Son of Strife - Demonic Urban Fantasy (Book 1 Complete)

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Sixteen-year-oldRodrigo Beltranisawalkingtime bomb. With aneglectful mother,an absentfather,andyounger siblingshestruggles toshield from their parents’failings,his temper’s on the end of a fraying leash.Sowhen Rodrigo awakens to a chilling voice echoing in his skull—a voice claiming to be Resent, the Prince of Hell—he dismisses it as the onset of a breakdown.

But after an assassin's fire razes his home in pursuit of Resent, Rodrigo is thrust into a deadly dance with demonic forces beyond his comprehension. To safeguard his family, he must learn from the prince about their now mutual enemy, demonkind, and how to harness the destructive power of the nebulae against them. Framed and executed forhis fatherthe king’s murder,Resent’senduringsouldwellsin Rodrigo’s bodyandinsists onusing his unwilling hostas an instrument for hisvengeance.

As he attempts to reclaim hiscrown,Resent drags Rodrigo intoa waragainsttheinfernalthat risksnot only his life, but the lives ofeveryoneon earth.

Release Schedule:One chapter a week on Wednesdays at 9:06 PM(Eastern Standard Time)

Chapter length will vary between roughly 2,000-4,000 words

What to expect:

- Slow burn plot with each act increasing in intensity

- Character-focused with a strong emphasis on family

- A main cast that mostly start out young and inexperienced, but will gain knowledge, skill, and power as they mature throughout the series

- While not a slice of life or drama story, there are some elements of both in between the mayhem

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: NightOwlRob

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.1/ 5.0
Followers: 101
Views: 29,110

Chapters(89 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(4)

Dionysus God Of MadnessRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is an awesome story, personally ive had a few qualms about how certain characters act however im a tad bit sociopathic so i'm more than happy to ignore those in the fiction, the story is compelling the fight scenes are detailed and feel awesome to read and the characters are well developed and thought out and explained, leaving no one 1D.
KonstantinKRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall, this is an action packed story, written with style and intense pacing. The more you read, the more you don't want to stop reading. I definitely will not stop; I recommend the same to you as well. It is really addictive and I cannot explain this without simply recommending to give it a try.
Style & Characters: These are the (absolute 10 stars out of 5) strong suit of the story: the author's style and the adorable characters. The narration and direction of an anime-like story is hard to pull off in a serialised web novel, but it is done masterfully. You just can't stop reading. Not only that, but Rodrigo and his family are so vividly experienced that you simply can't but love them, and want to see how they fare in every chapter. The pairing of Rodrigo and Resent is also very fun to read.
I can't emphasize enough how enjoyable this read is. Good job and please keep going!
Grammar: Absolutely on point. Not much to say there, even if there is maybe (?) a typo somewhere, it is barely noticeable.
Story: The premise is very typical, Shōnen-like, prince of Hell story. This is something I personally enjoy, and I think most people will as well. This familiar trope allows the story to propel forward with a very standard progression, as Rodrigo faces increasingly dangerous situations. At the same time, the slow-burn/slice of life element of Rodrigo's family blends a unique take of Spanish culture within the story. Without spoiling much, the center of the story being Rodrigo's family gives a spin to the usual protagonist story that is focused only on the MC. I am hoping this pays off in the chapters to come, as right now it is a bit more of a side-plot. I feel I would hold off a symbolic 0.5 star to see how this progresses in the next chapters.
This is definitely an amazing read worth of your time. 10 Chapters in, and I am sure I will keep going! Congrats to the author.
ThuggzRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I'm sorry, that review title is terrible. This story has me thinking about shonen my friends and I watched in high school. I'll be following this one for a while, I think.
Style - Reading this felt like I had just finished watching the pilot episode of the next big shonen, and there seems to be plenty of inspiration here. It would hardly be surprising if that was the intention for this story's direction.
Story - We have our boy Rodrigo, a New Yorker from a rough neighbourhood who unwittingly invites a dark passenger named Resent into his being. Resent is powerful and helpful at times, but demanding, and it's clear Rodrigo will be dragged into whatever mess Resent has caused/is the result of.
Grammar - Grammar was very clean; if there were any issues, they were too minor to take away from the experience.
Character - Rodrigo and Resent are our protagonists with the most time in the spotlight, with Rodrigo being a relatable character who lives in a setting that is easy to visualize. That's scratching the surface of the characters in this story, for as far as I've read, we also get a solid handle on Rodrigo's family members. The dialogue between them is very well done.
thedyingauthorRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Hey! I just finished reading chapter 4 and I just WANTED to write a review before continuing... wow—this story definitely pulled me in from the start. I loved how intense the opening scene was. The whole thing with the fire—Rodrigo trying to save his family while everything’s burning down around him—was so vivid. It really made me feel like I was in the middle of the chaos with him. And the way you described the smoke, the panic, the heat... you could practically feel it on your skin.
Rodrigo is such a relatable main character. You can tell he’s just trying to do his best for his family, even though it seems like everything is working against him. I really liked the way he interacts with his siblings too. There’s a real sense of love and protectiveness there, but also tension, especially when it comes to his own limitations and his relationship with the demon, Resent. Speaking of Resent, I have to say, that whole dynamic is super interesting. I can’t decide whether I love it or hate it—it definitely keeps you on your toes!
Now, Flint, the demon on the roof—he’s creepy as hell. I love how calm he is, like he’s just enjoying the fire and destruction he’s causing. It makes him feel even more dangerous. You definitely nailed the whole “antagonist you can’t ignore” vibe with him. But at the same time, I feel like I still don’t know enough about him or his motivations. Why is he after Rodrigo? What’s his deal? I’m curious to see how you’ll flesh that out later.
The action scenes are great, too. I felt the suspense in all the right moments, but I do think a few slower, quieter moments where Rodrigo reflects on everything would help add some depth. Like, maybe after he saves his mom—there’s this huge moment of survival, but it feels a bit rushed after all the chaos. A little pause to let us feel his exhaustion or fear could make it hit even harder.
And as much as the supernatural elements are cool, I do think there’s a bit more room to expand on the world. Right now, I’m ge