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The Ethersmith #1
The Ethersmith 1: A Progression Fantasy Adventure
The world moved on from runesmiths. Vivi didn’t.
A curse from birth has doomed Vivi to die when she turns eighteen. She’s a masterful runesmith, and if she could just convince arrogant ether hunters that her family has solved runeswords’ fatal flaw, she might earn enough ether to save herself.
When a rebellious spirit defies his handler to bond with Vivi, she becomes a fugitive, escaping capture only to land in an inescapable demonic prison.
The bright side? She’s an ether hunter now—with an endless supply of monsters from which to harvest ether, hone her spirit’s power, and finally test her runeswords.
But first, she must learn how to wield one.
Dive into an epic adventure following a hard-working, ruthless MC who pursues both crafting and combat while ignoring warnings about things being "impossible" or "forbidden."
First on Royal Road with nearly a million views, now professionally edited on Amazon and Audible narrated by Marissa Parness and Alex Perone. Buy a copy or read free with Kindle Unlimited!
A curse from birth has doomed Vivi to die when she turns eighteen. She’s a masterful runesmith, and if she could just convince arrogant ether hunters that her family has solved runeswords’ fatal flaw, she might earn enough ether to save herself.
When a rebellious spirit defies his handler to bond with Vivi, she becomes a fugitive, escaping capture only to land in an inescapable demonic prison.
The bright side? She’s an ether hunter now—with an endless supply of monsters from which to harvest ether, hone her spirit’s power, and finally test her runeswords.
But first, she must learn how to wield one.
Dive into an epic adventure following a hard-working, ruthless MC who pursues both crafting and combat while ignoring warnings about things being "impossible" or "forbidden."
First on Royal Road with nearly a million views, now professionally edited on Amazon and Audible narrated by Marissa Parness and Alex Perone. Buy a copy or read free with Kindle Unlimited!
- GenresFantasy
696 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 26, 2026
135 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 18, 2026
such a slog. DNF after 55%
there is essentially no smithing so I'm not sure why that is the title of the book. Honestly, there isn't much of anything happening even after hundreds of pages. The MC has nearly no agency. Things just happen to her and she gets shat on by pretty much every other character in the book. No idea how this is so highly rated.
note to self: do not continue
there is essentially no smithing so I'm not sure why that is the title of the book. Honestly, there isn't much of anything happening even after hundreds of pages. The MC has nearly no agency. Things just happen to her and she gets shat on by pretty much every other character in the book. No idea how this is so highly rated.
note to self: do not continue
February 13, 2026
So much lost potential. I made it to about 33% and just gave up. The book feels like it's going nowhere. The MC might be nice, but a lot of the book is focussed on talk to person A, get threatened by B, and talk to C. Not something I'd like in a progression fantasy. I just got bored with it, and that while the story might have been fun. The world is ok-ish, not one I like per se but good enough. The MC is likable enough, though way to naive imo.
March 23, 2026
A decent start
I enjoyed the first installment of the series. The main characters progression was satisfying and the system is mostly well explained except for a few secrets the author is clearly keeping.
If you're looking for a crafting story involving combat, this one might be for you. Admittedly the MC doesn't get a lot of time to craft, but the time that's there is very meaningful.
I enjoyed the first installment of the series. The main characters progression was satisfying and the system is mostly well explained except for a few secrets the author is clearly keeping.
If you're looking for a crafting story involving combat, this one might be for you. Admittedly the MC doesn't get a lot of time to craft, but the time that's there is very meaningful.
March 26, 2026
crafting first
A little choppy to start, but once Vivi got thrown into the mana mines, things started picking up.
The premise of crafting runeswords relies on shaping mana roots that grow metals, but where do mana roots come from, monster drops? For that matter, where does ether come from?
A little choppy to start, but once Vivi got thrown into the mana mines, things started picking up.
The premise of crafting runeswords relies on shaping mana roots that grow metals, but where do mana roots come from, monster drops? For that matter, where does ether come from?
April 7, 2026
I'm nearly finished. It's alright so far, but the last fifth or so is starting to wear me down. The cat spirit is kind of annoying because he's like "lets do this stupid idea!" and then a page later will go "why did you do that stupid idea??" . Vivi herself is also impulsive and kind of dumb. Kinda ready to be finished if I'm being honest
April 21, 2026
very readable
A complex world view. A main character who starts off as weak and barely becomes strong. Progressive as both you and the character learn. Still a dog vs dog world but with some empathy. It’s slow to build and the character nearly dies numerous times but the mechanics of the magic system slowly comes to light. Looking forward to the next one.
A complex world view. A main character who starts off as weak and barely becomes strong. Progressive as both you and the character learn. Still a dog vs dog world but with some empathy. It’s slow to build and the character nearly dies numerous times but the mechanics of the magic system slowly comes to light. Looking forward to the next one.
March 15, 2026
fun read
I enjoyed the character development, unique interactions in the prison, and the crafting element. The originally weak MC did not win every battle, which is nice to see in a progression style book. A very enjoyable read.
I enjoyed the character development, unique interactions in the prison, and the crafting element. The originally weak MC did not win every battle, which is nice to see in a progression style book. A very enjoyable read.
March 20, 2026
AI Slop
DNF. Written by AI. Stupid MC does not listen to the experienced being that saved her and it has to save her over and over again. Dialog that makes sense to AI but no human would actually use.
DNF. Written by AI. Stupid MC does not listen to the experienced being that saved her and it has to save her over and over again. Dialog that makes sense to AI but no human would actually use.
January 27, 2026
Book: 5 Stars
Narration: 5 Stars
Read the book before buying the audiobook and was pleased to find out that the narration is very well done as it's a fantastic read.
Narration: 5 Stars
Read the book before buying the audiobook and was pleased to find out that the narration is very well done as it's a fantastic read.
February 2, 2026
I enjoyed it
It has a good story and good characters. Give it a chance and you won't regret it. I don't think this is ai generated.
It has a good story and good characters. Give it a chance and you won't regret it. I don't think this is ai generated.
February 12, 2026
Good book
I was pleasantly surprised. Enjoyed the read, felt no reason to rush or skip through content, all in all, looking forward to the next installment.
I was pleasantly surprised. Enjoyed the read, felt no reason to rush or skip through content, all in all, looking forward to the next installment.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews