Stories that remember what you chose.
Fernlit is a reading app for episodic romance, fantasy and mystery. You make the choices, you talk with the characters, and every new chapter knows what happened in the last one.
Fernlit is open on the web. The iPhone and Android apps are on their way.
Rook stops at the edge of the stall, the way he stopped on the bridge, as if the lanterns might bite.
“You kept the ribbon,” he says. “I thought the river had it.”
From chapter 1. You caught this ribbon when it slipped from his sword on the bridge.
- Tell him you kept it on purpose
- Say you forgot it was in your pocket
- Ask why he followed you here
The story remembers.
Plenty of story apps forget you between episodes. Fernlit keeps two things for every story you read: a short summary of each chapter, and a lorebook of what matters.
Who owes you a favour. What you promised. The false name you gave at the ferry. When the next chapter opens, the characters know all of it, so something you chose in chapter one can come back in chapter nine.
Here is what that looks like for the sample story above.
Chapter 3, in short
You crossed the river after dark, gave the ferry keeper a false name, and found the archive door already open. Rook was waiting inside. He did not explain.
Lorebook
- Rook
- Calls you “archivist”, never your name. Will not stand close to an open flame. Chapter 1
- The blue ribbon
- Slipped from Rook’s sword on the bridge. You kept it. Chapter 1
- Mara of the ferry
- You owe her a favour. She has not asked for it yet. Chapter 2
- Your promise
- You told the archive keeper you would be back before the new moon. Chapter 3
One price, every choice.
No coins, gems or diamonds, and no choice that costs extra. You should never have to pay to pick the answer you actually wanted.
- Free
- One chapter every day.
- Subscription
- Every story and every choice, for one flat price. We will publish it before subscriptions open.
- Never
- Coins, gems, or paying per choice.
He is close enough now that you can see the rain on his eyelashes.
- Kiss him
25 gemsIncluded - Step back and hand him your umbrella
Romance, fantasy and mystery, one episode at a time.
Every episode ends somewhere you will want to come back to. A few chapter endings, written as samples for this page:
Romance
From The Second Summer
He reads the letter twice, then folds it along the old crease. “You wrote this to me three years ago,” he says. “Why am I only reading it now?”
Fantasy
From The Moth Court
The queen’s crown is made of living moths, and every one of them has turned to look at you.
Mystery
From Fourteen Hollow Lane
The last page of the guest book is signed in your handwriting. You have never been to this house.
Your characters stay themselves.
A character looks the same in chapter nine as in chapter one: same face, same scar, same coat, drawn in the same style.
They sound the same too. Rook is dry, careful, and never says your name, whether you met him yesterday or forty chapters ago. Talk to him between choices and he answers as himself.
Chapter 1. The bridge at dusk
“Don’t thank me. Thank the river for being slow.”
Chapter 4. The lantern market
“You kept the ribbon. I thought the river had it.”
Chapter 9. The long rain
“The river’s still slow. I’m still not thanking it.”
Questions
Is Fernlit free?
You can read one chapter a day for free. A single subscription opens every story and every choice. There are no coins to buy and no choices that cost extra. We will publish the price before subscriptions open.
Is anything in it explicit?
No. The stories are slow-burn romance, dark bargains, the occasional body in the library, and there is no sexual content. The age you need to be to make an account is set out in the terms.
What happens to my data?
We keep your account and your reading progress, so the story can remember your choices. This page has no analytics or tracking. The privacy policy that explains it all, and how to delete your data, is being written and will be published here. Until then, write to hello@fernlit.app and we will delete your account by hand.
Is it out yet?
Yes, on the web: sign in with your email and start reading. The apps for iPhone and Android are on their way, with no date yet, and we would rather not guess. If you have a question in the meantime, write to hello@fernlit.app.
Can I talk to the characters?
Yes. Between choices you can say something in your own words, and the character answers as themselves. What you say is remembered like any other choice, so it can change how they treat you later.
Start chapter one tonight.
Sign in with your email and the first chapter is a few taps away. The apps for iPhone and Android are on their way as well.
- App StoreComing soon
- Google PlayComing soon