THEME: YOUTH

Is it possible to sit an exam, write a review for an eighty-seven chapter book, and organise the winners by tallying up scores and judging for judges who went missing all of a sudden? All in one day? 

Yes, apparently. It is. 

Anyways, what a fabulous month! We had a total of 30 entries - certainly more than enough to keep both myself and the judges busy. The quality of the stories were incredibly high and, this month in particular, we had quite a lot of stories score above 80. Congratulations to everyone involved! A particular thank you also goes to the judges: 

agilasigma - You were so incredibly prompt with your scores, and, better yet, your feedback was intricate and detailed and full of beautifully constructive criticism. It was honestly an absolute honour to have you as part of our judging panel because of your utter professionalism and commitment. Thank you so much! 

Comatose7 - You were kind, your judging was fantastic, and you were always very responsive. Thank you so much for submitting the judging on time, and thank you for all the hard work and effort that went into your scores and feedback! I appreciate it very much, and I'm sure the authors will, too. 

GnomeMercy - A judge for these awards and now, also, a reviewer for our community! Your judging was absolutely fantastic - I loved the detail and how thoughtful your feedback was. I am absolutely thrilled to have you join our community as a reviewer now! Judging five stories with the amount of detail that you did is no easy feat, so thank you so much! 

GryffindorsLoneWolf - At this point, I may as well make you some sort of trophy. As always, your judging was done promptly, you were always communicating with me, and when I was in distress regarding disappearing judges, you stepped in right away. Thank you so, so, so much. This chapter wouldn't be here without you (or, at least, not in time - that's for sure!). 

Hanattaway - Thank you so much for judging for us this month! I really appreciate it. I know you have an incredibly busy scedule, and I know that it's never easy judging books against such a detailed criteria, but you handled it like an absolute champion. Thank you very, very much! 

Jumping_Jiminys - Another one of our judges who is actually now a reviewer for our community! I was, without a doubt, impressed by your judging and the professionalism within your comments. Thank you so much for your time, and here's to more time working together as reviewers! 

lionobsession - You came back! Hooray! I'm surprised I haven't scared you off just yet. Anyways, as always, it's absolutely amazing to have you as part of our judging team - you're always so incredibly professional, detailed, and prompt in your judging. It really means the world to me every time you come back to judge. Thank you so much! 

_thewildchild__ - Thank you so much for judging for us! I know how hectic it can be judging that many books in such a short time frame, so thank you for acting like a total professional and getting it done without complaint. Your judging was fantastic, your scores and feedback were incredible, and I really enjoyed working with you. Thank you so much! 

And now that we have thanked our judges, let's get onto results, shall we? 

A huge congratulations has to go to everyone who made the shortlist. The competition was very tight - in fact, you'll see how tight the scores were when you see the winner scores. Most shortlisted members were very, very close to being in the top three - so, regardless, you should be all be very proud of yourselves! Now, in no particular order, our shortlisted stories are: 

TITLE: Beyond the Veil

AUTHOR: cool_reader_

FEEDBACK: 

I did like your story. I love the supernatural feel, and the mystery that surrounded it all. I noticed some grammatical errors, and I did feel as if your character was leaning more onto the "Mary Sue" side. I think if you made her just a little different than the rest, it would be a much more enjoyable read to see a new type of main character! 

Overall, I felt as if your writing style was very telly. It told things. It told us that they were sad, happy, or scared — and gave no evidence of it. If you show us why they do that, or feel that, it'll make your writing more concise, and improve your writing skill overall. 

TITLE: The Amragen Hunter 

AUTHOR: Rlipson166

FEEDBACK: 

Upon entering, I found the plot to be quite interesting, and I loved that the main character was not a Mary Sue, but the total opposite. I also noticed some tense switches, typos, and unnecessary commas. These could easily be fixed with a quick round of editing and re-reading. I also notice speech that didn't end with speech marks. Like, it started off as a normal dialogue, with the correct punctuation, but then it wouldn't end with no speech marks which left me confused, and having to read that sentence a few times to understand. Overall, a very comedic and light-hearted story that is definitely a fun read! Just sort out some errors, and you're good to go!

TITLE: What We Left Behind 

AUTHOR: stxrkissed

FEEDBACK: 

The plot is there, waiting to be split open and exploited. The writer can get a little more finesse into the story, the formatting especially. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but it's just missing a snap, a spark. Look towards any spelling mistakes in the future and as the story gets a little clearer, try to convey the message or the backdrop of the story through the cover. Choose the correct color palette and don't and you should be good to go! I am looking forward to Fei Hong's journey. My only complaint? It's too short! We need more chapters!

And congratulations! You (and another author) were only a point away from third place!

TITLE: The Stars from Me to You 

AUTHOR: tidalbay

FEEDBACK: 

You have nailed the age, in my opinion, Bellamie isn't annoyingly young but not too mature where someone would confuse her with an adult (which I think some writers tend to do). She makes decisions and thinks the way a 13-year-old you would assume would. 

I must say I thought that this story would follow Bellamie, but I am happy that the opening paragraph follows Rion. Seeing his time personally for me is much more enjoyable, simply because your creativity as a writer can go wild and is not anchored down by worldly constructs. 

You have thought hard about the plot and any side plots, especially setting other characters to help the plot was a good idea. I thought this would be simple Bellamie has to let go, but you've added more elements to make it that much more exciting. 

I would say there is an innocence in the way you write, which reflects the characters age and I really enjoy the writing. It's sophisticated but not hounded with loads of "big" words.

TITLE: Stories Which the Walls Hear

AUTHOR: funkycookie8

FEEDBACK: 

The person narrating, I would say, is interesting to read; he sounds human, and if this was someone I knew, I would believe what they are saying. It's very informal; however, it suits the book. You use your punctuation well; however, there are times when you could've used a semicolon instead of a comma, but very minor. There was an occasional missing apostrophe to show ownership. There were also times when you used incorrect English, for example, "more higher" instead of higher. 

Unfortunately, there was too much telling and not enough showing for me as a reader to understand the relationships between characters. The scene where you describe Sienna "bitching" about Sona should've been shown through dialogue and interactions instead of telling us. This detached me from the story and made it difficult to immerse myself. The story was very basic, there wasn't enough depth but to see it as anything more than a story prompt. There's so much potential in the story that, done correctly, it could be a short story in its own.

TITLE: The HOPES Project

AUTHOR: avadel

FEEDBACK: 

Your writing is done in a way which is descriptive but not littered with big words, making each chapter easy and enjoyable to read. You get a feel of the sibling love between Jason and Ana, especially as it comes across as though Ana might have learning difficulties or perhaps she's mute. I thought that was an excellent quality to have to her as it makes everything that much more interesting to read. I did enjoy myself. I think Ana is a level omega super (X men terminology). Usually, those "vulnerable" characters harbour the most destructive powers so that'll be interesting to see her develop as a character. I am also interested to know if Jason has powers. It would be fantastic if he didn't because the whole "finding out you have powers being the big age of 17 somehow" arc is slightly overused.

TITLE: Tempestatem

AUTHOR: aSaltyWriter

FEEDBACK: 

Wow!This was pretty interesting and I loved reading Gale's character. He's so relatable(wanting to be alone and yet doesn't always stay alone). His relationships withthose around him seemed so real and then when he got killed...I was seriouslycaught off guard!! Well done writing this. The only thing that really botheredme were the point of view switches between characters (like having it in Gale'sview and then switching to his mom's or Aaron's). It confused me. The way youdescribed things though...it was amazing. So subtle and made it fun to read! Idid wish there were more descriptions of the character's looks, but you'd beokay leaving it as is. I did notice that some people pointed out grammarmistakes, so I'm not going to comment on that, but do look into it. 

TITLE: The Royal Wedding

AUTHOR: MaryKhah77

FEEDBACK: 

Starting off, I really like the simplistic cover design. It oozes royalty, particularly fantasy royalty, and sets up the tone of the story well. The font is easy to read, all apart from the chunk of text at the bottom. If it's really important, I'd recommend making it bigger. If it isn't, I'd recommend losing it. 

Moving on to the summary, I love the final hook, but I can't help but feel it's a little bit muddled. The second paragraph makes a more powerful opening. Also, the first sentence reads a little off. It seems like she's been desperate to get married, then her family forces her? Maybe mention that she's in love with someone else, or say that she's refusing to marry until her family forces her. The reason I focussed on these two first was because this is the first thing the reader sees, and your story deserves more reads. 

The main character, Valarya, has such a strong personality. I can really feel her emotions through your writing. I love how each of the sisters have a different personality as well. Diana in particularly has a very distinct character and that comes through brilliantly. The relationships are very realistic and believable. The way they're described, particularly from Valarya's point of view, gives a great sense about who she likes and who she doesn't. In particular, I love the slow reveal about what happened to her older sister and what happened to the kingdom. 

Although it's a retelling, it is a fresh, new spin on Rapunzel. Of course, there are usual fantasy tropes, such as the magical kingdom, the reluctant princess being forced to marry someone for the strength of alliances, but the personality of the main character gives a refreshing perspective of these classic tropes. I just wish there were more chapters up!

TITLE: Four Walls

AUTHOR: neurotick

FEEDBACK: 

First off, I love the use of the portrait on the cover. It's a great way to introduce the main character before opening the book. The title is in a cool font and is easy to read, as well as the little tagline, perfect for hooking the reader. Next, the summary is short, but sweet. I personally think you get more impact starting without the quote – it was the line beginning 'For Layla Dodds' that caught my attention first. You've already got the quote on the cover, so I don't think it's needed to be repeated. 

I like the way this story is written. The sentences and paragraphs flow really well and I love the narrative voice. Vocabulary is generally on point, except for in the prologue. I get that Layla's got a high IQ and you've tried to simplify the language, but I still think it's a little developed for her age. 

I really like the plot so far, although one thing I wish is that it didn't have a prologue. I'm not one of those people who say all prologues should be removed – I have plenty in my own stories – but in this instance, I really think it isn't needed. Everything could be reworked into the main timeframe of the story and would actually aid to the reader's discovery of Layla's life, rather than revealing it all at the beginning. The first few chapters were brilliant at introducing the characters and their relationships, but, for me, it was hard to see where the plot was going because there wasn't enough mystery for me to want to discover, and I think reworking the prologue will help with that.

Finally, I'd like to finish by saying that Layla and Damian are great characters! I mean, all the characters are very distinct, but I loved these two the most. I love their little nuances that make them feel human, like Layla keeping her abuse to herself. A great story, and I hope you consider my feedback.

TITLE: Chaotic Magic: The Making of a Sorcerer 

AUTHOR: Asarlai

FEEDBACK: 

The cover doesn't have an authors name and the image is a bit blurry. Some vocabulary is unnecessarym like saying traversed instead of travelled or something like that. Some words just didn't fit smoothly. The characters don't seem to have flaws. Jamie and Sep seem to be like most teens, insecure. Being insecure isn't a flaw for a teenager. Make them more 3D. I don't see Septimus's interest in Jamie and he's still a teenage boy. Think about what teen boys do when they like a girl. Jamie was clearly jealous of the teacher though - I understood that. 

Other than that I thought the plot was creative. You describe scenes and characters with a vivid imagination. I feel like I could see the drawing of the wizard. As for making me feel something, I pity Sep. I wouldn't say I love it yet, as the characters need a little work amongst other things. Keep up the good work! 

Congratulations, by the way! You, as well as one other author mentioned above, were only one point away from third place. 

TITLE: Numb My Pain

AUTHOR: YoloBTSAddict

FEEDBACK: 

This is a very difficult task to take on, and many writers do not have the ability to make this concept compelling. Self-harm is an important topic to address, and it must be handled realistically and with tact. Without a fleshed-out main character, this task is impossible, even less possible if none of the other characters are fleshed out either. I understand that this story is personal, but there should still remain a sense of professionalism that author's notes, inconsistent formatting, and "flashback warnings" take away from the story. 

TITLE: Cromulent

AUTHOR: neomanuisarang

FEEDBACK: 

I found this story enjoyable and well written. There were some times when too many new characters were introduced at once, which made reading confusing. I also found reading Devan's thoughts confusing, especially with the introduction of psychic characters. If there was a different format for each type of thought, the story would be a lot clearer. I would also suggest revealing information about the world through action rather than dialogue. These info dumps can be a lot to put upon a reader and makes them less likely to enjoy the story. The Maze Runner does this well; Thomas learns about the world around him by going through the daily routine of the Glade. 

TITLE: Forbidden 

AUTHOR: OptimisticDragonfly

FEEDBACK: 

This story is interesting and the plot moves at a reasonable pace. However, the breaks taken from the story for the narrator to lecture the reader about their beliefs can take the reader away from the enjoyment of the plot. Especially when developing a character, it is important to remember: show, don't tell. Show us Gavin's hate for his father, show us the Jackal king has a hatred for "weakness." Think of it in terms of what a camera would see in a movie; if the camera can't see it, find a way that it can. The actual story is interesting, and allowing the reader to piece together the characters themselves will make it that much more engaging.

TITLE: Stupid Samuel and Other Stories 

AUTHOR: Tankytoon

FEEDBACK: 

I love the idea of short stories in one big book! There were a lot of grammar errors though, and it put me off a little bit when reading. Try and go through them (ellipses are usually in groups of three and, if you're using another language other than English, probably keep some kind of explanation at the end). I couldn't understand what the dialogue was half the time. These stories made me laugh (really hard!). The only thing I couldn't understand was why you kept putting Stupid Samuel in quotation marks. It doesn't really need to be in them (that's what everyone calls him after all).

Congratulations to all our shortlisted authors! As you can see, most of the feedback was very positive for all stories - again reinforcing how tight the scores were. It's also the main reason why I ensured there were at least two judges reading each story. I wanted to make it as fair as possible. 

Now, onto the winners! 

IN THIRD PLACE: 

TITLE: The Wings of Storm

AUTHOR: draphy

FEEDBACK: 

I absolutely loved this story! It had a greatplot, amazing writing, and relatable characters that I could understand andgrow to love. I had to search very, very hard for mistakes. There are some sentences in your blurb that would sound and look better with a comma, and I suggest re-reading it to be sure! A lovely story! I honestly can't find much. Once finished, I suggest re-reading to find any small errors, but I searched and found none! I absolutely love this story, and I definitely think it's underrated!

It was cute and funny and sweet in the beginning. I can really relate to the MC's love of reading. However, there were some things that bothered me while reading. I noticed you said that he's writing a letter to someone. I think it'd be better to offset that in italics (to give the reader an impression that it's his own words and not what he's describing), or put it in parentheses. It'll give the feeling of the whole letter thing. I wasn't a huge fan of how it seemed to jump areas without giving context to the situation or the previous areas events. But it was a great read! Your grammar's pretty good and I enjoyed seeing the kids getting so excited about reading!

OVERALL SCORE: 88.5/100

IN SECOND PLACE: 

TITLE: Wonderwall

AUTHOR: originalverbivore

FEEDBACK:

Oh, my poor insecure heart... this hit me with the right amount of feels (getting over a crush currently). I absolutely loved this story. Each chapter had its own plot, leaving you wondering if there was ever an ending. The conversations were real, any whoever reads this will be left wondering how things could have been if they'd just had the courage to speak to that one person in their life. Thank you for writing this! I truly enjoyed reading this (even if my heart hurt afterwards). I found a few grammar errors, but nothing that truly deterred the reader away from the meaning of the story.

IN FIRST PLACE: 

It's a tie! Two stories - despite having two judges per story - ended up getting the exact same score out of 100. So, congratulations to: 

TITLE: The Root of Magic 

AUTHOR: NDeMeer

FEEDBACK: 

This was really beautifully written. I enjoyed every word of it as I moved my way through the chapters. I did think it was a bit slow, but it was still pretty good! There are some misplaced modifiers, like in chapter three, you wrote "the girl with the silver full of surprise". I know you mean to say that her voice was full of surprise, but where the description is placed, it makes it sound like the hair is surprised. It felt like, to me at least, there was a lack of descriptions of the surroundings. The dialogue felt very realistic: the lessons with Aruna (whom I love by the way!), and his uncle, the way he's careful about staying away from his sister. I loved reading them! I also think you tended to repeat his name a lot. If it's only Destan in the scene and it's been established it's him, you don't need to worry about saying his name over and over again. And usually, numbers are written out (not kept in their numerical form).

I actually can't give you much to work on here, because it's a very good story. It's original, and enjoyable! The things I mention here are simply small problems I found! 

In your blurb, you wrote: They fear magic, they fear it more than life itself. A blurb is all about sounding nice. You mention "they" twice, and it doesn't give it a good sound. I suggest change it to something like: They fear magic more than life itself. This way, it sounds better and more concise. Another problem I had was that sometimes things would go a little fast. Pacing is very important to a story, so I suggest re-reading the chapters with fresh eyes. This way, you'll be able to find mistakes and judge your writing! A lovely story, I enjoyed it a lot! A great plot, dilemma, and interesting characters. I love how their past has shaped them and made them who they are today. Very well done!

SCORE: 91.5/100

AND, ALSO IN FIRST PLACE: 

TITLE: Among the Fallen

AUTHOR: thesongist

FEEDBACK: 

This work is a cut above the rest, for sure. Easy on the eyes. Technical writing is clean. Can be slow at certain times, and it takes some time before a reader can see what makes it different. A patient audience will appreciate it. It's been a while since I came across a well-written work. I'm very stingy, and it takes a lot to impress me but this one did. Highly recommended.

You did have a few spelling mistakes I noticed, and some sentences seemed to run on. You describe most scenes in an immersible way. Action scenes are supposed to be quick, I understand. But the twins didn't seem to beat Lucian long before they fell over. It was basically two punches and some kicks. 

Sometimes you need to clarify who is speaking in the third chapter with Elias and the twins; I didn't understand who was speaking. When you have more than one boy, don't call one 'boy' (unless it's very obvious which boy you are referring to). In every chapter, Lucian is getting beat up and it gets kinda old. Feels like when you want some action in the chapter, your go-to is Lucian getting beat up. Other than those things it was a good book so far and plot. 

SCORE: 91.5/100

Woohoo! This is the first time we've had two winners, which is very exciting! Congratulations to all our winners, as well as all the shortlisted authors. These awards, I've been told, are particularly tough (probably because of the minimum of two judges per book and the shortlisted rounds). To make it onto this page is an achievement in and of itself, so well done! And, once again, thank you so much to my beautiful judges.

As always, I'm always ready to hear some feedback! If there's anything you think I need to improve, or anything you would like me to keep doing because you think it is effective, then let me know! I know these awards aren't all that interactive, since we don't have tag fests and host Q&As and such, but alas, I think I take a very 'reviewer' approach to this and try to focus these awards on helping authors grow. So, sorry if it isn't all that fun!

For those who are having fun, great news! The next theme is already out. Feel free to check it out, and I look forward to seeing some returning faces!