The Warrior's Pride [Book 1 Complete]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Zyryxa has always dreamed of becoming the Ice Champion, the perfect fusion of power, beauty, and compassion. To achieve this, she must bond with the mightiest ice dragon and prove herself worthy. But when war erupts between the Ice and Fire Tribes, her ambitions are upended, and her forbidden grief ignites a relentless thirst for vengeance.

As she ventures into the treacherous realm of Volqor, Zyryxa faces dangers as lethal as her enemies—draconic beasts, merciless cold, and the ruthless dragon knights who command their armies with an iron fist. These trials force her to confront the limits of her pride and the fragility of her dreams, as she grapples with the brutal realities of war and the flaws within the culture she once revered.

In this unforgiving landscape, where survival demands more than superhuman strength, Zyryxa's journey will test her resolve and temper her soul. To emerge as the Ice Champion, she must find a way to balance her quest for power with the deeper meaning of compassion—before the fire of vengeance consumes her completely.

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The Warrior's Prideis complete. Book 2,The Knight's Fall, is participating in Writathon and will be releasing chapters at 6pm EST as frequently as possible.

Content Warnings:

-Sexual content. Mostly comic humor with a dash of brief spice far between.

-LGBTQ: The protagonist is bisexual and a large portion of the society is as well. This is a minor factor in the story rather than a central feature.

-Heavy grief themes. There is a balance of more lighthearted humor and classic OP barbarian fantasy as well.

-Military violence. Done through the lens of compassion rather than glorification. This does include implied sexual violence.

-Psychopathic primary antagonist. Gaslighting galore.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2024
Author: C.S. Charles

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 158
Views: 36,844

Chapters(76 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(5)

Angelica RaizeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
-grammar and style -
I really, really like the writing. It's immersive and the author does a good job when it comes to using the right phrasing in the right moments. However, there are a few tweaks I personally suggest. The vocabulary generally fits the fantasy tone well, but keeping it consistent and avoiding overly complex passages would help maintain the flow and keep readers engaged.
Imagery, as I said, is very strong and I love that. It shines especially in how the environment and characters' emotions are portrayed. Adding more sensory detail in certain scenes can really pull readers into the moment.
- characters -
Zyryxa is a very interesting main character. She somewhat reminds me of Aloy from the horizon series. Her conflicting feelings about her mother and her desire to prove herself create a strong emotional drive that leads the story very well. The balance of serious and calmer moments make her character resonate even more, and the reader has a very well-planned way to see multiple faces of the main character.
Lexyn adds another layer to the story. Her shyness is absolutely adorable, making her one of my favourite characters personally.
- Story -
The plot flows well, clearly marking Zyryxa’s growth. It touches on themes like tradition, grief and solidarity. The Rite of the Dragon Warrior is a particularly effective plot device, because it explores those topics while keeping the reader engaged. And it's also probably one of the most original works I've seen here on RR.
I definitely reccomend this novel to who's interest to the genres. It's a good read.
S.D. HussRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Glad I could be among the first to review this book. There are a lot of things that happen in the five chapters available right now, building the tone, personalities and overall culture of the current setting.
Style: The author’s style is smooth. Each sentence flows to the next and keeps you engrossed in the icy world he created. If I were to find any issue. It would be keeping track of the alien words and names that are thrown at you right from the beginning. But, once I got the hang of it, there was no issue.
Story: The story is just getting started. As of this review there are only five chapters available, but a great deal happens within those chapters. You are introduced into a frigid icy word. Following Zyryxa on her path to becoming something greater. The tribe, and conflict that are introduced are well executed. I won't spoil anything for those who are still reading. But chapter five has a pretty interesting turn of events. It accomplished its mission in keeping me intrigued throughout, and wanting to continue.
Characters: Of the characters who have been introduced so far. Zyryxa is the most fleshed out. Obviously, since she’s the main character. You are rooting for her, and can connect with her throughout. The other characters seem to be mostly fleshed out as well. My only nitpick would be Pelzyq. He seems to be a bit over-the-top and on the nose showing how he isn’t a good guy. He’s ugly, brash, and gets humbled accordingly. Even after a trial of humiliation, trying to break his arrogance. He doesn’t seem to take anything away from it.
Grammar: Nothing to really comment on here. Everything seemed great.
Overall, I would definitely recommend giving this piece of work a read. I found it enjoyable and engaging. Well written, and creative.
Vel WovenRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I just finished the first half of Chris's novel and I'm pretty impressed. Let me break down what's working and where there might be room for growth.
Someone down there mentioned Skyrim vibes, and yeah, it's there. I like it a lot.
Style: 4 / 5
Chris has a vibrant way with words! I found myself shivering during those tundra scenes and feeling the heat during the battles. The writing has this raw, visceral quality that really puts you right there in the frozen world of Volqor.
Sometimes I caught myself re-reading a few passages, some chapters feel too short, but overall the style clicks. The dialogue mostly feels natural, BUT occasionally characters sound a bit like they're explaining the world to the reader rather than talking to each other. This is the hardest part to do in worldbuilding, and I myself am learning too.
I especially loved the way the drake-riding scenes are written.
Story: 4 / 5
The whole Rite of the Dragon Warrior thing feels fresh even though coming-of-age trials aren't new in fantasy. I'm really digging the dragon bonds and the goddesses angle.
There were a couple spots where I felt like I'd seen elements before in other fantasy works (again, Skyrim, which I'm a big fan of), but there's enough unique spin on things that it doesn't feel derivative. And the pacing is like this - just when things might slow down, something intense happens to "kick the story into another gear". This story is pretty fast paced, though, at times I wish it could slow down so the world built isn't just used for advancing the plot. But this is coming from an author who writes slow-burn stuff, so to each their own.
Character: 5 / 5
Hands down the best part of the book! Zyryxa is such a complex badass - she's fierce and prideful but also struggling with grief and questioning everything she was raised to believe. Her journey feels real, you know?
And Lexyn? What a perfect counterbalance! She's this gentle soul with hidden strength who helps Zyryxa see beyond her black-and-whit
kaydayRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Personally, I think this is one of the most underrated stories on this app.
I really cannot believe it doesn’t have more readers. Even though it just started, this is an exceptionally strong start as the writer strikes the perfect balance of action, scene description and emotional reflection and this carries on through the rest of the book (including the end of chapter five which just hits like a punch in the gut). But apart from the layered and intricate worldbuilding, the beautiful beautiful descriptions and polished writing (I believe the author must be a professional writer in some capacity at least), what truly shines is the characters and their dialogue.
Sova really knows what the heck they they’re doing with building their character and the MC is one of my favorite types of MCs. She’s brash, and arrogant, and she knows deep down that she’.s better than everyone and she’s got the strength to prove it. But at the same time, she’s not an asshole or an emotionless robot. I like the compassion she showed to the shy Lexyn and the way she misses her family even though she tries desperately to pretend she doesn’t.
But to my surprise, my favorite character is Pelzyq. He is introduced to be your typical jock but he is actually one of the most hilarious characters I’ve read in a while. Really had me in my bed chuckling to myself like a maniac. A lot of times when authors introduce characters for comic relief, it comes off as try hard and unfunny but not here. And I think it’s because it’s clear that he’s not just a comic relief character. He’s a headstrong arrogant traditional macho man (and thinks he's God's gift to women) who is layered and clearly has goals, but also happens to be funny as fuck. And then there’s a ton more characters like the handsome bard and the dragon champion, Vaztyma, and her dragon Praedax and each one really is given a chance to shine in this book.
Heck, there are characters who aren’t even shown on screen that feel more real than some MC’s I’
timbecileRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I'm really enjoying this so far. The characters are interesting, and that's my favorite part. Not everyone enjoys an arrogant main character, but I think she's great...mostly because she's got the skills to back it up.
I like that it's really fast paced, and the action is getting going already. I have to admit that I sometimes get lost without getting to read a ton about the back story, but that's the price you pay for fast-paced action.
can't wait to keep reading!