Trickster Cleric (A LitRPG Isekai Epic Fantasy Story)

The good: beginning world setup is interesting and has a unique spin on some interesting tropes. The grammar isn't too bad either: nothing that makes it hard to read.

The bad:

Despite the character sheet saying otherwise, the MC has a combined wisdom/intelligence score of zero, which could work except for every single party member also has an intelligent score of zero. Nobody questions the main characters decisions, even when they are egregiously wrong... even after when they are dealing with the consequences. There is no sense of planning, even when on the edge of starvation for weeks.  After this goes on for a little while, all the characters fall flat. One dimensional head bobbers for wherever the author wants to push the plot.

In addition: the MC, despite the book title, is as one dimensional, good/lawful character as you could get. 

The dialogue between the characters, particularly at the beginning, is both humorous and quite good. Which makes it even more painful when they turn into flat, one dimensional, dumber than dirt characters. 

Style: There are tons of mistakes in the writing, such as the author:

Story:

I had a hard time rating this, because the start isn't bad. However, the many continuity flaws make it virtually unreadable. The author expects you to know what the world is like, how time is passing, and what is going on, without spending a single sentence describing any of the above.  

it is so painful when you start to realize how little anything matters when the author wants to force the situation the MC will be in, but doesn't spend the effort to make it believable.

I had high hopes during the beginning chapters, and was quite disappointed with how the story progressed.

The first chapter immediately introduces Amara as a character, her quick backstory, and the problems she will face in the immediate future chapters. By chapter 10 it is clear what her quest in the world is and what she has to do even if we don't yet know how she will accomplish it. Though The possibilities of her powers are interesting the limitations aren't clear.

The side characters are well done and add history and background to the world Amara is stuck in. I can't completely comment on them yet being only a few chapters in but they seem to be shaping up nicely and I quite like a salamander.
The grammar and the overall writing are well done. The story is great at keeping me reading from chapter to chapter from the cliffhangers to the worldbuilding.

I have nothing to say as far a style. other than maybe the glue boxes for her entire stat screen is quite long and large on the page. But the writing style itself is just fine.

There were no mistakes I noticed with the writing. The action scenes so far have been engaging and well paced.
In the end, this story is of great quality on Royal road with great potential, and for those searching for their next LitRPG story to read you have found it. 

"Wow, seventeenth in the line of succession? So you’re somewhere behind the family dog and the maid?"

Trickster Cleric only contains four chapters so far, but I can already safely say I'm desperate for the next one. The MC is a cleric with a troubled past, labeled immediately as a thief based on her past actions, but she's determined to go down the path of the "good guy" in her new life in this fantasy world. So far I've really liked the MC's personality and attitude - she's funny and sly, sarcastic but kind. I'm eager to accompany her through her adventures.

The style and grammar are flawless, and one of my favorite things about the story is how naturally it flows. It is not burdeoned by too much description - words are chosen precisely. This strength is especially apparent in action sequences. The fighting feels snappy and alive, with real stakes. In the same vein, the worldbuilding is subtle but effective, and the characters we've met so far, especially small but eager Salamander, have already captured my heart.

Another of my favorite features of the story is the system. While we don't know much about it so far, the character's starting build is already very interesting. She takes advantage of her unique build from the very first chapter - escaping using her Trickster skills, healing using her Cleric ones. 

I'm eager to read more of what this author has to offer.

This is an interesting take on the transmigrated genre. The game system is new to me with skills being assigned largely by chance.

The MC starts out extremely underpowered, but with perks that guarantees incredible potential for growth with five times the points for skills and abilities what other gets. But she's also given a list of impossible quests and only five years to complete them. 

At times the story is grim dark, but then the image of a mimic trying to wag it's non existent tail makes you smile for a moment. 

A bit slow, though written well besides a few issues, but the adventure is there.

Style (4): The style is written in a slow, sluggish, and dry tone. However, the reader keeps reading because they are intrigued about the world and are curious about what will happen in the next sentence, paragraph, and chapter. The description of the surroundings and the characters pull you along on the journey making everything feel real and mysterious. The writer is obviously educated, as metaphors and similes are used throughout the story. However, I feel they aren’t being original or they’re holding back. I feel that they need to let their creativity loose and create unique metaphors and similes. Now that’s where the fun in writing comes from. Also, the writer should research adding emotion to narrations. I think putting some emotions in the words would really help with making the story leap from the screen. It would also help with bringing Amara to life.

Story (5): The story is very creative, and I am stuck with it. I really want to know where it is going. By the time you get to chapter four, you start nodding your head because you now learn why the main character is there. Interestingly, she’s not of a rank or caste that’s like noble or heroic, like a lot of litrpg stories are. So that of itself demonstrates the writer’s creativity. I am also wondering if the author is a fan of Greek mythology. As I am reading, I get ideas of Hades when the main character uses one of her spells, and then she gets a little sidekick named…Can you guess? Persephone! It’s really cool. I hope I’m right!

The only thing is that there are a few standard litrpg things in the story that you see in just about all litrpg stories. I won’t go into detail and I’m not knocking any stars off because everybody, well, maybe not everybody, but anyway, I really encourage litrpg and gamelit writers to create their own terminology for the functions in their story. It doesn’t have to be called a status screen, etc. Use a thesaurus and you can come up with some unique terms for your own story.

Grammar (4.5): The grammar isn’t so bad that it takes away from the reading experience. If I’m being honest, the grammar isn’t bad at all. You can clearly understand what is written, but there are a few things that I did notice, which, as I continued to read, either went away, or I was too engrossed in the story to notice.

Disclaimer: I speak and write American English, so some of my suggestions might not apply to the writer.

I spotted some run-on sentences, and some sentences were missing words that would make them flow well. The paragraphs were short, some only being two sentences. The writer should group paragraphs with the same subject into one large paragraph. Lastly, sometimes the writer used the wrong forms of words.

Characters (4): The characters are alive, except for Amara, the main character. I will go back to her in a minute. First, I’m going to note the good things I noticed about the characters. The writer did well with describing their appearances and facial expressions. Salamander makes a good sidekick, and I am intrigued about the relationship that she will build with Amara. She is actually the reason why I decided to stick around for the adventure. She’s a classic street rat with all the guts and spunk needed to survive the gutters. Then there is Jonas. I enjoyed how well Jonas was described, but I’m afraid that there may be some cliche romance between him and Amara. I hope I’m wrong. However, if that is what you like, then jump right in. I also like the fact that Amara was able to make a group to go on adventures with others. The litrpgs I have been exposed to usually have one person against the world. The more the merrier. Reminds me of Final Fantasy.

Now, Amara. I don’t really get anything from her. I feel she’s a bit flat and she reacts to things so calmly and unnaturally. Even though she wanted a new start, I doubt anybody would want one the way she got hers. I also didn’t feel that her bringing up the status and weaving magic so easily was realistic. I think that tossing in a few mess-ups would have been good. She also needs more personality and a great way to do that is through thoughts. Yes, she does have thoughts, but I think the writers can push themselves to make her thoughts more unique to her character. I think this will make her stand out and be more realistic. Also, I think too, litrpgs and gamelits do better written in the first person. This might be the case with this story.

So, all in all, it’s a good story. I hope the writer will appreciate some of my suggestions and I’m looking forward to reading more.

A solid and fun read. The prose is on point, the rat bashing is real, and the unique and tidy stats system make this an enjoyable read. The numbers aren't huge, making everything trackable and understandable. There's even mystery in regards to the Luck stat.

Overall this is one I'm going to track, it has been a fun journey so far.

I will be coming back to update to an advanced review once there is more meat on this puppy.

This is a really fun story that throws the character right into trouble from the start. Reading up to what is available so far, I want to read more. This is a well written popcorn read. (Popcorn reads for me are stories that hook me, are enjoyable, and don't feel like work to read.)

Style: Light prose keep the story moving without large info dumps. Everything you need to know is delivered in bits and pieces woven through the easy to read prose. 

Grammar: I only noticed one issue in ten chapters, so that's a five star for me. (I only rate down grammar if bad grammar effects readability of the story.)

Story: Four and a half for now because while I am highly enjoying the story, it is a "hero summoned to save the world story" with unique elements. I won't give away the elements becuase they are quite fun and cool. This rating could go up in the future. 

Character:  A fun character who wants to try and be a better person in their new life. 

If you are on the fence about reading htis one, I highly recommend it. I'm addicted and adding it to my favorite and follow list. This story is so much fun to read! 

Update: Further along in story and actively addicted. Even as I am busy with the holidays and unable to find time to write my own stuff or read anything else, I am still checking royal road on the days a new chapter of this story comes out to read the latest chapter when its fresh on royal road. Read at risk of addiction and time well spent. 

Chapter 34: This author knows what they are doing with the story. Trust the author and just keep reading. (upped my story score points to 5 after the latest chapter)

Only five chapters in, but it looks to be off to a strong start. The protag wakes up Bastion-style, on a marble slab in a new world and must make sense of her place in it.

Style: The writing style is easy to read and easy to visualise. It's in third person limited perspective, so we really get to feel the MCs awe at her new surroundings through the writing.

Story: Not much plot as of yet, the MC is still finding her feet. Ngl so far it's basically been her lucking into powerful shit but these are just the set-up chapters so I won't penalise it too hard, plus I'm assuming there's a narrative reason she's getting all this stuff early. Starts off slower paced than most isekai litrpgs but some people prefer that.

Grammar: Pretty fluent, didn't see any issues.

Character: The strongest part of the story so far. You can really feel the bitterness Amara has towards her past circumstances and her indignant rage at being sent to a new world yet still being forced into the same circumstances.The brief glimpses we get of side characers also promise some interesting developments further down the line.

Overall, I'd say this is one to watch, it has a lot of potential that hopefully future chapters will live up to

I can't beginning to explain how thoroughly entranced while reading this. 

I wouldn't say the first chapter hooked me bit right after that I was eager to learn about what happens next and how the plot would progress. The eight chapter took me by surprise because I actually thought Amara would finally get a break but then nope shit hit the fan and I'm sold.

I can tell a lot of thought and love has been put into the world building and setting up on the sorry. I love that we're giving insight into very meaningful characters in such a chap span of time and the action is being introduced at a real steady pace.

In relation to characters, Salamander especially, it may just be me but I feel her time on was just too short and I want to see more of her in the future. Jonas as well because I was really hoping for this three to be like the main trio.

I love the writer's style, it's simple, no info dumps and not overly descriptive in a way that drags the writer away from the story to admire something else. 

Grammar? Chef's kiss! No errors what so ever and I'm sure a lot of editing has gone into that to make for smooth reading a ND a pleasant experience.

This story is a fine piece of work that I just can't wait to get back into in my free time and I'd encourage anyone hesitant to try it out.

Sde note, the cover is lit!

Trickster Cleric is the level of writing any aspiring portal fantasy author wanted to reach. It has everything from originality, stand to your toes actions, even hints of realism, correct historical facts, and the best of all is the beautiful writings that make it so immersive.

The story follows Amara, who found herself in another world. Minutes after her arrival, she becomes a major issue. The establishment tries to silence her just to maintain the status quo. While realizing the machination against her, Amara must adjust to her new life and to fulfil her basic needs.

As you can see, there’s a lot of going on. This story offers more than the usual adventurer fantasy. Trickster Cleric plays like a Joan of Arc esque with a protagonist that’s quick on her wit, but keeps a level head. It also delves with how a world with class and level is a fertile ground for discrimination.

Story is an easy 5/5. It’s refreshing, rich, and engaging. The world building is smooth and well-researched. The struggle feels real and the action scene is impactful. I like how any fights cause unthinkable struggles and injury for the MC.

Character. Amara is the core of the story. Her past life is sorrowful, so does her new life, but she’s strong enough to keep her innocence. She’s good-hearted and confidence, with a knack for a sharp tongue, but smart enough to hold her tongue and anger.

Her other flaws might be her rather short patience with a hint of pessimism, but that made her character grounded and relatable. Occasionally, she became too bold for her own good without strong reasons, but mostly she reacted logically. Those occasional boldness also seemed to be her hallmark, so it’s quite fitting.

If there are issues about characters. The other adventurer party, and a few supporting casts, sometimes feel like a one dimensional caricature, but it’s a minor issue. So, I give 5/5 for Character.

Style is where Trickster Cleric shines. The writings are not only easy to read but also beautiful and immersive. After chapters four, I went straight to my tablet and finished all available chapters.

My only small grievance is how the author dedicated two entire chapters on the other sides. I know it’s for buildup, but I don’t think it’s worth a full chapter. Still, this minor problem shouldn’t deduct any star. For Style, I’ll give it 5/5, heck I’ll give it 6/6 if I could.

Lastly, the Grammar score is flawless, 5/5. I didn’t experience any problem related to grammar as I read up to chapter 28.