The Saga of Vivex [Survival Progression Fantasy]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

[Book 1 is stubbed, but there is 200k plus words still up and more posting twice a week here on Royal Road!]

Being an apex predator is hard when you're the runt of the litter.

Vivex was too small to matter when she hatched. In Truescale society, her size should have made her worthless. The gods and her Instinct think differently.

In the proving grounds of the Belly of the World, faced with the choice between being food and fighting tooth and nail for survival, Vivex is determined to prove her people wrong.

Easier said than done.

Mighty beasts, vicious rivals, and meddling gods all seek to use the stunted Greenscale for their own ambitions. With only her wits and chameleon-like camouflage, Vivex must learn to not only survive in a hostile world that is out to get her, but also out think and out learn all of the threats that wish to claim her life.

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Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2024
Author: Xyne

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 1,291
Views: 101,679

Chapters(48 total)

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

AnCosmRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I read this whole story up to the present RR chapter in the last 3 days.
If you are looking for something different than the standard litrpg xianxia isekai teen power fantasy, this series is for you.
I don't want to give spoilers, but think Lord of the Flies meets 300 with a healthy dash of Survivor Island thrown in, all from a non-human POV.
5 Stars. Highly Recommend.
InfinitesimalGazeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is one of the best monster novels I've read on this site. The mc is complex in all the right ways and her interactions with her instincts are always a treat. The world is interesting and fleshed out subtlety and naturally, giving you just enough to formulate theories and speculations while maintaining a sense of intrigue and mystery. Overall I'm excited to see how this story developes and truly I think it deserves more attention.
JagernachtRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is truly one of a kind. Beautifully written, the story flows and sucks the reader in immediately. The characters become fleshed out in time, teasing you along without rushing. You find yourself cheering heartily for the main character, and relishing every hard won victory. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for an unique, fur read.
NyxRebornRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Book one is a bit slow but still an enjoyable read but once you reach the second book and the cast of characters grows (and are properly built upon) this series really shines. Its one of my favorite reads on Royal Road I've found in months. I'm almost caught up to the most recent chapter and can't wait for more.
shelboRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Hm damn I’m all caught up now…..Welp have my thoughts now; This is a damn good story, showing the ferocity of lizardfolk that I always wished to see in fiction, true neutral creatures that think and function on a different level on human minds while still being relatable in a few ways. The dual commentary from our Vivex and Instincts has been amazing, the innate knowledge that Instincts possess to help Vivex’s growth while still being a road bump to her growth due to it being the base reactions of a thinking Nature, especially with the slow descent and ascension of addiction.
The slow climb of Vivex from being the smallest and weakest to the smallest and most cunning of her peers has been an amazing ride, from the starvation, to the sneaking and stealth, to the fighting. Every bit of it was enjoyable and flowed well into one another. Can’t wait for the next book!
Citlowry01Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I was hooked on the first chapter. A story beginning in the egg, before the main character even hatches, is rare. And the developments as the main character learns and grows and learns how to balance reason and instinct is fascinating so far. I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes in future chapters
StreitRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Beware that this review only pertains to the first book and if I could limit my review to just that, I would do so. Still, my personal bias and preferences that kept me from reading further should not be used to demerit the ongoing story and the score I am giving is a reflection of my views on said first book.
With that said, let's get to the review of the first book in the saga.
Trial of Vivex is an excellent example of a novel point of view and a very closely written main character creating something unique, charming and worth reading. What I mean with closely written is not tightly written, but giving the reader a feeling of closeness to a very alien protagonist.
The way thoughts, decisions and experiences are written left me feeling seated very closely to the protagonist, as she experienced her trial. I got a good understanding of her developing nature, and could very reasonably see how parts of her mentality competed and worked with another.
The environment and the main characters perception of said environment were fantastic, showing both the danger but also the grimy elegance of the chosen setting. A lot of natural actions like movement, planning and eating were very well thought out and executed given the chosen environment and I very much enjoyed both the pacing and the character development born from said setting.
The triumphs felt earned, the setbacks consequential and it shaped a very compelling story and main character both, even with very alien foundations for both decision making and morals. There are some hiccups regarding character choices from side characters that do not hinder the story badly, but can be seen as minorly contrived, but as we do not spend as much time with said characters to get a firm understanding of their mentality I can not firmly say that those side characters acted "out of character." so to say.
I highly recommend reading the first book. As for what comes after...
This short paragraph is not going into my rating, as again, the
RennyTheReaderRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
- The main character is interesting
- love a good underdog story
- the in-universe lore is interesting, detailed, and full of intrigue (RAFO)
- the instinct is a new thing that I haven't seen in many fiction
- writing is good, kept me interested and tense to find out what will happen next
- and I havent even got to the magic yet
CThePersonRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
I really tried to get into this novel, but is simply was not for me. The pacing at lest I. The first book was not slow enough, and the conflict between the mcs instinct, mind, and another thing(trying not to spoil.) Was not strong enough for me to get into the character, while the physical entities she had to deal with throughout the first book weren't all that interesting for me.
KptnRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
Review for Book 1, unfortunately, my enjoyment declined alot afterwards. But the first book is great. Hence the total scoring.
Synopsis:
Lizardmen Hunger Games for newborn.
Bias:
I am a lover of non-human POVs, so this is right up my alley. I also dislike numbers/stats and other classical litRPG elements, which are also absent in this story, which made me hope for a great ride.
Story:
So far I‘ve been not let down, I really do love this story! Our main protagonist (still unnamed as of now, strongly believed to get the name Vivex later) is a newborn female lizardman (like human, get over it) trying to become an apex predator in their birthright trial. While under the watchfull eye of an adult observer and guardian, batches of lizardmen try to vye for ressources and struggle to live until the end of the trial. This is no joke and her brethren are killed left and right, thinning competition.
Spoilers ahead:
I won‘t be able to tell about my gripes without some spoilers, so be warned. As this story is purely a coming of age story about the survival of a lizard, I wouldn‘t say that spoilers are a major issue of enjoyment here. Nonetheless you are now informed.
This story is great, from beginning to end (as of now), our protagonist is consistent and just a treat to read. However, the inclusion of POVs from the gods made this story so much worse for me. They are written differently, our main god (firebringer) interjecting from the beginning with completely irrelevant takes and some weird monologues, e.g., naming bricks. They add nothing to the story at this point, kill immersion and while I understand, that the author wants to hint early at meddling in the trial from third sources, he should have just left them out. Man, a show don‘t tell approach would have done wonders here. Our protagonist feels the eyes of the gods in the temple: great! With her fight there, the statues and her feelings could have been a perfect proxy to bring the imprisonment and whos testing her perfe