Final Total: 6.1 (we're opening the book and starting to read. . .)

Reader 1:

Cover: 3/4 Nailed it. Perfect blend of tone and genre. I love the grunge look. It really feeds into the story well. The only thing I could maybe suggest would be to see if the 'Cleanse! Cleanse! Cleanse!' Could be a clearer font. It took me a minute to figure out what it said. The rest of it is great, even though it's all scribbly and blotched.

Title: 2/2 Still good. Tagline is still nice, too. Neatly sums up the story while creating interest.

Blurb: 3/4 There are only a few changes I'd suggest, most of which are super nit picky, so feel free to toss them. 1.) 'he gains a lifelong obsession' you could relate it to the voice, here, and say something like, 'that voice becomes a driving obsession:...' This is where the nitpick gets a bit stupid. Why not 'lifelong'? Is it a lifelong obsession yet? He's only been alive 18 years, and the story is based on his present, not his future, so 'lifelong' sorta seems premature at this point. 2.) '...federal agency who are just as obsessed as him.' Obsessed with him? Obsessed with the voice? Obsessed with the street violence? Also, an 'agency' is a singular entity, so the phrase would go, 'federal agency that is just as obsessed...' Don't worry, if I'm reading without my 'Reviewer' goggles on it doesn't seem quite so obvious.The last paragraph is excellent. Juicy stakes, conflict, and a great question of the resolution. Nicely done.

Total: 8 (I've picked up the book to take a closer look)

Reader 2:

Cover: 2/4

A little bit Sin City, a little 'old comic books', I can see how this would appeal to your target audience. There are some changes I would make to clean it up a bit:

"Cleanse, cleanse, cleanse" that bit really detracts from what should be the focal point - the man on the roof. The font is too pristine, and it doesn't really fit in the rest of the cover. It feels very out of place, almost like an after-thought, and it doesn't add much, instead interrupting the balance.

The authors name could use being a little larger, so the *Y* at the end goes over onto the black line, or a little smaller so there is a white gap between them. Having letters which just touch the edge of something rarely looks good, and unfortunately in this case it doesn't.

As above for the tagline. Little bigger, so it overlaps the red would be great.

Main title: I like the distressed look of the letters, and the little flecks of black around it, but it looks a little out of place as that's the only place there are, with the rest of the background fully white. It would look better with flecks of black going all the way down to the skyline, with lessened quantity or size as it goes down.

As I said, these are small tweaks here and there and the cover is well done for the genre.

Title: 2/2 Works.

Blurb: 2/4   From the top:

The first sentence isn't quite right. He "told himself that having superpowers would be the best day of his life." It just doesn't really work. Did you mean something like - "the day he got superpowers would be the best of his life"? It's the *having* and *best day* that don't really work together.

The next paragraph is fine, until "he gains a lifelong obsession". Maybe try "After a series of traumatic events, he becomes obsessed with protecting the city"? The idea of *gaining* a lifelong obsession is a bit strange. It's not weight or a pokemon trainer badge.

I am a bit confused in the last paragraph. You speak of a mysterious individual he must confront, which is all fine, but that sentence could be rephrased to be more clear, and then you say "Protecting the city will be the least of his problems if he's the one to destroy it." Please clarify who do you mean in the *he's the one to destroy it* - Cadell or the mystery man? By the vague confusing way you wrote it I'm getting strong Fight Club vibes, and if that is the twist in the story then it's a bit of a shame you gave it away in the blurb... If that is not the case, then please do clarify that last paragraph, and tell us a bit more about the mysterious person. Maybe mention him a bit earlier, together with the federal agency, because as he is now, he seems a bit of an afterthought.

Saying all of this, the premise of this actually sounds really quite compelling, and I think you have a lot to work with. Also, nobody ever went wrong with a morally-gray Rorschach type anti-hero!

Total: 6 (I'm interested in opening the book)

Reader 3:

Cover: 1.5 /4 Nope. The first cover was splendid. The second cover wasn't so artistically splendid, but it worked really well for the story. This is . . . an attempt at trying to have both your cake and eat it, too, and, at least for me, loosing the oomph and interesting parts of both of them in the process. I wouldn't want to pick this up if it were a real book because it looks messy, badly organised and I can't read whatever the word is that's repeated along the floor where the figure is standing. Also, the title font looks too much like the Hitchcock film.

Title: 0/2 Hitchcock rip. Same score as last time.

Blurb: 3/4

The flow of the sentences is a bit awkward in parts, and the beginning you honestly don't need. What Cadell did or didn't want as a kid is irrelevant to the larger plot. You could remove the preamble and start with "In a near-future London" and it would get to the meat of the story much faster, selling the story better. Other than that, pretty much the same as it was last time.

Total: 4.5 (I've put the book back on the shelf)