Thank you to DeejayDJ010 for judging this category!

Please join us in congratulating the Action winners of the Astania Community's Harvest Festival 2024:

FIRST PLACE
with a score of 95/110...

Herera - Stories of The Purple Pearl by Fata_Viola 

The book balances earnestness of the protagonist to retrieve her lost ship while being playful in its narration. Info dumps are again minimal or at least do not feel intrusive. The dialogues feel natural. The cast of characters are diverse – not only in background but also in personalities. The boat action scene was really well written and felt kinetic. It felt nuanced in the way the protagonist had to deal with/seek (at least a temporary) allyship with a character like Lui, who had mutinied in the past. This unspoken tension when he is included in the crew and the way they come to tolerate him is well done. Lemmy's introduction in a flashback segment was short but created an impact. The story feels adventurous and that adds to the strong action beats. The pirate/boat setting and the fantasy elements compliments the story greatly and offers a reading experience that a reader doesn't usually get.

SECOND PLACE
with a score of 90/110...

Something Wicked by pixelmum 

The dialogues as well as the skilful narration elevates this book and makes it stand out. The 'unreliable narrator' writing device injects some irreverent humour contrasting some of the bleak situations that Jason/Ahmar is facing. There is minimal to no info dumps while context clues and lore bits are dropped through dialogues in an effective way. The action is also written in a highly stylized manner.

It is too early to take a call on the plot involving the evil corporation or smuggling of unknown stuff, but it is promising. There is an element of mystery going for it with the 'demon' entity and I am interested to know where all of this goes. I enjoyed the chapter names, which adds to the vibe of reading this book. The mind games within the police squad offer some neat twists.

Minor nitpick from my end is that, even though we get a feel for the characters and is generally well done, it is all from the perspective of Jason. It'd be nice to see things from other's perspective. Also hoping that humour doesn't undercut genuinely emotional moments in the future.

THIRD PLACE
with a score of 88/110...

Ivory Chronicles by JustiNepomuceno 

The world building stands out here. The anti-colonial theme Is very well integrated into the some of the more fantastical elements giving it a unique feel. There are some really impactful speeches here that resonated well. The characters are really likeable. Nichoas is the character that stands out to me so far, with his perspective on life and the revolution from a non-native point of view being well thought out. His relationship with his partner is charming and he is a good friend, evident in the way he tries to reign in his friend Max from further descending into self-destructive ways. The bond between Ellion and his sister felt real. The oddball Gustavo is a wildcard who keeps things interesting. The fact that you don't need powers to make a difference is a great statement to make and it would be interesting to see the reluctant hero in Ellion shine in the future. The writing and pacing are consistent.

I can see that the future chapters when the actual rebellion starts would be more action packed, but the initial chapters provide glimpses of what it can be and there are some creative usages of super powers.

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Winners, to receive your stickers, please create a ticket in our Discord server, The Writer's Hoard. Without the private messaging system on Wattpad, this is the best way for our staff to communicate effectively. In the ticket, please include the following information: your Wattpad username, your winning category, your placement (first, second, or third), and your story title.

All participants may request their scorecards by reaching out to their judge in this chapter.

Thanks to everyone for entering the Astania Awards! Congratulations to all!