Author:  zuko_42

Cover:

 A genuinely professional level cover. Not much to say here.

Blurb:

 I didn't see any grammatical concerns, and I liked the overall plotline. It seemed like an interesting read with a clever storyline. The only note I can give you is about getting the different parts of your story arc to mesh better. Each paragraph felt disconnected from the others.

First chapter:

 I'm not a fan of having to click to the fourth section to get to the beginning of the book. Is there any way to consolidate some of that stuff? Some readers, perhaps not a lot, but some, will be turned off by having to click that far to start reading.

Why do you italicize the name of the ship? With the captain's thought also being italicized it can be a little distracting.

This chapter is good, and trust me, that's not something I easily say. However, you stay with the scene for almost the entirety of the narrative, without giving much description of the surroundings. Was the ship made of rickety wood or moulded together with gold and silver? How did the sea smell, and did his heart rate change when he was about to kill the old guy? These details can give your work an extra boost in the visual department. It's an opportunity to show the reader a lot of information.

You have a character's words in italics just before clearly stating that the words were spoken aloud. As an example: "But the Lord of the shadow Knights had other plans. Kill the Duke, Lord Roland said.

Delete the word 'between' in the paragraph that starts "He hated Emperor Fermat...." And right after this paragraph is another instance of you using italics with a verbal exchange. You do know that italics are typically used to show thoughts or highlight specific, more important words, right? All dialogue can be in standard print. Basically, check your usage of italics, doing it too much can make it less impactful.

Overall, your first chapter is good. There's room for minor adjustments, but nothing that can't be fixed. It's a long chapter that takes some time to develop, but it has the potential of keeping readers engaged. You're on the right track.