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Outrun: Neon Divide
Aythryn City—truly a mess of neon and trash all supporting the psychopaths that live here. Desire is the name of the game in such a bright place, as anyone on the streets can verify. Whether it be the gangs roaming the streets, the corpo rats in their tall towers, or the people just trying to get by; everyone wants something.
Then enter a poor thief turned investigator just to make enough for ends meet. Or at least, that’s how it was supposed to go down. Now though? Now I’m caught in several storms between stealing from one of the Big 7 to a weird interface telling me what to do. I just hope I can survive this cursed city long enough to make a better life.
Then enter a poor thief turned investigator just to make enough for ends meet. Or at least, that’s how it was supposed to go down. Now though? Now I’m caught in several storms between stealing from one of the Big 7 to a weird interface telling me what to do. I just hope I can survive this cursed city long enough to make a better life.
620 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 9, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 13, 2026
This is an interesting cyberpunk style LitRPG with fascinating worldbuilding. Shiro is barely scraping by as a petty thief with minor gang affiliations when she stumbles onto a crashed shuttle. She takes what she can easily carry (and hide) and flees, knowing that it was something important and maybe she could capitalize on that later. The next day, she starts seeing notices that LitRPG fans recognize as some kind of System initialization that will form the basis of the character power growth for the story.
This world isn't Earth, though there are definitely recognizable pieces of culture and slang that hint it isn't completely unrelated. More interestingly are the magical aspects that we get to know better over time. Shiro doesn't like magic much so she tries to avoid it even as her new system dips into the magical as she makes her trait and perk selections. As a reader, I found the magical worldbuilding intriguing as a cyberpunk setting enhancement. We also learn over time that the world has had several calamities that have imprinted themselves in a way to encourage speculation of what may or may not still be like our own world.
I found this a great balance, actually. Is this really a different world? Or just our own world so beaten that you can't see much trace of our origins left? Could go either way. Shiro doesn't really care to speculate and that actually served the story better than if you got an info dump to solve the question.
And it doesn't hurt that I really liked Shiro. She is young, and hasn't had a great life, but she is doing her best and trying to find ways to create security and carve a place for herself in Aythryn city.
And I liked the system, too. It has some great aspects. I liked that, for example, selecting a perk to move silently presented her with an open area and a fox to sneak past, resetting any time she caught the fox's attention. Some perks were magically imprinted, but those involving muscle memory actually put her in a place to develop that experience (in a magically time-compressed space, but still). It doesn't hurt that the author does a good job with how much to show and when to skip the stuff Shiro finds unbearably tedious.
This was written as a serial on Royal Road, so the book doesn't really have an overarching plot. Which is a weakness of publishing from that venue. Plus, the publisher the author chose didn't do a great job of editing. One chapter was particularly egregious with an actual number and period in the middle of a word and a bunch of other stray problems. It wasn't all that horrible on average, but it's clear that the publisher wasn't chosen on the strength of their editing.
I'm going to give this a solid five stars for a story I'm engaged with. I knew it'd be close to that because I've been following this on RR for months now and chose to pull down the KU book when it was released. I welcomed the opportunity to revisit Shiro's start on her road to greatness.
A note about Chaste: Shiro is young enough, and has enough trust issues, that there's no intimacy or opportunity for sex. So this is very chaste.
This world isn't Earth, though there are definitely recognizable pieces of culture and slang that hint it isn't completely unrelated. More interestingly are the magical aspects that we get to know better over time. Shiro doesn't like magic much so she tries to avoid it even as her new system dips into the magical as she makes her trait and perk selections. As a reader, I found the magical worldbuilding intriguing as a cyberpunk setting enhancement. We also learn over time that the world has had several calamities that have imprinted themselves in a way to encourage speculation of what may or may not still be like our own world.
I found this a great balance, actually. Is this really a different world? Or just our own world so beaten that you can't see much trace of our origins left? Could go either way. Shiro doesn't really care to speculate and that actually served the story better than if you got an info dump to solve the question.
And it doesn't hurt that I really liked Shiro. She is young, and hasn't had a great life, but she is doing her best and trying to find ways to create security and carve a place for herself in Aythryn city.
And I liked the system, too. It has some great aspects. I liked that, for example, selecting a perk to move silently presented her with an open area and a fox to sneak past, resetting any time she caught the fox's attention. Some perks were magically imprinted, but those involving muscle memory actually put her in a place to develop that experience (in a magically time-compressed space, but still). It doesn't hurt that the author does a good job with how much to show and when to skip the stuff Shiro finds unbearably tedious.
This was written as a serial on Royal Road, so the book doesn't really have an overarching plot. Which is a weakness of publishing from that venue. Plus, the publisher the author chose didn't do a great job of editing. One chapter was particularly egregious with an actual number and period in the middle of a word and a bunch of other stray problems. It wasn't all that horrible on average, but it's clear that the publisher wasn't chosen on the strength of their editing.
I'm going to give this a solid five stars for a story I'm engaged with. I knew it'd be close to that because I've been following this on RR for months now and chose to pull down the KU book when it was released. I welcomed the opportunity to revisit Shiro's start on her road to greatness.
A note about Chaste: Shiro is young enough, and has enough trust issues, that there's no intimacy or opportunity for sex. So this is very chaste.
February 23, 2026
The story is good, even if I'm uncertain how much sense a System makes in a setting that's already rife with body-augmenting technology and magic. I found Shiro an interesting and engaging MC and rooted for her to succeed. Being a Royal Road serial sets expectations for a slice-of-life rather than a strongly plot-driven narrative, and I don't mind this. This does give the entire story a sense of playing through a Cyberpunk 2077 story arc, with many side quests like "help your friend recover their lost wedding ring," which may or may not be your cup of tea.
That said, this book gave a strong first-draft vibe. Copy/pasted from Royal Roads and done. The lack of editing was bad enough that I found it distracting: not just in the pure grammatical sense, but also in how many parts of the story were awkwardly worded, that everyone stutters at each other to communicate nervousness, or how some of Shiro's adventures came off as half-baked ideas that just needed a lot of refinement and iteration to turn into something coherent and sensible. Shiro's "Underground" adventure, for example, had the bones of a good idea but failed miserably in its execution.
On balance, I was entertained enough to give the next book a try.
That said, this book gave a strong first-draft vibe. Copy/pasted from Royal Roads and done. The lack of editing was bad enough that I found it distracting: not just in the pure grammatical sense, but also in how many parts of the story were awkwardly worded, that everyone stutters at each other to communicate nervousness, or how some of Shiro's adventures came off as half-baked ideas that just needed a lot of refinement and iteration to turn into something coherent and sensible. Shiro's "Underground" adventure, for example, had the bones of a good idea but failed miserably in its execution.
On balance, I was entertained enough to give the next book a try.
March 18, 2026
Cyberpunk LitRPG Progression
A quite enjoyable Cyberpunk novel that mixes in magic, a 'System' that makes progression possible and true growth. Might not be for some, but great for others.
My biggest complaint about the Cyberpunk Genre is that most the time they get one piece of advanced Tech that gives them a slight edge and thats it. They are just as killable or weak as anyone else. Such as Cyber Dreams by Plum Parrot. Sure they have an advantage but they don't have any way to become some high powered 'Main Character' who can stand up against the Corps.
This book due to the System and the presence of magic has the potential to let the MC grow in supernatural ways making them far stronger than the average person or even the best Mercs. Which is something I loved.
Also most Cyberpunk books focus on one main Job or event, while this first book was more 'growth' where she did many Fixer jobs and got grew as a person. This is a mix of Slice of Life growth, Action, and Skill Progression.
Some might hate on it because it doesn't jump instantly into her fighting the 'big bad' or 'Main Conflict' right in the first book. I liked that however, giving the first book time to get to know the character and watch her grow while still having tons of action and conflict, just not the whole impossible odds major Corpo conflict.
I'm sure it will happen in future books but not having some 'tension' of a big threat and impossible odds right out the gate, was something I far more enjoyed. I always hate the 'rushed' feel of books that make the main character start right off with some impossible mission that feels like it will need plot armor to solve.
So for me this was 10/10. My new favorite Cyberpunk genre book. Though I understand many people don't like 'System' books or 'Magic' mixed into Cyberpunk. So it might not be for everyone. Nor for those who need to have some major tension big bad right away. This book feels like it's being set up for a long series, not some short trilogy, but I can only hope.
A quite enjoyable Cyberpunk novel that mixes in magic, a 'System' that makes progression possible and true growth. Might not be for some, but great for others.
My biggest complaint about the Cyberpunk Genre is that most the time they get one piece of advanced Tech that gives them a slight edge and thats it. They are just as killable or weak as anyone else. Such as Cyber Dreams by Plum Parrot. Sure they have an advantage but they don't have any way to become some high powered 'Main Character' who can stand up against the Corps.
This book due to the System and the presence of magic has the potential to let the MC grow in supernatural ways making them far stronger than the average person or even the best Mercs. Which is something I loved.
Also most Cyberpunk books focus on one main Job or event, while this first book was more 'growth' where she did many Fixer jobs and got grew as a person. This is a mix of Slice of Life growth, Action, and Skill Progression.
Some might hate on it because it doesn't jump instantly into her fighting the 'big bad' or 'Main Conflict' right in the first book. I liked that however, giving the first book time to get to know the character and watch her grow while still having tons of action and conflict, just not the whole impossible odds major Corpo conflict.
I'm sure it will happen in future books but not having some 'tension' of a big threat and impossible odds right out the gate, was something I far more enjoyed. I always hate the 'rushed' feel of books that make the main character start right off with some impossible mission that feels like it will need plot armor to solve.
So for me this was 10/10. My new favorite Cyberpunk genre book. Though I understand many people don't like 'System' books or 'Magic' mixed into Cyberpunk. So it might not be for everyone. Nor for those who need to have some major tension big bad right away. This book feels like it's being set up for a long series, not some short trilogy, but I can only hope.
March 4, 2026
Thieving around!
Outrun is a book majorly about solving problems subtly. If you are looking for constant action, this is not the book for you.
The book mostly focuses on slow and steady growth of the characters main talents of being a sneaky and somewhat competent investigator. She occasionally dabbles in pickpocketing but grows and moves towards the big leagues eventually.
Growth is shown through her living environment, her skills and connections improving. For a cyberpunk fantasy, she has very minimal interest in cybernetics for herself, for a good reason however, since magic and other supernatural factors are at play in this story.
Her ‘gigs’ are slow and methodically done, you won’t find her doing a 100 different things at a time, this story is a slowburn of a sorts. Her progression is respectable but nothing too advantageous, she simply utilizes her talents to the max.
Grammar is decent enough, but the book struggled a bit with spelling mistakes and a repetition of a para early on in the book. If reediting is at all possible, I would suggest they do so. I don’t personally mind mistakes as much but some might find it distracting.
In summary, if you enjoy a book more focused on slow and methodical gigs about thieving, investigating crimes for money, with a generous pinch of magic, you might find yourself enjoying this book.
Outrun is a book majorly about solving problems subtly. If you are looking for constant action, this is not the book for you.
The book mostly focuses on slow and steady growth of the characters main talents of being a sneaky and somewhat competent investigator. She occasionally dabbles in pickpocketing but grows and moves towards the big leagues eventually.
Growth is shown through her living environment, her skills and connections improving. For a cyberpunk fantasy, she has very minimal interest in cybernetics for herself, for a good reason however, since magic and other supernatural factors are at play in this story.
Her ‘gigs’ are slow and methodically done, you won’t find her doing a 100 different things at a time, this story is a slowburn of a sorts. Her progression is respectable but nothing too advantageous, she simply utilizes her talents to the max.
Grammar is decent enough, but the book struggled a bit with spelling mistakes and a repetition of a para early on in the book. If reediting is at all possible, I would suggest they do so. I don’t personally mind mistakes as much but some might find it distracting.
In summary, if you enjoy a book more focused on slow and methodical gigs about thieving, investigating crimes for money, with a generous pinch of magic, you might find yourself enjoying this book.
March 15, 2026
Great Story.
Great story! I really enjoyed it. You can tell that this was a web novel, as the story doesn't build up to one grand peak and then settle down. The main character goes through several different jobs, some of them, more heart pounding and some of them more relaxed. I'm looking forward to the next book.
I do have one complaint, but I didn't feel it was enough to drop the star rating to four stars. There were several minor grammatical mistakes and typos. I also don't like the way the author used hyphens instead of ellipsis. When it is used for stuttering. It is fine. "J-ju-just leave!"
But the author used it a lot for pauses as well. Like this, "Just-just leave!" Some of them, looked like they may have been stuttering, but a lot looked like they're supposed to be a pause as in, "Just... Just leave!" It made it pretty annoying, as I often read it as a typo, then I had to reread and insert a silence or a sigh in the sentence for it to make sense.
Great story! I really enjoyed it. You can tell that this was a web novel, as the story doesn't build up to one grand peak and then settle down. The main character goes through several different jobs, some of them, more heart pounding and some of them more relaxed. I'm looking forward to the next book.
I do have one complaint, but I didn't feel it was enough to drop the star rating to four stars. There were several minor grammatical mistakes and typos. I also don't like the way the author used hyphens instead of ellipsis. When it is used for stuttering. It is fine. "J-ju-just leave!"
But the author used it a lot for pauses as well. Like this, "Just-just leave!" Some of them, looked like they may have been stuttering, but a lot looked like they're supposed to be a pause as in, "Just... Just leave!" It made it pretty annoying, as I often read it as a typo, then I had to reread and insert a silence or a sigh in the sentence for it to make sense.
February 20, 2026
Cyber Punk in a Blade Runner style dystopian setting, with a young protagonist (17) who is intelligent and skilled. An intriguing first look at the world with a lot of hints of characters who will play larger roles in future stories. As with many of the KU offerings it could use another pass from an editor, but there was nothing egregious in the grammar or spelling. I did root for the heroine, though it is often obvious that the reader is being deliberately left in the dark about some events in her past and how they played out. Unique and intriguing facets of this LitRPG are the Asian mythos 'eidolons' embedded in the story, and how the "perks" that she earns sometimes involve being taking to a space (out of her own time) where she must learn physical skills by repetition. So not only does she earn the "perks" by leveling up and completing tasks, but she must also work really hard (or endure a lot of pain) to integrate them into her skill set.
February 21, 2026
I thought Neon Divide had an interesting premise, but failed to really add much tension.
This book is basically cyberpunk, do a big heist, and try to get away with it. But in this novel, no one actually knows she took anything. All the tension seems almost self-imposed.
This makes the novel feel more "slice of life" than anything. And while I did find some parts interesting. This novel lacks any real drama for aslice of life as well.
What remains is a story that is almost exactly like cyberpunk, but with a bit of litrpg fantasy. With absolutely none of the stakes.
I'd rate this close to maybe a 2.5/5. Theres nothing inherintely bad about the novel, but it failed to keep me engaged.
This book is basically cyberpunk, do a big heist, and try to get away with it. But in this novel, no one actually knows she took anything. All the tension seems almost self-imposed.
This makes the novel feel more "slice of life" than anything. And while I did find some parts interesting. This novel lacks any real drama for aslice of life as well.
What remains is a story that is almost exactly like cyberpunk, but with a bit of litrpg fantasy. With absolutely none of the stakes.
I'd rate this close to maybe a 2.5/5. Theres nothing inherintely bad about the novel, but it failed to keep me engaged.
February 10, 2026
Great introduction to this Cyberpunk world.
This is cyberpunk story you pick up and don’t want to put down with an interesting system an a unique take on a magical world. Follow Shiro as she stumbles onto finding an experimental system and tries to stay off the radar as she starts becoming something she always knew she had inside her.
This is cyberpunk story you pick up and don’t want to put down with an interesting system an a unique take on a magical world. Follow Shiro as she stumbles onto finding an experimental system and tries to stay off the radar as she starts becoming something she always knew she had inside her.
March 21, 2026
Very enjoyable
Doesn't feel like a first book, too well written and enjoyable. I hope there is a sequel. A very good cyber punk style book albeit not much cracking software systems, more a series of adjustments that make the heroine sneakier and capable.
Doesn't feel like a first book, too well written and enjoyable. I hope there is a sequel. A very good cyber punk style book albeit not much cracking software systems, more a series of adjustments that make the heroine sneakier and capable.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews