White Orchid [Stubbed]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

A counterfeiter who deals in deception must use the truth to expose the fraud who outwitted him.

It was meant to be a simple job. Rob your mark and wipe the slate clean. So much for that. Now, Arno sits in the Howling Cell and his appointment with the noose is fast approaching.

But he has friends on the outside with pasts more colourful than his own. Their backgrounds as shakedown skippers, con artists, and penny filchers will come in handy if he's to have any hope of escape. And his first order of business once his freedom is back in hand?

Expose the fraud who framed him for inciting a war.

For fans of morally grey but ultimately likeable characters, heist style action, interweaving plots, and foe-to-friend dynamics.

Schedule:

Mon-Wed-Fri

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: FelixB

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 92
Views: 609

Chapters(1 total)

Author Note & Stub Announcement + Book 2 Prologue
Feb 23, 2024

What readers say about White Orchid [Stubbed]

“White Orchid is a fun heist story that starts in the middle of the action, with a main character who's either sympathetic and others-motivated or lying to himself so well he's completely delusional, and I'm not sure which one. Either way, I really like him.…”
Aest BelequaRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“Disclaimer: review swap, however I was already following this story after learning about it through a comment giveaway, so take this review from someone who genuinely has been enjoying this story and will continue to read it. This is a character driven stor…”
LAScottRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(3)

Aest BelequaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
White Orchid is a fun heist story that starts in the middle of the action, with a main character who's either sympathetic and others-motivated or lying to himself so well he's completely delusional, and I'm not sure which one. Either way, I really like him. The cast of characters feels real, the plot develops organically over the seven chapters out at time of writing, and the style is consistent. This feels like a hidden gem in the making.
LAScottRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Disclaimer: review swap, however I was already following this story after learning about it through a comment giveaway, so take this review from someone who genuinely has been enjoying this story and will continue to read it.
This is a character driven story layered with political intrigue, which is really one of my favourite styles. I incorrectly thought the story would be a slow burn at first glance, but the author takes good care to build up the world around them before getting into the action. From there, they provide detail at a suitable pace that doesn’t overwhelm the reader while quickly ramping up the plot progression.
The themes of family/belonging and loyalty/betrayal are evident throughout the story. Betrayal in particular is a recurring theme that is written in ways that pluck at your heartstrings. Much like the main character, Arno, as the reader you want to believe that he’s getting the best outcome possible. He’s a flawed character who has made mistakes, but you’re rooting for him. Therefore, after a particularly gut-wrenching twist, you can’t help but be devastated alongside him.
There’s also a bait and switch that’s particularly fascinating to me, and I’m a little upset I fell for it (in the best way). In Chapter 4, Acosta, seemingly one of the closest people Arno has to a guardian, catches onto Arno’s thievery and dismisses him. It feels harsh, and the reader's knee-jerk reaction is to feel self-righteous on his behalf. However, in Chapter 9, when Lord Harrington, Arno’s apparent new benefactor, turns on him and has him framed for the assassination of another noble, the actions of Acosta seem extremely reasonable in retrospect. Arno’s past actions are immediately revealed for the dangerous behaviours that they were, and it’s suddenly very apparent that the potential blowback to Acosta and his troupe are extreme. Acosta knew these risks, and throwing Arno out may have actually been the safest outcome for them all, including Arno.
There are no appare
L.K. WinturRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Overall: 4.5
White Orchid is a thoroughly enjoyable and incredibly well thought out story. The planning and research that has went into writing it is evident throughout, from the story arc down to the grammar there are little to no faults I could find. Despite the genre not being my usual choice, I found it difficult to stop reading and will continue to follow the story as it's posted. Overall, I enjoyed the story a lot and I give huge kudos to the authors obvious love for the story. The deception and alliances are developing beautifully and I'm excited to read more.
Style: 4.5
I usually prefer first person, however the narrative was easy to follow and written very smoothly. The story flows well throughout, although there is a minor jump from Chapter 1 to Chapter 2 that is a little unclear - I originally thought it was a flashback but having read on it's evident it's chronological.
Story: 5
I will admit I was hesitant with the story initially, it comes across as a slow burn, however I found this actually made me want to keep reading on to figure out where it was headed. Having come up to chapter 4, the story picks up immensely and I found myself fully immersed in the story and reacting in shock and awe at some of the scenes.
Grammar: 5
I found no grammatical errors, and the language used is evidently well researched and appropriate for the story era/setting.
Character: 4.5
Arno, despite his flaws, is clearly a man of good intentions. I found it easy to put myself into his shoes and feel his reactions. I do enjoy the other characters, in particular Mort, who seems like a loveable and loyal, yet naive sidekick. My one critique of the character is that it feels like a dump of names very early on in the story, with little physical description so it's a little confusing as to who is who. Although, this definitely becomes clearer later in the story.