The Magpie and The Archmage [Book 1 Complete]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

She's a magpie. She's a girl. And she's going to steal shiny. Liora is a little thief that enjoys collecting shiny things like any self-respecting magpie. But one day she stumbles upon the shiny that changes her life forever—Archmage Renir who happens to be trapped in a beautiful gemstone. After that they are pursued by mages, forcing Liora to fight, learn skills and evolve to become stronger. All so one day, she could free Renir of his prison. What to expect: - MC is a magpie (for real) - Traits and skills, and a clear progression System - Monster evolution - Shiny treasures - And Renir... the talkative rock New chapter every Monday, Wednesday and FridayJoin myPatreonfor 20 advanced chapters.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: AmberAtlas

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 5,507
Views: 1,019,583

Chapters(114 total)

What readers say about The Magpie and The Archmage [Book 1 Complete]

“The characters are distinct, especially the magpie-like main character, whose past-life memories feel authentic. The mage archetype intrigues, and I’m curious about their origin. I’m excited to see if the main character’s hoarding sparks dragon-like traits.…”
AlpacaHero1Royal Road5.0 / 5
“Join Liora as she goes on a quest to find all the shineys! Liora is a magpie. Sure, she used to be a human but that was years ago. Now she’s happy with her hidden nest, a collection of shineys and having her brothers and sisters nearby. Sure, there’s someth…”
AssidiousBlueRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

AlpacaHero1Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The characters are distinct, especially the magpie-like main character, whose past-life memories feel authentic. The mage archetype intrigues, and I’m curious about their origin. I’m excited to see if the main character’s hoarding sparks dragon-like traits. Love that the author skips illustrations to keep the monster-girl reveal a mystery. Awesome work—can’t wait for more!
AssidiousBlueRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Join Liora as she goes on a quest to find all the shineys!
Liora is a magpie. Sure, she used to be a human but that was years ago. Now she’s happy with her hidden nest, a collection of shineys and having her brothers and sisters nearby. Sure, there’s something strange going on with the weird animals killing stuff, and the occasional humans making noise but life as a magpie is…
Shiney! Swoop! Dumb humans can’t even fly.
Now she has the most beautiful rock she’s ever seen. If only it would stop talking to her. And now it (he?) is saying something about being a “Pillar of magic” and a “system” and such. As long as she gets more shineys, it will all be worth it, right?
Right?
A cozy monster evolution tale with well written characters, gripping combat scenes, and steady progression. MC is definitely a Magpie, and has appropriate faults and quirks of that. She is balanced by Renir (the trapped wizard) who plays straight man to her Corvid shenanigans.
As an Aussie, found it a bit confusing that she’s a European Magpie (which are Corvids unlike the Aussie ones) but the characterisation is done well.
Worldbuilding is ongoing, with hints of deep lore and cults and machinations going on in the background, but our MC mostly wants to get more Shineys, which drives the plot along.
Author ArtemisRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The Magpie and the Archmage is a delightful and humorous story about a magpie and her most beautiful found treasure yet… an Archmage trapped in a gem. The Archmage trapped inside unlocks her System, and then it’s off to the races on a quest to free him. The progression is well-written, with Liora, the main character, using her natural traits as a magpie to slay monsters and grow stronger. The pacing is excellent and keeps me coming back for more every time a new chapter is posted!
Style: The story is written in third person, with simple and easy to read prose. Conversations between Liora and Renir, the trapped Archmage, serve to deliver exposition. The dialogue is written naturally and is enjoyable to read.
Story: The plot moves at a decent clip and the pacing is steady. Initially the conflict derives from Liora’s possession of Renir’s sparkly prison, and over time a larger conflict emerges. There’s a good amount of action with Liora fighting monsters and other bad guys, so fans of LitRPG, Progression, and monster slaying should enjoy The Magpie and The Archmage.
Grammar: Decent. There is some unusual grammar and typos, but nothing that detracts from enjoying the story.
Character: Much of the story, especially early on, focuses on Liora and Renir’s relationship and conversations as Renir seeks Liora’s aid in freeing him from the gem he’s trapped in. Liora is strongly characterized as a magpie, with magpie interests, which makes these conversations quite enjoyable to read. More characters are introduced as time goes on with realistic and believable strengths and weaknesses, but Liora and Renir remain the center of the story.
Overall The Magpie and The Archmage is consistently entertaining each and every chapter and I can’t wait to see where the story goes in the future!
BLACKSP0TRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This web novel is an absolute gem! The unique perspective is brilliantly executed, pulling you right into the mind of the magpie. It's incredibly fun to read and the author does a fantastic job of making you feel like you're seeing the world through their eyes. Following their journey and witnessing their growth is a genuinely exciting experience that keeps you hooked from the first page to the last. A truly clever and captivating story!
Corwin6765Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is the third story I’ve read from Amberatlas. I have enjoyed them all. She has a very engaging style and has a clear path and overall plot to the books. I appreciate that! Some authors just have the start in mind and then just wonder around, but Amber is focused and knows where the story is going. I want to see how many shinies Liora can gather. Thank you for writing us entertaining stories!
HemerodromusRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The characterization and handling of the MC is pretty good. What shines, though, is the sheer greed our magpie shows toward her resources. A core part of the progression system involves monster cores, but those same cores? They are very shiny and very tempting for the intrepid bird, and spending them is anathema. Her focus on accumulating pretty treasures (by bird standards) is a consistent and well written, but not overwhelming character flaw. It's excellent for characterization, and the author does a good job of using it to shape the narrative without over-riding the MC's agency. The story as of chapter 11 leans into Liora's magpie tendencies toward greed and pride, while leveraging her species capabilities with regards to relatively complex socialization (even with other species) and aerial acrobatics. The result is a fun romp.
The mentor/macguffin in the form of a Renir's gemstone prison/soulgem/phylactery fills a solid role in providing Liora with a person to communicate with and a reason to exposit at a reasonable rate. The fact that he is fundamentally dependent on her helps to keep Liora in the driver's seat for story progression during the early stages when she is still operating on an unevolved bird's neural hardware.
Hopefully, as the story progresses, we will see the various plot seeds paid off: Liora's first life as a human, Renir's escape/resurrection, Liora's quest for treasure, the ongoing hunt for Renir by his captors, and the growing corruption in the world/system. The story has a solid foundation, and it has plenty of room to grow.
JannyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Pretty solid start if not a little generic. The author does a good job of giving some personality to the magpie MC. The premise of a magpie is enough to keep things fresh for the first bit and there’s some hints of more interesting things to come. Overall a great start and I’m looking forward to seeing more.
JaricvennRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Vendetta sworn by fair magpie
In dark cave where shadows loom
To free the precious treasured stone
From Gnolls cruel tainted hands
Liora swoops, twists, pecks with might
To seek her prize and return its light
If you like fantasy and monster girl stories then you will love this magpies tale
Jinian DicentraRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I love Liora and her monster heroine’s journey! She’s very much a little corvid and very much learning-to-be-a-person. Her sass and refusal to spend shinies are delightful, and her unwillingly coming around to like almost everyone she meets is really sweet. We need more stories like this. Viva la monster girl revolution!
AilornRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
She's a girl, she's a bird and she wants all the shineys! This little gremlin stole my heart along with all the shineys.the book is exactly what it sets out to do and does it well. I really enjoy her escapades. My inner rogue and dice goblin is entertained. It is well written and fun. If you like monster evolution stories you'll like this.