The main judge on this genre was reneeshantel. They did excellent work, sending me great results very early. I would definitely recommend them as a judge for any other contests! 

The secondary judge was achudasama1. 

GOLD WINNER

The Forgotten by magicpoppy - 28/30

The cover on this one is simple but attractive, and I absolutely love the placement and style of the text. The blurb is compelling and made me eager to get to the first part, and paired with the title it just sounded promising. I was excited before I even started to read.

The description in this story is amazing! The characters each have their own distinctive personalities without the need for telling the reader what they are, and within the space of five chapters I already feel like I know each of them. There are only a few minor typos throughout the story, nothing that a quick edit couldn't fix, and no major errors that I could spot. The only downside is that I haven't yet gotten a romance vibe from it! I do feel like it's just around the corner though, with the introduction of Jeremy making its appearance at the end of the fifth chapter, so this is promising. I would like to have learned a little more about Charlie, and maybe seen more of Cara's emotions while she was at school after his death.

I thought the plot was perfectly paced – it felt natural as it moved along, and there was always something to make me curious enough to want to read on. I feel like romance is a genre where it is particularly difficult to be original, but this story absolutely managed it. I actually can't wait to finish reading the entire thing!

Does the backup judge agree with this score : NO, should have scored 27/30

The cover is very poignant and the summary is lovely with an emotional excerpt followed by story details presented in an unique question and answer style. The beautiful imagery flows well and the style is consistent where the cars take naps, a cookie wants attention and grief has its own waterfall. With its narratives where heart wrenching pain jumps out from the page and you feel like you are in the midst of some amazing friends with the descriptions. One of the best pieces of prose I have encountered in this competition after reading 31 books!

The plot set-up and background is done expertly even if it is slow. The details, the emotions, the interactions and the every character's persona are beautifully crafted. I missed the romantic feel but the hilarious author's notes add another dimension to the friends! I am speechless and enthralled at the magnificence of the writing!

SILVER WINNER

More Than This by @4thpowermama – 27/30

The cover for this story is brilliant: it screams of romance and is aesthetically pleasing, although I'm not a huge fan of the placement of the title. The title is refreshingly original and gives off the romance vibe well. The blurb is short and doesn't give much information away, but teases you just enough to make you want to read further – exactly what a good blurb should do!

The writing is outstanding. Spelling and grammar are outstanding, but there are a few places where punctuation is missing. It would be worth fixing this just to make the writing look that little bit more complete. The characters each have very distinct personalities, and you seem to have done this effortlessly. I especially love that you make me want to sympathise with the abusive boyfriend!

I started out thinking this plot was going to be entirely cliché and predictable, but three parts in I realised how very wrong I was! It has the girl in the bad relationship with the school's hero, and the bad boy there to save her – but the addition of the abusive boyfriend's perspective makes for an incredibly interesting twist! You seem to be focusing more on the characters' feelings than on anything actually happening around them, and that works for this story – but I would still like to have seen more description. The plot is paced very well, and you can see it coming along nicely.

Does the backup judge agree with this score : NO, should have scored 27.5/30!

The writing is simple but it flows uninterrupted and unchecked while keeping the reader immersed in the story. Pure liquid gold! The consistent narration of events and actions is conducted in the great writing style with added description of places. The dialogues are amazing with some punctuation issues. I love observing the same occurrence through varying perspectives as presented with the accompanying musical melodies!The plot is amazingly thought out and planned, which continues to thicken as the story progresses. The unexpected and unpredictable turns of events throughout chapters 3-4 were incredible! With new characters, the story has included another dimension! A mysterious aura surrounds the male protagonist, vulnerability shrouds the female character and the antagonist internally battles confusion. New character introductions and descriptions are effective. The characters endear themselves to the readers because they come with flaws and some are honest enough to admit their mistakes.

BRONZE WINNER

Everything Is Blue by casparita - 24/30 (original) / 25/30 (modified)

I really love the cover of this one. It's simple but effective, the title stands out nicely, and just from reading the blurb I got the sense it would be fitting to the story. The blurb itself is well-written and immediately makes me want to read more, if only for the writing style and this character that already seems relatable. I love the title. It feels like the sort of thing you need to interpret in your own way, and for me it created an image of a world where the protagonist feels lost and alone. I don't, however, get a romance vibe from any of the above.

I loved the writing in the first chapter – until the dialogue. There was a phone call between Isabelle and her best friend, and it felt choppy and unnecessary. I feel like the same point could have been made by Isabelle ignoring the call but deciding that she should head home before a search party was sent out. While I felt the dialogue could use some work, I absolutely loved the description! My biggest pet peeve with this story was in the fifth part, the repetition of "was it fate" over and over. I see what you were trying to do here, but it felt like a nail driving into my skull. Maybe do this for a paragraph, or every few lines instead of with every sentence.

The prelude started the story with a bang – literally! It got me excited right away! But after that I found things less interesting. I disliked Isabelle. I felt her depression came through too clearly, and that made me not want to read her chapters. Maybe lighten it up a little? I loved Marcel's chapter, though – enough that I would continue reading the story just for him!

Does the backup judge agree with this score : NO, should have scored 26/30!

Fascinating cover relates the title and summary that contains dialogue and story details with imagery. The ambiance involves two inspiring quotes and a themed image that starts every chapter. Detailed narratives and descriptions with amazing imagery encompass breathtaking writing. Mystery and thriller combine with gorgeous natural flow to yield page turner quality. Sadly, romance is lacking. Presence of duality in dialogues between what is heard and thought.

A perfect plot set up reveals many mysteries slowly as this is an intricate plot with many moving pieces. A moving soliloquy on fate shows all the issues plaguing the female protagonist and plot direction. Extremely eloquent! Life altering events disclose a sad, fearful, insecure and doubtful girl fighting for survival. The male protagonist is just as affected and broken. Another male persona adds a new dimension to the characters and their interactions. Recommend: Change your summary to the one in author's notes.

OTHER ENTRIES

A Girl Named Blue by @bluebaby0 – 9/30 (original) / 8/30 (modified)

I found the title of this story quite intriguing – it made me want to know more about Blue and why her name was important. The blurb, on the other hand, could use some work: it's a standard breakdown of how the story starts and what we can expect to see, but there's nothing gripping about it. Where's the hook? Maybe try explaining a bit about Blue and posing a question that your readers will long to know the answer to. The cover could do with some work, too. Although a dominant red, the title doesn't stand out at all and the author name is entirely lost to me.

The punctuation here is quite poor. A lot of the I's are not capitalised, and the same goes for many of the proper nouns. There were also a number of consistent spelling errors. I would give the story a quick edit to at least fix these, as it looks unprofessional and can throw off potential readers. One of my biggest peeves was that Blue wasn't consistent: one moment she's demanding that her aunt treat the maid like a person, and the next she's demanding things of her aunt like a spoiled brat. It might be worth rethinking some of her actions.

I didn't enjoy the plot at all. I thought it was cliché, moved too quickly, and was predictable. I would have liked to see things move more slowly: let Blue's friendships develop gradually instead of throwing her in with the popular crowd immediately. Spend some time introducing Chris so we get a better feel for him. You tend to tell rather than show what's going on. Actions speak louder than words!

Does the backup judge agree with this score : NO, would give it 6/30

Spelling and grammar include wrong capitalization (165), missing punctuation (47), participle mix-up (2), tense mix-up (2), missing phrase (1), missing conjunction (2), misused word (7), proper names not capitalized (9), misspelled word (10), word spacing (11), wrong article (2), wrong verb used (2), start a sentence with a number (1), singular vs. plural (1), misused pronoun (4), incomplete sentence (1) and slang used (2).

In terms of writing, the issues found are as follows: Confusing sentence structures, bad imagery, unclear writing, no concept of spatial writing, actions don't match reality, nonsense writing, uses phrases instead of sentences, contrasting writing, incomplete sentences and wrong phrases used. No emotional connection in the story. Plot line is forced. Just mentions events. Tries to create a love triangle and mean girl issues but it is not depicted well. In terms of the characters, no descriptions. We don't even know what the female main character looks like! She goes off without provocation.

Perfect Mistake by mxrleyy - 26/30 (original) / 25/30 (modified)

This teen story sends readers into a tailspin with its unpredictability, great humour and heart wrenching emotions! The book cover is interesting and titillating with a tagline that inspires curiosity along with a summary that features a wonderfully penned poem and a great dialogue excerpt. Very creative and beautifully depicted!

The writing is organized in a "perfect" manner with that word in every chapter title. The dialogues in this story are just a treat! There is a hint of sarcasm along with great banter that keeps the reader's interest. The emotional dialogues are extremely heartfelt and painful while reflecting the characters' mental state. In the beginning, the dialogue is a little crude but did improve as the story progressed along with the writing. Narratives as they relate to character thoughts and feelings are done with expertise along with cut scenes. Imagery makes an appearance sporadically but descriptions are late to enter in the story.

The author has the talent to express so much of her story succinctly and effectively in short chapters. The plot is fast paced and is set-up rather quickly. The story line seems more humourous than romantic but as the story continued, the romantic feel is depicted in a clichéd form of a love-hate relationship. The series of awful occurrences are funny in depicting these emotions. The two protagonists are enemies that can't get away from each despite their efforts. 

However, a tumultuous incident causes the two enemies to bond and care for each other and the way it is shown was epic! Major twists and turns are unpredictable and unexpected that leave the reader anxious to find out more. A teen story that portrays a difficult issue in a sensitive, humour filled manner with an emotional outlook.

Does the backup judge agree with this score : NO, would give it 24/30

A Genius in Love by @glitchingstatic – 16/30 (original) / 18/30 (modified)

I love this title: it's simple, but it's quirky and cute and gives me hope. Unfortunately, I really disliked the cover. It doesn't grab my attention, there's nothing romantic about it, and (despite green being one of my favourite colours) I felt that this was a poor choice for the text. I have no doubt that using a different cover would gain you more readers. I liked that the blurb gave you insight into what was going to happen in the story, but I feel like it could be shorter. A quick edit to fix up those little errors would be beneficial, too.

Spelling, grammar and punctuation wise the writing was great, but you have a tendency to throw in unnecessary information: "I also worked at a bookstore when I wasn't volunteering..." Some of your sentences were also quite long and could have done with breaking down into shorter ones. This will help them read better, as occasionally I had to go over them again. The pacing of the story is done very well!

I thought the prologue of this story was pointless. It didn't do anything for me, and really served no purpose except to show that these three characters were childhood friends. I felt that would be better portrayed through the rest of the story, when Bonnie and Brian run into each other at the shelter. I said that the pacing was good, but the pacing of the main characters' relationship was unrealistic to me. They haven't seen each other for five years – I would have liked to see them get back to being friends a little slower instead of jumping right back into it. This gives readers a chance to get to know the characters as well as they know each other, and make them more invested.

Does the backup judge agree with this score : NO, would give it 20.5/30

The author did not change the cover as requested in the reviews and was penalized for that. For chapters 4 and 5, the continuity and flow of the story were affected by introduction of the flashback along with the new characters that appeared out of nowhere. The dialogue is still awkward in the beginning but gets better as the conversation proceeds. Still great writing but not well edited unlike the previous chapters. 

 Proof of this is in the increased number of spelling and grammar mistakes (1 issue (Chapters 1-3) vs. 7 issues in chapters 4 and 5).Still enjoy the subtle interactions between the two protagonists who act like lovers but refuse to admit their love for each other as the plot line. Some events portrayed did not add to the story. Connectivity is maintained when an old friend makes an entry. New characters are introduced and their behaviour, interests and issues are described. It was confusing as there was no reference point and was unexpected. Descriptions still present. Recommendations: Change your book cover. Change how a flashback is introduced in the story. Either preface it or depict it in the middle of the chapter.

Don't Let Go by @midnightsdarling – 18/30

I love the title of this one. It instantly puts romantic images in my head and makes my heart stop. The cover is lovely too, though I'm not a fan of the colours used for the title text. I feel that a plain white can usually work with anything. The blurb is beautifully written, drawing you in and then punching you in the gut. You want to read this story just to know why "she let me go".

There are several grammatical errors in this story. My first recommendation would be to take a refresher in the differences between your/you're and there/their/they're. These words especially can turn potential readers away when misused. I also found that you used "drawled" one too many times for my liking, especially when Sloane was speaking to Emily on the phone. Once is enough. Try using "said" a little more often – as boring a word as it can be, sometimes it's better than adding excessively descriptive words. I loved the writing in the first chapter, but I felt things changed after that. I also felt the sex scene in the second chapter was entirely out of place. There was no real build up to it, and it left me confused.

I'm honestly not sure what you're doing with your plot. In the beginning I thought it was going to be about Sloane and her roadtrip, but five chapters in it still hasn't started. I feel like all we've gotten is a look at her family and her lifestyle – which led me to believe that maybe the story would be about her lifestyle, and how it would affect her relationship with Chase. Maybe spend less time showing what her life is like – that can come later, once the real story has started.

Does the backup judge agree with this score : YES

An attractive and romantic book cover with scenery clashing pink fonts. The summary describes the story briefly along with the male protagonist's thoughts in imagery. The quality of writing suffers enormously due to the spelling and grammar issues such as misused words and wrong pronoun usage. The author's writing style mostly involves narratives and descriptions. The contradictory writing hinders the flow and enjoyment of the story.

The plot set up and background is interesting with a great premise. Some scenes mix in humour and clichés. The author maintains continuity and connectivity. Graphic sex scenes don't add to the plot and seem out of place. Character descriptions, introductions and interactions are handled well. Places, outfits, feelings, thoughts and events are depicted and narrated. The persona change in the female character is disconcerting. Recommendation: Please edit and review your book, it will improve it drastically!

Woven Deceit by @catherine_edward – 20/30

I thought this title was unique. The cover is decent, but I feel a better font choice and text placement would have made it stronger. I enjoyed the blurb: it gave a decent glimpse into the story and let you know from the start that it was probably not going to be a happy one, and I feel like it's important to be upfront about that sort of thing in this genre. Unfortunately, I didn't get a romance vibe from it. It feels more like a revenge story. Maybe hinting at the chance of the two protagonists being able to get back together? Even if the story doesn't end this way, possibility is a powerful thing.

I thought the writing here was spectacular. The tenses change a few times, but not enough to be off-putting. The jump between scenes in the first chapter was a little jarring, so doing some rewriting to help them flow better would be worthwhile. I would also like to see more showing rather than telling – don't tell me that Kevin's angry; show me that his jaw is tensing, that his fists are slowly clenching under the table. Then I can feel his anger, too.

The first chapter was a bit of an information dump, and I felt that the things learned here would have been better spaced out through the rest of the story. Having them all thrown in my face from the start was a little boring. I just wanted to get on with the story! The plot seems a little cliché, but by the end of the fifth part I was invested. I can see things will get better from here. Unfortunately, I usually would have given up long before I reached this point.

Does the backup judge agree with this score : NO, should have scored 20.5/30!

Striking book cover with a summary that gives many of the story details relating everything back to the title. The writing is easy to understand but does not flow smoothly due to missing punctuations, tense mix-ups and incorrect adjective usage. Cut scenes are used well but the endings are in the prose causing a small jarring effect. I enjoyed the descriptive details provided in the story. There were some minor time continuity issues, awkward dialogues and transitions.Fastest plot development and set up yet with a wonderful touch of mystery! Continuity is maintained but there is so much extraneous detail that minor plotline relevancy is distracting and hard to decipher. Character introductions and descriptions are narrated well. Due to the male protagonist's prickly nature and unexpected behaviours, I had a hard time developing sympathy. Recommendation: Please review your work and/or read it out loud to see the corrections needed.

An Omegas' Tale by @payytun – 23/30 (original) / 24/30 (modified)

I found the title of this one to be quite standard, not very attention grabbing – and is that apostrophe in the right place? (Omega's*) The cover is appealing, and I could very easily see it sitting proudly on the shelf of the paranormal romance section of any bookstore! A love the blurb, too – it made me feel for Cassiel and want to know more about him. The end of it confused me, though. Besides mentioning that he's "lonely and depressed", the rest of the blurb made him sound fairly put together. Maybe add a little something to suggest otherwise?

This story has minimal errors with spelling, grammar and punctuation! My biggest issue was that sometimes you wouldn't start a new line for a new speaker. I absolutely love the description in the story, but I also found that at times it was lacking – specifically when people were speaking, or when there was action happening. For example, when the Alpha is throwing Cassiel from his bed for sleeping in: try describing Cassiel's pain, and the angry looks on the Alpha's face. Sometimes things get confused – the perspective changed from third to first for a paragraph, and another saw Nicolai and Reid mixed up, but it's nothing that a quick edit couldn't fix. This story reads well as a paranormal romance, though. Good work there!

This story is told from (so far) three different points of view, and each character seems to have a plot of their own. I am most invested in Cassiel's, but I like that if a reader didn't enjoy his story they could easily keep reading for Nicolai or Jasper. I can see the plot coming along nicely, and I like the way that you have started this off.

Does the backup judge agree with this score : NO, would give it 25/30!

The story still flows beautifully and continuity is maintained from the previous chapters. Description and narratives are still stellar! The cut scenes do their job well. Some wonderful imagery is now included – Lovely! Finally, one of the apex's of the plot is reached as the two protagonists' have met even though one was sleeping! The plot pace, set up and build up are done adeptly making readers anticipate the next chapter. Along with the genres of Romance, Werewolf and Action, the author tried for Humour and the effort was a success!The male alpha protagonist's thoughts and feelings are depicted with such a caring feel. The emotional quotient is developing and is summarized well in the gentleness shown towards the frightened young male character. Even the new location is described with such detail! Beautifully penned story in constancy, characters, plot and writing flow! Recommendation: Minor editing required.

A note from the head judge : Thank you to everyone for entering and a huge congratulations to all of you for making it to the second round! Special congrats to the three winners :) The other five can consider themselves "runner-ups" so well done to them too!