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Vigor Mortis #1
Vigor Mortis: Volume 1
Casting necromancy without ever learning how isn't supposed to be possible. A starving orphan girl named Vita is somehow managing it anyway, and she's not sure if this is going to be the solution to her life's problems or a horrifying, spiraling mess into problems she can't even conceive.
Experience the adventure of this fantasy novel by Natalie "Thundamoo" Maher, uncovering the secrets of a massive world of floating islands and the dangerous entity known as the Mistwatcher that rests beneath them. Vigor Mortis pairs adorable charm with deadly seriousness, an incongruous mix that pushes triumphantly forward despite the horror bearing down on all sides.
Experience the adventure of this fantasy novel by Natalie "Thundamoo" Maher, uncovering the secrets of a massive world of floating islands and the dangerous entity known as the Mistwatcher that rests beneath them. Vigor Mortis pairs adorable charm with deadly seriousness, an incongruous mix that pushes triumphantly forward despite the horror bearing down on all sides.
372 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 11, 2021
72 people are currently reading
338 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
January 18, 2023
I enjoyed this one a hell of a lot!
It has a few LitRPG elements, but mostly felt more like a real fun fantasy. There's no stats sheets at all, so it was just the way the magic system itself was set up, with different talents and abilities that felt familiar.
I loved the main character, a 16 year old, half starved orphan who suddenly learns she's a natural necromancer. She's tiny and everyone thinks she is a kid, which drives her nuts.
I loved her tone, voice and sass, and was very happy to follow along in get adventures! There's some ruminating in what makes a monster, and what it means to be human. It was nicely balanced to still be a fun romp, but with enough depth to keep me hooked.
Lots of action, monsters, magic, new friends, found family, mysteries and twists combined with humor that gelled perfectly with me turned this into a pure entertaining reading pleasure!
It has a few LitRPG elements, but mostly felt more like a real fun fantasy. There's no stats sheets at all, so it was just the way the magic system itself was set up, with different talents and abilities that felt familiar.
I loved the main character, a 16 year old, half starved orphan who suddenly learns she's a natural necromancer. She's tiny and everyone thinks she is a kid, which drives her nuts.
I loved her tone, voice and sass, and was very happy to follow along in get adventures! There's some ruminating in what makes a monster, and what it means to be human. It was nicely balanced to still be a fun romp, but with enough depth to keep me hooked.
Lots of action, monsters, magic, new friends, found family, mysteries and twists combined with humor that gelled perfectly with me turned this into a pure entertaining reading pleasure!
November 22, 2021
stupid
This books is fine until the mind controlling slime souls devour the plot and character development. Unreadable shit. Don’t bother to read.
This books is fine until the mind controlling slime souls devour the plot and character development. Unreadable shit. Don’t bother to read.
December 27, 2021
I listened to the audiobook completely blind, and this earned every star I can give it. The tone, the world, the writing, the plot -- it all has a professional polish that I don't even see in writing of properly famous authors. I'm actually hesitant to heap praise on it out of concern as to whether the follow up books will be capable of maintaining the the high standard. But! I am so eager for another book or anything else written by this author or even in this style.
To be clear about the genre/sub-genre and tone, this is a dark-whimsical progression fantasy novel. I know a lot of people aren't into the whimsical tone, but if you liked books such as "How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps" or the "This Trilogy is Broken" series where there is a mix of humor with a naive-young-adult perspective I think you'd like this though it is a smidge darker. If you haven't read those another comparison would be that it's like a much, much darker and somewhat funnier version of the "Cinnamon Bun" series or alternatively a much more light-hearted and humorous version of the darker child/teen-perspective progression fantasies like "Blessed Time" or "Mother of Learning".
I think the author and audiobook reader did an exceptional job balancing the dark often grim tone with humor. There were multiple times I found myself cracking up at unexpected turns, but the book maintained it's serious moments appropriately. There was clearly quite a bit of thought put into how the whole thing fit together, and it made the characters feel very alive.
I also think the progression aspect of the progression fantasy was done exceptionally well. At first I thought the character had jumped straight up on the power curve, and it certainly feels like the character is getting more and more powerful, but by the end of the book it's pretty clear the gains are marginal. This a really good thing because it means the character as a lot of room for skill growth in future books -- despite the fact that bit of the marginal increase made for enjoyable plot and development in the first book.
The world development are also done exceptionally well. I think the mark of good fiction is convincing your readers that there's more under the surface. You never get an hour of exposition explaining the mechanics of the world. Instead of the world being explained to you, you follow the characters living in it and piece it together little by little. When you get your first taste of the world building, you want to roll your eyes in preparation for some bullshit explanation of the mechanics of the world, but it never comes. Instead you gradual depth. Little by little you see the opposing views on how the world works. The characters experience things for themselves and only then is it clear what's going on and at that point the suspension of disbelief has you and instead of rolling your eyes at some exposition dump the whole thing just seems fascinating.
The characters have both more and less depth in an appropriately disproportionate way. The characters with some focus on them have depth -- surprising depth. Yet the characters who aren't the center of attention are exceptionally shallow in way that is exactly consistent with the main characters perspective. That is the way the main character thinks of these people (as soul blobs) is about how much you know about the side characters, and it's not by mistake because the moment the main character thinks about new side characters in terms of skills you find that's about all you retained about them. The information you end up retaining is pretty exactly relevant to what you need to know for the plot, and I don't know how it's done but it feels like there's nothing wasted in the writing. I find it very impressive.
Regarding plot, you should know that there is an introduction to the world and characters before your start getting into the main plot, and I can see why that might make it seem like a slow start for some people. Beyond that world and main character introduction, the plot of this book is entirely focused on the mind-control slimes. That's not a distraction from a get-more-powerful plot -- "get-more-powerful" doesn't qualify as a plot in any book, so other reviewers are mistaken to think the mind-control slimes derail the plot in any way -- they are the plot. In fact, there's a lot of really damn good foreshadowing that doesn't give it away until it does and then I'm still caught off guard. It follows a pretty standard plot structure with a long and gradual "exposition" that doesn't feel like an exposition-dump blending into the conflict and a subtle rising action before all hell breaks lose in multiple climax events before a very clean resolution that more or less wipes the slate and sets up the next book.
Overall, the book is really well written. The more I think about it, the more convinced I become that the author really knows what they are doing. I'm actually surprised this is a Royal Road story because I cannot imagine this was written be an amateur. I mean I'm no author or writer, but it's obvious to me either a lot of thought or a mountain of luck went into this.
To be clear about the genre/sub-genre and tone, this is a dark-whimsical progression fantasy novel. I know a lot of people aren't into the whimsical tone, but if you liked books such as "How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps" or the "This Trilogy is Broken" series where there is a mix of humor with a naive-young-adult perspective I think you'd like this though it is a smidge darker. If you haven't read those another comparison would be that it's like a much, much darker and somewhat funnier version of the "Cinnamon Bun" series or alternatively a much more light-hearted and humorous version of the darker child/teen-perspective progression fantasies like "Blessed Time" or "Mother of Learning".
I think the author and audiobook reader did an exceptional job balancing the dark often grim tone with humor. There were multiple times I found myself cracking up at unexpected turns, but the book maintained it's serious moments appropriately. There was clearly quite a bit of thought put into how the whole thing fit together, and it made the characters feel very alive.
I also think the progression aspect of the progression fantasy was done exceptionally well. At first I thought the character had jumped straight up on the power curve, and it certainly feels like the character is getting more and more powerful, but by the end of the book it's pretty clear the gains are marginal. This a really good thing because it means the character as a lot of room for skill growth in future books -- despite the fact that bit of the marginal increase made for enjoyable plot and development in the first book.
The world development are also done exceptionally well. I think the mark of good fiction is convincing your readers that there's more under the surface. You never get an hour of exposition explaining the mechanics of the world. Instead of the world being explained to you, you follow the characters living in it and piece it together little by little. When you get your first taste of the world building, you want to roll your eyes in preparation for some bullshit explanation of the mechanics of the world, but it never comes. Instead you gradual depth. Little by little you see the opposing views on how the world works. The characters experience things for themselves and only then is it clear what's going on and at that point the suspension of disbelief has you and instead of rolling your eyes at some exposition dump the whole thing just seems fascinating.
The characters have both more and less depth in an appropriately disproportionate way. The characters with some focus on them have depth -- surprising depth. Yet the characters who aren't the center of attention are exceptionally shallow in way that is exactly consistent with the main characters perspective. That is the way the main character thinks of these people (as soul blobs) is about how much you know about the side characters, and it's not by mistake because the moment the main character thinks about new side characters in terms of skills you find that's about all you retained about them. The information you end up retaining is pretty exactly relevant to what you need to know for the plot, and I don't know how it's done but it feels like there's nothing wasted in the writing. I find it very impressive.
Regarding plot, you should know that there is an introduction to the world and characters before your start getting into the main plot, and I can see why that might make it seem like a slow start for some people. Beyond that world and main character introduction, the plot of this book is entirely focused on the mind-control slimes. That's not a distraction from a get-more-powerful plot -- "get-more-powerful" doesn't qualify as a plot in any book, so other reviewers are mistaken to think the mind-control slimes derail the plot in any way -- they are the plot. In fact, there's a lot of really damn good foreshadowing that doesn't give it away until it does and then I'm still caught off guard. It follows a pretty standard plot structure with a long and gradual "exposition" that doesn't feel like an exposition-dump blending into the conflict and a subtle rising action before all hell breaks lose in multiple climax events before a very clean resolution that more or less wipes the slate and sets up the next book.
Overall, the book is really well written. The more I think about it, the more convinced I become that the author really knows what they are doing. I'm actually surprised this is a Royal Road story because I cannot imagine this was written be an amateur. I mean I'm no author or writer, but it's obvious to me either a lot of thought or a mountain of luck went into this.
March 5, 2022
It took me 6 months to get through 17 chapters of this, nothing gripped me at all with this intro but I kept coming back and trying because of being told how good it is later on. But there's several factors that just make it feel like trudging through mud. The tone shifts between being slice of life and then dark but not in a way that seems intentional, like it would if it were for irony or shock value. It's like the author's default tone is happy go lucky and then remembers at some moments that it's supposed to be dark. Basically a lot of setup and training and "yeehaw I'm not homeless anymore" and then the slime arc hits. This arc seems like something that an random plot generator website would spit out, something just thrown in to create conflict in a formulaic way without thinking about it. A slime takes over Penelope's body, making her its prisoner, and Vita decides to just take it in as a body roommate? Vita claims constantly that the slime is her friend, its a person, it has feelings, its so important to her... while also holding her deathtouch at the slime's throat. "Omg bestie ilysm but also if you do anything I don't like you might possibly die and if you try to leave you'll probably die so don't step out of line or I will kill you!" ehh. I'm glad that is finally over.
July 16, 2022
A surprising amount of fun! The worldbuilding was especially excellent with the oh-so-nonchalant reveal of the COMPLETELY FANTASTICAL LARGER WORLD (all caps? yep - well deserved). For me, this was a surprising little gem with the characters, the story, and again, the worldbuilding being especially fun and novel. Well worth the read :)
May 25, 2024
This feels like someone tried to make the Yeerks from Animorphs the good guys.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2022
Ok this book is very good at tone. It mostly kept me engaged throughout. Some of it is the performance of the narrator. Excellent job there!
The story in itself is a bit disjointed. There is a clear and definite "before slime" and "after slime". One is tight and slowly ascending, the other is... rushed and unfocused.
I still finished it though, so kudos there.
The story in itself is a bit disjointed. There is a clear and definite "before slime" and "after slime". One is tight and slowly ascending, the other is... rushed and unfocused.
I still finished it though, so kudos there.
October 28, 2025
2/10
I have four words.
I have four words.
December 23, 2021
I don't know why it took me so long to get around to reading this one. As the tale was unspooling on Royal Road, I considered trying it out a few times, but never did. It might have been the artwork. Those eyes! (shudder).
Anyhow, I'm glad I finally gave it a shot. It's impossible to deny that it's well written. The MC is complex - Alternately loveable and infuriating - and the storyline is quite unlike anything I've read in the genre before. And yet... Well, there's a serious problem. Slimes. Or at least one specific slime. One specific slime and her eternal and never ending arguments with the MC.
I spent most of the second half of the book wishing the author would just hurry up and kill her off. I was quite close to abandoning the book and dropping a 2 star review at several points. I note a couple of one star reviews here on Goodreads linked specifically to our friendly neighbourhood slime. What do you do when the author of an otherwise first rate story insists on following a thoroughly unlikeable plotline to its bitter end?
Long story short, I stuck with it. And ultimately I'm glad I did. But I'm entirely certain the book would have been significantly better without the slime. Without Penta.
Anyhow, I'm glad I finally gave it a shot. It's impossible to deny that it's well written. The MC is complex - Alternately loveable and infuriating - and the storyline is quite unlike anything I've read in the genre before. And yet... Well, there's a serious problem. Slimes. Or at least one specific slime. One specific slime and her eternal and never ending arguments with the MC.
I spent most of the second half of the book wishing the author would just hurry up and kill her off. I was quite close to abandoning the book and dropping a 2 star review at several points. I note a couple of one star reviews here on Goodreads linked specifically to our friendly neighbourhood slime. What do you do when the author of an otherwise first rate story insists on following a thoroughly unlikeable plotline to its bitter end?
Long story short, I stuck with it. And ultimately I'm glad I did. But I'm entirely certain the book would have been significantly better without the slime. Without Penta.
March 18, 2022
This book was great. I truly loved getting to know Vita and hearing her story unfold. The audiobook is amazing, and I think the regular book should be good, too, but the voice acting is superb in the audiobook.
However, keep this in mind: I did not manage to finish the second book because it diverged so heavily from just following Vita's story (mainly, anyway) that I gave up maybe 15% into it, tops. This book is better as a standalone, I feel like.
However, keep this in mind: I did not manage to finish the second book because it diverged so heavily from just following Vita's story (mainly, anyway) that I gave up maybe 15% into it, tops. This book is better as a standalone, I feel like.
December 7, 2021
There's a lot to unpack in this one - another one I found on Royal Road, via a crossover it did with another story.
Vita lives in what may be a crapsack world - it certainly is for her - of islands in a yellow sky with a mistwatcher down below.
Vita may also be a monster. Or, at least, not fully human. She can rip out, or insert, souls.
Interesting story.
Vita lives in what may be a crapsack world - it certainly is for her - of islands in a yellow sky with a mistwatcher down below.
Vita may also be a monster. Or, at least, not fully human. She can rip out, or insert, souls.
Interesting story.
February 11, 2022
Enjoyable read!
The characters and events found within are believable as a fiction. Interactions and decisions make a fair bit of sense. I like the ideas and magic. Most importantly this was incredibly entertaining! Read this!
The characters and events found within are believable as a fiction. Interactions and decisions make a fair bit of sense. I like the ideas and magic. Most importantly this was incredibly entertaining! Read this!
April 4, 2025
This is a weird one – an online serial that is a) finished, b) published as four books, and c) still available to read for free online. My review is about the free online version: I raced through the ~4k pages in under a week and had fun. It’s alright – or rather, there are parts that are fun and parts that are really ehhhh, and it averages out.
There’s a lot to criticise: the deranged plot turns at some points; some of the characters would be better off just … not existing; the author’s unhealthy fascination with inhuman disaster lesbians (and I say this affectionately, believe me!).
But! At the same time, the story goes some really weird places and then follows them to their conclusion, which I appreciate a ton. Personhood, godhood, continuity of personality (or lack thereof), the nature of God (oh the worldbuilding on that one is beautiful!): hell yes.
Time spent very well, overall, do not regret reading this at all. Plus, it’s rare that you find a serial that has finished and hat an actual final arc that went somewhere. I imagine that some people don’t like the overall ending; I thought that while the pacing was naturally odd, it had some *really, really really* cool stuff going on, and it was satisfying without being cheesy.
There’s a lot to criticise: the deranged plot turns at some points; some of the characters would be better off just … not existing; the author’s unhealthy fascination with inhuman disaster lesbians (and I say this affectionately, believe me!).
But! At the same time, the story goes some really weird places and then follows them to their conclusion, which I appreciate a ton. Personhood, godhood, continuity of personality (or lack thereof), the nature of God (oh the worldbuilding on that one is beautiful!): hell yes.
Time spent very well, overall, do not regret reading this at all. Plus, it’s rare that you find a serial that has finished and hat an actual final arc that went somewhere. I imagine that some people don’t like the overall ending; I thought that while the pacing was naturally odd, it had some *really, really really* cool stuff going on, and it was satisfying without being cheesy.
June 21, 2023
I will edit this review later, but here is the thing:
Jump the first two chapters (and also in the second novel), they are garbage and it might want you to put the book down.
The rest is fucking golden. An absolute masterpiece and maybe the best book I had read all year. Its such an amazing story, with great characters, an incredible view of sentience, the sanctity of life, morality, vengeance, and such great dialogue. I love Vita. She is so messed up but you get why and it has nothing to do with her power and everything to do with living as an orphan street urchin.
But don't take harm and damage too seriously. There is a character who was beaten so hard that she lost like half of her teeth and it never affects her life in any way after the first 10 seconds of being stated, and it doesn't seem to have been magical healing and somehow its never noted or commented by any of the characters, including when a magical healer comes to give health checks to Vita brothers/sisters. Oh and the sheer brutality that Vita gets as training is so over the top that it looks like a looney tunes sketch.
Besides that, amazing. 100% recommend the book to anybody. But maybe try with the Audiobook and the narrator at 1.30 speed.
Jump the first two chapters (and also in the second novel), they are garbage and it might want you to put the book down.
The rest is fucking golden. An absolute masterpiece and maybe the best book I had read all year. Its such an amazing story, with great characters, an incredible view of sentience, the sanctity of life, morality, vengeance, and such great dialogue. I love Vita. She is so messed up but you get why and it has nothing to do with her power and everything to do with living as an orphan street urchin.
But don't take harm and damage too seriously. There is a character who was beaten so hard that she lost like half of her teeth and it never affects her life in any way after the first 10 seconds of being stated, and it doesn't seem to have been magical healing and somehow its never noted or commented by any of the characters, including when a magical healer comes to give health checks to Vita brothers/sisters. Oh and the sheer brutality that Vita gets as training is so over the top that it looks like a looney tunes sketch.
Besides that, amazing. 100% recommend the book to anybody. But maybe try with the Audiobook and the narrator at 1.30 speed.
November 11, 2025
I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo. I'm not a kiddo.
OMG SHUT THE HELL UP
And on top of it, she obviously is a kiddo. She cries in the bathroom, she sleeps with a stuffed animal, she acts terribly whiny, she acts like a brat, she acts and thinks in a childish way, and she looks like a 12 year old.
As soon as the MC took the side of a mind controlling slime... I was "fuck this MC".
This mind controlling slime tortures and controls a team member for multiple days, and this MC is like "yea, but the slime is actually a nice person".
Ummm WHAT?
The shit the MC says and does is maddening.
She now lives with the parasite in her... constantly talking to it... Nah, that's the end for me. Book has gone to total trash.
DNF 63%
OMG SHUT THE HELL UP
And on top of it, she obviously is a kiddo. She cries in the bathroom, she sleeps with a stuffed animal, she acts terribly whiny, she acts like a brat, she acts and thinks in a childish way, and she looks like a 12 year old.
As soon as the MC took the side of a mind controlling slime... I was "fuck this MC".
This mind controlling slime tortures and controls a team member for multiple days, and this MC is like "yea, but the slime is actually a nice person".
Ummm WHAT?
The shit the MC says and does is maddening.
She now lives with the parasite in her... constantly talking to it... Nah, that's the end for me. Book has gone to total trash.
DNF 63%
August 27, 2024
Entertaining and surprisingly insightful
I want to start by saying that the author does a great job of depicting a character with a childhood far outside the norm. The awkward moment where someone realizes what's normal for them is bizarre to others, it's not something most writers know about, let alone include. In addition, the author keeps what could easily be depressing subject matter from dragging down by both putting the reader into the nonchalance of the main character, and by using humour.
Said main character is interesting in her journey, and while I feel like I grasp one part of the character's nature after learning more about the setting, there are still plenty of discoveries for further stories. Among the supporting cast, one is clearly the primary, getting both detail and hints of more to come, but the others at least feel established in the setting.
I'm honestly excited to continue reading the series.
I want to start by saying that the author does a great job of depicting a character with a childhood far outside the norm. The awkward moment where someone realizes what's normal for them is bizarre to others, it's not something most writers know about, let alone include. In addition, the author keeps what could easily be depressing subject matter from dragging down by both putting the reader into the nonchalance of the main character, and by using humour.
Said main character is interesting in her journey, and while I feel like I grasp one part of the character's nature after learning more about the setting, there are still plenty of discoveries for further stories. Among the supporting cast, one is clearly the primary, getting both detail and hints of more to come, but the others at least feel established in the setting.
I'm honestly excited to continue reading the series.
May 31, 2022
As of Chapter 171 / 2022-May-31:
An ambitious but sometimes frustrating webnovel that tries hard to avoid being stale and mostly succeeds at it. Vigor Mortis is an interesting case of the author being aware of the trappings of webnovels but sometimes taking the concept of plot escalation too far, either out of how the characters actions and their subsequent consequence or expanding the scope of the story in an abrupt manner, sometimes completely removing what readers were initially reading the novel for.
Still, if one can stomach the abrupt shifts and dubious morals of our cast of characters, Vigor Mortis is a rich and intriguing story with a fascinating setting where death opens up a whole new avenue of magic that's slowly revealed to the reader via Vita, our protagonist. We follow Vita as she struggles to eke out a rough existence as a street orphan to her discovering her necromantic powers and her subsequent rise to power along with the hauntingly stark descent in morality all that power entails when it is prosecuted by society at large for its sheer existence. The cast is distinct and we see their growth and sometimes regression as events unfold.
I would recommend it for those who are looking for a story where you want to examine whether the ends justifies the means or does your background define who you will inevitably become or even excuse your actions and can you overcome the sins of the past to become a better person. It's a very blunt look at these concepts with each having a character that embodies these themes and there might be frustrating moments of the novel where you might question why you're continuing but I believe it rewards patient readers with a fun and engaging story that they will look back to once it's all done and so I look forward to see how it unfolds.
An ambitious but sometimes frustrating webnovel that tries hard to avoid being stale and mostly succeeds at it. Vigor Mortis is an interesting case of the author being aware of the trappings of webnovels but sometimes taking the concept of plot escalation too far, either out of how the characters actions and their subsequent consequence or expanding the scope of the story in an abrupt manner, sometimes completely removing what readers were initially reading the novel for.
Still, if one can stomach the abrupt shifts and dubious morals of our cast of characters, Vigor Mortis is a rich and intriguing story with a fascinating setting where death opens up a whole new avenue of magic that's slowly revealed to the reader via Vita, our protagonist. We follow Vita as she struggles to eke out a rough existence as a street orphan to her discovering her necromantic powers and her subsequent rise to power along with the hauntingly stark descent in morality all that power entails when it is prosecuted by society at large for its sheer existence. The cast is distinct and we see their growth and sometimes regression as events unfold.
I would recommend it for those who are looking for a story where you want to examine whether the ends justifies the means or does your background define who you will inevitably become or even excuse your actions and can you overcome the sins of the past to become a better person. It's a very blunt look at these concepts with each having a character that embodies these themes and there might be frustrating moments of the novel where you might question why you're continuing but I believe it rewards patient readers with a fun and engaging story that they will look back to once it's all done and so I look forward to see how it unfolds.
October 28, 2023
At turns cute, hilarious, and disturbing. Part 1 comes across as a progression-style found family arc, but then part 2 takes a harsh turn into questions of identity and control, and even genocide. While still being at turns cute and hilarious, and amping up the disturbing. Some aspects I wish it'd leaned into harder. Some aspects made me squirm. A lot of aspects reminded me of The Wandering Inn--but it could just be similarity of genre--these are the only two webserials-turned-audiobooks I've read, and both have extremely enthusiastic narrators.
February 22, 2022
Not too sure what to think about this book. On the one hand it's interesting and has a couple of novel idea's. On the other it's plain, boring and has unbelievable characters. While I like books about protagonists growing into their power, it's a bit odd that this protagonist goes from 0-100 within one page and understanding way more than someone in their situation should be able to understand. Later on, more common concepts seem to be alien to the protagonist and she comes of as the basic uneducated slum kid she is. I might look into the next itteration of this series, but not sure about it at this point.
March 27, 2023
I don't know why I liked this book so much, so this will be an "empty" review (lacking substance.) I'd just got through maybe six books on my TBR, DNF-ing most of them and I was grumpy and just wanted something fun to read that wasn't abysmally abusing the English language.
The cover (nightmare fuel!) left me certain this would be another DNF and yet. And yet.
I found myself really enjoying the story, the characters, the world building. The plot...eh, it was shaky, but worth it. Not gonna re-read, but it was a lovely palate cleanser after a run of books that really rubbed me the wrong way.
The cover (nightmare fuel!) left me certain this would be another DNF and yet. And yet.
I found myself really enjoying the story, the characters, the world building. The plot...eh, it was shaky, but worth it. Not gonna re-read, but it was a lovely palate cleanser after a run of books that really rubbed me the wrong way.
May 13, 2024
The problem is the tone. It has good world building. Adequate character work. Journeyman-level plot and grammar -- for a royalroad webnovel that's well above average!
But. It tries to be cute constantly, while it should lean heavily on its eldritch body horror and alienation themes. It makes no sense to marry those to the power of friendship and cute critters. Forget poor comedy relief. Go full Lovecraft. People who want that sort of thing already read other series about Chickens, Rocks that fall or cute lil' cultivating pets.
But. It tries to be cute constantly, while it should lean heavily on its eldritch body horror and alienation themes. It makes no sense to marry those to the power of friendship and cute critters. Forget poor comedy relief. Go full Lovecraft. People who want that sort of thing already read other series about Chickens, Rocks that fall or cute lil' cultivating pets.
September 23, 2025
Natalie Maher is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. She has an ability to create extremely likable protagonists, though they all do feel at least a little similar. I laughed multiple times during this volume and just thoroughly enjoyed it. I was also pleasantly surprised with how the slimes were introduced from within their hosts. There were some times when it was difficult to tell who was talking, but that change of perspective was really well done. Looking forward to the next volume.
January 23, 2022
This turned out to be "meh-ish". From all the reviews I read, it made the book sound as if the protagonist was some uncontrollable murderhobo, who murdered and devoured a bunch of people's souls. Then went and hid in the wilderness. This is far from the truth.
I don't know if I will continue the series, as I don't like books about "what it means to be human".
The story was more depressing than funny.
3/5 Stars
I don't know if I will continue the series, as I don't like books about "what it means to be human".
The story was more depressing than funny.
3/5 Stars
July 26, 2022
Fantastic story. A young girl raised in the slums, living a hard life always on the edge of starvation, and then awakening a dark trait, so based on that you have assumptions about what kind of book this is, but forget them, this book breaks genre conventions by letting everybody behave like a human beings. There are so many humans behaving like humans in this book, it is honestly breathtaking. And despite the dark setup it is an uplifting story just for the sheer humanity ever present.
March 12, 2025
This book really hooked me from the start. The characters are meh, but the worldbuilding is so rich it makes up for it. I don't like corruption stories in general, but I feel like this book would handle it well, especially since it's paired with a redemption story. I love the idea of a human becoming more monstrous as a monster becomes more human. I just know for a fact the fandom is insufferable though (like all corruption stories).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2023
A story about a young girl whose very existence is a blasphemy and who is missing parts of what make a human coming to terms with what she is and holding on to what humanity she has. A very interesting story in a harsh world where the very god that they worship is so very similar to the blasphemy they persecute.
April 7, 2024
starts out as a simple magic fantasy world but quickly becomes much more - the 4 book series can be the biography of the birth of a god
January 17, 2022
Surprisingly good and entertaining. At times dark, but with humor. The main character is interesting and funny. Some interesting world building and character building. This would have been a four star review if I had been able to explore more of the concepts in book two. But as that book went deep into dark gruesome horror with no humor in the first two chapters I had to put it away.
February 1, 2022
Another lame YA that at first seems to have potential but then just focuses on souls and other boring stuff. Street kid with 0 knowledge but knows she is special. Most of the first hours seem to be spent listening to her internal and lame monologues. Don't bother with this series.
August 19, 2023
It’s hard for me to find lit rpg I like but this is one of them. This series is very memorable and the way the author writes about the monsters is beautifully done. It’s at the top of my list of books :)
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