Soulburned : The School of Souls

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

TheSoul. Our beautiful gift from the Void, our great light to hold back the darkness... until your kind, you Sorcererscumtainted it."

Guilty of being born a Sorcerer, Adler Crain has beenBranded,cut off from his strange magic, and left a husk of his former self. Spared from execution as a child, he was instead forcibly enrolled into The Iris Tower. In exchange for his life, he's been expected to keep quiet, keep his head down, and forge his Soul into a weapon. He has finally become that weapon, but one that refuses to be wielded by its captors.

Thale Vesper, a rising star among Mages, has earned a promotion, just not the one he wanted. Instead of being given a larger command for his heroism, he's being pulled from the frontlines entirely and sent back to school to play babysitter. Sclera's secret weapon, a young sorcerer who survived aBrandneeds to be brought to heel.

Lyra Mornstag has finally passed the Wizard's entrance exam. She's given the gift of magic and an escape from her family's shadow. The Iris Tower is happy to shelter and train her, however that shelter comes at a cost. Desperate to regain control of her destiny, she puts her faith in a dangerous ally.

With the city under constant siege, from within and without, the trio must overcome their differences to master their Souls... or see themBurnedaway entirely.

Discord Link (https://discord.com/invite/ypYJJX7JA2)

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: Viktor A. Reilly

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 258
Views: 49,516

Reviews

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Community Reviews(7)

chroniclesofmealduthRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
From the great opening line, this dark and chilling set up draws the reader in. The author's descriptions of the dark ceremonies are visually compelling, and immediately we start with a sinister change to an ancient sacrifice ceremony, where the victims are given an impossible choice. The Archmage is a great character - and I would have liked to know what he looked like, and his internal voice as he deals his unique form of 'treatment' to those who bear the Sorceror's Mark.
The reader is pitched straight into the centre of an epic siege between nations that has been running for over 12 years. I was reminded of David Gemmell's Dross Delnoch battle, only with a ton more magic. This is a siege war above all others, with death, demons and sacrifice on an epic scale. Thale is a mage on the wall, and through his efforts we see the cost of magic. No matter what he throws at the enemy, it is never enough, and he despairs that the war will ever be over. The author may wish to give us more of Thale's internal thoughts, and the training he went through to become so powerful. The author manages to add levity through the banter on the battlements, which is no mean achievement. We immediately know that the defenders are men who have fought together a long time.
A well-deserved change in pace follows, as we are introduced to Lyra, undertaking her mage exams. She is a delightful MC, with an appealing complexity and sense of humour which is much needed after all the darkness. In fact, I can't wait to see what her role will be throughout the book, as she is a charming companion.
Overall, Soulburned is a compelling read and an intriguing set-up with multiple possibilities. Will it get darker and more epic. No doubt!
gliglithRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
So many moving pieces are intricately balanced in this piece. We immediately get thrown into action as it begins, and then slowly learn more about the world and the numerous unique magical properties, such as the Brand. Something that isn't technically part of the normal review rubric is the formatting, which I think the author has done a really excellent job of making their own and also making their fiction a pleasure to read.
Style: Closest thing to the formatting would tie in with the style, so we're already leaning on the verge of a good score here. But with that, we've got more - one thing to note is, that there is going to be more dialogue than prose, which does appeal to my specific sensibilities but it is something to know about this fiction. That said, what prose is included is well done and very easy to visualize. Along with that, I found myself easily picturing the scene even when there was more dialogue than not.
Story: So many foreboding and dark elements live in this world - nothing is exactly what it seems, or is it? The setting of The Iris Tower leaves everyone feeling watched and a part of something bigger, and that something often feels like it is up to no good. The author does a great job weaving in intrigue and making you want to know more.
Grammar: Nothing to note here - if there were issues at any point, they've been revised out.
Character: The only thing I'd say here is, while the dialogue in this fiction is really great, I would sometimes like opportunities to get to know some of the characters better through prose. I found myself relating to Lyra the most, though all characters have clearly been crafted with care - I just want a little bit more of the author's mirror to point them in my direction!
Just an aside here, I found Logos very reminiscent of one of the voices in the game Disco Elysium - not sure if that was at all an inspiration but I loved it.
Overall, this is a well crafted story that I am certain will only continue to ramp up as
LifeWisherRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I'll get right into it because I've got a lot to say and you can read the synopsis by yourselves.
Style 5/5
Great. The dialogue is very believable, we're not assaulted by descriptions so our imaginations can fill in the blanks (as it should be), but we're also given enough to help that process. And while it takes a while to get used to the many different fantasy terms used by the author, it's worth it. It took me only a few chapters to get sucked in and stop noticing them. I love the use of color for some of the dialogue too, and it shows care.
Love the prose and the flow of the story. Never a dull moment or a wasted word.
Grammar 5/5 because of Writathon.
This story is a participant in the Writathon which means writing a ton while having less time for editing. While there were some grammar mistakes here there its nothing recurring. The author has made it clear he's taking time to fix all there is to fix, so that's another plus. Seriously, I shouldn't even mention this.
Characters 6/5
Awesome. We have a few main leads which is not something I enjoy most of the time. What happens is that I get invested in the story of the character I relate most to, and then I want more of them, while groaning internally when the POV switches. I wasn't given the opportunity to do that. All the MCs are unique and very interesting in their own ways and without spoiling much all I can say is that picking a favorite might be impossible. Seriously well done.
The rest of the supporting cast is really well-crafted too.
Story 6/5
This feels like reading a paperback book I've just picked up from the bookstore. It's written in such a way that recreates the feeling of good ol' fantasy, but it's also in a format suitable for RR. An amazing feat.
The worldbuilding is wonderful too, as we get this complex established world yet it takes us only a little while to get to know it, and understand the stakes and what's happening. I love what I've seen of the power system, and I love the different facets
ElaiyuRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
We're just barely scratching the meat of this story but I already want to mention how much I adore the flow. The prose, wording, everything- *mwah*, it comes out so naturally easy. Even though I have 0 clue what in the lord's name is going on, the style of writing makes me WANT to know, and I think that's beautiful.
Keep it up author, excited for more chapters!
SkarabraeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Style: The style is great. The author is able to convey the proper tone for the story through their word choices. The author also has a unique way of writing and uses the literary device of imagery very well to aid the tone.
Story: The story is great. It develops at the pace it needs to and is paced at exactly the right rate. The story itself is about various mages of different types in a dark fantasy world where mages who practice certain forms of magic are basically military slaves. Demons threaten peoples' lives, and there are great wars going on. It is a very good and well-done story.
Grammar: There were some grammatical errors, but they were likely fixed by now. The author is really good about fixing things that have been pointed out.
Character: The characters are great. They are all well-depicted, three-dimensional, and realistic. This goes for both main and side characters. The characters interact with the world in various ways, and this helps massively with the excellent worldbuilding. Their interactions with each other are incredibly interesting as well, especially when their different perspectives clash and they have disputes due to actions with each other in the past.
Overall, I highly recommend this story.
MyCatFelixRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
The story is more on the darker side. I personally am not a fan of overly descriptive environments. Fortunately, this doesn't happen too much here. At the start, you will see different points of view, MC included, that will eventually converge on the MC for good. If feels a little like an apocalyptic novel, at least up to the point I read it. The MC's home is under siege constantly, and things don't look good for the future. I quite liked the first major battle against the Se (Used SE to not spoil things). I still need what will be of the dilemma of the sword he got. That's the part I'm most interest right now.
In any case, it is interesting, but not everyone's cup of coffee. If you like Dark Stories and Magic, then you are definitely in the right place.
Little RacoonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Soulburned is an intricately woven story between three major characters, each with their own struggles in the backdrop of a magical (and perhaps a bit unethical) school. There's a lot to absorb and certainly a lot to develop. Whether the author can gradually tie all these separate storylines together into an ultimate finale, only time will tell.
Style: 4/5. The general flow is quite easy to follow, with succinct paragraphs tugging and luring the reader for more bit by bit. However, as someone who also struggles with naming conventions, I find there are too many capitalised magical terms that may or may not be of significant purpose as the story progresses. It certainly adds depth to the world itself and conveys the author's care in the magic system, but can be distracting at times to the overall plot.
Story: 5/5. This is where the author's craft truly shines. The story has three separate storylines, each focusing on a different character's POV in vastly different situations. Yet instead of a feeling of segregation as if one is reading three different stories at once, each perspective contributes to an overall picture of the world and the war at hand. At the time of this review, there is still much to be revealed, but having different layers to the same tale adds a lot of depth and mystery to the overall plot, and shows the experience and skill of the author.
Grammar: 4.5/5. The grammar is mostly very good, but due to RR's formatting, the fonts change kind of randomly between the default font and the author's preferred font (I'm guessing times new roman).
Character: 5/5. The three main characters are already well-developed at the time of writing this review, each with their unique circumstances and struggles. Thale is fighting the Kovites at the front lines, Alder is under some sort of inhumane experiment by the mages, while Lyra discovers a new power within her as she tries to escape her family's legacy and pressure. Of the three, Lyra is perhaps the most well-writt