Rubies, fine roses and... blood. What do these all have in common? Yes, they're all dyed in the brilliant, rich, intense red hue of the color known as 'scarlet'. And one particular psychic's world is fated to be bathed in this very red hue. What will become of him and his comrades? And just like that, I am bereft of any possible words of praise for this sublime novel. What can I say that hasn't already been said? At this point, I am basically blind to the story's any possible shortcomings, so in all honesty, please consider this to be a fangirl review. Sorry not sorry. Let's start with the world of Scarlet Dream, wherein lies all this erratic epicness. It's ever expansive, ever mysterious, and has this lingering ominous vibe to it, which can't be put into words -- you'll just have to read to find out. There has never been a single instance where I felt that the foundations were shaky. Everything fits together perfectly like a puzzle. No detail is wasted, which, in my opinion, is a really tough thing for newbie writers to accomplish. But an excellent world needs excellent characters, and herein those too are present in abundance. The protagonist is the real deal. The farthest thing from being a self-insert, he holds his own against an equally well-written and diverse cast of characters. You can feel their frustration, sorrows and worries seeping into you. They make mistakes, just like real people. They have flaws, just like real people. Some of them are so beautifully broken, you won't know whether to smile or cry for them. Some tread the fine line between madness and genius. Some are such dauntless bravehearts, that you can't help but root for them. They aren't perfect, but they sure as heck are unique. And crazy. On the surface, they're a bunch of dignified gentlemen and graceful ladies, but once you get to know them.. you'll find that they don't 'suffer' from insanity -- these lads and lasses thrive in it. So yes, it's worth getting to know these 'nutcases' (as author-san likes to call them). Where do I even get started with the dialogue.. Just calling it 'engaging' would be an understatement. The conversations flow so smoothly into one another. The grammar is basically flawless except for some rare typos. The feel of modern storytelling is still there but there's this uncanny, mystifying vibe about it that keeps you on the edge, pondering what would happen next.. And mysteries are indeed the core of story development, which contributes to the binge factor. You know a story is amazing when you reach the end of a chapter and go, 'wait, that's all?!' It's such a shame that only stories with popular tags gain more readership on webnovel. But don't worry author-san, real talent never goes unnoticed. At least not in the long run. Keep doing your best!! The first arc had a slow start but it's a necessary introduction to this peculiar world, and it was just the tip of the iceberg. The story underwent a massive metamorphosis in the second arc, but I won't reveal it's events, for I wish to keep this little appraisal as spoiler-free as possible. The moral of this review is to go give the novel a try if you haven't. It's unique, it's peculiar, it tries to do something different in the sea of clichés. With it's wonderfully sublime and astounding finesse. This is as much a story of hope as it is of despair. Of insanity, kindness and extraordinaire.. And no, I did not mean to rhyme that.

There are certain things that anyone should keep in mind before going in the book (summary of all the points at the end of the review so you can skip if you don't want to read everything). 1. The story is slow-paced. There's always a lot of stuff happening at a lot of different places, hence, every plot-line takes time to progress. 2. In the early parts of the story, a lot of characters are extremely repressive especially when it comes to their innate desires. In contrast, there are a few characters that are completely cathartic and a lot of Arc 1's characterization is ingrained in this dichotomy. This dichotomy especially applies to the main character and the second-to-the main character respectively. You will get bolts of overthinking from the MC just to repress and deceive himself into thinking certain ways and you'll see surprising and sometimes shocking cathartic actions by the second-to-the-MC that will only make sense in later chapters and not in the moment they come. These psychological characterization of the characters might not be for everybody but is absolutely essential because in the power system of the story, psychology means A LOT. 3. The book focuses a lot on the mysteries and the characters. The two of these things combine to form mystery boxes that you might either end up loving or just be scratching your head over. In essence, it's a story that needs to be read when you want to think, not when you want to relax. 4. The overarching story has been completely planned out from the start so you may see a fair amount of foreshadowing for events that would happen much later. This would mean that at times it would look like certain plot-lines are not going anywhere but I can assure you about this one thing, they are. Nothing in the story is wasted, even though there will be moments where you'll feel like the stuff you are reading is unnecessary. Summary of everything said: 1. The book is a slow burn. (If I have to give a recommendation, read the first 25 chapters before judging it). 2. In the early parts, characters (especially the MC) will have a good amount of monologues that define their character's psychological states. Psychology means almost everything in the power system of the book so this is important and cannot be changed. 3. The book offers a lot of mysteries and if you read it while you are trying to relax, it might be too much to take in. You need a time when you are in the mood to think (a little at least) in order to enjoy the book (especially Arc 1). 4. There will be things that seem unnecessary and unimportant but if there's one thing I can assure you of, it's the fact that eventually you will realize that everything had a reason behind it and there were no unnecessary events in the story. Well, have fun!

Hi! I am a 1-star review! Whether you like it or not, whether you believe it or not, I am the one and only correct review for this book. How, you ask? Well, let me explain. Writing Quality - 1/5 Writing quality deserves a 1/5. Yes, it is true that there are parallels and contradictions drawn between characters, pathos and such writing techniques used to enhance the appeal and creatively present the story, something almost no one else on this platform does. Heck, even the way dialogues are written serves a purpose greater than many realize. But still, it deserves a 1/5 star. You know why? Well, I don't know either so let's pretend like my rating makes total sense. Stability of Updates - 1/5 The author hasn't missed an update ever. He always sticks to the schedule. Still, I am gonna give a 1/5 anyway. Why? Well, that is because ... because ... because ... let's move on! Story Development - 1/5 Now the story is about a war between various supernatural factions. But, despite that, it focuses on the characters and their emotional, psychological and powerlogical (don't know the word for that but you know what I mean) journeys. It is a H A R D C O R E dark story. And, in spite of all that, I think it deserves a 1/5. Why? Hmm ... let me think about it for a while. In the mean time, let's move on. Character Design - 1/5 Imma confused about wtf this even means. Do I have to give a rating based on how characters look (design) or on characterization and character development and stuff like that (different kinda design)? Well, either way, 1/5 is the correct rating. You see, each character in the story is important, gets their own character arc that has varying degrees of philosophical value in them, and feels like someone who was created with heart and soul poured into it rather than to fulfill some fetish/fantasy/something else. They are all given a great deal of characterization and continuous character development, especially from a psychological perspective. That all, and they all have nice, realistically dark and suitable appearances. Wait a minute! Did I just explain why the character design deserves more than 1/5 star? W-w-well then, we are gonna pretend that never happened, okay? Okay. Okay? Okay. Moving on, World Background - 1/5 The world of the book seems to have a very rich and complicated history. The vibe for it is developed from the first chapter itself and remains throughout the story, only getting more and more captivating. The endless mysteries of the book serve the purpose of creating intrigue early on and with each mystery revealed, a new chapter is added to the world building/background. So, I think it definitely deserves a 1/5 star. I mean, who wants to see this creative and engaging way of world-building? No one. This isn't how you should create a world. There are so many great novels on this platform that do world creation right that this book should learn from. Like in those books, we want to see 17 paragraphs of info dumping that will lead us to the very amazing conclusion that is the same world as every other book of its power-fantasy ilk. Yes, that is how you do the creation of the world. Who does it like this? Ugh, it's nauseating. 1/5 So, now that I have explained with FACTS AND LOGIC how a 1/5 is the correct rating for this book, how I am the one and only accurate review for this book, I can only leave the rest up to you guys, the guys wasting their time reading this review instead of the damn book. I hope you all are able to understand how factual this review is and realize that this book indeed deserves no more than a 1/5. Regards, 1-star review

The idea of this novel isn't exactly original, as similar concepts of the supernatural abound most of fiction. But the way these elements are executed, and added a slightly different tinge to, by the author is what makes this story different from the rest, going above and beyond and making it a truly worthy read. The writing style is crisp and clear, leaving no room for confusion. The attention to detail is top-notch. The characters are also very well thought out. Even if they're fictional, every single one of them feels like a fragment of a real, actual person with their own unique hopes, ambitions and goals. The conversations between them are such a joy to read. One of the pros of the story is that when it answers a mystery, it immediately creates another, thus keeping the reader continually interested. Of course, it has a few cons as well, but they're negligible or hardly noticeable. That's how it is for me at least. I can't think of anything more to say, as all the other reviews have basically said everything that I'd want to, so that's about it. All in all, it's a really worthy and addictive read, and it's one of my personal favorite stories at this point. And I hope this review helps to convince --- even if it's just one person, to give this peculiar Scarlet Dream a chance. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.. Keep up the good work, Mr. Author!

As the author, I obviously like it. I hope the readers do too. Feel free to throw criticism though as that really helps me improve. Have a good time!

It is a peculiar story that deserves 5 stars. Hell, I could have rated it more if it was available. Sadly, the scale of 5 is not enough to rate this novel

Very few stories have left such an impact on me just off their first 10 or so chapters. Kais, Ethan and Sona are fascinating characters that make me want to keep reading even when nothing much is happening. The story, so far, is in build-up stage but its still really interesting. One can feel that this is a story with much thought put into it. Keep the good work, author!

This is quite frankly one of the best stories I've had the pleasure of reading. The first chapter itself gives a really interesting MC who is then complimented by some other great characters, all combining to form a very character-driven format. And I say format because the story itself is not character-driven, it's very plot-driven but it is written in a character-driven way. And this surprisingly works. SUPER EXCITED FOR MORE!!!

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