Feedback? Here I am again after some years.

Nolff

An attractive male of unspecified gender.
Joined
Aug 10, 2023
Messages
2,133
Points
153
Asking for feedback for this novel:
First thoughts, any jarring aspects? An honest review would be fine too.
If you want to swap reviews, we could.


Forge Fate [LitRpg]
LitRPG isn't my cup of tea.

But if you were to make a novel in other genres, I'd read it with content. The synopsis is good. I know who the MC is, what his purpose, why he's in an arena, and whatever the hell he's doing there. Grammar-wise, it's refreshing. Rarely have I seen a synopsis like this in the last month maybe because I read too much cringe and badly written stuff, so good job. If you ever made a different novel for a different genre, especially those that I love (Mystery, comedy, action, psychological, horror, Sci-Fi, Fanfic), I'd binge it till it's finished.
 

Alkareel

Cuisses de Grenouille
Joined
Oct 10, 2020
Messages
227
Points
103
LitRPG isn't my cup of tea.

But if you were to make a novel in other genres, I'd read it with content. The synopsis is good. I know who the MC is, what his purpose, why he's in an arena, and whatever the hell he's doing there. Grammar-wise, it's refreshing. Rarely have I seen a synopsis like this in the last month maybe because I read too much cringe and badly written stuff, so good job. If you ever made a different novel for a different genre, especially those that I love (Mystery, comedy, action, psychological, horror, Sci-Fi, Fanfic), I'd binge it till it's finished.
It's more of an action, adventure type novel. I won't lean in too much on the LitRpg aspect and will be keeping it simple. Maybe try out the first chapter and see if it's your cup of tea? Anyway thank you! :blob_melt:
 

Nolff

An attractive male of unspecified gender.
Joined
Aug 10, 2023
Messages
2,133
Points
153
It's more of an action, adventure type novel. I won't lean in too much on the LitRpg aspect and will be keeping it simple. Maybe try out the first chapter and see if it's your cup of tea? Anyway thank you! :blob_melt:
Hmm, alrighty. I'll keep in my watch.
 

StoneInky

Heart of Stone, Head of Ink
Joined
Jun 24, 2024
Messages
445
Points
108
It's more of an action, adventure type novel. I won't lean in too much on the LitRpg aspect and will be keeping it simple. Maybe try out the first chapter and see if it's your cup of tea? Anyway thank you! :blob_melt:
As someone also writing a LitRPG that leans heavily on the fantasy side of things, with the system existing pretty simply, I feel you soooo bad.

I'll send it to you for a review swap. It's not published on Scribblehub yet, (I only wrote two chapters), but here is the Google doc:


And now onto the review. Just wait a sec...
 

GodsChosenEmperor

New member
Joined
Jan 7, 2025
Messages
13
Points
3
Asking for feedback for this novel:
First thoughts, any jarring aspects? An honest review would be fine too.
If you want to swap reviews, we could.


Forge Fate [LitRpg]
Brother I'm not going to lie, I could not make it past chapter 1 because the action dragged and felt too convoluted.

Oh let me preface that I'm not a reviewer, just a book enjoyer. So take my opinion not too seriously.

By this I mean that some sense of place was lost as the action took place. Your description of the pond in the beginning didn't do the fight justice as for me it felt like, the battleground was inconsistent. New rocks kept popping up and suddenly he was throwing a rock and them pushing another. And then some actions like dodging and getting hit don't flow well together . Like, I know he dodged the hit but where is he feeling pain and how exactly is that coming to play.

But from what Ive read, your writing style flows and should be able to catch readers. The beginning does your story justice in the sense of the abrubt battle and bringing up questions as to why the hell all this is happening.

So good luck.
 

StoneInky

Heart of Stone, Head of Ink
Joined
Jun 24, 2024
Messages
445
Points
108
First Impression:

Cover looked pretty, synopsis sounded good, and I immediately got a sense for what the story was going to be about. I was just confused by the second paragraph in the synopsis, it's not clear whether this fact is later revealed, and is thus a spoiler, or not. It would be nice if it were clearer. Except for that, you did good.


Thoughts on the Story:

Okay. We start things, and I like that we're quickly jumping into the action. But it's a bit too quick. The tone abruptly shifts from drinking water, to something jumping out. It would work better if you pause and give us a few moments with the dude thinking something feels off, or if he doesn't, make react more surprised.

Next, the battle scene. GodsChosenEmperor said it well; listen to em. It was inconsistent, draggy, and worst of all, repetitive. You could get rid of most of the rock throwing scenes, and it would work way better. Or just say he hurled rock after rock after rock. Keep things interesting and not boring.

Also, keep the dude's emotions consistent, or gradually dial it up! He turns from 'gritting his teeth', and 'ragged'; to 'unhurried', and 'swift' in the battle. Did he magically unexhaust himself while fighting? If he did not, don't make it sound like he did.

Next chapter. It's another battle. This dude has gotten no rest, no sleep, no food, he just walks and fights something else. He says he's trying to survive, but it feels more like he's seeking opponents out on purpose. He doesn't even attempt to run or turn unhappy when he's in danger. He just fights. Mechanically. As if you inserted emotions and motivation into the novel without actually bothering to make sure they were consistent, so this was the result. If you want his drive to be about survival, make him act like it, or change his drive and say he's empty.

Chapter three. Finally we get something that isn't fighting, and I'm reminded that this dude has no memories. This is nice! You give us a emotional, dramatic moment. Just remember to take out the repetition, again. The dude doesn't need to ask 'where am I?' two times in a row.

The shift to chapter 4 is nice. I want him to rip the hell outta that Leviathan, lmao. Then we're introduced new characters. Finallllyyyy. But again, we have the problems mentioned before. A slightly abrupt tone shift, cuz you went from fierce talking with the Leviathan to a more relaxed convo with the dwarf. And the MC's emotions are inconsistent again. He acts so relaxed, as if this isn't a bunch of scary trials, but an amusement park.

Lastly, we have a new problem called info dumps! First it's the dialogue. Nobody talks so conveniently like that in real life. I do understand if you think this is necessary, but I personally believe readers are smart, and can understand things through context, so authors don't need to overexplain. Then the next chapter, and oh boy! A big massive info dump on the status. I skipped past it. It's boring.

In conclusion: a fantasy novel with promise. It's LitRPG, yet not the same tasteless slop I see all over RoyalRoad. Right now it feels fun, but like something you'll skim over, or quit at Chapter 1 because that's the worst chapter. I look forward to seeing how you edit this one. Good luck!
 
Last edited:

Alkareel

Cuisses de Grenouille
Joined
Oct 10, 2020
Messages
227
Points
103
Brother I'm not going to lie, I could not make it past chapter 1 because the action dragged and felt too convoluted.

Oh let me preface that I'm not a reviewer, just a book enjoyer. So take my opinion not too seriously.

By this I mean that some sense of place was lost as the action took place. Your description of the pond in the beginning didn't do the fight justice as for me it felt like, the battleground was inconsistent. New rocks kept popping up and suddenly he was throwing a rock and them pushing another. And then some actions like dodging and getting hit don't flow well together . Like, I know he dodged the hit but where is he feeling pain and how exactly is that coming to play.

But from what Ive read, your writing style flows and should be able to catch readers. The beginning does your story justice in the sense of the abrubt battle and bringing up questions as to why the hell all this is happening.

So good luck.
Noted, I'll keep this in mind for a revision, thank you very much.
Next, the battle scene. GodsChosenEmperor said it well; listen to em. It was inconsistent, draggy, and worst of all, repetitive. You could get rid of most of the rock throwing scenes, and it would work way better. Or just say he hurled rock after rock after rock. Keep things interesting and not boring.

Also, keep the dude's emotions consistent, or gradually dial it up! He turns from 'gritting his teeth', and 'ragged'; to 'unhurried', and 'swift' in the battle. Did he magically unexhaust himself while fighting? If he did not, don't make it sound like he did.

Next chapter. It's another battle. This dude has gotten no rest, no sleep, no food, he just walks and fights something else. He says he's trying to survive, but it feels more like he's seeking opponents out on purpose. He doesn't even attempt to run or turn unhappy when he's in danger. He just fights. Mechanically. As if you inserted emotions and motivation into the novel without actually bothering to make sure they were consistent, so this was the result. If you want his drive to be about survival, make him act like it, or change his drive and say he's empty.

Chapter three. Finally we get something that isn't fighting, and I'm reminded that this dude has no memories. This is nice! You give us a emotional, dramatic moment. Just remember to take out the repetition, again. The dude doesn't need to ask 'where am I?' two times in a row.

The shift to chapter 4 is nice. I want him to rip the hell outta that Leviathan, lmao. Then we're introduced new characters. Finallllyyyy. But again, we have the problems mentioned before. A slightly abrupt tone shift, cuz you went from fierce talking with the Leviathan to a more relaxed convo with the dwarf. And the MC's emotions are inconsistent again. He acts so relaxed, as if this isn't a bunch of scary trials, but an amusement park.

Lastly, we have a new problem called info dumps! First it's the dialogue. Nobody talks so conveniently like that in real life. I do understand if you think this is necessary, but I personally believe readers are smart, and can understand things through context, so authors don't need to overexplain. Then the next chapter, and oh boy! A big massive info dump on the status. I skipped past it. It's boring.
This was insightful, thank you very much. I'll see what I can do to make the necessary revisions.
Give me some time to get to your novel, been pretty busy lately.
 
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