Wicked Witch of Valentine

Information

Status

Hiatus

Year

2024

Author

Evercrest

• Chapter 5: Unchained Potential [2.0]
  Nov 17, 2024
• Chapter 4: Divine Awakening [2.0]
  Nov 17, 2024
• Chapter 3: The Soul's Purgatory [2.0]
  Nov 16, 2024
• Chapter 2: Echoes of The Past [2.0]
  Nov 16, 2024
• Chapter 1: A Trial of Fire [2.0]
  Nov 16, 2024

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• cursedclarkeRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The Grand Poobah himself, S.B. Evercrest presents Wicked Witch of Valentine. It opens with a promise that it’s not here to coddle anyone. The first five chapters follow Priscilla, a young woman framed, betrayed, and imprisoned. Only then finally to be executed by fire, in a spectacle of misery. This is not a story about simple survival. It's about what’s left of a person after the world and everyone in it has turned them to ash.
  Priscilla’s journey is the heart of this novel. She is not a hero by choice, but by cruel necessity. Her defiance is sometimes all she has. Since the narrative drags her from the depths of literal and emotional dungeons to the void of limbo. The label of witch is less about supernatural power and more about the fear, resentment, and hypocrisy of those around her. Priscilla is first a scapegoat. Then a victim. And then only much later does she become anything resembling a protagonist with agency.
  The story is not afraid of darkness. It embraces it. With both arms. And for the life of me refuses to let go. Every setback, every moment of violence, and every memory of betrayal is examined, described, and experienced in detail. If you want a fantasy with quick adventure and easy victories, look elsewhere. This book is relentless in its suffering and commitment to high stakes. Priscilla does not get an easy rebirth. No instead, she endures trial after trial. Both physical and metaphysical, before ever glimpsing the possibility of hope or power.
  Zae-Rin, the enigmatic mentor who emerges in purgatory, is a rare break from the cycle of torment. She brings with her cryptic explanations, ancient wisdom, and the first hints that Priscilla’s world is much bigger and stranger than she believed. The scope of the world, with its history of vanished races, sealed borders, and magical forces, promises more than a simple tale of vengeance or suffering. It is, however, slow to reveal itself, often favoring poetic speeches and mysterious lessons over clear expos
• CKJ5Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Disclaimer: This review is based on the first chapter and may not reflect the story in its entirety.
  “Wicked Witch of Valentine” is listed as a high fantasy story with supernatural, tragic, and dramatic elements, featuring an anti-hero female lead.
  I was asked to review the chapter critically, so without further ado, let’s dive in. The author does an excellent job of immersing their readers in the story and introducing the world without relying on excessive info-dumping or bombarding us with unique terms that lack context. Instead, terms are introduced naturally through the narrative. Striking this balance when introducing a new fantasy world is challenging, but the author handles it brilliantly. The story itself is intriguing, and the main character is an enigma. However, given her situation, this ambiguity works well. The chapter ends with a bang, leaving me with questions I want answered—a good sign to get readers to the next chapter.
  That said, there are some grammatical issues, likely small oversights, throughout the chapter. The most notable issue I encountered was inconsistency in the point of view. At times, it felt like third-person omniscient, with insights into both the main character’s and the guard’s thoughts, but at other moments, it leaned toward third-person limited. This “slippery” perspective was occasionally distracting, though it didn’t detract significantly from my understanding or enjoyment of the chapter.
  Overall:
  High fantasy is my cup of tea, and Wicked Witch of Valentine looks to be a fine blend. I was impressed with the story’s initial setup, felt comfortable navigating the world, and left eager to learn more.
• ElectrikBlueRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  So, this is a story that was written for Writathon and as such, presents some shortcomings inherent to writing so much in so little time.
  That being said, it's surprisingly good in this context. Even those shortcomings are actually not that bad and would be very easily fixed.
  So I commend the author for writing such a coherent, interesting, well-written story in such little time.
  Style: The style is pretty simple but it works well. I would say it particularly shines in the description of combats, and the use of magic. Those elements were very cleverly crafted and it surprised me because magic fights usually bore me.
  Some dialogue lines are not too convincing especially in the early parts, I would say they feel a bit rushed. But I mean, again, it's probably a product of having written so fast. As someone who struggles with dialogues I know just how much time you can spend on adjusting dialogue to make it feel real (and failing to do so lol), so I think with a few touches it wouldn't be a problem.
  Other than that, the writing is extremely efficient and conveys the complex concepts with relative ease. Especially so, when you talk about voids, purgatories and etheral places which are not really tangible concepts. So I must say this is a prowess in itself.
  Grammar: Nothing of particular interest here. I would say, again, with a few proofreadings the rare oversights would vanish.
  We're entering spoiler territory!.. It's too bad because this is where this fiction shines... Well I guess you'll just have to come back after having read the thing hehe ^^
  Character:
  This is the interesting part. So. Priscilla is touching, but she felt a bit empty for me for a while. I didn't know precisely the reason, I felt like, despite being told so many aspects of her life I couldn't really connect with her emotions. But I accepted it as a flaw of writing and carried on. BOY WAS I WRONG.
  So, after unlocking those memories, and then discovering her powers: that's when she shines. And it's br
• Ethan Y CottonRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This is a surprising and fresh fantasy tale with the potential to become an epic saga!
  tldr: this one is worth a read for anyone who likes fantasy, which is all of us right?
  now the rating breakdown:
  style: this is honestly my favorite part of this work. The early flashbacks that set up the backstory and motivations don’t feel like setup, instead they are powerful emotional experiences that really connect you to the character. The way that our MC gains her powers through suffering is described so cleanly and powerfully that I almost want an entire book of just these scenes.
  story: the MC loses her mother and then is taken in by a noble. That life of luxury turns sour and eventually even her family and friends cheer as she burns. The tale is very well setup to become a nice long epic with lots of adventure and cathartic revenge.
  grammar: just a little in the way of punctuation issues and words that have been autocorrected incorrectly. Nothing you would notice unless you looked for it.
  characters: everyone has their motivations. Even those who seems friendly are perhaps not completely honest and trustworthy. The characters are written quite well and have the feel of being real and complex people.
  conclusion: read it, then thank me later.
• HaelionthyneRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  From the very start of Wicked Witch of Valentine, S.B. Evercrest paints a grim tale of a world where evil runs rampant across its surface (and under it). A world where little hope remains to save it from the darkness that consumes it. Not even the noble blood that runs through Priscilla’s veins can spare her from a life filled with suffering, heartbreak, and betrayal, nor her will to fight help her in a world gone mad.
  The tale is slow to start its plot in earnest, but this time isn’t wasted. You spend time with Priscilla and Zae-Rin, investing in their characters, rooting for their growth (both in character and power) and learning more about the world they live in.
  The bestiary and lore are intriguing and have piqued my curiosity about the mythos hidden in the far reaches of this world. It is written vividly, and the descriptions of these strange and otherworldly creatures are easy to visualise.
  The author also does not pull his punches when it comes to gore, and his scenes can be glorious nightmare fuel.
  Characters are written well, and their motivations are easy to define and relate to while still keeping an air of mystery around the antagonists. Never have I wanted to throw my shoe at an antagonist before. Wished a long, gory death on them, yes. Wished they endured a lifetime of suffering and agony, sure. But throw my shoe? That’s a new one. And Priscilla’s dad deserves every inch of my shoe hitting his big, dumb head.
  If there were spelling and punctuation errors, they were subtle enough to escape much of my notice. However, there were a few grammatical errors scattered here and there that can be easily remedied with a quick edit.
  Overall, Wicked Witch of Valentine is an intriguing read about a wilful and resilient heroine hell-bent on vengeance… and well… saving a miserable world in the process, I guess.
• RainyLiquidRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  It's a pretty interesting novel, that I have enjoyed so far. I really like the main character and think she is done really well and without spoiling anything, a lot of the growth that has happened over the 27ish chapters I read has been good. If I had to give any criticism it is mainly that some things can take a while to happen, and I don't mean as in they take a while to pay off but more like it can be slow and kind of long to get to relevant moments. It sort of felt like watching a TV show and you could tell there was padding or pacing. 🤷‍♂️
  It is still very good though, and I look forward to reading a lot more.
• Rowdha Al SolRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I was initially intrigued by this book due to the style. It has that sort of grimdark and stream-of-consciousness vibe you see in dark fantasy or 'grey fiction', as I like to call it.
  The problem with this sort of writing style is that it is very, very challenging to write and even more difficult to make engaging. Just when you think you have it nailed, writer's blindness takes over and while you're left understanding the big picture, the reader is left scratching their head trying to remember the protagonist's name.
  In the beginning, it works—sort of. The author does a good job establishing a heavy, oppressive atmosphere. In chapter 1, in particular, the depiction of Priscilla's emotional and physical suffering, where the use of darkness and confinement are used not as just scenery but, cleverly, emotional states. Nice.
  Without getting into spoilers, there's also some characterisation early on, even through the grey: perseverance in the face of cruelty. The men, Elrick for example, are convincing in representing that cruelty.
  Similarly, there's some good imagery going on, although it is fairly flat in that it's imagery for the sake of imagery and not used as a foreshadowing tool or representation of emotion, like the use of darkness and confinement. The author likes certain things, includes them, but does not dig deep. I'll get into that later.
  There are some significant weaknesses to the writing itself, before getting into the content of the story. A lot of them, however, stem from one major issue: overwriting.
  The writing is dense with adjectives and adverbs, making each line difficult to digest. For instance, phrases like, once again without getting spoilers, "the chirp of her voice betraying her excitement" and "swirling multi-colored lights that pulsed with every beating thump of her heart" are not only packed with adjectives and adverbs but also are difficult to understand even when read several times, and I'm someone who can normally clock something on the f
• StrawberryRainRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  There are right ways to do revenge stories, and there are wrong ways to do revenge stories. Revenge and the rage it comes with is as good as its motive. Priscilla Valentine has a motive. She very, very much has a motive, and she very, very much has the rage to back it up.
  Really, for how populated the revenge genre (if you could even call it that) is on Royal Road and elsewhere, there's a line to be drawn somewhere between plain revenge and a splash of female rage. The latter is as uncommon in well-written webnovels as it is delicious when pulled off correctly. The author absolutely captures the same angry flavor in the best way possible while still pacing Priscilla's transition from powerless to little magical war machine with consequences. God knows she deserves it. It's to say nothing of the pretty prose and lovely imagery, along with the darker themes handled with care. I strongly disagree with any notion that this is a story with unnecessary "misery"--everything is plot-relevant and in measured doses without being overkill. In truth, the psychological tag would do wonders here, given some of Priscilla's flashbacks and experiences both early on and a little later.
  Grammar is squeaky clean. If there's errors, they're practically invisible beneath the prettiness. Mwah.
  Story is a page-turner. Progression for the sake of a gruesome goal is always vividly satisfying, and watching Priscilla claw her way back from the brink of death to get the sweetest payback possible is divine. Where that takes her once she's on the overpowered side is a whole different problem, and the butterfly effect that accompanies her vendetta is incredibly interesting to tail.
  That having been said, while Priscilla is a joy to watch, somehow, Zae-Rin is the one that captured my heart. I blame the archetype, maybe, wizened and gorgeous and mysterious as she is. Even the expected mentor that comes with the territory of this flavor of story carries immense charm of her own. Her interactions with
• Orion's HeraldRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Okay, let’s start off with style first. In a word: poetic. That’s how it feels to me. For some people, that will not be appealing, but I liked it, and it serves the story the author is trying to tell well. It allows for a splendid layering of description and vivid imagery if a little too abstract from time to time.
  Overall, it suits the story well and is definitely unique to the author.
  Next we move on to Grammer. I didn’t see anything that would destroy the story. A few errors here and there, but nothing that pulled me out of the narrative. They are all easy fixes and probably are fixed by the time you read this review. So not much to say on that front.
  The story start is trippy, to say the least; for some it will put them off because of the nature of it, but I will say to stick with it. You can see what the author is trying to achieve, but it can just be clunky in place. This is the reason I say it’s a little too abstract. And later on the writing becomes a lot more concrete and the character’s sense of space, which helps a lot.
  And finally, we talk about the characters. This was done really well. I felt I had an understanding of who people were, and no one felt unnecessary. Each character was clearly defined, though I do feel that we didn’t fully understand everyone’s motivation as of yet. But then again, that’s just part of the mystery.
  Now onto some of the stuff I really enjoyed and found interesting. If you like suffering, you will definitely get that right off the bat. At times, I felt that our MC just needed a blanket and a warm glass of coco, but you can’t have everything.
  But it is great to see her develop and come into her power, which brings me onto what I enjoyed the most, and that was the combat. It was fun to read, and I got a nice sense of where everything was going. There was no confusion with the action, which is something I appreciate.
  Overall, it’s an enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading future chapters.
• EricsonRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  So if you're looking for a story that takes its time to develop, then this is the right book for you!
  The Author has taken on an ambitious task to include what I can only describe as 4 dimensional storytelling, giving us flashbacks of what may be false memories, or suppressed emotions, (honestly, the MC doesn't know for sure, so it's entirely possible that she's just gone insane) while trapped in a timeless void where time doesn't flow linearly.
  This is done all while we get to know the MC, who at this point doesn't know what is going on, but refuses to give up.
  There are some extremely well written passages, that in my opinion are almost poetic in the way they cause readers to feel real emotions, as they feel the MCs turmoil.
  As the world is described, we are gradually teased with just enough information to feel like we can start putting pieces of the puzzle together, only for the author to shatter our and the MCs understanding regarding the natural order and the world's structure.
  There is still some room for improvement in my opinion about how the MC became strong, defiant and resolute, or rather the way we are told that she is, but perhaps that's just me being nitpicky.
  All in all I fully enjoyed reading the story, and will continue to do so, which at this point is the highest praise I am able to give. With some minor character editing this is on the right track to be a remarkable piece of writing!