The Song Maiden

Uniworld Online #1

by Jonathan Brooks

On her first day at college, Cadence was forced to leave a classroom by a high-strung professor because of her disability. When she tried to leave behind the embarrassing and hurtful experience, she ran from the campus to clear her mind – and ended up in the hospital.

While recovering, she was introduced to the NVERS, a virtual reality system where she could experience Uniworld as if she were really there. Having never played any video games before, she didn’t know what to expect; the attitude of the rude and power-hungry players she initially met almost made her want to stop.

But after acquiring a unique quest, she found that Uniworld was even more complicated than she had imagined. Added to this, she became a Bard and was able to do something she had never been able to do before – sing.

But with the ability to finally sing comes a whole new set of challenges – and dangers.


Contains LitRPG elements such as character sheets, skill-ups, and leveling. Also contains a small amount of FF adult content that may be unsuitable for those under the age of 18.

Genres: Fantasy, LGBT, Magic, Lesbian, Science Fiction, Disability

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 3, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[XR · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked it 'cause it's a female lead.

The other players, or otherworlders in this are very over the top. They're arseholes to put it bluntly. I just find it impossible that most, if not all, the players Cadence interacts with are so horrible. She gets lucky meeting Brendare and Wengla... and that's when things start looking up for her.

I'm kinda wishing that this game somehow reroutes her brain synapses and gets her talking for real. Also, the twist with her attackers and the evil guild was good.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

Exposition dump, continuity error, and unrealistic characters in the opening of this book.

But I want to wax for a bit on this first chapter's inciting incident.
This girl, who has been mute from birth, is asked to apologize to a professor who does not know she is mute.
Her first instinct is to mouth the apology.
OK.
Her second instinct is to write it on a sheet of paper and show it to people while gesturing at her mouth.
. . .
It doesn't work--though it should be fairly obvious as a clue--but that's not the problem.

The problem is that this girl's first instinct, who I remind you has been mute from birth, was NOT to use sign language. She doesn't even seem to know any.
That is what we call a failure to suspend disbelief.

[Chris Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is kind of insulting. Aside from the main character and her friends, EVERY human character in the story is a cartoonish a-hole or pointlessly evil, drawing on ridiculous stereotypes for what ever group they're a part of to do it (Gamer, CEO, Male, ext).

The world - There's a real issue with cognitive dissidence early on in this. The early setup of the story portrays a normal modern world, but as soon as it's time to get into the LITRPG portion, suddenly High powered AI and Neural interfaces not only exist, but have existed long enough for her friend to buy an older one at a pawn shop. O_o one would think those two things would have a bit of an effect on the world. Not only that, but apparently, this kind of neural interface was:
1. Never used in a medical environment to try to treat neural issues.
2. Not standard medical equipment for people who are rendered totally immobile for one reason or another.
Come on Brooks, flush out your world a little better. You can't just slap down extreme tech advances into the modern world and ignore every aspect of it other than for gaming.

The Game World - Broken. I could go on about the poor design of classes, to Brooks complete misunderstanding of gamer mindsets, but none of it matters when the Main Character unlocks a secret class that lets her do what ever she wants, when ever she wants with no penalty.

For a book about a main character who can't talk, the chatter in the story is nearly constant, not helped by the characters rarely speaking like humans. I'm sure the author realizes this is an issue as they regularly have the character mention how they've been talking for a long time, but it would have been better to fix the issue rather than just lampshade it.

1/5 - Struggled to finish.

[Isaac · Rating 1 out of 5]

Someone said it but I need to reemphasize it. This book has a horrible background story.

So the prologue starts off with giving the readers an idea of Cadence's background. It tells us how or why she is a mute and what her disability (ies) is (are). Apparently, not only is Cadence a mute, she has a disability of gesturing sign language. She can understand them but she can't "sign". I'm not a doctor or study medical, so I'll give the author the benefit of the doubt and give it a pass. It also tells us a bit about her parents, with them being a vocalist (singer) and a guitarist.

The story finally starts with chapter one where Cadence goes to college. She's late for class and the professor asks for an apology or else the professor will kick her out of the class and the course. And the first thing Cadence, who has been a mute for 18+ years, is to try to mouth it. The second thing she tries to do, after the classmates were laughing really loud, is to write 'I'm sorry' on a piece of paper while pointing her her mouth/throat instead of writing an explanation.

That is a horrible background story. The author needed to stir up conflict for Cadence so he comes up with this.

I am pretty sure doing the following is better than trying to mouth "I'm sorry."
1. Bow to show respect, or apologize.
2. Point to self.
3. Cross my arms to make a giant X (or a cross).
4. Point to mouth/throat.
5. Open and close fingers to thumb like someone is talking.

OR

1. Rip a piece of paper out.
2. Write the following on it: "Hey, can you read this out loud to the professor for me? Thanks 'I'm really sorry for being late Professor [BLANK]. My apologies for not apologizing myself but I am a mute. My name is Cadence and there should a note or record somewhere proving that.'"
3. Shove it to the person beside me.

If I wanted to be snarky, I would add, "I was late because another freshman was trying to ask me for directions but I had trouble explaining to him that I'm a mute."

OR

Bust out my phone and play a recording of Jane's veeeeeery sexy voice explaining that I'm a mute with a disability.

OR

Bust out a pre-written note with my not-so-sexy writing explaining that I'm a mute with a disability.

OR

Just bow when I entered instead of acknowledging that I'm late and trying to quietly sneak to the last seat.

That's only the start of it. The series of plot-induced stupidity continues on and on and on and on. Apparently, there is a note saying she's a mute but someone forgot to attach it to the professor's notes. She runs out crying like it's the first time people looked down or talk crap to her. She runs for two whole freaking hours without realizing it and without being run over by a car. She ends up in some back alley right outside of a strip club and two goons show up. And of course, the two goons think she's a stripper too. And she just stands there.

You're seriously better off just having her run over by a truck and skip the whole background story and do one simple flashback. All this is just to make it more dramatic but it's so poorly written I can't see beyond that to the "drama".

[DJay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to say that this is the first time I've heard of such and OP Bard in my life. Usually, they are support characters in the waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay background, but I have to say that this was a pleasant change from the norm. The girl with no voice is suddenly given one in game and even finds friends and redemption inside the game. I'm not going to spoil it, but I will say that it has a SLOW start and that you should grind it out. The book is trying to set you up for something that happens at the end of the book. And no, I'll just let you know right now, she doesn't suddenly get her voice back, so you can just x that theory out now. So go on and pick this up and give it a whirl.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Folks, if you like LitRPG, then you need to grab a copy of this book. This is an amazing story about a girl who can't speak, and yet, manages to do just that in a virtual world, and her struggles ggin the real world after being attacked. It is a very well handled story, and tells a riveting tale about how this girl manages to do all kinds of things most folks haven't managed, and all because she's in no hurry, and takes the time to slow down and smell the roses (so to speak). This is one of the best LitRPG books I've ever read, and I'm definitely continuing with the series, (already have book number two in my reading cue.

[The Bored Goddess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine for a moment never having been able to speak, not even able to make a vocal sound. This is the world into which Cadence is born. Struggling with an unknown disability which disrupts signals within her brain, communication through her voice or even sign language proves impossible, leaving .
Despite the tireless efforts of her loving parents, and her best friend, Jill, no answer to her disability can be found and Cadence is left with only written communication as her connection to the outside world.
But even with her limitations, she excels in her education and manages to get into college, and rooming with Jill.
Her first day of college, though, turns into a near-tragedy as she is violently attached.
Now confined to a hospital bed in which to allow her broken body to heal, Jill brings Cadence a virtual reality system called NVERS, in the hopes the unique immersive experience will distract her from her pain and depression.
Now given the gift of access to a virtual world in which she can move, speak and interact, adventures await as she fights her own way to freedom in both real life and in-game.



When I stumbled across this book, I was hooked by the idea.
Most people take for granted the ability to speak or use our fingers and hands without issue and the protagonist's plight intrigued me.
Beyond that, it offered magic and mayhem in a virtual world.
I just had to buy it.



I didn't know what to expect when I bought The Song Maiden, but what I got was even better than I could have imagined.
When I come across stories in the LitRPG genre, I usually find a protagonist blowing up mobs with spells, or taking up a sword in a heroic manner.
Not so in this story!
In fact, I want to know why this game doesn't exist in current virtual space!
I would play it no questions asked. It would be more like, just shut up and take my money, man!
I only wish I could to interact with NPCs, non-playable characters controlled by the game not players, in the same meaningful ways as Cadence.
My respect for this protagonist grew as the story progressed. She didn't only see quests, leveling up, or getting loot, which is obviously the main point for most players. Instead, she grew to care about the characters within the game, and hated how some players took advantage of them.
As a victim of bullying myself in the past, I find it sad that some people, even in the gaming world, forget how to be decent when they are behind a screen.



From the moment I read the back blurb, I loved the actual idea of this story.
This isn't a tale of an all-conquering hero or heroine on a quest for world domination. It also isn't a classic underdog story, although some might view it as such.
Instead this is a story of a journey along unconventional paths to achieve more than anyone could have imagined possible, and a testament in which it's shown that treating others with dignity and compassion can pay out rewards beyond your wildest dreams.
The world-building of The Song Maiden was beyond awesome and not just limited to the game world within the story, though that was a real highlight for me.
I mean, come on, the sheer thrill of being able to immerse yourself in a game controlled by AI that literally respond to your thoughts instead of depending on clunky mechanical controls?
That is just mind bending and so much yes. I want it now. Gimme!
The author's genius in weaving the notion that NPCs were more than mere pawns for easy quests and experience was something I really appreciated. I loved how each character was well-developed and had a vibrant “life” of their own, adding depth and richness to the game's narrative.
For those who are unfamiliar with role-playing games, characters are given types of classes, which differentiate them from others through skill sets utilized by the players.
Few players choose to play a Bard in RPG because the character class has few skills except music to use in a battle.
But this is the one in which Cadence's character falls, and it was fantastic to see the class finally given the recognition it deserves, by showcasing its immense value and potentional.
I also appreciated the clever way the author was able to insert the ideas that the NPCs were more than for easy quests and experience. That each had a story and a “life” of their own. As well as how the Bard class can have far more value than many realize and the utilization of modern music for Bardic spells in game. Brilliant!



As you've probably already guessed, I found minimal issues with this book.
While there were few errors peppered throughout in the first edition of this story, they have since been resolved in later editions.
While it did not detract from my enjoyment of the book, I personally wish that the scientific aspect of Cadence's disability had been observed, and RPG rules had been better researched, that is just because I am very OCD with details.
I also want to mention that some reviewers have cited scenes of, shall we say, both straight and gay intimate interludes, in the book. I do have the second edition, and, unless these scenes skipped by my ADHD brain, I did not see anything of that nature in the story.
Of course, there is the double-edged sword of the shorter length of this little gem, which spans about 284 pages in its paperback format.
So, if you're craving a dense, in-depth let's-take-a-month-to-experience-this-book kind of read, you might be disappointed.
However, if you're looking for an entertaining, lighter, quick-to-digest story for a weekend reading binge, this is great.

[Johanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Majority of the characters are caricatures. Worldbuilding minimal and inconsistent, both in the game world and outside it. Disability portrayal is very ham-handed: trying to consider impact on interactions with the protagonist but not considering how she would have adapted to being unable to speak or the wider impact on her day to day life.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book version of this which was a mistake as it totally ruins the singing/musical parts. Not a fan of whoever is narrating this anyway but their attempt at singing is deserving of at least -1 star. I'll read the next one myself and let my imagination do the hard work as my singing isn't any better. It should get another -star for the other sound effects. I can't overstate how annoying it is to be drifting into a story only to be jarred out by this.

So advice for the author, actually listen to any future work before release and think about whether it detracts anything from the story telling. In this case it does, repeatedly. So the obvious solution is to have a much better narrator and a better editing team.

I wrote the above when i was about 90% finished. Below is the final review at 100%

The "coincidence" in the epilogue which i saw coming from the beginning of the book but hoped wouldn't be in there is just terrible writing. So close to being a decent book then putting that in! Why?! Its literally the last few lines. Why put it in there? Its such a stupid over done story line. *shakes head in disappointment* just go to your room and think about what you've done.

[Stanislas Sodonon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really tried. But I just never could suspend my disbelief. Not even for a single second.

In the first few pages, this girl is being assaulted and what goes through her head makes me recoil from her instead. Not a good sign. It just went downhill from there.

I gave up at the girl's band stage.
Spare yourself the agony.

[H.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. I really struggled to get into it. The book got better towards the end, but the beginning was not really interesting.

In the first chapter there was a scene where the main character was late to a college class. The professor flipped out and demanded an apology. But because the main character couldn’t speak, she couldn’t comply with with the professor’s demands and was kicked out of class. This scene felt forced and unrealistic. Most of the professors I have encountered don’t care if you are late.

Then there was a scene where the main character was running and she suddenly realized that she had accidentally run to a part of the city that she didn’t want to be in. Two men confronted her, and they were very, very insistent that she TELL them whether or not she consented. Again, it felt forced.

It felt like the author was jamming the main character into situations where the main character would have to speak, without integrating it smoothly into the story. Unfortunately, when I come across this in books, it takes me right out of the story. I almost stopped reading the book due to annoyance.

Anyway, because she couldn’t speak, the two men beat her so badly that both of her arms were shattered, her legs were broken, her ribs were broken, and I think maybe her back. The beating put her in the hospital. She couldn’t move because she was given strong pain medicine and her limbs were in casts. Her best friend brought her the gaming system and she decided to try it. In the game, she met two other players and went on quests with them. Her best friend kind of disappeared after that. Something that was SUPER convenient was that the main character was able to talk in the game, and the two players she met were lawyers outside of the game. They were going to try and find out who beat the main character. Which is cool, but it felt a little forced.

There was a random start to romance in the book between the main character and one of her party members. This was another thing that kind of took me out of the story. There wasn’t really any build up to it, and there was no indication that the main character was lesbian. She doesn’t even know the person outside of the game.

As I was reading, it felt like the author set up the main character to be some paragon of virtue. It was a little irritating that she was so perfect.

I did like how the main character had a clear goal in mind, and was working toward that goal. The ending of the book was good. It linked the game world and the real world together in a way that is missing in some LitRPG books. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next book.

[Justin Foster · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story keeps trying to make Cadence out to be some super unique individual that does things no one else every tried before, but the execution of that idea is beyond flawed.

The first thing she does is run around talking to all the NPCs while the story shows all the players in a constant rush. Sure, I could see the majority of players being in a rush to explore and gain levels, but a substantial number of people in all MMOs enjoy just screwing around in town and socializing. Nothing Cadence did would be unique in any way.

Then the game throws her a one-of-a-kind overpowered class. This lets her find a bunch of exploits and solutions to quests or dungeons that no one else can do. The story plays it off like no one else has tried the solutions that she comes up with, but in reality, she's mechanically the only person that could possibly get these solutions due to a class that lets her make up whatever the hell she wants to do on the spot while everyone has the limitations of what their class can do.

Also, for some god-forsaken reason, game developers have the authority to kick doctors out of their own hospital in order to corner a patient that just came out of a coma into signing nonsense contracts. The contract she's offered is honestly creepy and disgusts me on a visceral level. She's forced to keep a permanent live feed active which lets the entire game company watch every spec of her gameplay and most personal moments with other people and she just agrees to the contract without even batting an eye.

The entire story she slowly develops a close friendship with two players that turn out to be lawyers, which would be a surprisingly clever tie-in to the contract being introduced, but she doesn't even think to request the ability to consult with a lawyer before signing away all of her rights in a one-sided contract. What is with litrpg authors and introducing contracts that the player never consults with a lawyer on before signing?

I honestly have no desire to read a follow-up book that contains a persistent invasion of privacy. Even this book had some sweet and intimate moments between her and her friends that would have made my skin crawl if a board room full of corporate executives were recording and watching every second of.

[Danae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl without a voice gets in a dangerous situation and finds herself in a hospital. to ease the healing time her best friend brings her a virtual reality kit and she emerges in a new world.
With no idea about MMORPGs she starts to discover the world and also discovers that she has a voice in that world. She makes friends with NPCs and Player and starts adventuring as a bard.
I really enjoyed this book. I always loved bard stories, i love stories that take the game world serious and are not about solving instances without following the world story behind.
The social interaction between the MC and the two girls she groups with is very nice.
On the down side (there is a reason for not giving more points of course) there is serious overpowering happening. Charisma points are just raining down on that bard. And - even when I have nothing against stories to have sex scenes i thought it somehow misplaced as there was no lead up to it and it somehow didn't fit into the story flow for my taste. but it was written okay and was more about love then about sex.
Also she lets get herself steamrolled by the companies boss. A bit more haggling would have been nice.
Nevertheless a good book and i am already downloading the next book of the series.

[Jonathan Pettit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great LitRPG fantasy adventure! Cadence has a speech disability and cannot talk. No one can figure out why, doctors included, as everything physically seems normal. After a bad experience in a college class, she runs “away” and is accosted and beat up by a couple of men. In the hospital, she discovers that a virtual reality game allows her to speak. She is clueless about gaming but has a great time and meets new friends. The characters are good and the story is very good, and there is a great twist to the speech disability in the game. However, why isn’t the technology of the VR game Uniworld extended to those in real life as a speaking tool? The LitRPG aspects are good, and though it’s a typical fantasy world, there are some good twists to the genre. The book leaves you wanting to move on to the next in the series. My first read by the author. Excellent narration for the audible edition by Anneliese Rennie.

[gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unbalanced game gets broken.

No thing about the game makes any sense. An immensely complex ai capable of dynamic conversation and unique quest generation and the players are so blasé about it that I thought it must be like a unity asset "dynamic ai set" which would make the game some kind of third rate shovelware but no apparently they are a billion dollar company. One of the only 7 classes is non viable and the race (of only 6) that you pick with no info at creation has a 50-100% effect on the strength. This doesn't even account for how broken the MCs ability is, literally able to hack the hardware of other players to give them a buff.
The story itself is entertaining though.

[Brad Searing · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely hated the beginning of the book. Why does the disabled main character, who is strikingly beautiful, have to be beaten nearly to death because a couple degenerates see her outside of a strip club? I get how the two are connected at the end of the book, but still there are many other ways the interaction could have gone.
Also, the fact that the tech is available for the main character to be able to speak in game and the Dr's nor friends or family have ever thought to try her in the equipment before. Not to mention this isn't cutting edge brand new beta tech. The best friend got it at a pawn shop and there is a newer version out. Just doesn't add up with the story line.
With that said, I actually enjoyed the story overall. I hope the series continues.

[Anthony Fratto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable story. I would have given this a five star rating except i did not see any reason for the author to have added in Sexual situations into a book of this sort. Just seemed out of place to me.

Way back in the 90s i was very active in a game called Ultima Online. Reading this book transported me back to those days and I even had to wonder if the Author of his book had played that game. Right down to the guild name he gave to one of the guilds ! I certainly will be reading the rest of these books.

To the Author, if you belonged to GB reach out to me, I was in GB ! (Guardians of Britania) :-) I was WOLFGAR !

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I quite liked the musical focus, the interesting class of the main character, and certain other aspects, but she was *massively* overpowered, any difficult situation was instantly solved with whatever new song she came up with out of the blue. Little preparation, no planning, just off-the-cuff songs saving the day in a very deus ex machina manner. I don't know that I'll read any further in the series, other than to perhaps see if the author improves as further books come out. I'll admit to being curious about what happens to the MC, her unique condition is quite interesting.

[Andy L · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good if flawed beginning

A young woman, mute from birth, finds her voice when she tries a VR game while recovering from an assault. She becomes a bard.

Pro: A little change of pace as the MC rather than questing, decides to help out the NPC's. Well-written for the most part. Interesting world and use of LITRPG mechanics.

Con: Too many things the MC tries turn out to have "secret" rewards which over-power her. Unnecessary sex scenes. The music bits are clever in conception but fall a little flat in exe union.

[Rainer Prem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can understand why some readers decide to give one or two stars. This story (meaning the whole trilogy) gives the term "overpowered" a totally new meaning. A girl who mysteriously cannot speak is given a helmet for a multiuser game and the first thing she gets in the game is a vocalization package.

Everybody MUST ask themselves why never anyone thought of giving her such a package in real life.

On the other hand, the story is well written, and the LitRPG tropes don't overpower the story. So, I do recommend the books.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable Read - Decent Pacing

I find this story to be interesting and enjoyable, and somewhat inventive - there aren’t that many GameLit / LitRPG stories which follow a bard type character. The story was enjoyable, and the pace of progression / development through the story was okay.

I would recommend this story to

People who want to follow a bard type character.
Readers interested in female protagonist.

[Rex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pretty surprised how well I liked this book comming in not knowing anything about it. While the mc is pretty op and does not follow any conventional game rules, I still like the idea of a person just wanting to play the game to talk to other people. I have no idea why the author decided to cram a random sex scene in the middle of the book it was so out of place and dint really need it. Overall I love the premise and the characters.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing treasure of a series!

I feel so lucky for finding this author and book series! The MC and supporting characters are interesting, relatable, and sympathetic. The plot and underlying messages are motivating, engaging, and overall positive. The world building is first class and the bardic magic mechanism is fascinating. I love the first book and I can’t wait to crack open the next in series. Super duper highly recommended!

[Skallagrim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was good up to the FF part, which started very creepy, turned into sexual assault, turned into sexual exploitation of someone vulnerable.
If that was supposed to be romance, the author should look into the concept of 'consent'.
Apart from that short awful bit, I loved the mc playing a bard and her attitude towards citizens.

[Lunan · Rating 4 out of 5]

To make a long story somewhat short: This is a good book in general, but it has some glaring plot problems. Basicly you need to ignore everything that happens in the real world, or you will go insane asking "Why didn't they just do this!?". The in-game also has some problems, but it is good enough that I ended up giving it 4 stars, but it is close to 3.

[Bill Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting storyline - I particularly like the idea of a fully immersive RPG where the heroine gets to learn about herself and the game. I also like the idea of the heroine as a Bard instead of the conventional Warrior or Mage. The instances of "Narrative Imperative" to guide the story and move things along are sometimes a bit harsh, but do not impair the tale. Great story - good read!

[Michael Carlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Treat!

Rarely write reviews but this was different and great. Always wanted to play a bard in D&D games but never found one that worked. The out of game back story is just as compelling as the in game. Love the main character and can't wait to see what's next.

[William Wimmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

Captivating character concept and amazing use of an unusual handicap to propel character development. Cadence is a lovable character who compels you to care about her and her adventures.

[Daryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well done story

I don't usually leave a written review, but this story just got me. I enjoy litrpg, but this is not just another gamer book. I really suggest reading it. You won't be sorry. I intend I get all the books in the series

[J.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a lot of heart and it's impossible not to root for Cadence. I enjoyed her interactions with the NPCs when she first enters the virtual world and was happy to see her character progression.