Title

The title for this book is fairly standard: What We Left Behind. From this title, I can only assume that the book is about either two characters, or a single character, who has had to leave some place and move elsewhere for some reason, leaving everything behind, and maybe now they're having regrets about it, or they may return back there. I'm not entirely sure; I'm assuming and overthinking at the same time.

Cover

The cover is very bright. You have a sky literally filled with bright colours of pink, purple, and blue. It seems like a bit of a fantasy world, kind of magical by the looks of it. The font used for the title also is a bit fancy as well. I'm not sure why but I feel like this book is fantasy related. I could be right or totally wrong.

I wouldn't say it's an attractive cover, but it's not too bad. It's a standard cover, but I'm wondering whether it's related to the plot of the book at all. Some feedback would be to try and use a cover that is not too full of colour, and maybe change the font of the title as it's not very clear.

Blurb

The first line of the blurb grabbed my attention as I continued reading the blurb. I did find it somewhat interesting even though it's long. The blurb tells me about the main characters and gives me an insight as to what's happening around her.

You've done a good job of summarising the blurb up as I know it's difficult to not include too many details. The blurb does make me curious as I want to find out more.

First Chapter

The first chapter was really enjoyable as you're not throwing piles of information at the reader but informing them appropriately. The way in which you made the chapter enjoyable was through showing the thoughts of the characters but not allowing them to fully display their feelings to one another; it was like they were holding back. The first chapter has intrigued me as I'm wondering what's going to happen next; will she adjust to a new life elsewhere?

Plot / Theme

I like the plot so far as my questions and thoughts are being answered throughout each chapter and my curiosity only continues to intensify. The plot seems to be moving at a reasonable pace as it's not too rushed. We're introduced to the different characters around Fei, and as a reader, I'm able to see how she has moved on with her life and readjusted elsewhere.

There's quite a few themes throughout the book so far that I'm sensing regret from Fei. There's also love, and then there's pain because she's left people behind and losing those close to her.

Writing

Your writing is good. I like how you use a range of vocabulary throughout all your chapters, and there is some but not much descriptive language throughout the book. You've split up each chapter really well so there's an appropriate amount of information.

You've tried to portray the emotions of the characters through imagery which is clever and makes it more interesting as well. Some feedback would be to check your spelling and grammar, as all writers need to. You could go over each chapter and maybe add some more detail to keep it going.

Characters

The way your main character, Fei, is portrayed is as a very strong character as she has left everything behind to start a new life on another planet, and even then, she has to continue fighting when a disease hits the planet. She is a very likeable character, and often shows a little emotion. Nevertheless, she continues to keep going.

I like how her personality is shown throughout the book. She seems very caring and loving towards her grandmother and those close to her. I would like to see more characters hopefully introduced as you continue writing the next chapters.

Overall Impression

The book is a decent read. It did make me want to carry on reading because it was interesting. Also, I don't normally read these type of books, so it was something new for me but I enjoyed it.

I feel like you've done well in terms of plot development. It's not a completely original plot. However, you've worked on it, and you're making it your own. This shows that you're putting effort into your writing and the development of the book.

The characters are full of personality and emotions. I'm able to see what they're feeling and understand their thoughts and actions throughout the book. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in sci-fi because it does get you hooked onto it, and you will enjoy it.

Reviewed by: Pixie