The Floating Gardens of Taiyual

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

The Floating Gardens of Taiyual bloom only once every thousand years, and they’re Jinna Sersi’s only hope.

As an exile, Jinna is banned from the cities of Stellaris, left to fend for herself in the dangerous wilds of the Rift. Her sister has died, and without her protection, Jinna won’t survive on her own. She hardly knows how to use her fern soulseed’s magic, and she’s never been alone before.Signing up for the Hunt—the Emperor’s contest to find the Floating Gardens—is Jinna’s last, desperate chance to shed her exile status and fulfill her sister’s last wish.

To win, she’ll have to venture deep into the Rift, beat the strongest mages in the nation, and find the entrance to a place half of Stellaris thinks is a legend. With a mercenary-turned-thief and a lazy court diviner by her side, though, she might have a chance.

★ What to expect: atmospheric/slowburn fantasy, xianxia-inspired cultivation, a unique plant-based magic system, lots of worldbuilding, and a good heaping of banter.

Updates Tuesday morning EST. | On hiatus for a while until I finish uni--coming back sometime around August 2026.

[winner of the October 2025 Royal Road Writathon challenge]

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2025
Author: niaohecha

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 31
Views: 6,764

Chapters(45 total)

What readers say about The Floating Gardens of Taiyual

“This story is beautifully written and carefully paced in a way that lets the reader breathe in the world before being swept along by the adventure. It doesn’t rush to deliver action for its own sake. Instead, it takes the time to let us know the main charac…”
Ally_BooRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“This story is a slow burn but still keep the reader interested and engaged with the characters. It draws the reader into the world and provides meaning to the characters at an early stage, despite being marketed as a slow-burn story, it provides excitement…”
EivoyaRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(5)

Ally_BooRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is beautifully written and carefully paced in a way that lets the reader breathe in the world before being swept along by the adventure. It doesn’t rush to deliver action for its own sake. Instead, it takes the time to let us know the main character, Jinna, and to feel the weight of her circumstances. That slower rhythm allows every moment to land with more meaning.
Jinna is an instantly likable heroine, but what makes her truly compelling is her vulnerability. She has been through so much: losing her sister, living as an exile, constantly struggling for food and shelter, never certain she will even survive the next day. Yet despite all of this, she never completely collapses into despair. Her inner voice and the narrative show us her mourning, her resilience, and the quiet strength of someone who knows life has little value in the eyes of others, yet still dares to hope. I found myself deeply invested in her journey and cheering for her survival.
The supporting cast is also delightful. The thief who may or may not be trustworthy adds mystery and tension, while the eccentric old shopkeeper brings warmth, wisdom, and a refreshing kindness toward Jinna. Their banter and presence enrich the story without overshadowing the main character’s arc.
As of chapter 9, I can feel the story preparing to bloom just as Mc starts learning more about magic thanks to her benefactor. The groundwork has been laid, the world and its dangers have been introduced, and I sense the real adventure is just around the corner. This is a slowburn, yes…but one with so much promise. I could have kept reading much longer ☺️.
A thoroughly enjoyable and hopeful beginning.
Looking forward to the continuation…
EivoyaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is a slow burn but still keep the reader interested and engaged with the characters. It draws the reader into the world and provides meaning to the characters at an early stage, despite being marketed as a slow-burn story, it provides excitement from the get-go.
The Floating Gardens of Taiyual has an eastern feel to the overall story, but isn't so harsh on the themes, allowing it to be enjoyed by all reading preferences.
The characters are vivid and clear in who they are, the authors descriptive work is excellent at giving the reader the full view of who each person is, and their surroundings.
The pacing has been consistent throughout, leading to a relaxed reading experience, while still feeling the tension at points. The relationship between characters introduced early, has a strong foundation and reads well as to what may happen in the future of the story.
This story has similar styles found in all classic fantasy stories, not to say it is overdone, but it lends itself well to set criteria and reads as though the author has a great deal of experience in this genre.
The Floating Gardens of Taiyual has the potential to go far and lay its claim as a solid fantasy series.
There have been no noticeable grammar issues through the story, everything is well edited and clear. Each character feels uniquie it themselves and how they speak and act.
PastLiferRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I have to say, this rating is a 4.85, but as that's not possible to give, it's down as 5 stars.
Indeed, a scrumptious story. The first chapter drops you in at a good point, the pacing isn't too fast, yet it introduces the important plot points of the whole story. Whilst leaving you wanting to learn more.
I am a die-hard fan of longer chapters; these are all roughly in the 2000s range and well-paced (honestly, they could be longer imo). This means it's still digestible, but those who prefer shorter chapters may be put off.
The only reason it's not 5 stars is that a slow-burning novel with slow-burn chapter release dates can be a turn-off. Combined with the large paragraphs that need to be broken down, there is always room for improvement.
However, the author of this work has a very consistent style and pace, which I personally love!
ZacheasRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story delivers a strong blend of atmosphere, character depth, and mounting tension. From Jinna’s first desperate escape from the wisp to her uneasy arrival in Hollowstep, the chapters balance action with quieter moments of reflection, giving readers time to sit with her grief and fear. The worldbuilding is rich and layered: details like rootlines, exile marks, Rift-creatures, and the Year of the Blossoming lend the setting a lived-in quality without ever drowning the narrative in exposition.
Jinna herself is a compelling protagonist. Her voice is consistent, hesitant, wary, and deeply shaped by loss, yet she is not passive. Her choices, even when they are mistakes, feel grounded in her trauma and in the instincts of someone who has survived on the fringes for years. The dynamic with Calisya adds welcome tension and humor, while Anna the innkeeper provides grounding warmth in a story otherwise dominated by paranoia and menace.
The pacing works especially well. Each chapter escalates the danger, whether through the eerie quiet of Hollowstep’s streets, the sudden threat of thieves, or the exhausting chase that ends in Jinna’s desperate fernstep. The prose is clear, often vivid, with strong sensory detail. At times, some sentences could be tightened to avoid redundancy, and the repeated use of “she” to open sentences can flatten the rhythm.
Overall, this is a polished and immersive draft with a strong emotional hook. With another careful pass to refine sentence variety and trim excess, it would be well on its way to publication-ready.
RaptorHeistRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
I’ve read everything released at this point, up to Chapter 9, and so far I like what I see.
“Jinna felt her heartbeat in her spine.”
From the opening line you get a taste of niohecha’s way with words. To the point, but with some flair. The whole the writing flows quite well, with good variation in sentence structure and turns of phrase. It does sometimes lapse into something clunkier when the sentences drag out, such as when there’s a long sequence of action or a lot of explanation. Breaking up some of the run-on sentences and cutting back on the use of “then” would make things much snappier. But these are small issues, and largerly matters of taste. Overall the grammar is strong, with no issues I noticed.
One thing the story does quite well is weaving the exposition into the story. There’s no long prologue dumping a bunch of lore on you before you have a reason to care, before you meet the young woman fighting to survive. That said, there is a lot of explaining going on. I think in the opening chapter, explaining just a little bit less would garner our curiosity without being confusing. We have a simple, effective hook, which is that Jinna is being stalked through the woods by a malevolent being. This is enough to get invested and understand the basics. Then, as we discover for ourselves what that being is, it would be even more engaging than it already is.
“Her mind scattered and leapt about like lotus frogs.”
There is a strong sense of place. I can really feel the denseness and dampness of the forest amidst the moss and vines. The soulseed magic system is quite unique and fits well with the setting and overall vibe. Together it all has a cozy feel to it, but not without a sense of adventure.
It does take a while for the story to actually start. This didn’t put me off, since things still flow nicely, and the characters are at least busy getting themselves into trouble. But it is still nine chapters in and the characters have mostly just prepared for their actual m