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Thera #1
The Mystic Turtle
The Mystic Turtle.
They stand with the Elder Dragons and the Spirit Dryads as creatures of legend. Timeless. Immortal. They live solitary lives, drawing power from their own soul. They are the hermits of the sea, their power unmatched in the ocean. Yet, this power is not attained easily, for as Thera will learn, the life of a baby Mystic Turtle is full of trials and tribulations...
She will scour ancient sunken ruins, face the dangers lurking in the depths of the sea, and, perhaps one day, grow to become a Mystic Turtle that surpasses even legend.
They stand with the Elder Dragons and the Spirit Dryads as creatures of legend. Timeless. Immortal. They live solitary lives, drawing power from their own soul. They are the hermits of the sea, their power unmatched in the ocean. Yet, this power is not attained easily, for as Thera will learn, the life of a baby Mystic Turtle is full of trials and tribulations...
She will scour ancient sunken ruins, face the dangers lurking in the depths of the sea, and, perhaps one day, grow to become a Mystic Turtle that surpasses even legend.
- GenresFantasy
283 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 16, 2023
121 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 14, 2023
I think another mystic turtle must have eaten most of the plot as this one just floats about, meeting characters that don’t have much personality and chomping on stuff. I like slice of life but you need some life to slice from.
November 11, 2024
3.5 stars, rounded up for the ending.
The Mystic Turtle features the titular Thera from the first moments of her life. Without a parent, Thera struggles to move beyond instinct and develop thoughts, emotions, and desire. But most of all, she struggles to survive.
If The Mystic Turtle does one thing well, it's portraying the constant peril turtles face. Real-world sea turtles have incredibly high mortality rates for their children, with estimates of around 1 in 1000 reaching adulthood, and mystic turtles are no exception. You get a taste of this in the very first chapter, which happens to be one of my favourite in the story.
Unfortunately, the risk of accurately portraying constant danger is that action scenes become the norm. Most of them are small and not very meaningful, effectively rendering much of the first two-thirds of the story a game of inches with respect to plot progression. However, once the main plot unfolds in the latter third, action scenes become sparse—the focus switches from action to characters as the author sets up the climax.
Speaking of, the climax really worked for me. It worked because the author took the time he needed to make it satisfying: tension, reason, and investment were all identifiable and present. In short, the climax—and thus the action—had purpose.
The Mystic Turtle was originally written as a web serial. Serials have gotten a bad rap over the years, some of it deserved, and some not. Two of the main points of criticism are weak prose and poor editing. I would say only the latter is true for this story, as spelling errors are not altogether infrequent, and there are some issues with past-perfect tense and transitivity. However, I do commend the author for their effective usage of third-person omniscient perspective and their ability to write nice descriptions (when they stay away from the thesaurus, which was abused at several points).
On a positive note, I found the characterization to be strong. Thera meets several important characters on her journey, a few of whom had motivations of their own. I wouldn't necessarily call them deep, but the author gave them sufficient moral complexity to open up a broader range of actions than simple labels of "good" and "bad" would permit. Given how short the story is, I'd say the author was largely successful in writing compelling characters.
Throughout the book, there is a side plot that shows up for a page or two at a time. Until the end it was mostly a miss for me, but I did appreciate how the side plot was used as a thematic parallel to the chapters in which it appeared.
Check this out if:
1. You like following the trials and tribulations of an animal protagonist;
2. You like a lot of lower-stakes action;
3. You like a diverse set of characters with a bit of moral greyness;
4. You like a fairly predictable but well-delivered plot;
5. You like a strong ending; and
6. You don't mind a bit of sag in the middle third of the story.
The Mystic Turtle features the titular Thera from the first moments of her life. Without a parent, Thera struggles to move beyond instinct and develop thoughts, emotions, and desire. But most of all, she struggles to survive.
If The Mystic Turtle does one thing well, it's portraying the constant peril turtles face. Real-world sea turtles have incredibly high mortality rates for their children, with estimates of around 1 in 1000 reaching adulthood, and mystic turtles are no exception. You get a taste of this in the very first chapter, which happens to be one of my favourite in the story.
Unfortunately, the risk of accurately portraying constant danger is that action scenes become the norm. Most of them are small and not very meaningful, effectively rendering much of the first two-thirds of the story a game of inches with respect to plot progression. However, once the main plot unfolds in the latter third, action scenes become sparse—the focus switches from action to characters as the author sets up the climax.
Speaking of, the climax really worked for me. It worked because the author took the time he needed to make it satisfying: tension, reason, and investment were all identifiable and present. In short, the climax—and thus the action—had purpose.
The Mystic Turtle was originally written as a web serial. Serials have gotten a bad rap over the years, some of it deserved, and some not. Two of the main points of criticism are weak prose and poor editing. I would say only the latter is true for this story, as spelling errors are not altogether infrequent, and there are some issues with past-perfect tense and transitivity. However, I do commend the author for their effective usage of third-person omniscient perspective and their ability to write nice descriptions (when they stay away from the thesaurus, which was abused at several points).
On a positive note, I found the characterization to be strong. Thera meets several important characters on her journey, a few of whom had motivations of their own. I wouldn't necessarily call them deep, but the author gave them sufficient moral complexity to open up a broader range of actions than simple labels of "good" and "bad" would permit. Given how short the story is, I'd say the author was largely successful in writing compelling characters.
Throughout the book, there is a side plot that shows up for a page or two at a time. Until the end it was mostly a miss for me, but I did appreciate how the side plot was used as a thematic parallel to the chapters in which it appeared.
Check this out if:
1. You like following the trials and tribulations of an animal protagonist;
2. You like a lot of lower-stakes action;
3. You like a diverse set of characters with a bit of moral greyness;
4. You like a fairly predictable but well-delivered plot;
5. You like a strong ending; and
6. You don't mind a bit of sag in the middle third of the story.
April 17, 2023
Amazing
This book was absolutely excellent. What I've come to expect from this author. It has a ton of emotion built in. It may be a series, but the author is unable to commit to it. I hope they are because the relationships in this book left me all over the place in just the right ways.
This book was absolutely excellent. What I've come to expect from this author. It has a ton of emotion built in. It may be a series, but the author is unable to commit to it. I hope they are because the relationships in this book left me all over the place in just the right ways.
May 13, 2023
Interesting underwater adventure
I really enjoyed this story, as Thera has an interesting point of view as a baby turtle. There were many challenges and danger, interesting underwater environments and creatures, and new friends made.
I'd love to read about her and her friends' further adventures.
I really enjoyed this story, as Thera has an interesting point of view as a baby turtle. There were many challenges and danger, interesting underwater environments and creatures, and new friends made.
I'd love to read about her and her friends' further adventures.
July 11, 2023
Really boring
It's literally just a turtle. I kinda hoped for the best because I liked Amelia and Salvos but this was super dull.. And in need of a good editing, there were a ton of sentences with words missing. Also I assume Luna and Thera will reunite at some point but for now she's just doing some really boring teen angst.
It's literally just a turtle. I kinda hoped for the best because I liked Amelia and Salvos but this was super dull.. And in need of a good editing, there were a ton of sentences with words missing. Also I assume Luna and Thera will reunite at some point but for now she's just doing some really boring teen angst.
November 20, 2023
Help me read more books
This one is cute. It's a story about a sea turtle, from birth to level 22, and her trials of being a mystic turtle. It's a fun story, and if you're looking for something a bit light hearted, you might want to give this one a shot. It has it's darker moments, but as far as I'm concerned, they were well deserved.
This one is cute. It's a story about a sea turtle, from birth to level 22, and her trials of being a mystic turtle. It's a fun story, and if you're looking for something a bit light hearted, you might want to give this one a shot. It has it's darker moments, but as far as I'm concerned, they were well deserved.
July 14, 2023
A lovely LitRPG book that’s light on the stats and heavy on the action/adventure, with a protagonist that I found to be surprisingly very relatable. There’s quite a lot of repetition in the narrative, so it needs some more editing, but other than that, it was great.
September 5, 2023
Fantastic first book to a series
I love books like this! A new take on an old story and one well told by a promising writer. Looking foward to the next installment of my favorite turtle! Don't keep us waiting too long!
I love books like this! A new take on an old story and one well told by a promising writer. Looking foward to the next installment of my favorite turtle! Don't keep us waiting too long!
September 9, 2023
Pretty Dang Good
I usually don't review books out of laziness, but Thera deserves a review. I really liked the book, and to be honest, it made me tear up a bit at work which was awkward, but I really recomend!!!
I usually don't review books out of laziness, but Thera deserves a review. I really liked the book, and to be honest, it made me tear up a bit at work which was awkward, but I really recomend!!!
March 15, 2024
What a gloriously beautiful tale. I can’t remember ever crying so much over a book in years. This might just be my all time favourite LiTRPG. God I love that little turtle. I hope the author continues her adventures. More Thera please!
April 21, 2023
Really good start of a new series! I started reading this book on royal roads. Highly recommend this book.
April 28, 2023
Brilliant
I especially liked the idea of a main character that is not the ubiquitous orc or elf. MORE please. Absolutely intriguing read.
I especially liked the idea of a main character that is not the ubiquitous orc or elf. MORE please. Absolutely intriguing read.
May 11, 2023
Good read, finally something good and refreshing in the genre.
June 13, 2023
Amazing
Quite a different book in this genre but I love it. It is one of my favorite books! Can't wait till the next one.
Quite a different book in this genre but I love it. It is one of my favorite books! Can't wait till the next one.
July 28, 2023
Beautiful
October 7, 2023
A new perspective.
I picked up this book originally as an in between read waiting for another series to release but I grew to love the story I truly hope it continues in the future.
I picked up this book originally as an in between read waiting for another series to release but I grew to love the story I truly hope it continues in the future.
May 8, 2024
Went in with low expectations. Surprised me a little. Apart from the baby fish. Ngaw? wtf. otherwise pretty good.
Read
April 29, 2025The audiobook version's narrator sounds likde she's constantly gasping. Hard no. Dropped.
May 29, 2025
Good Book. You can see hiw much effort Was put in the research for the book.
December 5, 2023
This was a weird one for sure. The premise was sound, following a mystic turtle from birth as it gets stronger and has adventures. I was drawn in by the idea of a progression story focused on a non-human animal. However the book itself didn't really deliver. The pacing was odd, with some bits happening very slowly, while others progressed too fast. Additionally, the writing was hit and miss. In some spots, it seemed that a thesaurus was heavily consulted, while in others, a dictionary was nowhere to be seen.
Overall, I would give it 2.5 stars (rounded up to 3). I liked it, I didn't love it. If a second were to come out, I'd probably give it a shot.
Overall, I would give it 2.5 stars (rounded up to 3). I liked it, I didn't love it. If a second were to come out, I'd probably give it a shot.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews