The Third Tail

The Nine Tails of Alchemy #3

by Taniko K. Williams, Outback Quill

Kadia Greene believed she had found her place in the digital realm, but her new life is upended when she is abruptly pulled back into the harsh reality she thought she had left behind forever.
Torn between the lure of returning to her digital haven and the unresolved issues of her past, Kadia faces the daunting challenge of navigating her new circumstances while grappling with a fractured sense of self. Each decision she makes now will not only define her future but also force her to reconcile the person she was with the person she must become.

(Cover art by tyurina_art)

Genres: Fantasy

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2024

About the author

My journey into the written word started when I was a child, having been homeschooled for much of my younger years, I suddenly found myself thrust into the frightening world of the public school system. Struggling to adapt to this strange environment, I found myself quickly isolated from my peers. Facing verbal torment and physical bullying, I sought haven within the depths of the library, seeking not the books that filled it shelves, but the audio tapes, whose spoken words swept me away to worlds beyond the schoolyard.

It was the writings of Enid Blyton who pulled me into books, as the library had only the first books in her secret seven series on audio. Desperate to continue my journey alongside the seven, I reluctantly took home what would be the start of my descent into the world of books. From that moment on, not a minute went by that a book was not in my hand, and later as digital publishing took the world by storm, a tablet where I could keep not a single book, but hundreds at my fingertips.

It was not until later in my younger teen years that I delved into writing my own short stories, which soon found their way onto sites such as Reddit and Live-journal, along with others that have long since disappeared into the unknown void of the internet. Then a single extremely critical review on a story brought my younger selfs growing confidence and dreams of being an author to a grinding halt. It would be years before I even considered putting any of the myriad of worlds in my head into written word again.

Then, out of the blue, at age 26, I found myself filling page after page of a small notebook with a story that simply would not leave me be. That story was Striving for the stars, a book which fast became a series and my debut as an author of young adult novels.

It is my dream, that one day, just as Enid’s books ensnared my mind and drew me into her world of imagining, that my own stories shall do the same to others.

Reviews

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the third in a LitRPG series, but it is also why you should not bother with this series. Don't bother reading in order because it'll only disappoint you. Feel free to start with this book if you want self-referential naval gazing and deep "introspection" born of boredom.

The author says she "sought out a developmental editor for this installment". That was such a mistake. I hope she gets a refund because this story takes a hard left turn and is a slog along the way. Kadia gets yanked out of her VR world and we spend a third of this book in her own head building, um, I have no idea what. I skimmed ahead past the halfway mark and we still aren't back to the characters, setting, and plot I had been engaged with. Further, we get some hints that everything back in the place I care about are going to crap because of her disappearing. Gah!

Seriously, bad mistake. I'm so mad I'm rating the other books down a star and including a warning to stay away. Rule number one of storytelling: be aware of the promises you are making your reader and work at fulfilling them. First promise? In the title! Third what now?!? Seriously, how are you ignoring that?!?

Free advice to the author: chuck this one out. Kill it. It's a mistake. Start again at the end of book two and fulfil the promises you made. Let me know if you do because I'm interested. I am not interested in whatever the heck is going on in the story in this book. Zero. I'd give this zero stars if I could.

[Taniko Williams]

First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has followed Kadia’s journey up to this point. Your support and feedback—positive, negative, or somewhere in between—continues to shape my writing and push me to refine my craft. I’m aware that many of you felt that this third book wasn’t what they expected, especially after the first two books followed more typical Game lit themes. Some found it detached or felt it lost the charm of the earlier installments. Others were surprised by how different the tone and pacing seemed.

I’d like to acknowledge those feelings and explain why this book might have felt so drastically different. After writing the first two books without professional guidance, I sought out a developmental editor for this installment, hoping to expand the series’ foundation and give Kadia’s story new depth. The result—while aiming to explore more complex themes and set up crucial elements for future arcs—may not have resonated with everyone in the way I had hoped. I realize now that the transition was abrupt, and it may have come across as a “bait and switch” for readers who were expecting a continuation of the same style and pace. I know that not every reader will enjoy this book, and that’s okay. Some enjoy the slower pace and deeper introspection, others prefer the more straightforward game lit style that characterized the first two books. My goal has always been to create a story that resonates emotionally and thematically, even if it takes some detours along the way.

Ultimately, this book was intended to lay the groundwork for the future of the series. I genuinely appreciate everyone who stuck with it, even if it wasn’t quite what they’d hoped for. Your honesty gives me perspective on what aspects worked and where I might need to improve. I’m striving to balance the slice-of-life elements, world-building, and evolving character arcs in a way that does justice to both the story and the readers who’ve joined me on this journey.

And finally, I want you to know that I’m still learning and growing as a writer. I am by no means a professional—I’m just someone who writes to keep boredom from creeping in, and with a hope of one day being able to earn a modest living. Your continued support and feedback mean the world to me, and they guide me as I refine my craft.

Thank you, as always, for reading and for sharing your thoughts.

Warmly, Taniko.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A ramble through not much

I have rarely seen so little content spread across so many words. This entire book could have easily been a few chapters in one of the previous 'Tails'. And I say this while keeping in mind that those were rather slow stories themselves.

The first third reads like someone was putting their world bible into prose. The middle third is mostly Kadia talking to herself. And the back third honestly reads like the author just went steam-of-consciousness to get the book finished. Not even character development, just rambling, restating, and repetition...

Like two whole developments to the story in the entire book. The book incarnation of "this could have been an email"

(Not posting this on Amazon. I'm already being a jerk, I don't need to hit the author's metrics too)

[Brooke Neeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know, this book just felt like a whole lot of nothing happening? it was just so extensive in detail and character dialog and philosophical monologue without actually moving the story forward. I guess it was good for world building but an entire book dedicated to just kinda making 0 progress is kind of boring to read. at least there were interesting charcters again after she split her personality up. the first bit was seriously a slog to get through. though the ending did get a bit boring again when she went into that huge rant with her wisps about if she could trust (aeon?) or not and his proposition.

[Willie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of Drama

There was a point were I wanted to rate this book 3 stars up until about half way though. It was at this point that things started fitting together. I still wasn't sold on the 5 star rating until the last few pages. I feel like the author repeats themselves A LOT, but I get why they're doing it. The repetition is to put emphasis on Kadia's emotional state.

Definitely a great addition to the series, just a different writing style than I'm used to. Different in a good way. Everything ties together and makes sense by the end.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mixed feelings have never felt so good

This book did not go in the direction I thought it would. I missed kaledon, but I get that with her arc she needed to be away from it. I'm not happy with how much is being done that is outside kadias control and without her consent. But the world building was brilliant, the side characters fascinating and I can't wait to read more.

[Jessica Van Linden · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a slog to get through. Ive read the author's comment about how they wanted to deepen the story and everything but... It just feels heavy, way too introspective, and philosophical. It takes all the fun from the first two books and puts it... I don't know... Somewhere else because it's not to be found in this one.

I really hope they dial it back for book 4.

[Roberto Flores · Rating 1 out of 5]

If having no control of your body, if being trapped in your mind, is triggering. Do Not Read this. The first third of this was horrifying to read. It was a torturous experience. I truly wish I could give zero stars. I will not be reading any more of the series or the author.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Existential Crisis

This book is nothing more than an existential crisis in with form. Lost me as a reader of this series. Waited a year for the author to give a big middle finger to anyone who enjoyed his series.

[Angela Holden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story twist

This was a challenging read as it was an abrupt departure from the first two books. I do see a glimpse of great things to come,so I believe it will be worth the read.
I have enjoyed the books and I can't wait to see how the series develops from this point.

[Tenrog · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this series!

I love this series! I’ve been waiting for this book release since the last book. I’m so excited to see what comes next.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greate read.

This series is grate. I can't wait for the next book. The would building is exciting and well thought out.

[Katie Kissel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series but man this books pace was really different than the prior 2. I wasn't really prepared for what I was getting into when I picked this up so the beginning of the story was a bit less enjoyable for me than it could've been. Overall, I still enjoy the story and felt the part with her body and whether she was going to be a digital being or not could have been sped up a bit. I look forward to the next installment.