Tales of the Caravan by @Avarez765
Title
Your title is nice, if a bit general. Although it doesn't tell how your story is unique, I still like it. I've never heard of it before, so that's good.
A bit of a problem I have with it (now that I've read the entire book) is that the title sounds like the story is a compilation. It tells nothing of the Blue Moon, the pirates, or anything.
Cover
I've put both your old cover and your new cover in here just because the old cover was in place when you applied for a review.
Good news for you—I like the new one loads better! Nice work if you made it. +1 for the improvement (even if it doesn't give the impression of pirates or anything).
Blurb
Your blurb is enticing—I like it a lot. That being said, I can't help but wonder why you put the theme song on there. I can't help but wonder why you even have a theme song, anyway. What is the point? So your readers can endlessly listen to it while reading? I don't think so, haha.
Also, your blurb says nothing about the curse of the Blue Moon and its pearl, turning people to stone. I think it might be important to put in there since it becomes one of the most important conflicts in the story. Your blurb is also really limited, meaning that it's general and sounds more like the first several chapters than what the story evolves into. You don't mention anything about Secretos, diamonds, Draguns, Royals, or anything. You be the judge of what you think is necessary in the blurb, but keep in mind that your blurb is one of the most influential things to a reader who is considering whether or not he/she will open your story and read it.
Another little tip: each line should be separated like I just did from the previous paragraph (even if it's only one sentence).
*since your story has 26 parts, I'll be judging three at a time, coming to around nine to ten portions*
Although, I'm going to review the prologue by itself because it's one of the most important things in a story. The starting parts are most important.
Prologue
Each line should be separated.
What I did just there is illegal unless you indent.
This is correct.
This is correct, and I apologize for the weird formatting in order to demonstrate that to you. Keep it to one method, too.
You mention Blackbeard in this part multiple times, but...isn't this story in an alternate universe? Didn't you make up this world of caravans and emperors? If you did, then a historical figure like Blackbeard shouldn't be in that universe (I mean, I guess time travel and all other obscure exceptions, but really he shouldn't be in an alternate universe). What you can do is make up your own famous pirate and establish that character's reputation in that world immediately in the prologue (this also happens in Chapter 10 with Davy Jones). This same issue occurs when you mention the Red Sea. If you're going to have an alternate universe, the land will change. I, for one, make up my own maps for the worlds that my stories take place. For instance, my story Piper has a body of saltwater called the Galgean Sea. -1 point for that, I'm afraid, and you're back at square one.
What sticks out weirdly to me about your prologue is the timeline. You start of with a huge flyover of this main character's life and then you zoom into a particular scene. It's not very fluent to read. Perhaps, instead, you could integrate those first things from her past into later scenes (not just the prologue, if you think that'll be better). Then, her background will come in a natural, surprising way, and your prologue will flow better.
Besides those things I talked about earlier with your universe, I love the world you're fabricating. Caravans and emperors, diamonds and pirates, Royals and thievery...I think I'm going to enjoy my stay in this world immensely. That being said, you already mention a land mass that I think I'm going to forget easily: Darkonia. To prevent this, I would recommend that you make a map. I make my maps on a website called Inkarnate. You can see what that program can do on the first part of my story Piper.
I wonder why you call them Caravans when they're sailors. Usually Caravans are like a train of people and camels traveling through desert lands and the like (I'm sure you already knew this).
A character's specific thoughts should be italicized when they're formatted like dialogue. Sounds about right, I think. There, you see? Now the readers can distinguish between thought and narration. This is a consistent error, so I'm taking another point off, making it -1 total.
Nice twist with Drake! That being said, I feel like the Secreto part should be more of a big deal (if Bonny and Sarah didn't know that he had it, that is) since it's a "rare ability."
Wow! This whole time, I was expecting the entire story to be revolving around Bonny, but you surprised me pleasantly! I love how you weaved the situation in order to really develop Sarah's character for the rest of the book. Well done! +1 point for that and you're breaking even!
That being said, is Bonny's backstory at the beginning of the prologue really necessary for the story of Sarah? I understand that you wanted to reveal Bonny's reasoning for hating the Emperor and pirates and all, but is her backstory really needed?
Chapter 1-3
I know that Wattpad likes to autocapitalize it, but sometimes capitalization after dialogue isn't needed. I recommend researching it further. I for one have a hard time with dialogue rules, myself.
It seems like simply traveling the world isn't a reason that would spur Cookie to beg on her knees to join Sarah's Caravan. Wanting to travel the world wouldn't make her that desperate. Perhaps you have a true motivation that will be revealed later, but I would be skeptical about a stranger wanting to join the Caravan. Shouldn't Sarah be skeptical, too?
I wonder how much better your description of the Draguns would be if you described their massive size. Obviously if ships are built on their backs, they must be huge. It might be cool to describe their size, especially the part when one of them licks Cookie. A question I have is how would the ship stay above water? How would the Dragun swim in order to keep the ships on the surface?
It seems like Sarah would put up more of a fight to protest buying a blind Dragun. Wouldn't she want to get the best of everything to insure that her Caravan would survive? Isn't this her dream? Perhaps you could tweak the situation, if need be, so that Kyla is the only Dragun she can afford or the only one available. -1 point for those accumulating fallacies. -1 total.
Chapters 4-6
Nice connection with Jayden!
Onomatopoeias should be italicized.
The dream in Chapter 5 should be one italicized. That way we know that it's either a flashback or a dream. This is a consistent error, so I'm taking off a point for it. -2 total.
I love the connection with Charlotte Black! Nice work.
Like I said earlier, I absolutely love the world you've made in this story and the new ideas you've implemented. It's really a refreshing change from stereotypical fantasies. However, also like I said, I so wish that you had a map. It's hard to keep track of where everything is, even with only the three locations of Crescent Island, Darkonia, and Port Ruby. Like I said before, Inkarnate is a great website to make maps!
Great twist at the end of Chapter 5.
In Chapter 6, you should have a line-breaker in between Charlotte's point of view and Sarah's. That way you don't switch without warning. Line-breakers usually look something like this:
•••••
There.
Chapters 7-9
Another great twist at the end of Chapter 7! The surprise with Blackbeard's character was a pleasant and refreshing one, as well. +1 point! -1 total.
Keep in mine the difference between "were" and "we're" and "your" and "you're."
Don't you think that "Skull Island" is a bit of a stereotypical name for an "evil" island? Consider tweaking it to make it more original. That being said, I do really like the addition of the heart-image. The mystery in the images are almost like a prophecy, but I like that it's not. I like that it's also a slight foreshadowing, from what I can tell, and I also like that it hardly reveals anything and leaves the readers with more questions! Good work with that.
I love Blackbeard's complex character and I love that he has great motivation for his villainous repetition.
Yes! I was hoping that Calow would show up! I love how everything in this chapter (Chapter 9) will be interfering with Sarah's plan, and how the Blackbeard in her heart is way different than the one shown in this chapter.
Chapters 10-12
Watch the Emperor's son be Jayden (good thing you surprised me by making it someone different!).
Oh no. Great surprise about Charlotte. I actually gasped! +1 point for that! Breaking even.
Other characters' words/written words ringing in someone's mind should be italicized. This is another consistent error that I'm taking a point off of. -1 total again.
Chapters 13-15
Like I said before, dreams should be italicized.
What a surprise that Calow is the lost prince! I had never guessed!
Chapters 16-18
The anti-romanticism in your story is killer. Nice work—you never let your readers rest! +1 and breaking even!
Chapters 19-21
In Chapter 20, Mira uses her Secreto to shield both Sarah and Charlotte from sight. However, when Mira was shielding Mia, Mira said that she could only shield one. That was why Calow had left. This presents a bit of a logistical problem, doesn't it? -1 for that. -1 total.
Woah. That's so cool about the Nine Worlds. Fantastic work. +1 and breaking even.
I think that throughout this story, you should take some time and elaborate a bit on Demagia. From what I can tell, it's sort of like dementia but the memories are able to return somehow. Other than that, I don't really know what it is or its effects.
Chapters 22-24
Fantastic work. That's seriously all I have to say. There are so many amazing things going on in this ending. I love that not everything was answered and that not everything was a perfect ending. Somehow that did make it perfect. The battles were intense and the hopelessness made winning the battle even more fantastic. The red diamond bit with Jayden was so good. I actually gasped again! I'm actually adding five points because I'm not taking the time to describe everything I absolutely loved—there are so many things! 5 total.
You are an impressively good writer, period. You've got a lot of talent. I totally drank your writing in, and when I wasn't reading it, I kept thinking about it and wondering what could happen. Excellent. That's exactly what should happen. This story is one of the best stories I've ever reviewed (and this is my twentieth one only on here!). You need to pursue this as a career or at least publish a few novels! With time, effort, and a lot of hard work, polishing this story up could be extremely rewarding. This could very well be the creative spin publishers are looking for somewhere out there. I will definitely be reading your sequel!
Overall, Avarez765 got five points! Most of the time, it was either grammar or logical fallacies. I have pretty much the same troubles as you do. Sometimes I forget the exact things I previously wrote and so I have some errors. What I need to do is reread one or some parts before writing. I'm actually going through and editing/revising one of my medieval stories, Piper. It's taking a lot of work, but it's making me realize its mistakes and how I can better improve. I think it's a good idea for you to do, too.
Excellent story! Congratulations on completing a great story! It's a hard feat to accomplish. I hope it becomes popular!
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