Träumerei

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Why has time stopped for no one but you?

Once upon a time there lived a vampire named Noël Rousseau. While his existence was one of monotony, it was familiar. All was well, and he was content...until a curious demonic girl and her magpie stumbled across the small cabin he called home.Placed upon a crossroads, Noël must decide whether to continue on in ignorance or confront the mysteries of his past--particularly the reasons as to why he was trapped in that lonesome, isolated house for over fifty years, and the disappearance of his Aunt Delia. Unfortunately, the outside world is not as he remembers it to be.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2022
Author: Veynn

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.4/ 5.0
Followers: 15
Views: 9,739

Chapters(39 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(5)

S.N. KeirsteadRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The best way to describe this story would be whimsy meets gritty. Imagine childhood but with a bit of grimdark thrown in. The descriptions give the world a small bit of child-like wonder, but there are events that effectively contrast with the youthfulness of the characters.
That character interactions feel natural and the plot has a lot of potentional to go anywhere.
LadyFluffingtonsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
The story quickly grips you as you meet Noel. At first, he seems a lovely fellow, if a bit pale, but as you learn more and more about his situation, it all becomes a bit... odd.
It quickly becomes apparent that not all is correct in Träumerei and each chapter hints at what's behind the curtain.
It's a very stylized story, seeming almost like a mad dream that slowly patched together a sense of wrongness for the reader to uncover.
The surreal atmosphere is quite unique, and it takes a few chapters to really sink in, but the story has the right notes of mystery for me. It definitely reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, that sensational mix between wonder and confusion.
The characters reveal a bit more about themselves with each Chapter, and each bit further fleshes out the world, one mystery leading into the next. Who is Mister Magpie, and why should we greet him? (Other than to be polite, of course) Can she really read minds, or is it a trick? What happened to Noel's parents?
All questions I'm hoping to get answers for!
I'm quite curious about the mysterious Aunt, and her adventures and how they fit into Noel's life, and if the poor vampire will ever find his sweet release. Immortality is very much overrated, after all.
Worth the read!
T.D.TerrellRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This story delves into a gothic realm of vampires, demons and ghosts. It is very intriguing to read a story from the point of view of someone who is essentially not a hero, but a villain. You grow to like Noel, however he is a vampire, disinterested in almost everything to the point of melancholy, and nonchalant about his disaffection towards others. The other characters he encounters are equally believable, especially in their roles in this world. This is not a happy story, with flowerful characters and as a reader we being to worry about wistful endings. The world is full of quirky characters, and we are left wondering what will truly happen to our main character, Noel.
I gave a grammar score of 4. I do see some errors with dialogue, as well as ellipses, but these are easily fixed, and can often be an issue of transferring from a proper Word type document to this Royal Road platform.
I usually never comment on this, but the book art was amazing. It was beautifully, and I was delighted to see pictures in each chapter of the story. I also found the diction throughout the story to be impressive.
All in all, good work. I enjoyed this, and am looking forward to the continuation of the story!
Amber QuillRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Träumerei is a unique story which, at the current moment, can be interpreted into multiple themes.
While reading this one I got the impression of our protagonist speaking with other dead, or undead spirits. But if you view it from another way it is the sad recolections of a being who has lived so long that even living feels like a dream.
This comes from the way it is written, and while there are parts in the story that can be get confusing it is overall fairly well done. Slight hickups occur where there is multiple dialogues with no connection to a character so we are unsure who is speaking, or one character speaks over multiple paragraphs.
The personalites of the people we meet are also well thought out. One a sadistic being who likes to tease, while another appearing like a mother figure. There seems to be a theme of meloncoly with each of them but each character also seems to handle it differently. Snarky remarks, questioning of everything, caring for another, etc.
Unfortunately, while this is well written it sometimes feels like the author gets distracted in describing the world that they forget to keep telling the story. The scenes are vivid, eerie, and gives a wonderful feel into a horror styled story. There is an air of mystery which makes you want to sit back and figure out what is going on.
In the end I'm not positive what the main plot will be, but this is a good beginning to an interesting take to the vampire genre.
SunNagaiRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
The story begins with our protagonist Noel waking up in a picturesque little cottage. At first, the world appears peaceful and at bless but then Träumerei begins its uneasy adventure.
It takes us through a mysterious world of shadows, creepy birds and an unreal reality. I felt the same uneasiness we often feel when we are in a nightmare and we can't make heads or tails of it.
I liked the surreal element in this book and the dashes of character building that were sprinkled across the story. The author has definitely done a good job of creating the right atmosphere.
The language used was modern so it's understandable but the way it was written felt very Victorian keeping in line with the time period, so people who like that type of immersive world building would enjoy it.
Now, my rating is a four.
Like I said earlier, those who like novels from the Victorian era or folktales from those times might enjoy this more.
I couldn't connect with the story as I usually do with the books I read but that's probably cause it's my first time reading something like Träumerei. Each story is different and has its own allure. And this is just my opinion.
It felt like a dream. I could connect with it, at the same time I didn't have enough information to connect with it. It was unreal or maybe surreal is what I mean. As a result, at various points I enjoyed it and got annoyed by it.
The book ended satisfactorily for me. I see that the second volume is out, so I look forward to seeing what happens.