Secret of the Sunstones, Part 1: The Wanton Kingdom

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Demons of legend will soon awaken from their thousand-year slumber, monsters called spawn are multiplying out of control, and weather conditions worsen. Something is causing the world to plunge into chaos, and the only way to stop it is through a set of artifacts that most people thought were worthless religious icons. Bram Morrison is one of the king's elite knights. But when he is sent on a mission to retrieve one of these relics, he witnesses what it's capable of unleashing, and he realizes he has no choice but to face off against his own kingdom to stem the growing threat.

What you can expect:

- A high fantasy epic with all chapters finished and 100% posted- Polished, quality writing that has been beta tested and revised- Sprawling story with complex characters & villains and rotating POV- Dark and emotional content, engrossing mysteries & satisfying plot twists

The content is suitable for most audiences, age 12+, but specifically targeted at discerning readers who enjoy subtext and mature themes. There is occasional graphic violence and/or grotesque imagery that some readers might find disturbing.

Available now on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle editions:Secret of the Sunstones: Part 1: The Wanton Kingdom on Amazon

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2024
Author: Jeff_Howard

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 229
Views: 55,717

Reviews

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Community Reviews(9)

SkarabraeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I like this story quite a bit.
Style: I like this story's style a lot. It has literary devices, in particular a lot of imagery that helps with the story's tone and set various scenes within the story. The author has incredibly good word choice and is able to set the tone very well with it. The author's way of writing is also unique. And I can safely say that the tone fits the story perfectly.
Story: The story is great. it is paced at just the right pace. It develops at the right pace too. So, no complaints regarding that. The story itself is an epic fantasy that follows a knight with a bit of a morally ambiguous streak who has to deal with an upcoming demon invasion. It also has a few spellcasters as common characters. This ends up resulting in a very interesting story.
Grammar: I couldn't find any grammatical errors. That does not mean they don't exist, but if they do, they are most likely not distracting enough for most people to notice them.
Character: The characters are great. They are all well-depicted, realistic, and three-dimensional. The MC is very interesting to read about in particular, and the side characters are interesting too. The villain is also pretty great.
Overall, this is a very good story and I recommend it.
Rookie12Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Before you, we have a classical fantasy story about a conspiracy that is falling upon the kingdom (heavily inspired by Final Fantasy IV, I believe). It boasts both action and intrigue, has a colorful description and an interesting magic system, and starts rather strongly yet slows down at several points due to stylistic choices.
Style: On its own, there is no problem here; it is the third person; we follow the POV of a chapter, and everything works nicely in this formula. However, the author often switches POVs in the next chapter, and while this method serves as a great way to show us more of the world, it takes a reader out of action. Imagine facing up against a dragon, eagerly pressing next to see what is going on, and being greeted with... a tea.
I don't subtract a score since the author always delivers (we were promised an awesome fight and we will get it, but later), yet such a structure left me a bit perplexed as to why not to create another order of chapters.
Story: The narrative is good; persons of low birth have unique forms of speeches when compared to the highborns; professionals act their rank, which adds to the believability of the setting. Characters act in their own interests, and the worldbuilding explains the large presence of the monsters in the setting and why commoners would distrust mages.
Yet there is one flaw with the worldbuilding, but it is very crucial. It concerns economics. It comes very briefly in the story, involves the amount of pay the MC and his love interest get, and simply shatters the illusion of the world unless you ignore or miss it. And it is the cornerstone of many of the MCs' problems and a large part of their motivation, so it is rather hard not to think about how this part of economics creates the greatest dissonance of believability in the world.
Grammar score: I am not a native English speaker, so heed my words with distrust. I have found no mistakes in the story, and the author's vocabulary is rather rich and pleasant t
S.D. HussRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I’ve read up to the end of Arc II (Chapter 26) And so far this story is extremely well executed. It started as a review swap, but I’m pretty invested in the story at this point.
Style: The Author’s style seems to be very streamlined. There aren't any wasted moments or sentences. Each line goes smoothly to the next and compared to many stories it moves at a fairly brisk pace. I often was surprised at how quickly the story progressed after even a single chapter. This doesn’t interrupt the overall flow though. It is easy to read and imagine what is on the page.
Story: The story follows a Gnostic Knight named Bram. Who captains an airship. The story also follows Rosa, a magic user who is a veteran. I won’t spoil the details of the story, but I will say that a lot happens to these characters, almost immediately. From mutiny and betrayal, to political intrigue. And a huge battle sequence at the end of Act II that was incredible. I like how the author uses each chapter to paint a full picture. No chapter feels unfulfilled. There were a couple events that I thought could have been left out, but that boils down to my personal preferences and hopes for each character.
Characters: There is a broad spectrum of characters in this book. Bram, Kane, and Cedric being my favorites. Bram is a strong protagonist from the beginning; and someone you root for right off the bat. Kane is introduced a bit later. When they go on a mission into the mountains to find another Sunstone. (That trip has a very interesting conclusion.) And of course, my man, Cedric. Who has some strong chapters. I was a bit put off by Rosa’s character, but she had some great moments.
Grammar: Nothing stood out to me. If there were mistakes, I didn’t notice. I was too immersed in the story to care.
Overall I love this story so far. I would recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy. It has great fight scenes, dialogue, twists, and characters. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Elijah KingRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall: I really enjoyed this book. It does a great job of mixing action with heartfelt moments, and I got pulled into the story pretty quickly. The pacing kept me interested throughout, and I think if you like a blend of emotional depth and excitement you’ll enjoy this too.
Style: The writing is clear and easy to follow, which made it simple to dive into the world the author created. The balance between detail and story was just right! Not too overwhelming but enough to build a vivid world. The dialogue felt genuine, capturing each character’s unique voice, and the transitions between action-packed and emotional scenes were really well done imo.
Story: The plot had plenty of twists that kept me on my toes, and I really appreciated how it wasn’t just about the action but also explored deeper themes like trust and sacrifice. The way the story tied in the pasts of characters like Bram, Rosa, and even Cedric with current events made everything feel connected and meaningful.
Character: I found the characters really relatable, especially Bram, who starts strong but clearly has room to grow. Watching him, along with Rosa and Cedric, face challenges that are both physical and emotional made their journeys feel real. Each character brought something unique to the table, and their interaction, especially in tough moments felt authentic, showing their strengths and vulnerabilities.
Grammar: The writing was smooth and well-edited, making the entire reading experience more enjoyable without any distractions from errors.
Thank you to the author for putting so much care into this story, I stopped at chapter 20 but I'll probably keep on reading as he continues to write. :)
Nathan_BriscoeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The writing on this is fantastic and the story is compelling. I sat down to read a couple of chapters and ended up finishing the first arc. The characters are well written and have nicely rounded personalities. The pacing is rock solid and the writing flows. I look forward to seeing how the story unfolds.
R.MagnusRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
What started as a simple review swap ended with me reading through the entire thing and eagerly waiting for the sequel.
That alone should tell you what I think of this story, but I'll still break it down and explain why Secrets of the Sunstones is a great work that definitely deserves a read.
Style-wise, the story is told from a 3rd person perspective - a great pick for a tale of this scope and scale. It allows the author to explore different corners of the world he created without breaking immersion. While it initially felt like there were too many POVs, that quickly changed as the story progressed. The focus tightened, and each perspective ended up enriching the main storyline rather than distracting from it.
As for the plot, in simple terms: it's excellent, and by far the strongest aspect of the story. The author mentions having worked on this story for years, and it absolutely shows. The narrative is carefully crafted, with well-explained concepts, subtle foreshadowing, and a living, breathing world. The heroes (and sometimes villains) travel through diverse regions, leaving their mark. But what makes SotS special is how we then follow the side characters left behind, showing how they react to the aftermath, and their actions to change things and progress the story even further. Eventually, everything comes together impressively for the grand finale.
Grammar is near flawless. It's clear that a lot of care went into polishing each chapter - across 99 chapters, I noticed only a handful of minor typos. Ridiculously small for something with so many words.
My only real critique lies with the characters. While many of them are wonderfully developed and compelling, a few felt like they were being dragged along without enough narrative weight. Still, Bram is a strong and well-written protagonist who carries the story forward and makes it easy to overlook the weaker cast members.
Bottom line: an excellent fantasy read that deserves more attention, and one I'm very excite
RavensFantasyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Style/Story: The style of the story: There are POV switches within this story but the author does it well to indicate who’s POV it is in. As it is written in third person it made it easy to distinguish what character the chapter's view was in. The overall flow and pace of the story is done well! In all, I thought the style was one that could be easily followed and read.
The story itself: The story is an enjoyable read with likable characters. The author does well at setting scenes, describing, and creating some tension between characters. As well as foreshadowing and hints throughout the chapters that make you question what is going to happen next. I even felt that the worldbuilding was good in the story as each chapter we seemed to get bit by bit of it. The story is one I am enjoying and happy that it found me through a review swap.
Grammar: I noticed very little to no grammar mistakes within the story. Overall, it is written well.
Characters: The story sets the characters up well. Each having their own unique voice and personalities. Starting with Rosa we see her weak to being more of a stronger character. One who is willing to stand up for what she wants. Bram is seen as one who follows the King's orders but struggles when he sees a potential issue as he only wants to do the right thing. Virgil, I feel, is our villain as he seems to want power and will do anything to get it. So far, I will say I have enjoyed the characters of Rosa and Bram the most and hope nothing but the best for them.
In all, I feel the characters are introduced and done well. As I was able to distinguish them from one another. Each has their own uniqueness and it carries throughout the chapters.
In Summary: As there is a lot of this story left for me to read, I have certainly enjoyed what I have read so far. And I look forward to reading more!
C CrowleyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
If you're looking for something that follows the story archetype of a man fighting for what he believes in realizing that, maybe... he shouldn't believe in it and having his perceptions of reality challenged, this fits the bill.
The viewpoint does bounce around character POVs quite often but each one has a purpose. I will say some of them feel out of place to me personally, but the author has their reasons for their placement. Overall writing style is very solid and they clearly know how they want to tell this story.
Story itself fits into an archetype, of sorts, but it's an entertaining one. Almost from the get-go, you get the sense the main character is going to be challenged to hold true to their beliefs... the enjoyment comes from finding out how that happens and ultimately what decision they make. I've seen other commenters say it's very reminiscent of FFIV, though I can't speak to that myself.
Grammar is very good. As title says, it's well-written.
Characters feel like they all fit into their respective roles almost a little too well in some parts (knight loyal to his king, sorceress love interest, conniving villain, overbearing father, etc.) but if you're going to fill a role, may as well do it strongly. The interactions between the characters are very good in any case. It makes sense when each personality clashes, and when characters make decisions in-line with what we've learned about them.
Overall, 4.5/5 and a recommendation to anyone looking for this kind of story. I plan to continue on to the end of what is currently uploaded, but wanted to go ahead and give it a review for what I've enjoyed so far.
A. StargazerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This isn't exactly a final fantasy fanfiction, but it reads a lot like one. The author freely admits exactly where the inspiration for this story comes from, and the style and feel of the early NES and SNES final fantasy series is very, very strong here.
This is a good thing, in my opinion.
Some of the characters seemed to be directly ripped to the point where they have the same name, although the author changes other aspects of them.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, and I feel like fans of the final fantasy franchise will do the same.
There were several aspects which prevent me from giving this story full marks.
The first is the style. I really hate the Show Don't Tell mantra. I believe in Show And Tell. It's a balance that changes based on your style, and the amount of showing and the amount of telling is going to change between authors and stories. But my issue with this author's style is how much telling is involved in building their characters, which is the other aspect which is preventing me from giving this story full marks.
Now, the author does a great job of telling the character's motivations. All of the characters and all of the motivations. As a reader, it feels a little bit like having my hand held. TBH, I skimmed through the dialogue and the action on one chapters, then went back and gave it a more thorough reading. I enjoyed the read where I deliberately skipped 40% of the text more than I enjoyed the thorough read, and just focusing on the dialogue and what the characters were doing didn't change my understanding at all.
Let the character's actions tell me what they think/feel! I swear I'm smart enough to figure it out, and if you surprise me later, I'll still enjoy your story!
There was one character that I particularly didn't like. She made a weak/bad first impression and at the time of this review she sort of tried to grow a spine but I'm still left with a sour taste in my mouth.
That's not why I'm detracting a star from this category, how