Tales of Splinterra

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

[Epic Fantasy Adventure, Multi POV, Spell-casting, Battle, Action, Mystery, Slow Burn Story, TTRPG Inspired, Deep Living World]

This fiction completed the April 2024 Writathon Challenge!

Scheduling

This Fiction is onIndefinite Hiatus. I'm aiming to come back to it in a year or two, or part time earlier if I can juggle it alongside other commitments. I want to tell the story, but it will probably be need rewriting and a relaunch before it comes together.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: AdvocateOfDoors

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.9/ 5.0
Followers: 48
Views: 18,104

Chapters(33 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

keeganashleyliveRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
In the Prologue Author Note, the author mentions they are not a professional writer. Let me stop it right there: this author should be. There is IMMENSE talent in this writing; it oozes off the metaphorical page from the very first paragraph. The writing style just has ‘that’ voice—that edge that is unexplainable and, yet, obvious when you read it. Perhaps, it’s the flowing lines or the vivid imagery. …Perhaps, it’s the strong characterization—the way we FEEL the character and their struggle with the mere flick of a ten-word sentence. Wow. I was impressed. And I read a lot. A LOT.
This is a very well-painted world with very relatable characters. Pain and struggle are palpable in every line. I already touched on the style, but it is very good. The grammar is spotless, and I was instantly immersed in the plot.
Think you’re going to read an amateur story? Think again. This is prose. This is beauty and practice. This is pure, shining talent. I hope the author will begin to call themselves a ‘professional writer’ because they deserve that title. Wonderfully done. It is an instant ‘follow’ and ‘favorite’ for me. If you love fantasy and a darn good story, you’d be smart to do the same. Can't wait to see what the author does here.
Aleth08Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Story:
It is full of lore that builds up a charming and intriguing world. The prologue had me hooked, like the title says, it was very well written and very well portrayed. By the end of it, the future prospect of the sleeping god that woke up from the ice prison will keep you turning the page.
Style:
It was certainly a strong suit of the book, especially the descriptive writing, the way the author painted the world. Properly written sentences, actions nicely shown, and with vivid details, which I'm a fan of tbh. I love when authors go in minor details that others probably won't touch. I would suggest the author to create a glossary for the readers, however, since you have a lot of coined terms. It's fine with a lower number of chapters, but will get chaotic as you write more.
Grammar:
I didn't find any glaring issue, apart from some minor ones here and there that can easily be cleared with a proof read. All in all, no issue here, move along.
Character:
For me, the characters are something that you build slowly as the book progress, and its still early in this book, so I wont get too deep with this. But all in all, what I saw impressed me, characters had lives.
Elliot MoorsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Tales of Splinterra hits all the right notes for a fantasy page-turner. Tight worldbuilding, loveable characters, and lovely descriptions to tie it together. It perfectly nails the D&D dungeon-delving vibe without feeling like it's using that property as a crutch. If you're into D&D or just plain good classic fantasy, you should definitely check this one out.
Style - Tales of Splinterra has prose that can really suck you into the moment. The descriptions are the big standout here, giving you a great picture of the environments that the MCs find themselves in. Plenty of them are very impactful, ones you remember even after putting the story down.
There are a few minor things holding the style back, like an excess of dialogue tags. I also thought that the descriptions, while great, could get a bit lengthy. Sometimes the really amazing lines would get lost between just okay ones. I think if they were cut down a little, it would help the best parts hit that much harder.
Grammar - Very good. The story is easy to read without really any jarring errors. There are some minor ones; missing punctuation here and there, some misspellings, but nothing that will take you out of the story and certainly the kind of thing that could easily be cleared up.
Story - The narrative is character-focused. It delivers a lot of worldbuilding, but does so through the lens of the MCs. This makes it exciting to read about, as opposed to the trap some fantasy stories fall into, where so much background information is packed in that there's no room for an actual story.
That being said, it does contain good supplementary material for the lore nerds out there in the form of a separate lore doc. It also features a lovely map, which always bumps any fantasy story up by a letter grade.
It's also paced well, which is one of Splinterra's bigger strengths. Every chapter has major developments in terms of progressing both the plot and character relationships. You're not stuck reading chapter after chapter
InyssaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Firstly, if I were somehow unaware of the fact I'm reading this on Royal Road, I wouldn't have doubted that this is a traditionally published fantasy work. It reaches that ceiling and surpasses it pretty easily, especially from the phenomenal prologue.
We spend the prologue learning about certain actions of definitely future cosmic relevance, exciting and well-written enough to deliver you straight to chapters 1-5, in which we meet two of our protagonists and see them go through an adventure together, one that is as entertaining as it is fascinating.
Story/plot is the definite golden star for this story. This is IMO what fantasy is all about, the awe of a completely different world, the question being thrown-in raises and the answers slowly being revealed through the characters' adventures. It's a fascinating world, and it more than carries the story so far. I especially like the attention to fantasy locals that aren't just big cities or forests, I quite enjoyed the chapters in the rain-soaked jungle.
Characters are pretty good too, though harder to judge since the story's only gotten started. Our prologue protagonist is entertaining enough to make me want to know more about her, and the two MCs from the first five chapters carry those chapters effortlessly, and following them is a treat as they're way in over their heads for the task at hand. There's some nice humor thrown in too, born out of character interactions that I liked a lot.
The prose and style do their best work when painting a picture of the landmarks we've visited so far, from frozen tombs to hot and reptile-infested jungles to a labyrinthine temple for the dead. It shines when it needs to, and does its job well when its the characters who need to be in the spotlight.
I didn't notice any grammar mistakes during my reading. Some sentences, in the second and third chapter, felt a bit misaligned and I think could use a second look by a beta tester, but that's a very minor nitpick.
Overall, this is the kin
LifeWisherRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I... don't know where to begin. How well will this story do on RoyalRoad? I don't know. Would I put it in my library next to books I love and cherish? From what I've seen so far - without a doubt.
Let's break it down and make it easier for me.
Style
Polished, reeking of style and able to draw you in so much with the vivid description and clever use of the language that the longer chapter length becomes a positive you dont even notice. Enthralling to say the least. I'm deeply jealous and appreciative, and I found myself returning to some of the chapters to study. Imagine that.
Story
So far so good. We have a rich world, we have maps, we have eight thousand words of LORE. And I read the lore, yes, and it is awesome. If that's not your thing that's fine. You can enjoy the chapters without reading the lore, but bear in mind that a story set in a world that has been so polished and detailed will only feel that much more alive. I've got nothing but praise for the effort, the skill, and the love that have gone into this work.
Grammar
Pristine. There's typically at least one typo, something to latch on, something to notice. Nope. None. I don't know if the author has an editor or fingers of preternatural accuracy.
Character
Despite all the praise I've let loose on this review, and believe me it's all deserved, I think there's room for some more. The characters are what make or break a story for me, and so far the only struggle I've had is picking a favorite. I'm deeply loving each one of them, their peculiarities, their descriptions, and from what I've seen of how the author handles things, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Each seem to have an amazing backstory along with everything else - something that is very often only mentioned in passing at the start of novels here and forgotten. They are all fleshed out and remind me of great DnD characters that have aborbed their creators and have decided to come to life.
RaizuNRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overview: This is among the best-written novels I've found on the site, in terms of prose most of all. Right off the bat, the story begins with absolutely mesmerizing descriptions and writing that practically sings off the page. The author has a solid grasp of flow and transitions, descriptions, and all the other technical aspects of writing that are hard to understand, let alone implement in a story. Beyond that, the story itself is exactly what it says on the tin: a wholly unique, epic fantasy with a scope to match, and it already shows amazing promise. It's hard to judge stories of these proportions with a sample of seven or so chapters – it's hard to judge stories of any length, really, with samples of that size – but already, the author has established himself as someone with incredible talent, and I've no doubt that this story will unfold as one that holds up to its promise.
Style: As much as I love the story itself, I think the author's style is my favorite part. The story reads more like the kind of epic fantasy you'd find on the shelves of a bookstore than it does as a first draft of an online novel. The diction tells of someone who's spent hours upon hours reading, and the way the author sets up a scene is reminiscent of professional authors. Still, his prose has its own distinct flavor, and it's an absolute delight to read.
Story: The story itself doesn't lose out much to the style, either. The author seems to have a massive scope of lore to draw on for this story, and so far, it's been incorporated masterfully into the writing. And more than that, the lore is genuinely interesting – at least, to me – and that is very impressive. It speaks to the amount of effort the author has put into crafting an entirely unique mythology and pantheon, not to mention the amount of creativity it takes to do that. The character interactions are fantastic as well, the characterization is well done, the action is tense and clear, and the story is quick to invest you as a re
TimWLong50Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Meet Rickard and Darrowfig, two unique characters who chance upon each other in the mysterious temple of Vishrac-Uramis. Rickard is tied to the mysterious Book of the Undying King, which gives him dark magic powers, while Darrowfig is a skilled fighter on a mission for Mirabelle the Black. Their adventure is full of danger, from the evil Slimy Lez and his army of slimes to the deadly traps in the temple. The story explores themes like power, identity, and the moral questions that come with using dark magic, as Rickard struggles with the curse of his book.
The writing is engaging, with clear descriptions and a fast-moving plot that kept me interested and made me want to read each subsequent chapter. The relationship between the practical Darrowfig and the troubled Rickard adds depth to the story. They are quite the fascinating pair.
There are a few minor grammar mistakes and awkward sentences, but they don't slow down the story, nor did they break immersion. The book is quick paced, the chapters long, and you'll have a lot to sink your teeth into here.
A very promising start to the book, with interesting characters and a plot that mixes fantasy, adventure, and moral questions. The focus on dark magic and its effects adds a thought-provoking aspect to the story, making it a good read. Can't wait to read more of this epic tale.
-T
V.K ShahRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I've taken my time getting through these first few chapters because the book is just so rich from the world building to the characters that I wanted to do it justice
Grammar
Honestly perfect I did not notice any issues
Style
Where to start on now much I enjoyed this?
The author does a fantastic job of describing the scenery, the world, and the setting. No single scene is difficult to imagine, and I found myself CLEARLY picturing every single moment where the story takes place. My only very small criticism here and this may just be because I missed it somewhere but I found the opening monsters difficult to picture. I may have just missed the description but I would have like their appearance to be more overtly fleshed out and terrifying. Author you did really well on describing the slimes though!
Before reading this, I was not a fan of slower paced action. But this book has entirely changed that for me. Every moment feels like it's building, especially during conflict. It doesn't need to be big and flashy, though it certainly can be. It's deep, descriptive, emotional, and intimate
Story
I'm very early in to the novel so the story hasn't come in full force yet, of course. But so far even the. Beginning of the story is well established and very easy for me to follow
Character
I LOVE the characters. If I could give this a 6 star I would. The author is so good at weaving dynamic back stories, descriptions, relationships, and appearances all into one. This feels like a masterclass in character writing and I will genuinely be learning from it to learn in my own writing
Overall
I give this story an obvious and well deserved 5 stars. I wish I had some pointers, but I don't! Author you're doing an amazing job and I can tell how much passion you have put into this. If you're a fan of intimate, well written worlds with even cooler characters. Do check this out, you will be doing yourself a favour. Honestly just read it!
VenchiCreminoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Very intriguing, I can't wait to see what Fig and Rickard get up to next.
Would love to see a bit more of this Slimy Lez character though. Justice for Slimy Lez!
(I hope he comes back at some point and joins the party, silimar to how Captain Barbossa was a villain in the first PotC movie but then became a positive/neutral side character.)
Abraham-DeWittRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall: From what I've read so far, I already get the sense that Splinterra is a living, breathing world. Every piece of worldbuilding is unique and refreshing. I like that these unique aspects of the world have believable effects on the world's culture, and those effects are explored.
Style: The author has a very competent writing style. I liked all the ways that the author built up the setting. Just about every page contained an interesting piece of worldbuilding. Though, the beginning was a bit heavy on the exposition. I liked the strong focus the author put on the world.
Grammar: There were no grammatical errors or spelling mistakes as far as I could tell.
Story: The story of Splinterra is probably its strongest attribute. The world feels like it is fully fleshed-out. Early in the story, you get the sense that Splinterra is a living world that would exist even without the main story. This kind of worldbuilding makes the reader really want to explore the world that the author has created. Plus, I really like the world map that the author put at the beginning of the story. It is definitely better than anything I've been able to make for my stories.
Character: As far as I've read into the story, the only character who has been characterized significantly has been the main character, Fig. I like her characterization as a person who's desperately trying to dig herself out of a hole, and I like the internal dialogue she has with some unknown other party. Though, I do feel that the characterization takes a backseat in the early parts of the story in favor of worldbuilding.