Shadebearer

Information

Status

Hiatus

Year

2024

Author

Spence Conroy

• Announcement / A New Story
  Jun 15, 2024
• Chapter 1.4
  Jun 21, 2024
• Chapter 1.3
  Jun 21, 2024
• Chapter 1.2
  Jun 21, 2024
• Chapter 1.1
  Jun 21, 2024

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• megalomagiRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The protagonist is relatable and feels real. I want to know more about the world and have so many questions about the magic system, and the systems in general. The MC's system needs a few slaps for all that snark. So far the story is really good though and the only problem that I have with it is that there isn't enough of it yet (but it hasn't been out long)! Good work so far and I recommend others to read/rate/review it too.
• NetmcRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I've thoroughly enjoyed the story thus far. I like the fact that the protagonist is one of the "bad" guys and is doing their best to hide this fact from everyone else. Sometimes the bad guys make the best good guys.
  I do find how she got into the academy and scheduled for all her classes without anyone "knowing" a bit deus ex machina, everything else has been well done and within the realm of possibilities, making the story otherwise believable. It's often difficult for authors to have the protagonist to make the transition from their initial circumstances believably, I won't hold this relatively minor point against them too much.
  While I've enjoyed all the fleshed out characters, I think my favorite character thus far is that of the System. Instead of boring blue boxes listing dry technical details, we have one that is full of mockery and snark. I love it! I do have to admit that every time I read a blue box, my internal voice switches to that of the narrator of the Dungeon Keeper/War of the Overworld games. A voice that congradulates you at same time being annoyed with the fact that you were successful...somehow.
• ShernyRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  First of all I'd like to say that the world and the setting in general seems very intruiging and the premise is also interesting but I find the way it's written somewhat off-putting because we are talking about an 16 year old girl and she constantly keeps talking about the journey or the dangers that lay ahead, don't get me wrong, I know what the author was trying to accomplish there but the choice of words and the number of times he keeps repeating them just makes it weird.
  Also again, so far the story really seems like it's got potential butthe choice of words is still really weird as it feels like the story constantly to sound poetic but at some point it just gets too much.
  I have read a fair share of classical books but with them being much shorter than web fictions I can at least justify it.
  So all in all. The story can definitely be enjoyable to some people but I find the poetic style in a first-person perspective just a bit off-putting.
  First of all I'd like to say that the world and the setting in general seems very intruiging and the premise is also interesting but I find the way it's written somewhat off-putting because we are talking about an 16 year old girl and she constantly keeps talking about the journey or the dangers that lay ahead, don't get me wrong, I know what the author was trying to accomplish there but the choice of words and the number of times he keeps repeating them just makes it weird.
  Also again, so far the story really seems like it's got potential butthe choice of words is still really weird as it feels like the story constantly to sound poetic but at some point it just gets too much.
  I have read a fair share of classical books but with them being much shorter than web fictions I can at least justify it.
  So all in all. It's certainly got a good premise, the world seems interesting enough, and I found the plot of the first few chapters very promising and I can see that the story can definitely be enjoyable to many people but I find the
• JashawaRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Really enjoy the story and writing style so far.  Looking forward to more.  The characters are diverse and likable for the most part. I enjoy the sarcastic  system comments that try to rub salt into the MC's wounds. The art work for the pet/sidekick frog are really cut and add a bit of flavor to the story.
• AerodothRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Loving a great adventure of a world not yet fully explored, magic left to be discovered and frogs not yet kissed.
  Mr. Hopsworth is clearly the greatest sage who's ever lived...
  School has never had so many dark plots.
  Hop to it all and give it a read, the plot thickens twenty chapters or so in.
• demonbugRoyal Road

  ★★★★ 3.5

  the world itself seems fairly unique in how everything works and how the system is presented. The unique system that the main character unlocks seems like it serves as a way to create progression in the MC through tasks, which i have mixed feelings about. It does its job well, but it feels very inorganic if that makes sense. The snarky system also is interesting but it seems to throw itself too far into that idea. it kind of seems overdone if that makes sense. which leads me to the main reason i'm probably not going to keep reading the story. A lot of the story seems to be over the top/very dramatic. the best thing i can think of for comparison is like when in translated webnovels have that super over the top unrealistic dialogue, the "he is so powerful i want to have his babies" at first sight kind of stuff. Granted, i will say it does not seem nearly as bad as some, but it has that same feeling which is enough to be a buzzkill for me. I really think that the novel could be one to kind of peruse and enjoy, but that sort of stuff is just a specific pet peeve of mine so i am gonna pass.
• dinnertimeRoyal Road

  ★★★★ 3.5

  Only read the first 4 chapters, its pretty simple and basic but competent enough. I expect once it expands outside of the city interesting things will happen. There is some mystery about humanity been stuck in cities due to the danger outside.
  But cant be bothered reading any more as not worth hanging around until it maybe gets interesting. The system offering humouress coments is a neat twist but sadly they are not that funny and how a 16 year old with no previous experience kills someone and gets over it in 30 seconds is just silly.
  Basically its boring, she should be under maximium stress, the town searching for her. She just killed one of the elite guards, she could have been dumped outside the city rather than the frog quest. Instead she rescues a frog and makes a friend.
• ZajinnRoyal Road

  ★★★ 3.0

  This story has potential, but doesn't quite live up to it.
  First off, the premise sounded interesting and the cover art is amazing, both of which lured me in to give this a try even though there are so few reviews to judge how good it might be.
  But right from the start something felt off, even though the pacing kept me reading through chapter after chapter. The grammar was good and the characters were fine if a little stiff and lacking depth at the start. The basic story seemed interesting so far yet hasn't really progressed beyond the setup. None of that was the problem though, so I kept reading until I couldn't anymore.
  Because the more I read the more obvious the problem was. The writing itself is just... not good.
  At first I thought the overly serious and dramatic tone in first person was deliberate as it's about an insecure teenager dealing with a problem that could change her entire path in life while potentially going insane. But time after time character actions and stated motivations didn't make sense, feeling forced and repetitive. Like the characters were being driven by the story rather than the other way around.
  Which is when it finally dawned on me that the MC's internal monologue wasn't intentionally angsty and oblivious to the contrived events happening around them, describing how they felt over and over while skipping difficult to process personal interactions. No, the author is simply inexperienced and hasn't learned why "Show, don't tell" is so important.
  So while I really do want to like this story as it has great potential, the author needs more practice and multiple beta-readers to point out the problematic areas before editing more. I hope to come back in a few months and try reading this again to see how much it's improved.
• KerjiggerRoyal Road

  ★★★ 2.5

  This story is good. It's an interesting concept and a clearly well imagined world, but something just seemed... Off.
  It took me a while to realise it, mainly because the initial chapters were mainly the Protagonist on her own, struggling to deal with what is essentially a symbiotic creature that represents nothing short of heresy to her world attaching itself to her. Then we reached the academy.
  There isn't a single line of dialogue that feels like a real human conversation that real humans would have. Emotions are conveyed. Information is delivered, but it's all done in such a stilted uncanny way that it feels more like an Alien's approximation of what human speech sounds like.
  I hope that the author finds a proof reader down the line as this story does have potential. Right now it's being smothered by the uncanny writing style.
• ScreamingtoasterRoyal Road

  ★★ 2.0

  I didn't see much wrong grammar or spelling wise in the story.
  I just can't get into this one though. Between the way the girl gets the system, how lax it was to just slide into the academy under false pretenses, the ridiculous teacher and system quests it just all seems too over the top. Seems like every other chapter I stop and just go what in the heck is this and why are they doing this.
  I think the system making fun of her is the best part of this story.