, and holy shit, the end was nothing like any farming story I've read so far. Actual fighting, in a progression farming story? Crazy. If I could compare it to another book, I would maybe compare it to Beware of Chicken, but it's not a xanxia novel, so its a weak comparison at best.
  Let's get into it:
  Style: Overall great. Sentence structure is easy to read and chapters often end on a cliff hanger.
  Grammer: I'm not a grammar nazi or anything, so I just gave 5 stars for easy reading and good flow. I'm not searching for mistakes like most readers.
  Story: Like i said before, very different and unexpected, but in a good way. Story arc is there, but it isn't like any other farming novel I've read, so it was refreshing in a way.
  Character:  I always find that isekai characters are too accepting of their sudden change of circumstance, but that isn't the case here. MC grumbles his way through many chapters, and I thought that was way more likely than someone just suddenly being ok with being pulled into another world. Side characters are good, some being hilarious while others are downright rude, but they all work together in a seamless and unforgettable way to help MC trough the story.
  Overall, I recommend this book, even if you don't like farming. The farming part is only a small part of the story, which brings so much more to the table for the reader. There's also very little profanity and no graphic/sexual content, which is actually a breath of fresh air in litRPG in my opinion. Great work! Let's hope they don't take forever on book two.
• Samantha NelsonRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  As a preface, this genre isn't my thing. I'm reading this to try to understand it for a future book that I want to write.
  The book is a slow burn. In terms of Slice of Life, you likely need to have played these types of games to get that real life resonance. So, for people who enjoy these, you should give it a read.
  Style: The style of this book is akin to watching one of the games. The protagonist interacts with various people and things. The emotional aspect of the protag is lite, adding a bit more would help. Like most Isekai, he just accepts things extremely readily. It's a bit contrived, but that happens a lot in Isekai. If you overlook it, it'll be fine.
  Story: The story seems to be solid. It is a bit hard to tell at this point since this is clearly a slow burn. That said, it appears to follow typical arcs seen in the genre.
  Grammar: Is basically flawless. This is written in first person past. They keep their sentence structures tidy and easy to read. You won't have issue.
  Character: They are good. The protag could benefit from some more introspection. The dialogue is clean. I'd love to see a bit more character personality in it. (For example, the starting people who try to acquire the farm could be more charming or more threatening when talking).
  Overall, it seems like a well-written farming slice of life. If this is your jam, you should definitely read it.
• songamRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  I like it when a character follows quests. The whole idea is interesting and I like how everything is happening. It's really immersive. Many books nowadays are made up for teenagers who want to see a harem and super powerful characters at the beginning, I am happy every time I find a book that is different. I will definitely continue reading this.
• EvilMoogleRoyal Road

  ★★★ 3.0

  A story about farming that has little to do with farming. I came because I was promised slice of life farming but so far this is mainly farming lite. That said the actual story is not bad and the grammar is excellent but I just want a farming story that is actually about farming! Side quests with monsters and such are fine, but should not take center stage like this has.
• WitchcraftMakerRoyal Road

  ★★★ 3.0

  I'll try to list both positives and negatives, and first I need to mention the main reason for I why gave it a lower score than I initially planned to:
  Although this is titled as a farming progression, we're into book 2 and there has been barely any farming! If you are expecting it, prepare to be extremely disappointed.
  So, you ask, is there any progression then? Wrong! There hasn't been much progression either, as MC has barely learnt to hold and swing a sword. So, don't expect to see MC acting cool at any point.
  So, this is just false advertising on both fronts. Honestly, it should have been tagged as just normal isekai and I wouldn't have had any betrayed expectations. But as someone who came looking for farming (or at least proper progression litrpg with weak-to-strong protagonist learning new skills), I feel cheated for wasting my time.
  I'll go into detail further down.
  Grammar:
  It looks very sound and polished, the quality is really good. Great job!
  Style:
  No issues here. It reads really well and strikes a very nice balance between a light-hearted read while also looking professional. It definitely fits the quality I would expect from a published book.
  Story:
  The general storyline is easily traced and while there are definitely plot holes and questionable moments, it's not a bad one. My main issues with the story are these:
  - Lack of either farming OR progression, as I initially mentioned. The frustrating thing is that this does start out as a farming novel and for the first 20 chapters I actually enjoyed the fact that the story time is split equally between farming, adventuring, main plot, and getting to know other characters. It was a very nice balance and I was happy to overlook other issues I had with the story because the vibes were great.
  Buuuuuuuut from roughly chapter 20 it's more about monsters and the main plot, and the farming aspect gets almost completely thrown into the rubbish bin. In book 2, there is no farming at all so far.
  To put it into pros