The Golden Rose: Book One

There's a lot of writing in this that is irrelevant to the plot. This leads to long sections of writing that feel non-impactful to the story and the decisions the player makes less interesting. Also, it is not a complete story. It sets you up with a few problems to solve and you just... don't. It's clearly set up as a prologue. A very long meandering prologue.

The language of the narration is wonderful. The main plot seems solid enough, even though this book looks just like a careful dip of toes from the author - to test the waters, to see the reaction of readers, etc. I mean, it is huge and full of - beautifully written! - descriptions, but that's mostly it. Most part of the book we just go this way, then go that way. Talk to somebody, then talk some more, can pet a kitty and have a fight at the docks if we so desire. The plot starts to unfurl for real at the very end, but as soon as we realize that not all of our wandering around was completely useless, and we actually could do some choices that will help us (or not - I am not the only one who rejected the ball invitation, right?) in the future - it is where the book ends. But instead of being intrigued I was just frustrated. Because I know for sure I'm not hooked enough to replay these loads of boring strolls for two major meaningful decisions, once the second book is out. And even that is not the main minus for me. This is very subjective, but I strongly disliked all of the characters we've met in the book, who, as I take, are supposed to be our group for the rest of the story (ok, all of them minus Beka - she's my little urchin sunshine). Especially the main companions. I hated Alessa's guts from the first dialogue. People who are derogative to others, even if it is their love language, make me furious. Every time she called MC a fool I wanted to have a choice to actually start a real physical fight. Hadrian is just... Sad. Not in a good way. Also I was highly uncomfortable with his unwarranted feelings. I tried to be polite and neutrally friendly from the start and to not even interact with him at all when possible, and still the game made me to reject him in his face and then read a gut wrenching passage of him crying under the stars. I mean, I don't like the guy romantically, but I am not a monster. I don't need the game to shame me for not romancing author's favourites. The only character (and, apparently, a RO in the future books) who caught my eye in a good way, was The Pirate King, but we just had one dialogue with him in this book, and again - I am not patient (and heartless, considering Hadrian's rejection scene) enough to replay it once the second book is published. Not even for some dashing and promising looking pirate. It's a shame there is no way to leave a neutral review, as I realize my main concerns are subjective. Alas, as it is I could not recommend, even though the story is solid enough and probably becomes interesting once the plot actually rears into life.

MIND. BLOWING. I bought this game on a whim to fill the void after playing Wayhaven, and boy, I’ve been left speechless. It made its way quickly to the top as my favorite CYOA. The world is incredibly richly described, making it easy to lose yourself in it - whether you're exploring the suffocating depths of dark caves or enduring the scorching heat of the bustling city market. The characters are unique and dynamic, responding significantly to the choices and stats of the MC. Furthermore, the romance is written in a way that perfectly suits my taste (Hadrian my beloved <3). Speaking of choices, this is literally THE CYOA that truly captures the concept of Choose Your Own Adventure. I've never seen so much customization for the MC, thanks to the vast number of selectable choices. I eagerly await Book Two and hope to replay Book One several times before then, in order to explore as many different outcomes as possible and discover events I haven't experienced yet. My first run lasted about 28 hours. Please give this IF a chance, or at least play the available demo to see if the detailed writing style appeals to you.

A complete waste of time. Never have I read so many words that say so little. Literally thousands of words and dozens of choices about the precise way you would like to smile at a cat and horse, and yet every time an impactful story moment arrives you are whisked along with little to no control over its outcome.

这部优缺点都挺明显的。不幸的是choice of game有编辑，但hosted game大多没有编辑，只靠作者自己拿捏文本。这不就是典例，作者的问题是环境描写真的过于详细且罗嗦了啊啊啊啊，有些内容真的可以适当删减。故事背景和罗马帝国有关，主角似乎是某贵族的后裔（因为开头那段太罗嗦了我直接跳过笑死）。就像另一条评论说的一样，有点龙腾世纪起源的味道，主角和队友之间的banter生软味很浓，三人小队组团探险的故事。至于具体发生了什么我很难概括，因为看完后大脑已经淹没在无尽的环境描写里，想不起主线发生了什么。这还只是第一部，不知道作者打算写几本，互动小说都是几年起步的，害怕等系列大坑的建议谨慎购买，苯人就安详地在坑底躺平了

Game is good. Story is interesting. I find exchanges between main team party members as refreshing and genuine. There were few times when I thing options which you could chose wasn't described clear enough and I mess a bit but thankfully it didn't really destroy relationships between characters. The thing which was a bit annoying tho was one chapter where we had to experience city alone. It would be a lot of better if we could choose if someone could join us during it. At least thats how I felt during it because that part was very long and I missed interaction between them. But overall I definitly enjoyed this game.

It's definitely a slow start with lots of world building, but I was never bored. I really enjoyed the mysterious supernatural elements and the diverse cast of characters. Now that the stage is set, I feel the pressure is on for the author to deliver an exciting sequel.

Wow, I loved this game so much, this is my favorite Choice of Games game ever now. I want Book Two lol, take my money please!

Absolutely amazing. I love that you could have multiple levels of platonic and romantic relationships. I will be thinking about this for a while and looking forward to the next one.

A favorite! Have in total close to 150 hours on this (have it on phone as well and most time is spent there) and it definitely felt worth the price. To me, Ana has a wonderful writing style in and it really brings the characters to life. Pretty much every character feels interesting no matter how minor or major the character is to the story, and the one that I want to learn more about the most is the MC. I am eagerly waiting for book 2 and to see where the story will go next