Forge of Destiny

Destiny Cycle, Book 1

By: Yrsillar

Narrated by: Natalie Naudus

Length: 18 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the Celestial Empire, a land ruled by Immortals and stalked by Spirits and Beasts, a young girl from the slums of an unimportant city is found to have the Talent that may allow her to become an Immortal herself.

Sent to the storied Argent Peak Sect to harness her talent, she must work desperately to catch up to peers who have been preparing to walk the Way for years. The Sect grants new students only three months to prepare and grow before the true challenges begin and the disciples are freed to battle each other for resources and strength.

Contending with tests, strange teachers, unfriendly peers, and her own ignorance, Ling Qi must not only defeat many obstacles, but find those willing to stand at her side when the truce ends.

Can she learn to not only survive, but thrive on that journey?

Inspired by ancient folklore, modern martial arts, and Xianxia, this fantasy novel offers a mixture of life and action while developing a world both fantastic in setting yet familiar in the humanity of its inhabitants.

©2020 Yrsillar (P)2020 Podium Audio

A rare gem shines brightly

Stories like this are usually just power fantasies with little real substance. The main character is usually gifted beyond everyone else and out performs them regularly, everyone in the story is either some kind of admirer drawn in some way to the Main's power and sheer awesomeness or an enemy jealous of what the main character can do. It gets rather tedious. Which is why when i first saw this story pop up on the Fantasy new releases list i kind of just rolled my eyes and muttered disdainfully "another one of THOSE books." However boredom and a sad lack of other superior options allowed me to push aside my misgiving and indulge in a little curiosity. I admit if it wasn't for Audible's exchange policy i probably wouldn't have, so jaded have i become with these types of books. Lucky for me the knowledge that i can always return the book if i didn't like it gave me the confidence to actually try it out. I am glad i did. While the Main character certainly has some of the characteristics i would expect from a power fantasy, they are done in a way that makes the story compelling rather than boring. Gifted student? Make her so far behind everyone else that she is still forced to struggle. Also add other gifted characters who are both better and worse than her. Finally make a realistic case for the Power of Friendship. The main is not powerful or accomplished just because she is an awesome person, she is helped along at every corner, and not just by those more experienced than her. Her weaker friends aren't just sidekicks waiting to wipe her brow and tell her how great she is, they have insights and knowledge that the Main benefits from and vise versa for them. This book seems more focused and deeper then a lot of the books i've come across in this genre. It's not just about being better than everyone, it's also about finding the way to being a better person all around.. Something the Main character constantly struggles with, This deeper understanding of herself seems to me to tie heavily into the way this character advances in the world. I. LOVE. IT. i cannot tell you how much i enjoyed this book adequately, however, i can say that as soon as i was done i actually contemplated listening to it again immediately. Me, who rarely even rereads books i like years later wanted to just throw myself back into this world. I really hope there are more books coming soon. The only real nitpick i have is kind of a weak one, mainly because it is a complaint that people have for a lot of books with children as the main cast. Lol in no way do any of these 14 year olds talk or really act like kids in their early teens, more like world weary 40 somethings. it's weird but unlike other books you could probably make the argument that their minds are being altered along with their bodies, Honestly though it is a very small critique and not one that i would normally speak on, but i had to find SOMETHING that wasn't just me gushing like a lovesick fanboy. Again i am really looking forward to the next installments of this series.

Original and Refreshing

The narrator does and incredible job of adding those precious details that text alone cannot convey, and the story itself is filled with a unique cast that are all brimming with personality that is a joy every time someone you have not seen in a while returns to the stage.

A refreshing and original take on what would normally be a fairly formulaic story, deconstructing common tropes but never scoffing at them and more frequently Yrsillar is able to incorporate many normally comedic or ridiculous conceits of the fantasy genre as serious and compelling facets of the story.

Definitely worth both the read, and I would say that with Natalie Naudus elevating the audiobook to a higher level I would say that this would make it worth the extra cost!

SCRATCHES THAT CULTIVATION ITCH

if you've read and enjoyed books like Will Wight's Cradle series or Tao wong's A Thousand Li series. You will definitely enjoy this book as well. A majority of Cultivation novels are insane power-ups that come from God know where. This story takes you through the rise through cultivation and it doesn't seem unjustified when she improves. there is a lot more I want to say but, I suck at putting those praises into words. a slight negative is extremely slow-pacing but that usually explains the world a little better.

good

follows girl through first steps in cultivation. it focuses on her own thoughts of the world she is in. how she sees things. the book splits it's time between her growth in strength, and her relationships with others.
action/adventure/drama
lots of action
some adventure
some drama
no romance
some description
lots of conversation but not exclusive
lots of self development

When choosing names consider your audience

Overall this was a pretty good book. It was a lot better than I expected and so far it has avoided a lot of the annoying troupes and cliches which instantly make me click the delete button. A female lead in a cultivation series is rare and was actually refreshing and the narrator did a good job, was easy to listen to and immersive and consistent.

The one thing that really got me throughout is, if you are going to write a book in English, use names that are consumable or at least discernable by native English speakers. Most English speakers ears are not trained to distinguish the tones, or to differentiate such similar sounding names and trying to follow the different characters (especially audibly) with very similar surnames is a struggle that made certain scenes confusing, or makes various characters entirely forgettable. This is from someone whose wife, in-laws & children all speak Cantonese and Mandarin, so my ear is probably better than most - but I still found it difficult to follow who was who when there was minimal context, as side characters popped in and out of the story as though we were supposed to remember who they were from their last appearance.

A good book

It’s a solid book with good characters and a good plot. I would recommend. Can’t wait for the sequel.

Academy cultivation feat. early teenage girl

Pros for me:
Mostly well written
A few good characters
Protagonist a mostly good person

Cons:
Very feminine story and focus. Could be a pro for some readers.
Little story arc. There are good students and mean students. Then it ends.
Names spoken with what sounds like authentic Chinese pronunciations. Problem is, it break the flow of the English sentence. Like: “She was wondering when in the world Sche-ha Hu-AH. would stop bothering her about her sandals. “ I got so flummoxed by the syllable emphasis in the names that the sentences were de-emphasized. But maybe for some this is a good thing. It’s like if you had Spanish characters and really rolled the R’s and gave the names but nothing else deep Spanish pronunciation in otherwise English sentences.
No humor.

Neither pro not con:
No romance (suitable for older children)

All in all it was not my cup of tea but it passed hours in can and treadmill in reasonably decent reverie.

Great female lead progression-lit cultivation

Man that headline had a lot of genre specific terms. Anyway, I don't like to get too into spoilers for reviews, but I found this to be a incredibly solid entry into the genre. So far, only Cradle has really scratched the same itch that Forge has for me. However, in Forge, we have a largely female cast which is a welcome break in a genre where it seems like half the authors want to write a thinly veiled self-insert about how they totally broke the power curve on a system they themselves designed. The characters felt believable and not like they existed to be props in the main characters power journey. I am strongly looking forward to more from this author.

I gave the performance 4 stars, only because the pronunciation of some of the names can be hard to make out, but you get used to it over the course of the book

Fantastic series well worth the credit

In my top 5 Xianxia series. With 1,000's of Wuxia / Xianxia chapters read or listened to. Definitely recommend this listen.

Not perfect but left me hungry for more.

I really enjoyed this story. There were a couple small things about the characters choices that I thought were nonsensical (Like why would you focus on bow skills when you use a flute that you need two hands for? Or why does someone so focused on freedom end up joining a council? Also a tortoise??? Really?) but they failed to hinder my enjoyment of the novel. Most of them I hope will be expanded upon in future additions to the series. Following the names can also be a bit difficult at times, but by the end I felt like I had remembered mostly who was who. All in all by the end of the story I must say my biggest complaint was that there wasn't another one to listen to.

Ok but …

I was put off somewhat by the use of another person’s voice when it came to the pronunciation of the names and terminology in the story.
Editing was good, but you could still detect the change in tone/timbre in the narration.
Should have used Emily Woo Zeller as narrator.

A work worth its Way

I will begin to say that I have had the pleasure of following the story of Forge of Destiny since its early days and this complete version is a joy to listen to. The narrator brings the setting and the characters, that I already really love from reading them, out in a good way.

The story is in itself an interesting blend of xianxia and what could be called almost slice of life. We follow the main characters growth in the outer sect and the friends and enemies she makes along the way. This is the books strongest point, the characters are a joy to read and many of them that become close to the main characters are worth their own books in my opinion.

The story is a slow burner though which might not be for everyone. But for anyone that takes their time to walk the path, they will find a story and characters worth following.

Excellent

Whenever you see a narrator is Natalie Naudus, you know she is going to bring you excellence, regardless of the book.
When you get Natalie and a brilliant book such as Forge of Destiny, you are in for an absolute treat.
I enjoyed it so much, as soon as funds allow, I'm definitely getting the next 2 audio books in the series, and hoping the 4th book is available sooner rather than later.

Basic high-school drama

It had the potential to be interesting but the plot revolvs around basic teenage girl gossip and drama. The action and cultivation aspect is pretty much irrelevant as the story doesn't really focuses on it.

Good cultivation novel

Slow start with many characters with complicated names. Story picks up after a few hours and is very good. Good narration. Recommend.

Great book with awesome narrator

I loved how the Narrator said the names it sounded so correct somehow. I actually ended up looking the narrator up and I will be listening to more of her work. I enjoyed the different perspectives coming up in the book it gave such depth to the other characters. I also love how the supernatural is so mundane in this book how you become a cultivator and life just changes

Looking forward to the next volume!

An engaging story well delivered, settings the stage for a brilliant series that I eagerly await!

Excellent Narration and a Whirlwind Story

I listened to this to get a feel for the names and to refresh my memory of the story which I have been following along with on the author's Patreon. It was a real pleasure to get reintroduced to the characters and the world of Forge of Destiny.

The narration was perfect and incredibly engaging during fights and other action scenes.

Enjoyable, slowish paced story

I really enjoy this story, the pace is what you want if you're interested in the world and character growth where there is no unnecessary end of the world coming to the characters.


spoiler/minor error warning:


One error snuck its way in (chapter 36) that I noticed though, Li Suyin both wins and doesn't win a prize at one point; although this has no real impact it's a bit jarring when one sentence following her winning says how she got a consolatory prize - a left over from the web novels slight change in the story from the original quest.

Fantastic adaption of my favourite web serial!

I have been a Forge Fan for quite a while now, having followed the story in both its Quest and Royal Road formats. This is a fantastic addition, with some really charming narration. The narrator has a fantastic range and her voice is really easy on the ears.

For newcomers to the saga of Ling Qi, this audiobook covers the first part of a much longer story. Its a fantastic twist on Xianxia (think Cradle by Will Wight), but unlike most of the trashy chinese novels that make up the genre it benefits from an author who really cares about the characters he is crafting. Instead of an endless parade of caricatured rivals and antagonists, we get to meet a large cast of living, breathing people, none of whom are static, each has their own goal, issues and arcs.

Not that it lacks for flashy magic and cool fight scenes mind, like I said, its still Xianxia!

The pace and tone of the story has often been typified as 'slice of life' which might interest you or put you off in equal measure. The stakes of the story do slowly rise, but in the end this isn't about toppling a dark lord or throwing an evil ring in a volcano, its about one girls struggle to
win a little security and happiness for herself and those she cares about in a very unforgiving world.

I would heartily recommend this one!