The Potentate

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Morrigan is an ordinary citizen living in the thriving country of Leith. She has spent her entire life tending to her farm, a task passed on to her ever since her mother was kidnapped from their home. Impressionable, intelligent, and very naive, she struggles to find treatment for her terminally ill father, especially as the entire government has cracked down on the ordinary citizens with the worsening famine.In a world forced into an oppressive binary between those who have magical powers and those that do not, Morrigan struggles to navigate her life after discovering that she has a power —a power that no one has heard of.As she uncovers family and government secrets, she's forced to make a decision between those she loves and revenge on the world.What to expect:A dark, slow-burn fantasy. There will be a lot of focus on characters and their psychological and moral values. The plot will be heavily intertwined within each chapter, and as it continues, more and more secrets will be revealed. There will be more action scenes as the plot progresses.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: BananaDragon

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Followers: 421
Views: 94,211

Chapters(51 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

drewhead118Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
An excellent start to a fantastical tale of class struggles and rivarly--or, at least, those are the things I think the story will stay focused on, though I've only read through the prologue and first narrative arc at the time of this review. The writing is strong, and the narrative moves along at a brisk pace, making this story an easy and engaging read. Score breakdowns to follow:
Style score: the author's writing is complex and refined. The narrative voice is strong. Sentence structure is varied enough to prevent things from feeling stale, and the abundance of idioms/metaphors provides interesting perspectives. Not all of the metaphors land equally well, but the creativity behind them leads me to forgive the ones that fit less well.
Grammar score: not only is the text copy clear and well-edited from the get-go, but the author also remains very responsive in editing out the few typos that were encountered by readers / flagged in comments.
Story score: The prologue was one of the most engaging I could remember reading in recent memory, featuring rich characters and fascinating vignettes. This early high had the unfortunate effect of making the switch to the "main cast" a bit of a comparative letdown--at least for now. There was nothing majorly wrong with that story portion, but it just didn't reach the heights of the first prologue chapters: it follows the pretty classic 'dystopian magic world' formula (not that there's anyhting inherently wrong with tropes!); there were a great many named characters introduced that haven't yet had the time to develop; Morrigan, our MC for the first body chapters, acts a bit too naive and trusting,
which has predictable consequences. I also felt as though she went from discovering her powers to using them really well to heal people and fight off flame assassins really quickly and without any explained development, though that may have something to do with the voice in her head.
Still, the end of that first arc of chapters promises
Metablade98Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I would like to start out by saying this is far from my usual genre, as I prefer action and grimdarkness to be the main focus of a story. With that said, The Potentate had me hooked by the end of the first Prologue chapter. It is a gripping story focusing on classist struggles in grim dystopian society.
Story: As mentioned above, it is a gripping narrative. Though it starts slow, it uses that slowness to introduce the world and characters, which are the linchpins of the story. The Prologue alone is strong enough to stand on it’s own, everything afterward perfectly capitalizes on the strong start. Even keeping you apprised of the aftermath of the prologue while focusing on the main set of Characters.
Style: Smooth. That’s the best description of the style. It flows very easily, and is written with a clear well throughout format.
Grammar: 99.9% Perfect, there are a couple words missing in a few chapters but they are hardly noticeable.
Characters: All of the characters are very well written, and are honestly the stars of the show. Each character feels real and human, making mistakes and struggling with their own problems. My only gripe is that I feel a certain character should be a bit more secretive about her powers.
Conclusion: If you are hesitant on reading The Potentate, just jump into it. It’s a solid read with stellar characters and if the grim, dystopian world being built doesn’t catch your eye, then the narrative certainly will. An easy 5 Star story.
S.N. KeirsteadRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story has a lot going for it. First of all, the prose is solid. I noticed no grammatical errors, nor did I have to go back and reread anything for clarity.
The dialogue is natural. The converation between Morrigan and Juro in chapter 4 is a good exmaple of how realistic the characters talk. You can tell what kind of relationship they have just by the way the pair speak to each other.
Other characters are introduced in the prologue, so the main character in the synopsis feels like a side character, but I'm sure they'll get fleshed out in later chapters.
Overall, a pleasant read although it is a bit short at the moment.
Second LawRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The events in The Potentate occur in the country of Leith, which is a feudal society like the French before French revolution, and here the division between the haves and have nots is based on magic. And since magic is hereditary, there is a clear nobility and the working class based on parentage. And these classes don't mix, until they do, and we end up with a magic wielding farmer in the countryside - Morrigan - the MC of our story.
Style : The author is skilled with writing and I'm enjoying reading his prose so far. Right after the prologue ends, you see him describing our MC getting some powers, and it's written masterfully. So is the description of her ailing father. Overall, the author's writing style is really artful, and makes the reading experience quite enjoyable.
Story : The story starts with a prologue involing a rather dysfunctional family with an overachieving and potentially sociopathic girl and her twin brother, who suffers greatly from his sisters personality and achievement, and has cut ties with his family. As an adult, he does some experiments to gain recognition, but not everything goes as planned. Then we pivot to our main character and her family and friend, and her discovery of powers, and follow her journey along from there. This is where the plot is developing, and things have started to heat up quite a bit towards the end of first arc.
Grammar : I have found no mistakes that detract from the reading experience.
Character : So far, I've found all the characters tastefully written. Both the family in the prologue and the MC's family and friends in the subsequent chapters are well written. In particular, there seems to be hints of depth to the 'evil twin' character of the prologue that I look forward to seeing, as well as Morrigan's character development from a kindly countryside farmer to something more.
Dingo_shablinkoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
From the first word, this story will pull you along. It features a dystopian society where magic users oppress the common folk in an ever tightening circle of despair and starvation.
It is written in third person and features a few POV changes. The author was very clear about the changes, and they were not confusing. The first few chapters feature a few time skips which lay out the setting. The time skips are handled well and didn't confuse the reader.
The story is easy to follow and is consistent with its own internal logic. The setting reminded me strongly of the Hunger Games, with a vast disparity between the privilege of the magic users and the desperation of the normies.
The opening chapters feature some horrible scenes which make you really sympathise with the first MC. The second MC is a very likable girl who must come to grips with rapidly changing circumstances beyond her control. The reasons the characters do things are mostly clear.
The grammar is mostly very good with a few niggles here and there.
Overall I have enjoyed this story and I can wholeheartedly recommend it. I'm looking forward to following this story as it develops.
Falling LeavesRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Alright, so this is one of those stories where you decide to write a review, but keep putting it off, because you'll do it after just one more chapter.
The mysteries start right from the prologue, with major events surrounding both the most powerful people as well as the mc and her family. But even as they start coming to terms with events and finding answers to questions, the reader constantly has new questions raised. Is Morrigan's best friend really her friend? Why is the General working toward goals that differ from his government? Was the accident in the beginning sabotage? What is Josaphine really like? I could go on, but rather read it to find out more!
The style is great, it really flows well. The shifts in pov's also overlap nicely, so there's never any of the confusion that often accompanies this. Differences in the lives of those that live 'middleclass' lives, those in poverty, and those in luxury are also very well described.
I don't want to say much about the story, because the story is a mystery, and the mystery is still ongoing. But it is a mystery that keeps you clicking on the next page, waiting to find out more, so I'll let that speak for itself.
Grammer is good, there's nothing much to say there. The few issues I noticed are so slight and so easily fixed I'm sure they will gone before anyone even reads this.
One of the places where this story really shines is with the characters. They are all unique, make sense, and interact naturally. The relationships between each of them is really good as well, and you easily find yourself empathizing with Morrigan (and her dad).
I definitely recommend giving this one a try!
GrapefuitRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is undoubtedly one of the best on this platform and many others. I cannot recommend this enough, and I truly hope it gets more attention. If you don't know if you'll like this story, read the whole Prologue! It sums up the novel's personality perfectly. I have read all of the Prologue and up to Chapter 11, which is all that is posted so far. If any of my opinions change, I will edit this. I'll be closely following this story, and I hope you do, too.
Style
The style of this story is truly impeccable. The author uses varying sentence structures to keep the reading experience new and not repetitive. It is written in third person narrative with occasional first person to either vary the paragraphs, or because some scenes require first person (I can't really say more without giving away massive plot spoilers). The prose is just phenomenal, and the matephors and similies really paint a beautiful picture of this work. The dialogue is realistic between characters and paints love, friendship, and hate very well. Some chapters almost take on a very creative or poetic feel, and grammar rules are bent to convey character's emotions.
Story
What can I say? It's truly incredible. The prologue really sets the tone for the future of the novel; it's a dim, catastrophic world where power and selfish desires rule. The actual chapters start of cheery and fun but quickly take a turn, especially at the end of the first arc. While the main character, Morrigan, is very OP, her personality and overbearing systemic oppression provides a very big challenge for her. There are virtually no info-dumps in this story, so if that's something you enjoy, this might not be for you. So much information is present in the dialogue, and the authors notes occasionally contain summaries of all the world building so far. The world building, plot, and and power system are really, really incredible and so immerisve.
Grammar
I just have to reiterate what said in their review. This story is grammatica
Grimm LoreHoundRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story is a great representation of diversity in social classes, of clashing realities and ways of life. That clash is what gave birth to a compelling adventure that, aided by great narration of the author, became a great read and an eater of my free time. The story is well paced, allowing the reader to ask questions, and crave for answers. The tempo that wasa set it just perfect for you to actually absorb the reality you are witnessing. The characters are relatable and well done, their back story is well fleshed out, a chain linking them to us, the readers.
Overall, a great read, cut above the rest. If you have some time and the need to escape reality, this is the book for you.
GuthanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Let's start this off with a brief summary of what's happening. Morrigan, our MC, is an Leith in hiding. She does not know she is a superpowered person in hiding, not until she get's her superpower. The dystopian society built around superpowers is both realistic and sad. I am sure many people want to imagine that if people had superpowers that the world might become sunshine and rainbows, but well, people suck.
Overall Score 5/5 stars. I typically do not rate anything below a four star, ever. To me, a four star is a sign of serious issues that either won't be fixed, or the author refuses to fix. Anything below a four star indicates that I believe it unworthy of existing on the site. A five is a near-perfect story without many visible flaws. By this, I mean if you discount my preferences, there will not be any blemishes worth discussing. I rate this 5 stars because overall the sum of all four categories is decently deserving of a 5 star rating.
Style score 5/5 stars. I usually rate the sub categories a little more harshly than the overall score. The style here is good. The flow of the story is smooth. It avoids unessecary descriptions that would otherwise drag the flow down.
Grammar score 5/5 stars. The grammar is good with only a few small mistakes. Nothing much to say here except keep looking for more variation in tense moments.
Story Score 4.5/5 stars. The plot is good. The synopsis has the basic things you need to know already there. The plot has me hooked, althought some aspects bother me. I don't know how the leadership of the Leith's has held onto power this long when they are burning mundame peoples homes left and right, and aren't they the ones farming and providing the leith's food? I'll hope to see more civil discontent in the future regarding this.
Character Score 5/5 stars. The dialogue is decent and everyone stays in character. The personalities are good, although a certain one has earned my ire, and by this I mean I really dislike him. (A lot actually,
LeonaMRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I’m a little late to the review party, been following The Potentate for some weeks now, but I’m glad I waited. This story is getting more and more interesting as it goes, my questions are being answered, but even more questions seem to be forming with each answer that I need to know! AAAA!
The story is about Morrigan, who was once believed to be a plain common girl, but she suddenly begins to develop magical powers that are only supposed to show up in the family bloodlines of Leiths, who are the ruthless ruling class of a dystopian society. When the secret of her abilities begins to get out, it quickly puts Morrigan and her emotionally-estranged father in danger, revealing that some of her "friends" were working for the Leiths all along, but we still don't really know who of her remaining circle are truly her friends. At the time of this review, her focus is survival and hopefully some level of revenge for the harm the Leiths have done to her. I am very curious to find out what her final goals will be.
Style: The prose is very nice, it’s easy to read and gives enough details to paint the picture without bogging down the pace. So far there hasn’t been any stretch that felt repetitive or boring, or that was strictly dialogue-only for too long.
Story: Oh gosh, the prologue was suuuuch a hard read—from an emotional standpoint! That’s what I like. Make me feel stuff, dangit! The Potentate delivers on this itch pretty well throughout so far with high stakes for the MC and many of the characters in her orbit. When the MC Morrigan appears after the prologue, the details of the world are very vague at first, but there are enough hints, nudges and winks scattered around that I consistently had the feeling that I knew and understood everything that was going on, while also knowing absolutely nothing for certain. In some cases, there were so many possibilities to explain things, such as the cause of Morrigan’s sudden power and personality changes or what another character’s tr