Shadowbane

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Sacrificed as a child along with her family by demonic cultists, Reimia lives out a cycle of tragedy andsurvival on her path to revenge. In her long life, she battles Eldritch, Demons, andFaceless Beings, while also bearing witness to the return of the Old Gods.

- What to expect:- First person POV.- There are a few POV swaps, with the majority of them being at the beginning(chapters 1-9). After that, they are rather rare and short(with one exclusion).- Long chapters. Average 3-6k words, with some being close to 8k.- New writer, figuring it out as I go. Hopefully I'm able to entertain you!

Shadowbane begins after Reimia's first death. It's a bit unconventional, and it requires you to piece things together as the story advances. Most of my readers haven't had a problem with it, but a few have shown me that not everyone is into this. So here is your warning.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: Reimia

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Views: 73

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

FoxBoxRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Still in the beginning but the well crafted world and intrigue definitely kept me wanting to learn more about it. The world building is great, It's a mix of a lot of good things you might see in many different genres (like fantasy, sci-fi, eldritch horror...) but it still maintains an aura of mystery with some new ideas sprinkled on everything to make the world's mythos authetic, cohesive and intriguing. You can feel the author spent some time refining it, and I absolutely love it!
Characters are interesting and three-dimensional, nothing is black or white and everyone (including antagonists) has their own believable set of reasons as to how they act. You learn about them as you go and they all have their well crafted backstory that unfolds giving light to their actions, no cardboard npc here. At least what I've seen is promising for now.
Style is serviceable, nothing fancy but nothing bad either. It serves it's purpose and is very easy to digest by being quick and to the point.
There are a few grammar mistakes here and there but nothing too bad and definitely nothing that hindered my reading.
I got nothing to add I think, except that I definitely recommend it, especially if the synopsis sounds like this story is right up your alley.
mazereonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Not much of a reviewer but I'll try.
I've tried a few grimdark or adjacent novels, but the ever present despair/horror just doesn't work for me.
This , on the other hand, this is amazing. It doesn't feel like there's no hope, not much despair etc.
The MC is actually suprisingly weak if you've read any other 1000+ page works here, which is definitely charming. I'd say I generally prefer the nobody to OP progression, but when that is every single fantasy the "powerful to 2x more powerful" progression is nice from time to time.
MC can sneak and that's mostly it. She can fight, but there's generally a lot of enemies she can't or won't take on since it would be too dangerous.
If I had to write some criticism, I'd say the copy ability of the MC feels underutilized, I've had a bit of a problem caring about other characters, but I think that's mostly a me problem and that's about it.
The gramar is extremely good, MC is amazing, love that every chapter is MC pov (not a fan of changing pov), mostly feels like high fantasy but via portals some moons have guns and robots.
whoremoanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
the story follows this elven girl who died and was reborn into the world that has warped. there is a bit of many elements here but what is pleasant is the original plot craft and fantasy. it incorporates eldritch beings, gods, demons, humans and hints that our earth has long been destroyed. there is time powers and unique elements that make this story absolutely gripping. seems like there are greater and more nefarious forces at play that what is being let on. 10/10
HisperiaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I’m glad I didn’t get discouraged when things got a bit chaotic after the story starting really expanding. There were a few chapters that were a bit confused I thought as the story transitioned from a more personal tale to one kingdom sized very quickly. However it stuck the landing soon after. I’ll emphasize again that I found myself highly entertained and engaged with the character community. The style of writing is very dense with imagination and highly descriptive scenes. There’s no one way to write and I imagine the author has quite the visual creative process. I would imagine that they take more cues from say a screenwriting visually inspired style. Rather than the the more ridged Tolkien-esq style which admittedly as a linguist designing a world for his languages and their civilizations and epics is at the other end of the spectrum yet overlapping. This work is designed around a universe which has a massive amount of thought and complexity, if Tolkien is a bottom up writer our author is top down. It’s driven by its deep Lovecraftian lore as much as it is driven by engaging characters and a well developed storyline. There’s plenty to get excited about with a fast paced action packed driven storyline that is driven by characters who are worth getting invested in. Give it a go.
J. S. BoydRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I want to give this story props for having one of the coolest covers I've seen on this site. Love the style. Love the vibe. Hoping the story does well. From what I've read of the first two chapters it puts me in mind of Grimm's fairytales which is the absolute right thing to put me in mind of.
Grimdark is a setting choice that we need more of. Less escapism, more exaggerated reality.
Lucian T. EinarRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
*Overall: The book "Shadowbane" by Reimia is a gripping tale of tragedy, revenge, and survival that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The story unfolds in a mysterious and dark world filled with Eldritch beings, gods, and demons, where the protagonist, Reimia who happens to be the same author (?), faces challenges and foes in her quest for vengeance.
*Style: The writing style of "Shadowbane" is deep and complex, offering readers an immersive experience with well-crafted characters and impactful storytelling. The author's focus on character development and plot intricacies adds depth to the narrative, making it a compelling read.
*Story: The story of "Shadowbane" is filled with original plot elements and fantasy elements that keep readers engaged. From the cyclical nature of tragedy to the time powers and unique elements present in the narrative, the story is both gripping and intriguing. The inclusion of various races, magic, and high stakes adds layers to the plot, making it a captivating read.
*Grammar: The book shows a strong command of grammar and language, with minimal errors that do not detract from the overall reading experience. The author's attention to detail in editing and proofreading ensures a smooth and polished narrative.
*Character: The characters in "Shadowbane" are morally complex and engaging, with each displaying unique traits and motivations. The protagonist, Reimia, stands out as a strong lead with a compelling arc of revenge and survival. The supporting cast adds depth to the story, portraying a mix of wholesome, corrupt, and morally dubious characters that enhance the overall narrative.
I love the book cover btw, wow!
Tokage NoshipoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A deep and incredibly well written story.
I can’t give this an advanced review yet because it takes longer to go through each chapter, and that’s a great thing. This is the type of story where each chapter contains more depth and complexity than your typical RR fare. I want to make sure to spend the time to read writing like this slowly and with the attention it deserves. For now if you like a book with complex, interesting characters, a story with impact and consequences and an author who focuses on the craft over the views, then I recommend giving this a good look.
I’ll be back later once I get deeper into the story, guarenteed.
ZagarothRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I'm always a little dubious when starting a darker story, but I have found what I need to enjoy grimmer tales is to have that promise of there being something better that is achievable. And it does have that. There is hope. Maybe not a big one, but there is that thread to hold onto. Little glimpses of what might yet be.
Style:
As much as I like this story, I do have to dock a little for the choice of matching this story with first-person PoV. While there aren't a lot of them, we don't just use the MC's PoV, and it makes more work to figure out who the new character is and adapt to their PoV. 1st person would otherwise be fine if it was told exclusively from one PoV.
Story:
It is an intriguing story where we are being fed little bits of the history behind what has made this word the way it is. There are secrets somewhere that have not yet been revealed, and I am very much looking forward to learning them.
Grammar:
The author's worst sin is being a little loose with present and past tense, though they are working on fixing and editing such mistakes. And overall it's not too bad, but it is there and noticeable. And we all make typos from time to time.
Characters:
Reasonably complex characters, some of whom are morally dubious, some wholesome, and some corrupt/cruel/evil. As much as the MC can flat-out be mean sometimes if that is what she needs to do to survive, you are given enough information and depth to be able to empathize with her approach, even if you don't agree with it.
Overall, I have enjoyed this story very much.
GravionsoRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
For what comments author does on his chapters, this story has actually more than 4 years on the making, and this one is reiteration number idk, didnt really bother searching for the previous versions. That said, im going to give it a solid 4stars. First off author is using various tipical fantasy elements but instead of what i would expect the "mainstream" use of them, or what they represent, they are pretty much whatever the author wants. For example, mc, is obviously a vampire, for us that is, the aesthetics and descriptions are there, with a twist that is the first one, and an elf... and reincarnated from human world?..., so author can make her do whatever it is the story demands.
Now, the universe mc is in, would remind me of the clusterfuck that is wh40k, there are demons, eldritch, gods, and humanoids got their specialized troopers, what they do is somewhat different of what u expect, but needless to say, the normal humanoids are beyond fuked.
So far, the story is set on a "moon" but it is explained that there are different moons, realms, soul realms, soul-realms-worlds, proper planets, and gaia(mother planet with universe spanning beam...idk) sounds ambitious but simply put, the story can take place wherever and it would make sense in the story.
So to finish this off, i can say that i would lose myself in the plot since there are plenty of different threads, but as i usually care only for mc(top waifu due to pics, ngl) i find it enjoyable so far.
Rant is over
ProtoshadowRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
The best part of the story is the world and writing, i have only praises for this part. Especially the world and the problems its facing.
Characters except for the MC are fairly basic and forgettable, mostly because the story goes from one scenario directly into another scenario and so on. There is hardly any break inbetween for you to get attached to any of them.
As for the MC she is well written even tho she could be a bit less self sacrificial.
About the tags...
Progression - There is hardly any in the first 2 books, ive heard that the 3rd one will have progression but that doesnt really make it any better considering that most of the story is without it.
Stategy - What strategy?
Tragedy - I kinda get why this is here but its off the mark. As said there is no downtime, i cant ever get attached to a side character or a place if all im reading is how one problem should be solved and right after that another one pops up
Strong lead - Yeah... no.