The Dark Before The Light

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

In a world ravaged by monstrous creatures 80 years ago, humanity teetered on the brink of extinction. However, with the sudden emergence of supernatural abilities, the tide turned in favor of mankind. For eight decades, humans reigned supreme, exploiting their newfound powers to dominate and subjugate the beasts.

But this era of dominance was short-lived. The beasts, once thought vanquished, have re-emerged with unprecedented ferocity, threatening to destroy the very foundations of human society. As the world crumbles beneath the weight of its own shadows, a young lady rises from the ashes.

This young lady, forged in the crucible of a harsh and unforgiving reality, must navigate the treacherous landscape of a world gone mad. As she struggles to survive, she is confronted by the darkest aspects of her own psyche, threatening to consume her at every turn.

Will she be able to overcome the demons that haunt her, or will they ultimately prove her undoing? In a world where nothing is as it seems, the lines between good and bad are constantly blurred. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance, and the outcome is far from certain...

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Updates every: Friday and Saturday.

2000+ word count.

And if you wish to support me and join the experience. Here is the link to my Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/QueenieIV?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2025
Author: Queenie IV

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 122
Views: 34,851

What readers say about The Dark Before The Light

“Overall The narrative thrives on subtle tension, from the mother’s cutting words to the inner turmoil that twists Acacia’s perception of herself. The Flow Society, an entity revered by all and open to only a prestigious few. Acacia is no passive observer; s…”
AnimpatientHoleRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“Having read several chapters of The Dark Before the Light, I can confidently say this story has a gripping and immersive start. The world building is atmospheric, and the writing style does a great job of pulling the reader into the setting without over-exp…”
Deep__aureateRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

AnimpatientHoleRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall
The narrative thrives on subtle tension, from the mother’s cutting words to the inner turmoil that twists Acacia’s perception of herself. The Flow Society, an entity revered by all and open to only a prestigious few. Acacia is no passive observer; she is actively and eagerly involved in the rising narrative.
We are thrown into crisis at the end of chapter 1. Keeping things moving at a decent pace.
Chapter 2 introduces our ensemble of characters and gives us just enough memorable detail to visualize the different personalities of each individual. Mixing fast-paced escalation with full-scale chaos. The slow-building tension in the opening moments, as Acacia and her classmates react. Only for things to quickly spiral far out of her control. The contrast between disbelief and horrifying reality is well-executed, particularly in Acacia’s frozen reaction to witnessing a teacher’s passing.
So overall I like the pacing. I won't mention details from later chapters cause that would be too strong of spoilers. But I can safely say the characters grow and develop at a solid pace throughout them. The line breaks also get more interesting lol.
Style
Narrative tension comes from urgency and danger. Classical sources that ought to be familiar for one and all.
Story
I'd summarize as a coming of age adventure. Danger around ever corner, a teenager mentally maturing, etc.
Grammar
Did not notice any errors while reading. So 5/5. Good job.
Character
I liked them, overall you can really see your own friends and peers in the characters which makes for effective writing.
Deep__aureateRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Having read several chapters of The Dark Before the Light, I can confidently say this story has a gripping and immersive start. The world building is atmospheric, and the writing style does a great job of pulling the reader into the setting without over-explaining. There’s an eerie tension throughout, making you feel like something deeper lurks beneath the surface of the narrative.
The protagonist is compelling—flawed yet intriguing, with a sense of realism that makes them easy to invest in. The way their thoughts and emotions are portrayed feels natural, adding to the immersive quality of the story. The pacing is well-executed, keeping things moving while allowing enough time for the world and characters to develop organically.
One of the strongest aspects is the tone—there’s a mix of mystery, danger, and just enough hints of something greater unfolding. The story doesn’t spoon-feed information, which I appreciate. It encourages the reader to pick up on subtle details and piece things together. The tension builds gradually, making even quiet moments feel important.
Overall this is a well-crafted narrative that keeps me curious about what happens next. The dialogue feels natural, the descriptions are vivid without being overwhelming, and the stakes are introduced in a way that keeps you hooked. This is definitely a story worth following, and I’m excited to see where it goes from here.
ElectrikBlueRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Came upon the story while browsing the forums and saw it got recommended by other authors I look up to, so I had to take a look.
The Dark before the Light hooked me in its raw storytelling and interesting universe, unlike a lot of things I've seen before.
Story: I'll start with that since I'm talking about its originality. While it leans on tropes that are widely shared by other works of fiction, this story knows how to break conventions and when to do it. It's quite apparent that a lot of thought has been put into balancing all its elements, always giving you enough but not too much. Moments of introspection, and character growth, and action and lore and so on are always well balanced, served in bite-sized chunks so you always have a lot to chew on.
The revenge plot is underlying but I'm more interested in watching the MC grow and her integration in this little group she found along the way.
Style: TDBTL lacks a little in this department. It's obvious the author is on a learning journey and is still improving (aren't we all?), but it's never a bother to read. I'd say sometimes the sort of "naive" storytelling (and by that I mean describing things raw and simple) adds to a charm that gets broken when you explore more difficult topics, and the striking difference helps sell some dark moments. So all in all, while the prose isn't always super controlled, there are moments that are genuinely well written, and you can always tell the author has a knack for creating certain rhythms and tensions.
Grammar: Again, it echoes what I said about style, but there are instances of slight errors and typos, but I do think it would be fixed with another proofreading.
Character: Now, the story introduces a lot of characters quickly. It can feel a little scary at first, but if you give it time... well then you'll be surprised. I myself found some of those characters quite endearing and the MC is definitely charming. Some characters are a bit transparent though, but I'm sure with time
Fisher00001Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall:
I enjoyed the story, the characters in the story, and the writing style overall. It was unique and really followed a young woman coming into her own after losing everything and being betrayed by her family. I can empathize with her because my family betrayed me when I was 19, and I haven't spoken to them in years, at least since before covid. But I do know what she is going through. I will definitely read more to see if she pulls through the betrayal.
Style:
The style is solid. The writer varies her sentences nicely, and the descriptions are well done. However, there is the occasional odd word choice. Also, the emotions of some of her characters seem off.
Grammer:
The grammar is mostly good except for the occasional typo or odd word choice which changes the meaning of a sentence. However, it isn't a big deal as I have worse grammar and can't really throw any stones in a glass house.
Story:
What can I say? The story is just the right balance of mystery and action. Just perfect.
Character:
I like the MC as she grows into her own and becomes a warrior. I will definitely continue reading because I want to see how she grows.
Final Verdict:
Give this book a read if you want to read something unconventional and mysterious. It is well worth it.
Kleo EriliRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The Dark Before the Light play in a time after an apocalyptic event already happened, but that doesn't mean apocalypse can't happen twice and it's clear from the beginning, that humanity still is an endangered species in more ways than one. In the middle of this chaos the young Acacia, the main character, undergoes a rather transformative experience that will probably shape the rest of her life.
Acacia is a torn character, full of inner conflicts, envy and self-doubts, struggling with the circumstances in which she finds herself and with the burning desire to make those who wronged her pay and avenge their betrayal against her. Her emotional story is powerful and I'm already curious how the other characters we meet will be integrated into this driven motivation.
Vibe and style remind me a lot of Attack on Titan and Re:Zero, with the sheltered rest of humanity, the onslaught of horrible monsters and the vengeful spirit of the vengence driven main character. At times it even gave me a little Worm (from Wildbow) vibe, which is a good thing, because I actually liked Taylor Hebert.
It seems to me as if Queenie, the author, is growing a little pearl in her shell over here and I'm excited to see it grow further.
Master-at-armsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
From what I've read, it appears to be a story of revenge set in an urban fantasy world with superheroes. Their abilities seem to be ranked in alphabetical order.
I think the author might be a non-native english writer, so I won't fault the work for the grammatical errors. Although, I hope he/she would go back and edit some of the first few chapters.
But the story is by no means boring. I mean, the first two chapters didn't really grab my attention, but the third one hooked me in. I loved thek interaction between the protagonist's friends even if spoiler: they got killed. There is some kind of mysterious stuff unfolding, and it intrigues me.
When it comes to style, I really don't know what to say about it. Based on what I read, the story has a consistent vibe, and the execution is still styled consistently for the most part. Although, I can't complain about the typos enough, It really pulls me out of the story.
The characters. This is the main reason why I managed to read this far. I absolutely love the characters. I don't care for the world building- this trope seems pretty generic- but I love how well the characters are written.
Overall, I still recommend the story to fans of this genre. It's probably going to metamorphosize into something much greater, though it's a great story as is.
NafamericRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A novice first time writers honest opinion based on chapters 1 and 2.
Style Score: 4.5
- I love how it is written. One can easily follow the flow of the story and the interactions with the characters that make up the story (thus far).
- The only issue that I had a bit of trouble with is the internal dialog versus actual spoken dialog. It is easy enough to read, though for me, I listen to stories through an app while driving, so it’s a bit harder for me to differentiate between the two. Like I said though reading it is perfectly fine, listening to it is not. That’s just me though, ^_^.
Grammar Score: 4.5
- I’m no grammar nazi. The only grammar mistakes that I had seen where pure accidental. Such as not spacing after the .
example: I’m no grammar nazi.The only….
- Some missed commas, that’s all.
Story Score: 5
- I’m hooked. You gave a wonderful backdrop to the story with many plots already in the making that I could spot, and yet still able to maintain a wonderful narrative.
- You have the ability to give the audience a good reference of time passed through observational wording.
- I see ants like beasts that have insect like intelligence yet mention other “Monsters” with no description. I can’t wait to see them fleshed out as well to see the full scope of what mankind has been facing for the past 80 years.
Character Score: 5
- I have a good picture of your MC in my head. You described her well.
- Even your other side characters seem to have depth and their own color of writing.
- Really would love that same level of detail applied to both NPC’s and even random passer-bye’s.
!!!OVERALL SCORE!!!
!!!★★★★★!!!
Please keep writing I’m really hooked and can’t wait to see how Acacia develops, and hopefully some of the other friends!
NerokazamaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
style:
Wow, this story is brutal! I’m only at chapter five, and there’s already blood everywhere. The detailed descriptions really bring the world and events to life, making it easy to visualize everything as it unfolds.
story:
It’s a harsh and intense narrative, but that’s part of what makes it so engaging. One aspect I really enjoy is tied to the characters, so I’ll touch on that in the character section. By chapter five, multiple plot threads are already in motion. I’m more used to long-term stories where major developments take time, but the fast-paced excitement here is a nice change of pace.
Grammar:
For the most part, I didn’t notice any major issues while reading. Usually, if there are big grammar problems, they stand out and disrupt the flow, but that wasn’t the case here. I’m not the type to analyze every sentence with a magnifying glass, but from what I saw, there were only a few minor mistakes.
Character:
This was the part I liked the most. In stories like this, characters who endure such brutal events often turn into calm and ruthless figures—something like an antihero who does good but doesn’t hesitate to kill. So far, the characters seem to be heading in that direction, but only the author knows what’s truly in store for them. For now, I’m really enjoying their development.
Overall:
Engaging, intense horror with strong world-building. This story has great potential, and I’m excited to see where it goes. Keep on writing!
SamiceeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Part post-apocalyptic fantasy, part coming of age story. The protagonist suffers a lot, surrounded by more fortunate family, in a world about to fall off the edge.
Reading this reminded me of 90's Japanese games, the old Zeldas. The action, the monsters, the strange side characters with animal features, trading unique magical items. A little psychedelic... If this was a game it would have chip music behind it.
Style - really good when the author puts some poetic flair into it. The opening verse hooked me in, and there are a couple of deeper scenes that are nice and wistful. The action sequences work well too - gory and violent. Scene setups - introducing locations - would benefit from getting some of this detail too.
Story - Easy to follow, well paced. Neither too slow, nor too rushed.
Grammar - Proof reading is for sure the next step forward, but never gets in the way of understanding the plot. Just the occasional tense shift, or runaway comma.
Character - Protagonist's motivations, and doubts, are clear and sympathetic. So far I haven't learned too much of the other characters, adding to that Zelda-like vibe. The villain is someone you want to lose.
Thanks for the read, Queenie IV!
Zamora de LeonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Fast-paced, action-packed, and brutal story about survival and revenge...
Style: This story does not waste time getting into the brutal and the gritty. The action speaks louder than the dialogue, but there are moments of quiet tension that just hit you emotionally. I think the author has a vision for many of the scenes, and does a good job of getting them across.
Story: There are some really great ideas and concepts here, and I personally like the direction the story is going. Obviously, it is still early, so the author is still cooking on many of the points I'd like to see elaborated on--but I love a story that takes its time to reveal things. There's enough going on to keep you entertained.
Grammar: I think there are some grammar issues, but I was able to read through and understand the story well. The author is also very receptive to fixing typos and things like that, so I expect that this will improve even more with time.
Character: There are some well-characterized and likable characters in this story. I did get quite emotionally attached to two of the characters while reading, which I think is impressive to do in so few chapters. I am also extremely curious about one of the villains who was introduced, and how the main character will deal with him. I also think the author is improving in terms of how to portray larger groups of characters, based on the most recent chapter I've read.
All in all, I think this is a promising start to an interesting story. The author has a great imagination, so if you are looking for a dark story that moves along at a fast pace and has many interesting elements, this is a fun story to check out!