These Fated Threads: Volume 1
These Fated Threads: Volume 1
3.4 K
290
Aug 28, 2025
A54,633words
Steampocalypse
badge-small-silver
Sep 16, 2025
Lacking a spark of life

These Fated Threads presents an interesting and unique world with a strong cast of characters and conflict. It also has a fairly well written plot with solid antagonists and development. However, I felt while reading it that it could be a lot better.

1) The prose is shaky. Minor grammar errors appear, largely in dialogue formatting—aside from that, it could just read much smoother and with a stronger rhythm; the dialogue could have a lot more personality and there could be more literary techniques like simile, metaphor, and evocative description used. It feels quite matter-of-fact and expository throughout.
2) The characters don't get a chance to shine through dialogue and internal monologue, and sometimes not action either. I think the strongest moment was when Midori was fighting Evan...other than that, characters don't seem that motivated or affected by their personal situations and struggles, even though they each do have good and unique situations. The exceptions are Aki and Evan, but they're both side characters and Evan is a really unlikeable guy so it doesn't feel the same as the protagonists having strong moments.
3) The diversity doesn't feel token mostly, it feels like it has heart, but some things are overlooked. For example, Midori does a ton of risky things while pregnant and doesn't really think about her feelings towards her own child, the life growing within her. I don't remember her getting upset because it would be harder to get an abortion in a fantasy world, or thinking positively about the kid either, considering names and how she would raise it and stuff. That would add more life to her character. Additionally, the 4 isekaied characters are all from Japan. However, they don't feel very Japanese, especially Evan who feels more like a white dudebro, especially with his name. (Maybe he is and I missed something?) He could be white but being a white guy who grew up in Japan would create a whole different type of person IMO. Also, one character mentions that she stopped wearing her hijab after some time being isekaied and that feels off to me—did she lose faith? Or not have it in the first place? Or decide being a hijabi ran counter to it? If that's so, why was it not discussed then, since it could make her character more interesting and not like an odd take on being Muslim?

That said the setting really is neat, I like the nonviolent philosophy of the characters, the romance is sweet, and the prose isn't too messy. I found something to enjoy in most chapters. It's not slop or anything like that, just a story I feel could improve a lot.

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