Terminia : Cults and Courtesans

Information

Status

Completed

Year

2022

Author

GrizzlyBard

• 18. Arrows From Rooftops
  Feb 26, 2022
• 17. Friends in Need
  Feb 25, 2022
• 16. Watching the Mudport
  Feb 20, 2022
• 15. An Agreement
  Feb 19, 2022
• 14. The Trouble With Brothers
  Feb 18, 2022
• 13. Tired and Injured
  Feb 13, 2022
• 12. Street Thugs
  Feb 12, 2022
• 11. Hunting a Cult
  Feb 11, 2022
• 10. Noble Friends
  Feb 6, 2022
• 9. Freedom
  Feb 5, 2022
• 8. Her Purpose
  Feb 5, 2022
• 7. Tower of Webs
  Feb 4, 2022
• 6. The Prophetess
  Feb 3, 2022
• 5. Old Friends in Low Places
  Feb 1, 2022
• 4. A Messy Meeting
  Jan 31, 2022
• 3. The Veteran
  Jan 30, 2022
• 2. The Nobleman
  Jan 29, 2022
• 1. Prologue: A Princess in the Dark
  Jan 29, 2022

Reviews

Community Reviews(8)

• A V DalcourtRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Terminia is a cut above, pretty much on par with the fantasy novels I've read out of traditional publishing houses. The characters are steeped in intrigue and have a strong vibe that they each have their own stories which are culminating in this epic fantasy tale.
  Story: Our story stars off with the loss of the new born princess, then follows up some 15 years later after the vengeful war that tore the kingdom apart. Promises were broke, hope of a great kind king was lost. After the failed assassination of the infinitely compassionate healer referred to as the Prophetess, we're thrown into a deep plot of who wants her dead, who wants to control her, and all of the webs that lead back to the throne.
  Style: Written in 3rd person, and told through various characters to offer rich view of the world and the characters who've become deeply embroiled in a plot well outside their control. The story is easy to read, but may require some thinking on the part of the reader as the details are not handfed or blatantly obvious. This kind of style is right up my ally and I really appreciate not being condescended at through the writing.
  Characters: All the characters have a strong presence, each serving a significant role within the story itself.
  I highly recommend this bingeable story!
• AnodyneRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This was written for a review swap, though all opinions are my own.
  Style: Written in third person past tense with a smooth, careful flow, Terminia: Cults and Courtesans weaves vibrant, highly descriptive imagery and multi-layered tone together throughout the narrative. The prose is a little dense in places for my taste, but this is subjective and I would say it is otherwise very good.
  Story: Kicking off with what one might initially think a standard fantasy prologue, Terminia quickly takes a turn away from the predictable. The story follows a trio of characters with intertwined stories and motivations, embroiled in subtle shades of plots and politics: intrigue, violence, healing, churches versus cults, and multiple assassination/murder attempts ahoy! The pacing feels just right to me, plenty of action with enough time to regain one's mental footing in between before diving into more.
  It is also clear from the very start that the author has put a lot of thought into and knows what they are doing with the plot and worldbuilding. The bonus Book of the Dawn excerpts at the beginning of each chapter alone hint at an enormous amount of back-end development; such details give the sense of the reader being in safe hands. Little cultural and historical tidbits are also sprinkled naturally throughout the narrative, lending a striking sense of authenticity to the world and the characters within it. Also, am I secretly a street kid at heart? Because Khazimi mushroom wraps sound delicious!
  Grammar: I noticed a few comma splices and occasional slips from past to present tense, but the work is overall highly readable.
  Character: The characters are really good and an absolute 5/5, evidenced by the distinctness of each character voices throughout changing points of view. From discerning slyness to steadfast protectorship to innocence and pure-hearted naivety, the author deftly handles characterisation to convey many facets of the setting to the reader. The world of Terminia, while
• BulvosRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This story is just plain well done. You can tell that every aspect was meticulosuly thought out and worked on. From the very first chapter you get roped in and carried along for the ride. This is a strong fantasy story that I would wager would do very well in a traditional publishing market.
  Grammer: The grammer is very clean. I never had any issues understanding what was going on in. Any issues that were caught by other readers seemed to be promptly fixed.
  Style: The style is very consistent. It is a 3rd person style that follows the thoughts and perspectives of various characters. The one thing I really appreciated was how the word choice was immersive and consistent to the world of the story.
  Character: All of the characters are interesting and have a driving impact in the story. I haven't read too much, so I cannot say much about the character's growth, but so far its great.
  Story: The story is driven mainly by intrigue and political drama. I am a big fan of space-opera and the schemes and plots that were taking place felt right at home.
  For anyone in an interest in fantasy or political intrigue, it is a must read!
• Kaiser WastingRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  So, I would like to start with the single issue I have when reading this story, DEAR CHRIST THE ADJECTIVES! There are just so many, I mean yes it rolls with the story completely fine and does not take anything away from it. But still There are so many!
  Now Lets start with this world! While The biggest request that I have is a world map for the story, It does not take away at all, In the Beginning we find ourselves shadowing a royal member of society, While she is caring something very important to her, All my cards where on her being the main character, I could not have been further from wrong. Eventually (I do not wish to spoil anything) we Follow a young girl named "Vallerian". I Love this Character, She is fiesty, Yet tactful in almost everything she does.
  When it comes to the world building, Every single chapter starts with an Excerpt from a book called "The Book of the Dawn". Let me tell you when Those excerpts tell a story in of themselves, I found myself eagerly waiting to get to the next chapter just to know what the next part would say! Every chapter brought me deeper and deeper into this world of fantasy! and it was incredible. I cannot begin to describe the Capability of the Author and their vision of this world. As i read every sentence I found myself more and more Immersed in this beautiful and Mysterious world! I cannot Explain in words how much I enjoyed this story, I cannot wait for the next chapter!
• ProconRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Overall: Huge fan of the historical exerpts at the start of every chapter that brings the entire world to life in a fashion you would normally find in a professionally marketed novel. The world is cohesive, structured, and offers so much in the opening alone- I couldn't get to the next chapter fast enough, and that isn't an exaggeration.
  Style: Descriptive, intriguing, and flat-out immersive. You won't get lost or bogged down with any particular details, while also getting just enough of them that the world unfolds beautifully from the reader's persepctive. I would equate it to the Animus in Assassin's Creed rendering a world through layers until it all comes together perfectly. Very impressive.
  Characters: Well-thought out and excellently expressed through dialogue. I was instantly fascinated with the stark contrast between how the princess spoke compared to the commoner-turned-thug in the story's opening. Especially since the reader is treated to an intense mystery right off the bat, where the dialogue hints at strict religious edicts and undertones of two warring, corrrupted oligarchical ideaolgies overseeing governance of the city. It's the sort of story-telling where the work isn't immediately done for you- and personally, although I cannot handle intense mystery plots, there is enough here that keeps me guessing and intrigued- a masterful stroke on the author's part, and should be both lauded and recognized.
  Grammar: Very much to my taste, with little-to-no errors.
  Story: In my experience as a reader, warfare and religious dominance are easilly one of the most exciting methods by which an author can introduce fascinating plot devices, a diverse cast of characters with conflicting motivations and goals, and religous figureheads with ulterior motives and powerful backing. And it's similarly a breath of fresh air that we briefly glimpse into the princess's ideologies and find that while some dismiss or condemn the commoners, we are shown there are those who belie
• Ser Patrick PentRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Once in a while, you come across a story like Terminia, which goes against the standard fare of submissions on Royal Road and strives to be its own thing. Terminia doesn't classify as ground breaking, but it's a solid, tightly-woven piece of storytelling that evokes a lot of the positives I enjoy about traditional fantasy.
  Style: The author maintains a tight lid on prose, and this is probably the strongest part of the story. It is certainly evocative and does so while keeping narration just subtle enough to be intriguing. You can see bits of this in the places where Vallerian interacts with his household. Really made for an enjoyable read.
  Story: The story reads like a novel, and not exactly like a web serial. Which is not a bad thing. This is actually my favorite method of writing too. However, it is a bit of a slow burn, and after the exciting prologue and opening, it simmers for a bit before ramping back up to speed. The world building is exceptionally well done, but maybe some more urgency can be used in some scenes.
  Grammar: Strong. Definitely high bar for the site. Could use some polish, but anything beyond that is just me nitpicking.
  Character: This is where I find myself a little conflicted. I love Vallerian's characterization, including those of his entire household. I love Vallerassa too (the little I have read of her at least). Gardinal and Celeste are also pretty distinctive. My problem comes with the latter too. Celeste is a beautifully written character, if a little grating (and intentionally naive) since I do not agree with her worldview. Gardinal, however, I find it a little difficult to root for. I still think the characters are pretty strong, and it's a mark of great writing when an author makes you feel different ways for different characters.
  Summary: Terminia is criminally underrated, and I really hope it gets more readers. The first book is rounding down to a close, so if you want to jump in after reading this. Now is the perfect time. Don't lo
• TearlessfutureRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Overall the story is still in the process of being revealed and built up as one of the main charecters is trying to worm his way in with the other two. There is alot of great side charecters that have alot of details put into them. Like Valerians mother in law had a stool with the back legs slightly shorter on the back the better to kick people out of the tower window with. The story seems to be well edited and flows smoothly it doesnt feel like the story is rushed nor does it feel like there is any moments where it dregs on. I highly recomend the story so far if you are looking for a political fantasy adventure.
  Charecter:The three main charecters are quite intresting and the side charecters are all well developed and the author seems to have a solid understanding of them and their behaviour. The Half star off is that currently Celeste seems inhumanly perfect and I am not sure if thats by design or not.
  Style: The style of having three main perspectives is nice as they all have very different personalities and I think using all three instead of one has added to the feeling of being part of this groups shenanagins it also allows for different people to be able to put themselves in the shoes of people who they most feel they can relate to.
  Grammer: I suck at grammer and have dislexia so if grammer doesnt cause issues reading I default to 4 stars.
  Story: The story seems to be a political fantasy adventure and know what its doing and where its going and I really like it so far.
• VVerityRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Overview
  Terminia is a story that grabs you by the arm with a white knuckle grip and pulls you forward. You step into a tragedy already at the end of its tale, the fate of a Princess whose blood bleeds into the next chapter subtly. There's already a sense of things not being as they should be or were, a missing piece that left a hole in the people. The descriptions are tightly done, but some of the terms are used with little explanation, expecting you to piece together their meaning and importance using cues littered throughout the descriptions, which is nothing to be afraid of. You are given the sense that you are the invisible watcher sitting in the back of a character's mind, a visiting ghost.
  Style
  This is a description rich story, but it doesn't linger very long on those descriptions. If this doesn't make sense, then let me explain it like this, turns of phrases are used with words that one may not recognize because they refer to in-story things. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because you get context clues to help you piece together what it really means. However this does require you to pay attention and perhaps reread things if you lose your place.
  Grammar
  I see nothing grammatically wrong with the story! The only thing that might stumble some people is the habit of using full-stops for dialogue, but that's just a personal thing rather than anything to dint the score.
  Story
  The story doesn't waste much time with settling you in, pulling you along quickly into the mayhem of a religious visit gone quite wrong, with several different perspectives showing the puzzle pieces of the picture fitting together. If you are looking for a slow introduction to the world and getting comfortable before events trigger, this story isn't quite it. The story introduces you to the lowly guts of the world and how the shining jewel of a religion making a visit is always a ripe time for attempts of assassination, and our characters are off to the races so to say!
  Characters
  The