The Crushing Light

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

A hidden cave. A conquered forest. A royal hatchery.

Three eggs. Three beginnings.

One war.

Fáolan is a prince, one of two of the King Lightbringer's clutch, one of two who one day might rule. When his sister excels in all of their father's trials an unexpected opportunity presents itself in the shape of a white-eyed dragonar. With so much at stake the offer seems too good to be true, but what cost will it demand, and will Fáolan be ready to pay?

Cynobria is away from her homeland, away from the plague of conquest laid thick upon the land by the Lightbringer line. She is a curious soul, and when a sleepless night leads to an overheard conversation, questions begin to pile up, and Cynobria is determined to find answers.

Zhyr would love little more than a simple life. He loves the forest around his village. He loves his family, even with no ties of blood. But life is not simple in Vyl—one of the lands already claimed by the Lightbringers' greedy paws. As years trickle by, he will have to make a choice—to accept the chains of their oppressors, or to fight.

The war looms above them all. In time each will have to choose their side, and no decision will be free of cost.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: AlbinoDeer

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 47
Views: 10,493

Chapters(31 total)

Reviews

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Community Reviews(3)

ALHHillRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This author is great at giving a lot of information without it sounding expository or overwhelming. The world building is incredibly detailed.
The characters also feel so alive. They don't stumble into personalities, they simply jump from the page fully formed.
I'm so excited to see where this goes, and can't wait to read more about Bree!
GreatMar2Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
An interesting world, with a magic system and worldbuilding that keeps me wanting to learn more. Different characters in wildly different positions each going through different struggles left to them by the generations that came before them. Each character is written well, with flaws that help make them feel more real and struggles that they try to solve in ways fitting to what we know of them. I appreciate us being given time get to know the characters as they grow, so we can see the world through each of their eyes.
VelsixRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The Crushing Light (TCL) is so far a character-focused story. It's slow going but absolutely worth reading. Every character, supporting cast included, is nuanced. My favorite so far is Cynobria, who is written terrifically.
Story-wise, TCL is taking its time to properly develop each character, their places in the world, and all the growing arcs. None of the factions are evil bad guys, and the world itself is steadily introduced in each scene without overwhelming the reader, without infodumps, and without contrived storytelling.
Interiority is TCL's strongest point, yet it leaps up and over the trap of self-absorption and navel-gazing. There's little telling here. And what telling there is seamlessly flows with the rest of the story.
The writing style is deliberate and composed, so much so that it gives ample room for the smaller character details. It does not shy away from metaphors, which at times betide the reader as a stimulating onrush, novel with every phrase, every evocative comparison—like a neverending meal that never makes you full, you always hunger for more.
I found no grammatical hitches or errors, and I am quite good at spotting them.
I highly recommend reading TCL. Its current state hints at so much more to come, and I can only see it meeting or surpassing my expectations.