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Fleabag #1
Fleabag: A Monster Evolution LitRPG
A lone wolf cub struggling to survive mutates into a creature possessing unpredictable—even human—abilities in this grimdark fantasy adventure series.
Somewhere in the toxic Bone Pits, where mechanical nightmares roam, an emaciated and wounded young wolf clings to life. Wracked with pain, driven by instinct, it crawls across the subterranean landscape, avoiding the unnatural horrors that dwell there and seeking sustenance while fending off rats, insects, and other vermin stalking it as prey.
Then it encounters a deity who collects human souls and is astonished to discover a wolf, as its species has been extinct for centuries. The god spares the wolf, bestowing the wretched beast with the means to survive until it eventually acquires the power of heightened intelligence and the ability to alter its physiology, turning into a shapeshifting monstrosity.
Part of an adventuring party scouring the tunnels, the elf Emhreeil was injured and left for dead. Blind and with broken limbs, she suffers in unbearable agony, waiting for her body to quit—or for something to devour her. When the wolf finds Emhreeil, it pounces on the opportunity to learn human speech from the pitiful being incapable of protecting herself.
Now, Emhreeil is the wolf’s de facto companion as it struggles to escape the Bone Pits, dragging her through the twisted labyrinth and fighting the vicious predators hiding in the shadows. And with every battle, the wolf evolves in self-awareness and cunning, mutating into a creature that nature never meant to breed . . .
The first volume of the hit LitRPG adventure series—with more than a million views on Royal Road—now available on Audible and wherever ebooks are sold!
Somewhere in the toxic Bone Pits, where mechanical nightmares roam, an emaciated and wounded young wolf clings to life. Wracked with pain, driven by instinct, it crawls across the subterranean landscape, avoiding the unnatural horrors that dwell there and seeking sustenance while fending off rats, insects, and other vermin stalking it as prey.
Then it encounters a deity who collects human souls and is astonished to discover a wolf, as its species has been extinct for centuries. The god spares the wolf, bestowing the wretched beast with the means to survive until it eventually acquires the power of heightened intelligence and the ability to alter its physiology, turning into a shapeshifting monstrosity.
Part of an adventuring party scouring the tunnels, the elf Emhreeil was injured and left for dead. Blind and with broken limbs, she suffers in unbearable agony, waiting for her body to quit—or for something to devour her. When the wolf finds Emhreeil, it pounces on the opportunity to learn human speech from the pitiful being incapable of protecting herself.
Now, Emhreeil is the wolf’s de facto companion as it struggles to escape the Bone Pits, dragging her through the twisted labyrinth and fighting the vicious predators hiding in the shadows. And with every battle, the wolf evolves in self-awareness and cunning, mutating into a creature that nature never meant to breed . . .
The first volume of the hit LitRPG adventure series—with more than a million views on Royal Road—now available on Audible and wherever ebooks are sold!
389 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 24, 2023
85 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
June 22, 2025
I would give it 6 stars if I could.
February 20, 2025
Was hard to get into at the start. Didn't feel like it really picked up till they got to the trash pit. But still overall not a bad story. Especially if you can stomach some very graphic details.
November 18, 2023
Not much plot. At least for the first half of the book.
And it goes in an unexpected direction (at least for me).
A bit gross at times.
Otherwise, good stuff.
And it goes in an unexpected direction (at least for me).
A bit gross at times.
Otherwise, good stuff.
December 31, 2023
A small, starving creature on its last legs gets a stroke of luck. From there, the creature gathers strength and grows. The environment it comes from is toxic, ugly and cruel. It has to fight for every scrap it gets.
The world of this creature is like nothing else I've seen in this genre. The dungeon is made of machinery - factories, rusting pipes, gears, toxic waste and worse. The creatures, both human and monster, are there to take advantage of any weakness. The world is brutal and bleak, yet there were also glimpses of better things, especially due to the creatures determination.
Against all odds, the creature not only survives, but learns to thrive. Much of the story is devoted to the creature figuring out its abilities, and putting them to good use. The creature actively changes itself, and that part was mostly interesting.
It finds an injured young woman, and its world expands to include her. I like her a lot, and she goes through a lot of changes, both physically and mentally. I found their relationship fascinating, especially considering their limited ability to communicate.
The magic system was also interesting. A person could study something for years, and never get an ability for it, while someone else can try something out for the first time, and get an ability. The System is strange and complicated, but the author never spends pages and pages on stat sheets.
I found the book absorbing, and will continue with the series.
The world of this creature is like nothing else I've seen in this genre. The dungeon is made of machinery - factories, rusting pipes, gears, toxic waste and worse. The creatures, both human and monster, are there to take advantage of any weakness. The world is brutal and bleak, yet there were also glimpses of better things, especially due to the creatures determination.
Against all odds, the creature not only survives, but learns to thrive. Much of the story is devoted to the creature figuring out its abilities, and putting them to good use. The creature actively changes itself, and that part was mostly interesting.
It finds an injured young woman, and its world expands to include her. I like her a lot, and she goes through a lot of changes, both physically and mentally. I found their relationship fascinating, especially considering their limited ability to communicate.
The magic system was also interesting. A person could study something for years, and never get an ability for it, while someone else can try something out for the first time, and get an ability. The System is strange and complicated, but the author never spends pages and pages on stat sheets.
I found the book absorbing, and will continue with the series.
April 23, 2024
This book starts a lot better than it finishes. The story revolves around a young wolf in a big magical city with high tech and lots of toxic waste. The wolf is dying, barely getting along when it stumbles into a god and gets a slight boost that makes it possible for it to evolve, mutate, and grow. The genre is LitRPG so there is a lot of concentration on level development, but the guts of the novel is actually the extensive tinkering the wolf does with its own biology. This is both the great strength and the great weakness of the novel. The author appears to have extensive understanding of biology and has obviously thought a lot about what minor changes would bring about. But the minute tinkering begins to feel endless and goes from being utterly fascinating for the first half of the story to a millstone dragging down the plot in the second half of the book.
On the bright side, there is some fascinating interaction with an injured elf which permits some human elements to come into the story as she becomes more monstrous in her desire to survive and the wolf learns more about the two-legs who rule the world. We also discover that wolfs were once considered to be major monsters, which really doesn’t make sense when we consider the state that this animal was found in.
I enjoyed the book, but it needs some editing to both speed up the pace and help to clarify the ending.
On the bright side, there is some fascinating interaction with an injured elf which permits some human elements to come into the story as she becomes more monstrous in her desire to survive and the wolf learns more about the two-legs who rule the world. We also discover that wolfs were once considered to be major monsters, which really doesn’t make sense when we consider the state that this animal was found in.
I enjoyed the book, but it needs some editing to both speed up the pace and help to clarify the ending.
November 30, 2023
Mi piace lo stile diverso dal solito. Il lupo e il suo umano percorrono una strada che non avrei immaginato all'inizio del libro.
Essendo un mostro in evoluzione e un umano sull'orlo della morte possiamo anche aspettarci un po' di descrizioni sanguinolente durante le interazioni (è un plus per me)
Quello che non mi convince è l'editing durante il libro ci sono dei loop su altri personaggi indicati semplicemente come lei, lei che quando arrivi alla fine forse ti accorgi che erano altri attori rispetto a quello che pensavi ma che ormai sono passate 400 pagine e non ti ricordi nemmeno cosa aveva fatto. Sarà stato importante? Boooh.
Altro difetto: pochissima azione e generalmente incontri anticlimatici. Apprezzo i litRPG dove parlano tanto (HWFW 10 per esempio) ma qui spesso ti viene da chiederti "ancora? non succede ancora nula?"
Alla fine non è cosi male e probabilmente mi leggerò il volume 2 - ma al momento non può andare oltre al Rank B
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc4L3...
https://senpaibestia.com/tutto/fleaba...
Essendo un mostro in evoluzione e un umano sull'orlo della morte possiamo anche aspettarci un po' di descrizioni sanguinolente durante le interazioni (è un plus per me)
Quello che non mi convince è l'editing durante il libro ci sono dei loop su altri personaggi indicati semplicemente come lei, lei che quando arrivi alla fine forse ti accorgi che erano altri attori rispetto a quello che pensavi ma che ormai sono passate 400 pagine e non ti ricordi nemmeno cosa aveva fatto. Sarà stato importante? Boooh.
Altro difetto: pochissima azione e generalmente incontri anticlimatici. Apprezzo i litRPG dove parlano tanto (HWFW 10 per esempio) ma qui spesso ti viene da chiederti "ancora? non succede ancora nula?"
Alla fine non è cosi male e probabilmente mi leggerò il volume 2 - ma al momento non può andare oltre al Rank B
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc4L3...
https://senpaibestia.com/tutto/fleaba...
December 18, 2023
Monstrously good
I am always on the lookout for stories delving into the concepts of the non-human, and I've been on a bit of a LitRPG streak recently. This story has definitely been one of the better ones. It isn't obsessed with power levels! It has side stories that actually turn out to be relevant, touching even! The main characters aren't irredeemable! The novel says something about evil and nonsterousness that is nice to hear; the ending especially drives home its point, while also being a sensible climax of the book. The author is, at the same time, a bit obsessed with speculative biology, but honestly it's more charming than anything, and is lovely to see all the while. Maybe my only complaint was that the (sparse) dialogue was a bit stilted; I feel like swearing and vulgarity tried to prop up the dialog a bit too much. It seems the author stopped writing in 2022, looking at the Patreon, but I do hope it continues.
I am always on the lookout for stories delving into the concepts of the non-human, and I've been on a bit of a LitRPG streak recently. This story has definitely been one of the better ones. It isn't obsessed with power levels! It has side stories that actually turn out to be relevant, touching even! The main characters aren't irredeemable! The novel says something about evil and nonsterousness that is nice to hear; the ending especially drives home its point, while also being a sensible climax of the book. The author is, at the same time, a bit obsessed with speculative biology, but honestly it's more charming than anything, and is lovely to see all the while. Maybe my only complaint was that the (sparse) dialogue was a bit stilted; I feel like swearing and vulgarity tried to prop up the dialog a bit too much. It seems the author stopped writing in 2022, looking at the Patreon, but I do hope it continues.
November 2, 2024
4.1 stars. Overall, I enjoyed this book. However, I wish there was more to it. Besides the overall premise of surviving and evolving, there isn't much to the plot.
This book has quite a few dark and somewhat gruesome elements to help offset the lack of plot (I suppose), but it wasn't as engaging as it could have been. It's very easy to skim over. I think a stronger element of horror and more personalized descriptions using the five senses would have added a lot to the dark fantasy feel and my investment in the story.
On the plus side, I really enjoyed the mini-found family aspect, and it was interesting to see the characters' values and physical appearances change. It was also fun to slowly piece together the world/environment that the MC is in.
This book has quite a few dark and somewhat gruesome elements to help offset the lack of plot (I suppose), but it wasn't as engaging as it could have been. It's very easy to skim over. I think a stronger element of horror and more personalized descriptions using the five senses would have added a lot to the dark fantasy feel and my investment in the story.
On the plus side, I really enjoyed the mini-found family aspect, and it was interesting to see the characters' values and physical appearances change. It was also fun to slowly piece together the world/environment that the MC is in.
December 18, 2025
As much as I enjoyed the wolf's power levelling system, the rest of the book didn't impress.
In particular the grammar was terrible. The author seemed to revel in repeating words in close proximity; e.g. "He slowly moved each limb moving forward slowly." That style of error was just the tip of the iceberg.
The fight scenes were often hampered by unclear antecedents leading to character confusion. Since the Wolf had no name, ambiguous pronouns were used for all participants. It thus became hard to parse the action, particularly as the pronoun ambiguity was mixed with changing Roles; predator becomes prey mid-fight.
I still have some curiosity, as to how a blind cripple will make her way in such a cut-throat world, but no enough to continue reading.
In particular the grammar was terrible. The author seemed to revel in repeating words in close proximity; e.g. "He slowly moved each limb moving forward slowly." That style of error was just the tip of the iceberg.
The fight scenes were often hampered by unclear antecedents leading to character confusion. Since the Wolf had no name, ambiguous pronouns were used for all participants. It thus became hard to parse the action, particularly as the pronoun ambiguity was mixed with changing Roles; predator becomes prey mid-fight.
I still have some curiosity, as to how a blind cripple will make her way in such a cut-throat world, but no enough to continue reading.
January 31, 2022
Rating:
4.5 stars until chapter 9.
Eventually 1-2 stars.
Falls into the trap of most nonhuman stories: the monster meets a human it it becomes human-centric. This story avoided that pitfall multiple times until the author finally settled on a weak blind elf. Since then the pacing has slowed to a stop as every subsequent chapter has the protagonist stuck in one place struggling to take care of her. To emphasize, from chapter 9 to chapter 21.2+ nothing has changed.
I skimmed ahead and read some reviews from people who read further. Zero plot progression might be the foreseeable future of this novel.
-Dropped Ch 21 Part 2/2
4.5 stars until chapter 9.
Eventually 1-2 stars.
Falls into the trap of most nonhuman stories: the monster meets a human it it becomes human-centric. This story avoided that pitfall multiple times until the author finally settled on a weak blind elf. Since then the pacing has slowed to a stop as every subsequent chapter has the protagonist stuck in one place struggling to take care of her. To emphasize, from chapter 9 to chapter 21.2+ nothing has changed.
I skimmed ahead and read some reviews from people who read further. Zero plot progression might be the foreseeable future of this novel.
-Dropped Ch 21 Part 2/2
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2025
I really liked most of this book. I went in expecting something different—a weak, ordinary creature slowly evolving, step by step, purely for survival. And for a while, that’s exactly what I got. But then, about 80% into the story, we find out that this thing is actually one of the most powerful monsters ever.
Why? It was completely unnecessary. That reveal killed my interest in any sequels because now I know exactly where this is going. At that point, why not just make it the last dragon or some other shit like that, from the start and be done with it? I really thought this was going to be something different.
Why? It was completely unnecessary. That reveal killed my interest in any sequels because now I know exactly where this is going. At that point, why not just make it the last dragon or some other shit like that, from the start and be done with it? I really thought this was going to be something different.
January 8, 2024
This was weird.
But in a good way?
I personally loved everything about this book. It felt so original and took lit rpg in a cool direction with a wolf main character. (I don’t recommend this as an intro to lit rpg, it’s more if you’ve read a bunch and want something new)
The world building and descriptive language is so absolutely beautiful and gross at the same time (the way the fighting/gore scenes were described made me physically cringe) and I really hope there’s a sequel
Trigger warning for hinting at and attempted sexual assault (with revenge taken out on attackers)
But in a good way?
I personally loved everything about this book. It felt so original and took lit rpg in a cool direction with a wolf main character. (I don’t recommend this as an intro to lit rpg, it’s more if you’ve read a bunch and want something new)
The world building and descriptive language is so absolutely beautiful and gross at the same time (the way the fighting/gore scenes were described made me physically cringe) and I really hope there’s a sequel
Trigger warning for hinting at and attempted sexual assault (with revenge taken out on attackers)
June 28, 2024
I had this for a while, wasn't sure I would read or not, but all the YA books trying to pass themselves off as adult books makes me crave a dark book.
This was very similar to the Vigor Mortis book I read (in regards to a monster gaining some form of humanity).
I can see myself reading a sequel. I don't go for these monster protagonist books usually, but this was well written.
I honestly thought this would have turned into some werewolf-esque book, but it's far more bizzare than that.
3/5 Stars
This was very similar to the Vigor Mortis book I read (in regards to a monster gaining some form of humanity).
I can see myself reading a sequel. I don't go for these monster protagonist books usually, but this was well written.
I honestly thought this would have turned into some werewolf-esque book, but it's far more bizzare than that.
3/5 Stars
July 3, 2022
Yes, the author is a bit new and there are many mistakes. But also this is one of the most original books I have ever read period and I have read a lot of books. The monster is a monster in the epic sense of the word and it changes and grows in very interesting ways. the world build takes grimdark to such a different level. The author suffers from a serious lack of pacing but for me, that is more than made up for by the unique ideas brought to the table.
April 13, 2024
Very strong& moving start
Free sample
The book has a very strong, moving start despicting a dying young wolf lost in a toxic, dystopian metropolis. By some miracle, the young wolf manages to evolve and survive for another day. Later, he gains the chance to become something special..
The concept of evolving by eating different creatures was interesting but the info dumps were irritating.
I am still undecided if i want to buy the book..
Free sample
The book has a very strong, moving start despicting a dying young wolf lost in a toxic, dystopian metropolis. By some miracle, the young wolf manages to evolve and survive for another day. Later, he gains the chance to become something special..
The concept of evolving by eating different creatures was interesting but the info dumps were irritating.
I am still undecided if i want to buy the book..
July 6, 2024
This book started out pretty strong. The descriptions from the wolf point of view were occasionally hard to follow, but the story progressed and was interesting. Then we get chapter after chapter where nothing actually happens. Like many authors, this one has let the minutia of a scene drag on way too long at the expense of the plot moving forward.
November 26, 2024
This is a rather odd book. Most of it is quite boring (“woohoo, he’s added ten rats to his tendons!” said nobody.) What isn’t boring is usually gross, and the character, if you can call it that, is almost non-existent, just going on about eating and body parts. On the rare occasions it does have an opinion it’s usually an unpleasant and unsympathetic one. I can’t really work out who this might be for, but it’s definitely not for me.
December 24, 2025
is very graphic, and might be hard for those with a weak stomach to read!
I found it refreshing, and a new twist. I struggled myself with some of the more darker descriptions, but was rewarded with a story mostly from the wolf's point of view. I had wanted the main character to be a wolf for a while now. Tho how much a wolf he remains is up to the reader. I would give this series a definite recommendation with the first line as a warning. Looking forward to the third book next year.
I found it refreshing, and a new twist. I struggled myself with some of the more darker descriptions, but was rewarded with a story mostly from the wolf's point of view. I had wanted the main character to be a wolf for a while now. Tho how much a wolf he remains is up to the reader. I would give this series a definite recommendation with the first line as a warning. Looking forward to the third book next year.
April 9, 2024
Great start to an amazing series
Just gotta say I loved this book. I usually hate books that have the viewpoint from more than one character but this book got it right. Full of action with just enough humor. It was so odd but so enjoyable I can’t help but wait for the second book.
Just gotta say I loved this book. I usually hate books that have the viewpoint from more than one character but this book got it right. Full of action with just enough humor. It was so odd but so enjoyable I can’t help but wait for the second book.
July 19, 2024
Pretty good.
Pretty enjoyable. There's no pseudo intellectual political ramblings, and the writer doesn't try and check any of the "boxes." Yes, those boxes and
Yes, I'm bitter. It's rare to find gamelit these days that's 100% about the story and not the writer trying to make a point, and unfortunately, I really like gamelit.
Definitely worth a read.
Pretty enjoyable. There's no pseudo intellectual political ramblings, and the writer doesn't try and check any of the "boxes." Yes, those boxes and
Yes, I'm bitter. It's rare to find gamelit these days that's 100% about the story and not the writer trying to make a point, and unfortunately, I really like gamelit.
Definitely worth a read.
September 6, 2025
Um. so I feel a bit conflicted about this book. It is definitely well written the topics are deep, and the dark. The descriptions are visceral but not overly vulgar for what they describe... Well sometimes vulgar but there are only so many ways to describe eating rats. I kept waiting for a certain part of the story and when it finally did the story ended. It feels almost like a giant prologue.
January 17, 2024
Not bad
Also not great
This really seemed more like2 stories happening at the same time. The wolf's story was fairly interesting, the elfs less so. The end seemed like it was supposed to feel like a cliff hanger, but didn't really have the dramatic tension to pull it off. Tom out
Also not great
This really seemed more like2 stories happening at the same time. The wolf's story was fairly interesting, the elfs less so. The end seemed like it was supposed to feel like a cliff hanger, but didn't really have the dramatic tension to pull it off. Tom out
April 16, 2024
Ehhh. It started out pretty interesting, but the author really commits to making the main character(s) chaotic evil. Sometimes that's interesting, but sometimes it's also just not something I want to read.
Lots of interesting things about biological monsters though.
Lots of interesting things about biological monsters though.
June 22, 2024
New author for me. Woah... absolutely brilliant. The setting is grimdark and the story has horror elements (especially when it talks *shudder*), and zero lightheartedness. It's fascinating and grotesque and I absolutely loved it! NEED book two NOW!!!
August 26, 2024
Phenomenal, especially for the genre. The prose and depth of description without over-explaining everything were what really made this book a 5 for me. Can't wait for the second to be in audiobook format
January 8, 2025
Very different to my normal reads, but I enjoyed it and found it easy to read alongside other books.
It was dark with some very gruesome descriptions, but it was interesting seeing the characters change throughout the book
It was dark with some very gruesome descriptions, but it was interesting seeing the characters change throughout the book
December 27, 2023
Great book 5 stars
Loved the story, different from what I am a custom to but great 1st book. Keep them coming. 5 stars.
Loved the story, different from what I am a custom to but great 1st book. Keep them coming. 5 stars.
January 10, 2024
Really enjoyed this, but I need the next book NOW!
February 25, 2024
Interesting and unique
When the heroes not exactly heroic and monsters are more humane then humans. A really fascinating read and I can't wait for book 2.
When the heroes not exactly heroic and monsters are more humane then humans. A really fascinating read and I can't wait for book 2.
March 1, 2024
Great!!!
I really love this book, the best I've read in a long time, I passed it up for a while, thinking I would not like it. I was delightfully proven wrong.
I really love this book, the best I've read in a long time, I passed it up for a while, thinking I would not like it. I was delightfully proven wrong.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews