Till Death Do Us Part, by axgirl13

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read the your book. Please, keep in mind that my reading of your story is by necessity a subjective opinion. Your story is beautiful and important to you more than any other story you could have been telling. How I perceived it is very much a matter of my preferences

Your story is special in that it had won the Watty 2021, which is an amazing achievement, so I am not aiming for feedback that is geared toward editing.

I was able to binge all 30 chapters of your story in one evening, which is a testimony to what a wonderfully light read it is.

Your book is tagged with epic fantasy category, so I looked first and foremost at how much the story stimulated my imagination and how important your main character had become to me; how much I wanted to figure out what's going to happen to them, the setting that told me that 'it could possibly happen this way', and if I would be able to remember your story a few months from now.

I think that you chose a solid title for your story, but it doesn't signal epic fantasy to me—however, it is very much in line with other tags of your story, like royal marriage and love after marriage. Your blurb is short and provides solid and specific conflict that encapsulates the book's content.

Your story didn't give me the Tolkien or Jordan fantasy vibe, however, it's not the only way to write fantasy. Still, I felt more of a Royal drama vibe, particularly because I didn't spot the first magic element—a lovely gryphon—until chapter 13. What those chapters delivered though, is a lively character drama with easy to understand problems.

The main character, Skylar, is an irresistible archetype—she is the girl who loves playing with swords. She is everything you expect. Headstrong, men clothes loving, taking no nonsense protagonist. What's not to love? In addition, over the course of the book, she grows into someone who is ready for greater sacrifices, though her character change/development from her starting point in the novel is not dramatic.

To me, the antagonist of the book was even more interesting, because I loved their storyline. The plot-twist that comes slightly after the novel's midpoint connected to this antagonist was absolute favorite part of the book for me. The conflict and the snappy dialogue was excellent!

From that conflict, the book built up to the finale in one breath, with me enjoying the second half more so than the first.

While I loved the character drama in the book, I feel that the setting did not have the layering and vivacity of a lived-in world. Finding warm places in the world, the unique character to its people and landscapes might help with the backdrops coming to life in your journey through the universes you will create.

I would recommend your story to those who are fond of the royalty arranged marriages stories with low magic—or even no magic, because I feel that on the flip side of not having an epic fantasy setting trappings, the story is delivered with a great energy and super-easy to read.

Again, congratulations on the win and best of luck with your next project!