Pokemon: Drown:

"Alko is many things. Alko is a teen dewott, a swordsman, a thief, a robber, a mercenary, and many more.

Alko is not however a murder. The worst thing he has ever done to any pokemon was break arms and legs. He will never do worse than that.

One day, desperate for some money, he does an armed robbery. He doesn't get caught, but on the way out, when the authority found him just like that, he takes a combusken and uses her for a hostage.

What Alko didn't know was that he held the teen who happens to be one of the heroes that saved the world in the past as hostage. But somehow, Alko managed to escape.

Curious on what drove Alko towards this, the combusken took it upon herself to find out for herself.

Little does anyone know, Alko has many secrets he does not want anyone to know. Many dark, painful, secrets."

Genre: Fanfiction

Ivy (RiverIvy )'s review:

Pokemon: Drown is a fanfiction written in the point of view of a Dewott named Alko, who works as a mercenary. I don't think it was exactly specified where it took place, but, because of the diverse amount of Pokemon from different regions and other context hints, I'm guessing that it didn't take place in any of the main six regions.

It's only logical for me to start off by saying that I loved the plot - everything about it, from the occurrences in the beginning with Alko's jobs and the twists along the middle to the ultimate revelations in the end, each and every single aspect of it was thrilling and utterly original; not one chapter failed to introduce something that was of interest or a great cliffhanger.

I think what made this book such an intense read was all the action and they way it was described with various battle scenes, escape scenes, and full-out near war-like scenes. One that especially stuck to me, I don't know why, was one part where Alko is fleeing from two cops. It took place in a supermarket, if I remember correctly. There's just something so exhilarating about taking a completely ordinary place, a grocery store, and turning it into such an amazing chase - again, I don't why I liked this specific part so much, but I thought it really enjoyable the way Alko leapt and hid between the aisles, and other actions such as that.

One of the finest things of Drown was, amid all the great action and battle, the author still managed to incorporate such great, unusual themes for a Pokemon fanfiction, like drugs and drug abuse, the effects of a person's condition depending on their childhood, how so many things link to and affect so many others. The book also goes very in-depth in the concept of good VS. evil, and explores both the villains and heroes as well as their motives and backstories. An example being, Alko, the main character himself.

Small, tense mysteries and unanswered question subtly weaved in each chapter challenges the reader, and makes him or her puzzled about this and that, hence compelling him or her greatly to read on. This, I found, added a really great effect to the overall book.

Small thing to add - there was a bit of a twist on Alko's past and how he came to be, aside from trauma from drug abuse and such. It doesn't have anything much to do with childhood and realistic themes, nor was it really too unique or special, but I found it not bad nonetheless. I won't say what it is here for the sake of remaining spoiler-free, but I really think that it could've done with a little more explanation to it.

Now! - to the cons...

One very major problem with this book was that it told, it didn't show. Whenever something was going on, the narration stated the obvious instead of showing us, the readers, through things like the actions, words, thoughts of the characters, and things like that - showing is the best way for the reader to be able to pick up on what's going on and not feel frustrated or bored by it!

For example, during the characterization of certain characters - Tress, I think, is one of them - it was directly told to us that she was a sweet and sensitive type of girl, but there were absolutely NO instances during the story that actually proved she was like this.

With some characters, like Alko and Shina, the problem definitely wasn't as bad, but it was still there and it was a big turn-off.

Then again, it's a very common beginner's mistake, so it was expected. I could brush it off for the most part.

Another thing - the book definitely needs a lot more emotion planted into it. A lot of the times during parts where you'd normally expect people to become a lot more sad, or angry, it was almost bland. If you, say, found out that you were adopted because you weren't wanted or had to be taken away from your real parents, and you never knew all your life up until this moment, wouldn't you be extremely hurt? Sad? Wouldn't you feel lowly about yourself? Wouldn't you be furious at your parents for never telling you from the start? Wouldn't your fury actually show, in ways such as being bitter and refusing to see your parents or talking badly about them?

I stressed this a lot in my previous critiques - ALWAYS STICK TO EITHER THIRD OR FIRST PERSON THROUGHOUT AN ENTIRE STORY. This could only be an exception in instances such as a prologue or epilogue or flashback.

It was confusing when we'd be reading normally in the first-person perspective of Alko, and all of a sudden it's in third-person of a character miles away from Alko, whom he hasn't even met yet. Either make it first person with both Shina and Alko, and make sure there's proper consistency, or use third person at all times. There's no in betweenness.

Lastly - a minor detail, but I noticed a lot: sudden switching between past tense and present tense. The book was mostly written in past, but occasionally it just like that became present for a few sentences then stopped... It was odd. I suggest editing them.

I think I covered everything. This book, for reasons I honest to goodness can't explain, left a pretty big impact on me and was very memorable in my mind. Again, I really don't know why - maybe because of the plot, characters, or the themes - but, even though I've read plenty of books with higher quality in writing and grammar terms made by more experienced authors, this one has stuck around as one of my favorites :]

All in all, I'd highly suggest you give it a try. For a book with such a small amount of views, I wasn't expecting such a vastly good and original read.

Rating: 8.5/10

Lostie (Lostie-P )'s review:

Pros:

1. I really enjoyed how chapters ended! I couldn't figure out what they all had in common, but the endings of each chapter left me ready for the next. Not in a sense of cliffhangers at the end of every single chapter, but something simpler. I don't know how to explain it, but I did enjoy them!

2. In the beginning, the fact that Shia wanted to be a normal person, yet was the minister of civil peace, intrigued me. I thought it was an interesting combination, especially since the position made her a public figure that was known even by visitors.

3. I love the story line! I've never read a Pokemon fanfiction like this one! A+ for originality, it pushed the book to be great. I like the ideas presented in the book, and how basic some things are (like teleporting); most people make the characters go through some purple vortex that makes them feel like they're underwater (an example directly taken from my book, so I'm not pointing fingers at anyone), and this different outtake was a nice change.

4. Alko is a very interesting character. He intrigued me all throughout the book, and I love how he developed. I especially loved how readers were intruded to read on by cliffhangers regarding Alko's secret throughout the first half or so of the book. Those cliffhangers definitely kept me reading for up to an hour each sitting, let me tell you.

2. Character development was amazing! In many book I've read here, characters will be shy the first ten chapters, then suddenly-- and for no reason-- in chapter eleven, they're extremely daring and outgoing. In this book, each event changed the Pokemon a little bit, and this added up to some great characterization that upon looking back, can be seen happening very gradually.

Cons:

1. The book switched from first person to third, which was confusing at times. For example, chapter one was in a first person point of view. And, in the beginning second chapter, it seemed like Alko was talking about what a character that was nowhere near him was doing. Then, it merged into third person. This didn't really confuse me, but I'd suggest editing the book into solely third person (if you can) if you want to focus on multiple characters. If your book focuses on one character, I'd suggest first person. If it focuses on more than one, go with third person. And, if you don't know how many people you want to focus on, be safe and go with third person.

2. This is small, but there was some hiccups in the grammar, such as missing commas or there wrong form of "hear". These issues weren't everywhere, but if would suggest proofreading the chapters for spelling and grammar.

3. I noticed a lot of telling. Now, that's not bad, but it got a bit annoying to read "no, I'm not an arsonist." and the likes. Its almost like you should let the reader figure out things like that for themselves. Like, by the end of the chapter, readers would know that he's not an arsonist from what they read. Basically, readers can figure out things on their own, so you don't need to spoon feed them every small bit of information.

4. There was a lack of detail. You don't necessarily need to say "the trees were a deep shade of green, and the sky was filled with dark grey clouds from the recent rain.", because it isn't all about what can be seen. There are five types of imagery: auditory (sound), tactile (touch), gustatory (taste), olfactory (smell), and visual (sight). A good book should appeal to all five senses, not necessarily all at once. One of my favourite examples of imagery (and personification!) comes from "The Most Dangerous Game": "... it was set on a bluff where on three sides the cliffs came down to where the sea licked greedy lips in the shadows." Here, you can visualize the sea, and the loaded diction and nightmarish mood help set a dark, probably stormy scene. With description, you should try to use figurative language-- not only or always imagery-- to create an image and vivid scene in the reader's head. Now, you don't need to go into extreme detail over everything, but I couldn't really visualize some of the scenes.

4. I noticed some switches in tense. For example, in chapter three, there was one sentence that said "as she ran, she has no idea..." This may be due to typos, but again, I'd suggest proofreading chapters for spelling and grammar.

Overall, this book was amazing! I could go on a full on rant about thing I loved about it, but I decided to only mention the biggest things.

Overall: 9/10

Interview with the author:

Q: Why do you write on Wattpad? How did you find this site?

A: Well, I write on wattpad to practice being a writer in the future. As for finding it, I didn't do that. One day, I overheard my older sister ask my mom if she could have a wattpad account. Knowing nothing about wattpad, mom asked what it was. She explained what it was, and I thought to myself, "Sounds like something I can do." I don't have too many hobbies, but the ones I am interested in, I am in really deep.

Q: Do you find it an interruption or struggle to write? As in, interruption from school/personal issues? If so, why do you continue to write?

A: Well, this is my second account. I deleted my first one a while ago (don't expect me to tell why) but I got a new one. School, believe it or not, acts as a small interruption, but also acts as a place for me to write. However, I can get distracted by video games. And well, I continue to write because I enjoy it. I get to create my own worlds, abide by my own rules... It's pretty cool.

Q: Do you ever get writer's block? How do you fix this?

A: I don't get writer's block often, but when I do, I pace around and talk to myself as if I was there. But I often do this ahead of time. Way ahead.

Q: What's your favorite quote, if you have one?

A: My favorite quote? I have three. One of them is by me. By the way, I won't be able to quote them word for word... Sorry...

We are all crazy in one way or another. It's the normal ones you have to keep an eye on. ~ Alko Hitch

Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity. I am not too sure about the universe. ~ Einstein

We are all geniuses, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, then there are a lot of idiots. ~ Einstein

Einstein is not my role model! He just has good quotes... True quotes...

Q: Do you like to work out an outline or just see where the plot takes you when writing?

A: I like to do a bit of both. I plan certain chapters, but I let the plot guide me as I get from point A to point B.

Q: If you had to write your book all over again, what would you change in it?

A: I am glad you asked this question. There are actually a good number of things I would love to change. One, I would redraw the cover. Two, I originally meant Pokemon: Drown to be darker. And three, perhaps the biggest one that bothers me the most, I would take out the legendaries. But I still liked how it turned out, but I would take out other things as well.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

A: Trial and error, imagination, inspiration, effort and... that's it. If someone thought I was going to say pixie dust, well, joke's on them.

Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?

A: I wouldn't tell myself anything. Regret is a normal part of life. Just don't live by it.

Q: Give us some insight into your main character.

A: First thing I would like to say, before I describe the character, is that I did not put my fake name in there, or put myself in the story. The original name of my profile was Alkane Jakal. But I liked the name Alko so much, I changed my name to Alko. Hitch, I got from a movie cover. I still want to find a different name...

Sorry, I wanted to clarify that.

Alko is a teen dewott mercenary in Hental City, a city full of businessmen and crime. He has been a mercenary as long as he can remember, and will take any job given to him. He has a decent reputation, however, he has self morals and unspoken rules.

He won't kill. No drug related jobs. No kidnapping. When someone tries to make him break his code, he demands half of the payment upfront. Then he busts them. But he does it in a way that is secretive.

Alko is a smart, cautious, calm and collected figure, at least most of the time. When he fights, he doesn't use powers, but he uses a sword, a switchblade, and rarely uses his scallops. But the most dangerous things about him are his mind and his past.

Alko is also cold and manipulative at times.

That is all I will reveal about Alko. I don't want to spoil anything.

Q: What is your favorite book you've read, one that inspires you?

A: I don't have a specific favorite, but I like the Michael Vey series, Bleach, and Full Metal Alchemist. These don't actually have as much have as a compact as the music I listen to. A lot of rock inspired Pokemon: Drown. Oh! The Pokemon Chronicles: The Crystal Queen's Wrath had a part too.

Q: How much research do you do before you write?

A: *SPOILER ALERT!*

The only thing I researched for Pokemom Drown was a sniper rifle.

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Credits:

Article written by: Ivy (RiverIvy ), Shinju (DemonShinju ), Gren (Grenineon )

Reviews by: Ivy, Lostie (Lostie-P )

Interview conducted by: Abby (abbert21 )

Special thanks to: @Alko-Hitch

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We hope you enjoyed this review! Apologies for the slight tardiness - we've all been very busy lately :(. Nonetheless, the critics all enjoyed reading this book, and critiquing it. Also, this was Abby's first time writing an interview - and she did great!

Tune in for the next event or review we're hosting ;)

Thank you as always for reading, and have an amazing day,

-Ivy