1: Lily And The Phantom’s Gift - btscupcakes7
Score: 23/30
Review: A quick, entertaining read! Full of mysteries, eerie events, suspicious characters, and a courageous mother. Right from the first line, the plot remained thick and it felt like a constant quest to unveil the core idea behind the horror of Lily & Amara. Strength of the story is the progression of events. At no point did the storyline feel out of place, or out of context. Be it Mr. Phantom's questionable dialogues, or Lily’s meet with Amara, Clara’s actions, or the ending - a great reading experience overall.

However, there are persistent grammatical errors (tense slips) throughout, as well as spelling mistakes at a few places, due to which the quality of writing failed to hold the top score. With thorough editing, and adding descriptions of physical characteristics, facial expressions, visuals - the story has potential to reach greater heights. All the best!

2: What a life!? - jambudweep
Score: 26/30
Review: Some stories are simply created to be enjoyed, rather than search for a meaning within the lines. This is one such enjoyable tale. Top-notch dialogues, apt comic timing, dynamic characters, fresh storytelling. There are a range of emotions added to the narration, including grief, humor, longing, surprise, and so much! Characters like Viktor, Bob, even Vampire, though have less appearance, but are extremely memorable. By the end, all I wanted was one Halloween night out with Bob, no kidding! Beautiful writing style.

Would have loved to see more physical descriptions of the world, and of the characters as well. The more the readers are able to picturize the world, the better the experience it will be. Best wishes!

3: Usurped - LORAINEJD
Score: 28/30
Review: Brilliant! – that's the only word I could think of, the moment I read the last line. What an amazing, well-planned storyline. The elements of suspense, search for answers, the little side sequence with friends, or the vivid dream, it was no less a show/series' experience. Each line holds depth and significance, written in a style that piques the interest. Smooth execution, and beautiful writing!

The abrupt shift of point of views in chapter 3 left me slightly baffled, otherwise it was a full-on-full scoring entry. Good luck!

4: Sisterhood of the sukeban - cloudedview
Score: 15/30
Review: Firstly, it's quite confusing whether the story has been written for the Pen-a-Tale contest, since none of the requirements are followed. Keeping the criteria aside, although the story has much potential, it is extremely rushed and the cluttered presentation makes the readability very low. On one hand, a man getting himself arrested for something he might ‘possibly’ do in the future, and on the other, the girl who brought the twist at the end – if expanded and written properly, the plotline will surely hold the reader's interest. Sentence spacing, paragraph structure, grammar, punctuation - these are a few aspects that need to be worked upon. Good luck!

5: Never Mine - _Immortality
Score: 25/30
Review: Not exactly the contest entry, but a good read nonetheless. The tale of love, in an unachievable form. Writing style pulls the interest into the plot, reading feels personal. The emotional aspect of the storyline feels natural, and even the characters are well crafted. Although the writing style is beautiful, try adding the visual descriptions of the setting. Compare, compliment, contrast the inner turmoil with the outer world to create a more immersive experience. Good luck!

6: Dear Diary - Modam5
Score: 29/30
Review: The story that transports you right into a new world and you simply stand there to witness each event as if they occur in real time, and not just on the pages. Amazing, entertaining, spine-chilling, what an experience! Just when I thought the sequence couldn't be more immersive, the descriptions pulled me right in, even deeper. Redwood’s sinister world not only closed in on our narrator, it gave thrills to the readers as well. The most admirable characteristic of the tale is the uniqueness of different voices of each character. Erik’s daring self, the sympathy that we feel for him. Courage and determination of Moses – yes, absolutely brilliant! Well edited, well crafted, well written entry. Would love to read more of this narrative style. Good job!

7: Detective who? - Tree_Dawn
Score: -
Review: Not applicable for the contest. As for a general review, the fight scene in chapter 3 is simply amazing! It's full of descriptive writing, and so easier to picturize each and every move of both the characters. There is a fresh touch to the writing style – characters' voices, the utter immersive descriptions of places and people, and the continuous mystery of something impending in each chapter. A few sentences felt out of the place, some words can be replaced with better synonyms. Overall, a good read with much potential. Good luck!

8: Happy Halloween - Inao357
Score: 21/30
Review: The storyline seems promising, especially that there is possibly an involvement of ghostly being! Someone who supposedly died years back, and now is trying to contact his friend - definitely a plot full of curious tones. Lucas is a mysteriously intriguing character, it'd fun to unravel this plot. The story is incomplete, not much can be said right now. There are some frequent grammatical errors, including lack of proper punctuation. With thorough editing, the storyline will hook readers equally. Good luck!

9: Truth or Death - crystall277
Score: 26/30
Review: Truth or Death - in true sense! How the events are lined up, is really interesting. Plot progression feels natural and the quality of writing is straight, simple, easily understandable, and enjoyable. The storyline is also intriguing, a new twist to the classic Truth or Dare game.

There is much space for improvement, especially when it comes to characterization, and descriptions of the setting, the world. Readers would love to know more about the interpersonal bonds between various characters, their turmoil and fears while facing the thrilling situation in the haunted mansion, and the visuals of the setting around them. Overall, good job. All the best!

10: The Bedell bride - QuinceArchFortes
Score: 28.5/30
Review: Hauntingly beautiful! The kind of story that stays in your head long after you stop reading. The thrill increased when I realised that the tale is based on a true event. The unfulfilled, yet strongest form of love, the wait, the quest to become one even if one has to perish herself, and the misty hints of supernatural aura – simply a beautiful read. However, at some points I missed the focal point while reading, in order to figure out who was being referred to, or around whom the event was unfolding. Nothing negative, the only issue is “it ended extremely soon”. Would love to connect more with the character of Sadie through detailed setting description, inner thoughts, physical reactions to the diverse situations, and more of the sensory details. Brilliant job. All the best!

11: The phantom of the asylum - Rutger_Galtiarii_9
Score: 27/30
Review: Just when you think you have it all figured out, here's the twist! The ending sentence will leave you wanting for more. A hooking writing style, vivid vocabulary, chills and thrills scattered all over the plotline - perfect for a spooky evening read. The little sneak peaks of strange sounds, shadows, and the feelings around those scenes can be improved more. Sensory detailing can be done as well, to improve the overall tone of the story, and make the plotline feel much more natural. To add some dramatic effect, one can also consider adding weather anomalies to match the mysterious aura of the stranger. Overall, an intriguing experience. Good luck!

Best wishes to all the participants of the Fall Fiesta. Thank you for making the event memorable and for your patience with us. Your participation give us constant boost and dose of motivation to do much more for this writing community and help the emerging talents in whatever way we can.

Enjoy the festive vibes and the decoration of year end! We will see you with a new challenge in 2025!

Have an enjoyable holiday season 💚