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!

It's chapter 50 and the bombs just keep on dropping! A novel that deserves all the 5 stars in the world (I don't really know what that means but yeah). Truly a hidden literary masterpiece with its own unique path to the story and character developments that I really find engaging and pretty much, worth my time. With the stable updates and such an unusual plot, it kept me pegged in reading this book in my leisure time! And I'm quite sure that you would be too. Oh and trust me, you'll love the MC! God bless author-san! Me, alongside with your avid readers and 'soon-to-be' will without a doubt, hope for the flawless fruition of the story while building a name for itself. And the question that remains is not how? but of when.

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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