The Dark Element

Information

Status

Ongoing

Year

2022

Author

StgBria

• Chapter 9: Prison Break (Part 1)
  Dec 23, 2023
• Chapter 8: Dock Tales
  Dec 6, 2023
• Chapter 7: Carry On
  Nov 13, 2023
• Chapter 6: Hot Seat (Part 2)
  Jul 31, 2023
• Chapter 6: Hot Seat (Part 1)
  Apr 9, 2023
• Chapter 5: Harvester (Part 2)
  Jan 29, 2023
• Chapter 5: Harvester (Part 1)
  Jan 17, 2023
• Chapter 4: County, Cripple, Kidnapped Child
  Dec 31, 2022
• Chapter 3: In The Not Quite the Beginning
  Sep 27, 2022
• Chapter 2: Sound Investigation (Part 2)
  May 8, 2023
• Chapter 2: Sound Investigation (Part 1)
  Sep 13, 2022
• Chapter 1: The Rider In Black
  Sep 3, 2022
• Prologue: The Dying Dark
  Aug 29, 2022

Reviews

Community Reviews(4)

• DoctorHugoRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The story unfolds so the reader understands what can happen / is happening, without a block of lore which could turn a reader away.
  It starts slowly as so much of real life starts, but when it gets busy, it's really busy and a great read. I'm sure it would make a good film soon.
• Rowdha Al SolRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  (Nothing to do with the review >>) I completely forgot this book existed up until a recent update, so I had to re-read some bits to catch up on things. For the record, this is not a review swap. I found the author on a thread, and I think they put a lot of effort into providing feedback without expecting any back.
  Anyway, so this work is complicated, in a good way. There is a lot that goes into the chapters in terms of tone, pacing, and underlying tension. I initially thought this was a horror novel, but I can see where things might be leaning more towards a slow-burn mystery with supernatural elements, though the horror undertones are definitely still there. As in, when you slice this work down on a technical level, there is some clear horror inspiration to the layers even though it is more a mystery with fantasy-leaning elements (pun) underfoot.
  In terms of the mechanics, while the paragraphs are not perfect, they technically follow the flow of how prose should be flowing. It's very difficult for me to explain what that means so you'll have to bear with me. What I mean is, the writing has a natural rhythm to it; it reads like someone actually thinking, observing, reacting in real time. Even when the sentence structures are a bit unconventional or messy, they still carry that internal momentum that good prose has. It doesn’t feel like the author is forcing the language to be pretty or clever just for its own sake; it feels like the narrative is moving the way thoughts and emotions do, a little jagged in places, but intentional. That’s hard to pull off. There’s a rawness to it, but not in a rough-draft way, in a "this is how this character sees the world kind of way". If you understand the conventions of prose, you'll know that, unless you're opting for an overtly beige tonality, you should be linking the movement of language to happenings within the story.
  And in terms of the actual story, we get a lot. The complexities of the mystery are handled with thought, as i
• VroomVroomRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Charming brotherly duo Joshua and Kael are on the hunt for something very dear to them. Along their journey, they quip wittily with locals, get into heaps of trouble, and unravel dangerous mysteries. The Dark Element is packed with explosive action and light hearted banter that I personally enjoyed.
  Style:
  I would honestly recommend this story just for the funny analogies and observations. It has a unique mix of literary and humorous elements that make it a treat to read. The world-building is excellently handled, and honestly just straight up cool.
  Story:
  Plot is engaging, and we are quickly wrapped into a mystery. I blitzed through the first 3 chapters when I should have been doing my homework :')
  Pacing is relaxed, in a good way.
  Grammar:
  All peachy. Couple things here and there, but definitely in the upper echelons of what you would find on this site.
  Character:
  Joshua and Kael are fully fleshed out POV characters, and they are cool. Both are interesting to read, and you get to see the differences in how they think. Joshua and Kael have that “love you but also you annoy me” sibling dynamic that adds a lot of charm to their interactions. Even the side characters have their charming quirks and feel like real people. I'd say character is a great strength of this piece.
• CKJ5Royal Road

  ★★★★ 4.0

  I hope people will keep in mind this review is based on only one chapter of the story: The Dark Element, and does not necessarily reflect the entirety of it. Also, upon the author’s request, I am supposed to be overly critical of their work. Okay, now that's out of the way, let's start the review.
  The entire prologue felt floaty, for lack of a better word. The author introduces some decent ideas but doesn’t stay on them long enough to take root. I can understand this is probably what the author was going for, but I don’t know if I can suggest starting a story in such a manner unless you have an established following already.
  The author does have some decent imagery at times, but things jump around and don’t focus enough on setting the scene. There is also an overabundance of weird details that don’t seem to matter to anything.
  Grammatically, the prologue could use some polish and tweaks. There are quite a few syntax errors, including, but not limited to, missing commas, hyphens, misspelled or misused words, and clunky or wordy sentences.
  Overall:
  The prologue has some promise but doesn’t introduce us enough to the world or the MC. It tries to sell us on a higher concept but falls short of that goal. That is not to say it was not entertaining, but if I decided to keep reading based on the first thing I read from the works, I would file it away as something that didn’t grab and hold my attention. If I had to put my finger on why I would say it was mostly from lack of a connection to the MC or the world.