Thief of Echoes

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Life in the shadows can take some strange turns. Lanie finally got to knock “international museum heist” off her bucket list. The job went smooth, until she got outside and found killers waiting for her. Now she’s on the run, strange video-game windows keep popping up, and the world is getting weirder by the minute. Someone wants what she stole, and they're willing to kill her to get it. Because there’s a world of magic hidden behind the curtains. A world full of fairy-tale creatures, dangerous powers, and rules she doesn’t understand. And if Lanie wants to stay alive, she’ll have to learn the game fast. Before the people hunting her find her again. -------- New chapters on Mondays and Thursdays -------- What to expect: Urban Fantasy, Contemporary setting, Light LitRPG, Chakra-based magic, Slow-burn Progression, Past lives relived, Criminal behavior, Bad language, Snark, A brave Brownie, Fairy human trafficking, Strange places, Hungry Djinn, Spiders, Found Family, Karma

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: Dawnstrider

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 198
Views: 17,114

What readers say about Thief of Echoes

“We follow a thief who, just after a job gets in trouble that results in her becoming aware of the magic in the world. The pace is fast but not to fast and both style and characterization indicates a writer who know his stuff. I binged the first 17 chapters…”
Dreamwolf969Royal Road5.0 / 5
“This is a new story from an author whose past work has been excellent, so I am reviewing earlier than usual and giving it a bit of a boost, and trusting that it'll continue on its current (very enjoyable and different!) trajectory. Style: It opens with a cl…”
JolligreenRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(5)

Dreamwolf969Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
We follow a thief who, just after a job gets in trouble that results in her becoming aware of the magic in the world. The pace is fast but not to fast and both style and characterization indicates a writer who know his stuff. I binged the first 17 chapters and highly recommend this story, so far it has been very good.
JolligreenRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a new story from an author whose past work has been excellent, so I am reviewing earlier than usual and giving it a bit of a boost, and trusting that it'll continue on its current (very enjoyable and different!) trajectory.
Style: It opens with a classic scene - a heist gone awry - and gets more interesting from there. It's got a novel System, or at least semi-novel (and honestly, I'm glad for some basic stats because there are bits I need to go Google now, won't spoil things with why.) It's fast-paced, the MC's confusion upon peering behind the magical curtain is well done, there are plenty of interesting threads to follow, and I'd gladly read this style over a lot of other options out there.
Grammar: excellent, don't think I caught any errors in my readthrough, other than a spacing issue that's likely just RR being odd with imported text.
Story: So far, so good. There are multiple compelling elements moving the story forward, settings that are more than just window dressing, plenty of action, and strong pacing. I'm pulled in, for sure, and excited for the next chapters to drop.
Character: Relatable and compelling MC, some fun and compelling side characters, character backgrounds with some solid breadcrumbs to go visit later, and worthwhile early villains who are starting to have some depth to them. Again, it's early days, but I love this author's work, see lots of potential in the characters and story, and am placing a confident bet on this fiction being a banger as well :-)
LoeksnokesRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
So this is early for an advanced review, but I am also familiar with other work by the author, and know that we can count on some aspects of her writing to remain strong. In past work, I have sometimes felt that the author can get a little heavy, but they already have taken steps here to keep the tone serious, but fun, and that is much appreciated.
Overall:
I very much have enjoyed the story so far, and it is starting at 5* (I might revisit this review down-the-road). The story begins in a flavour of action and it is both fun and mildly frustrating as things do not go so easily in the way of the MC. In any case, a very entertaining start and with good initial ingredients for a long and interesting story.
Style:
this story is told in third person, and with short and clean sentences which ARE long enough so that the story does not feel too abrupt. This is my favourite style so I am loving it.
Grammar:
I have not spotted any problems here.
Story:
There is enough background on the MC and side characters that one can get an initial feeling for them, and have some idea of why they are doing what they do. There are enough tantalising tidbits from the past that will clearly work there way out into the story as well, so the hooks are well set. I believe more context will become clear in time: we will see.
Character:
I really like the two main characters so far, and their natural chemistry. They will fit well together for a long time, and I hope the story goes that way to allow it. The other characters are interesting too, and it will be nice to learn more indepth knowledge around the antagonists as we go.
the story The MC is believable, and the side characters make sense to me as well.
The cast has a new addition of a Browny "Nips" in the last two chapters, and this character is very well drawn; I expect they will really add to the balance and tone of the story.
LisaLewisRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Nice characterization, especially with Nibs. This is well written, with realistic dialog, and so far, it is internally consistent. It drops us right into the main action with no exposition, but that seems to be true of almost all web novels. I'd like to have seen a little more shading on the "evil" characters, as they are definitely very stereotyped. However, they may change, or other more interesting villains be introduced. All in all, a very nice start to a story.
mrcbooksRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I’ll start with what works well, then offer a few light suggestions for polish.
What worked well:
Tense Suspense and Stakes: The chapter builds relentless pressure from the opening lavatory hideout to the train capture, with Lanie's evasion tactics and pursuers' professionalism creating a gripping cat-and-mouse feel. The final drugging cliffhanger lands perfectly.
Protagonist Voice and Competence: Lanie's sarcastic, self-aware narration shines—lines like “Here’s to poor life choices” and her practical quick-change/smuggling sequence make her resourceful, relatable, and compelling as a thief protagonist.
Realistic Details and Immersion: Sensory elements (train rocking, fluorescent flicker, throat scrape from swallowing the artifact) and procedural heist realism (evasion plays, forged ID, border concerns) ground the thriller in believable stakes.
Pacing of Reveals: Backstory and threats emerge organically through Lanie's thoughts, balancing introspection with forward momentum without info-dumps.
Light suggestions:
Trim minor redundancies: Repeated emphasis on pursuers' "dead eyes" or coordination could be consolidated for tighter impact.
Polish small phrasing/typos: Issues like "ally" → "alley," "serves" (possibly "screens"?), or awkward spots (e.g., "played hell with her sense of balance") would smooth readability.
Vary sentence rhythm in tense moments: Some longer internal reflections during high-stress scenes could use shorter punches to heighten urgency.
Clarify one or two quick details: The artifact's description is intriguing but slightly repetitive (spiral carvings, hollow/metal); streamlining would sharpen focus.
Overall: A taut, character-driven thriller opener with sharp wit, clever tradecraft, and escalating danger that hooks immediately. Lanie's voice carries the chapter effortlessly, promising a smart, high-stakes heist series—solid and engaging with room for finer tuning.