CONTEMPORARY FICTION WINNERS
Winners!
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CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED!
Winner or not you will get your review as promised. It will be directly messaged to you from our community account Sapphire_Community in the course of this week.
If you do not get your reviews by this Wednesday the 22nd, Do reach out to us.
THIRD PLACE 🥉
Guardians of Heavensworth by AbhishekPTK
Judge: KE_Jennings
• Title:9/10
The title fits the story plot well, yes. I found this books title to be fairly unique, I haven't come across it before on Wattpad. I believe it does catch the readers interest. It is short and sweet.
• Cover:3/5
This particular books cover is simple but it does go with the storyline and plot, though it wasn't apparent in the first few chapters. It is eye catching with the horns and how they are positioned. There is a neutral color scheme with a black background, which I found striking. The image used is relevant to the story, eventually. I could read the font, yes.
• Blurb:6/10
The blurb for this story is very short. It was missing more details and was vague. I think the author could definitely improve it punctuation and grammar wise The blurb didn't make me want to read the story, not at first.
• Setting:7/10
This story's setting was confusing to me, and I had to re-read a lot of sections. The author used a lot of descriptions and didn't break up the setting according to the coinciding time frame.
• Character and emotions : 7/10
The characters were thrust upon you immediately when starting the story. The main character is struggling to come to terms with his circumstances. Subsequent characters were plenty, making it hard to track who is who. I could imagine them, yes, to a point. I couldn't feel their emotions because I had trouble keeping track of each one. Not sure if they stayed in character or not.
• Plot and detail:15 /20
The plot was also hard to follow. I found it not in the slightest cliche though, it was very unique and imaginative. The flow was slightly choppy and confusing. I could not compare it to a real life situation, no. As far as plot holes, I'd say the author has a great storyline, it just needs more editing and cutting up/organizing. It was confusing, yes.
• Flow and style:15/20
The flow for this book was difficult. It could just be me, but reading it took a lot longer to understand what was going on than with other books. I did find myself getting hung up. It was legible but difficult to read.
• Grammar and Spelling:5 /10
There were quite a few grammatical errors and also spelling mistakes. Mixing up of tenses happened as well, yes. The punctuation was also not always correct. More editing is needed.
• Personal Enjoyment:4/5
Despite the flow issues and grammatical errors, the underlying story was interesting and imaginative. If edited further, I'd find it highly enjoyable!
Total: 71/100
SECOND PLACE 🥈
Book 5: Mixed Kid Woes Say What's Up By Olvaaarrd
Judge: Melissadyb
• Title: 8/10
Honestly speaking, at first glance the title confused me. I asked myself what does the author mean by mixed kid-- does he mean confused, or struggling? Race wasn't one of the things that primarily popped up in my mind (it might be because I concentrate on reading & writing romance). But after reading the blurb and the chapters it made sense.
• Cover: 4/5
The cover and the writing style go hand in hand.
• Blurb: 7/10
The blurb sets out the plot and characters. Is it possible to sneak in Effren's voice in here? I think his voice is the strongest part of the story and it would make the blurb more engaging & thrilling if his tone snuck in here somehow.
• Setting: 9/10
The settings have enough descriptions to pull us into the story. If I'd be nitpicking I'd suggest stretching some of them such as Effren's house, Marcel's house and the school just by adding a couple of sentences to give us a taste of the neighborhood. The coupons and the sofa were such great details. The feeling is absolutely there.
• Character and emotions : 10/10
I really liked how the mc feels like he is stuck in between in the beginning. His tone adds another layer to the story, makes it believable, unique and enjoyable.
I liked the mom too. In the first chapter it reads as if she'd been cheated on. Even though the story is told through his son's pov, her motives and emotions subtly came through the pages.
Their emotional arcs were handled well. I followed Effren's emotional journey in the first 4 chapters as he tried to find answers to his father's disappearance, and found some kind of closure. His mom's arc was clear too, from angry to denial and sorrow.
• Plot and detail: 20/20
In the beginning of the story, the mc doesn't know where his father went and tries to connect with him on a deeper level through the popular connotations of what he sees on TV about his race --like hair, music, and use of language in a childish and enjoyable way (I love childish, childish is key here and it comes through beautifully).
The second chapter made me question if his dad was really dead or if his mom lied, but then I understood she didn't in chapter 4. And I loved chapter 4. It was light and heavy at the same time, packed with emotion that made me chuckle when Effren finally seized his chance to use the n word, and tear up with his mom's sorrow at the same time.
The characters emotional arc & plot development worked in great harmony. The twists are placed wonderfully.
It is evident that we will go back in time to read more about his mom and dad's relationship in the chapters titled "Prince"
• Flow and style: 18/20
The writing syle is flowing and engaging.
• Grammar and Spelling: 9/10
What is mahdair pawk? I googled it but nothing came up.
Some sentences didn't have verbs, I understand some of them are stylistic choices.
In chapter 2, funnies were a repetition, and what are funnies? Comics?
'Lahbing' in chapter 3 must be his mom's accent for 'loving.' Most native speakers or Filipino speakers would probably understand the accent plays, but I had some trouble connecting the dots and had to google it (just sharing my genuine experience).
Generally the grammar was great, just some paragraph spacings can be rechecked (wattpad's computer version messes up the paragraphs sometimes)
• Personal Enjoyment: 5/5
The one thing that shined in this story was how Effren's pov was handled. It is very unique, fun and engaging .
Total: 90/100
FIRST PLACE 🥇
Pretty Mean B ThisMissyNameIsGrace
Judge: dianawriter_
• Title:10/10
I think the title is clever, short and catchy. I like it.
• Cover:4/5
I like the cover, it's very pretty. I would only change the part where it says "by... inspired by...". I would probably make that font smaller.
• Blurb:10/10
The blurb serves its purpose; it's short and it's straightforward without giving too much away.
• Setting:8/10
I think the author could do a bit of a better job describing the setting of the story, since I was a bit confused as to where the characters were or where the story is taking place. Remember that is very important to know the setting of the story; readers don't know what the author sees in their head, so it's important to guide them and give them the context they need to enjoy the story.
• Character and emotions : 10/10
The characters are well developed, and I truly enjoyed reading them.
• Plot and detail: 19/20
I think the plot is good; it might be a bit cliché but in a good way, and the way the characters are written makes the story truly enjoyable. The only thing that makes it a bit confusion at first is not having any idea of what the setting is, so I would suggest giving a bit of context so that the reader doesn't feel lost.
• Flow and style:20/20
The flow and pace of the story are pretty good, I didn't have any issue in that area.
• Grammar and Spelling: 9/10
There are some grammatical errors, but nothing Grammarly can't fix. I suggest editing (it is stated at the start of each chapter that it is unedited, and since I'm assuming it's a first draft, I completely understand); also, remember to use more punctuation so that the text flows and reads better: commas, dash, em dash, colon, semicolon, etc.
• Personal Enjoyment:5/5
I truly enjoyed the story, and I think the author is doing a wonderful job!
Additional Feedback-
My review: I think the story is great. I truly enjoyed it, especially the characters; I think the author has done an amazing job at characterizing them and making them jump out of the page. However, I would suggest a few things. First, remember not to over-describe. Over-description in books often leads to boredom, and makes readers lose interest. I will give an example of the over-descriptions I found on the book:
"Looking at her brother, his body was outlined by the golden light from the front door. His walnut brown hair was short but long enough to hang over his forehead, it was filled with small curls that made her envious of him for it as she took their mother's straight hair texture. His forehead was round and his brows were thick and darker than the hair on his head.
His eyes were the colour of honey, unaffected by impurities, long brown lashes circled his eyes making them a shade of molten gold. His nose was long and his jawline was sharp with a hint of stubble forming, his lips were red and plump. He was 6 foot 3 inches in height and was muscular, he had a lean fit body and a flawless pale complexion.
Wearing a cuffed white shirt and black suit pants, and on his feet were a pair of black Norwich.
His wrist was a silver watch that ticked and showed him the time yet made hand models envy his hands for how masculine they looked."
I would rephrase these paragraphs to something like: "Looking at her brother, his body was outlined by the golden light from the front door. His walnut brown hair was short but long enough to hang over his forehead, it was filled with small curls that made her envious of him for it as she took their mother's straight hair texture. His eyes were the colour of honey, unaffected by impurities. He was wearing a cuffed white shirt and black suit pants, and on his feet were a pair of black Norwich; on his wrist was a silver watch that looked better on him than it did on those hand models on magazines."
A few paragraphs after this, there are yet more long descriptions of their parents' physical appearance. Remember that you don't have to describe every single physical detail of every single character; you can even try to scatter that information throughout the chapter in a way that doesn't feel like an info-dump.
On the other hand, I think the author's descriptions are GOLD. They're truly beautiful, so I feel like they could definitely write shorter descriptions but just as gorgeous. Readers will appreciate them way more. Also, remember to use more commas, colons, semicolons, em dashes, etc! I suggest using Grammarly once they start editing, it catches those minor mistakes we don't.
Writing style is a 100/100! These are just minor details I found that I feel could enhance their writing, but I'm truly in love with this writing. Keep the good work!
Total: 95/100
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