Gwen Thames⚡🪨🕰️

An Interesting Sneak Peek

I think the story premise is really good and there's enough going on to make the reader want to continue on. For example, I'm dying to know why Ellie's mom married Jared.

Otherwise, the writing style is easy to follow. Good for younger readers without being too simplistic.
There were some tense issues - past and present, but otherwise grammatics and formatting were good.

Nice work!

Excellent!

Wow, this story was a fully packed! The details and descriptions were on point and the storyline made it difficult to put down! The characters were relatable and vivid! And the writing was superb! The end had me a bit teary! I highly recommend!

Ebenezer Scrooge meets Harry Potter meets Marty McFly

Jo Abrigo gives us a unique story about finding and loving yourself in this one-of-a-kind coming of age story!

Mari Greene is a teenage version of Ebenezer Scrooge, living life without feeling for those around her, using and abusing relationships to her advantage. She has everything, yet is a shallow shell of a person. But when life throws her a curveball and she faces certain death, the 23-year-old is suddenly whisked into her 15-year-old self where she has a second chance at the relationships she had back then. In Harry Potter-like fashion, her journal allows her to communicate with the mysterious 'soul' who helped transport her to the past.

The technical portion of this story needs a lot of work, with lots of tense issues and some misspelling, among other grammatical issues. Characters could also be better developed, but if given a chance, these technicalities do not overshadow the beautifully deep and heartfelt message presented.

Jo does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing, throwing in some twists for good measure. Warning! The ending may require tissues!

I would definitely like to see where Jo takes this story as she grows and develops her writing skills! I truly hope she continues to massage this story to its full potential! Please give this budding author a chance and read "A Taste of Heaven."

A Exciting Ride

Move over 'Ancient Aliens,' Timine has entered the scene! If you're looking for an exciting mix of adventure, science fiction, and drama that pulls at your heartstrings, this book is for you!

Norwegian Archaeologist and student, Mari, finds herself kidnapped by aliens, only to end up on their planet and living with emotionally void, but very touchy-feely Kai'ine. Feisty Mari doesn't take her situation laying down though and proves that Earthlings have some guts.

Timine gives her readers a lot to think about throughout, from COVID-19, BLM, and other world events, to things as emotional, delicate, and personal as rape, respect, cultural mindsets, and even love.

As an Archaeologist myself, I enjoyed her bits of human history mixed with the contemporary and learned a lot! :)

Best of all, Timine leaves you excited to continue the story in Book #2, which she's currently writing!
Yes, there are some grammatical and punctuation errors, but it's still an excellent read and well worth your time!
Please give this book a chance!! 🥰

The Possible Cure for Writer's Block

Stuck in Writer's Block? Need something a little different to write/read? Looking for a good laugh?

Shattered Dreams just might be your ticket. This book is written by YOU, the authors of Inkitt, giving you a moment to reevaluate your writing and go completely wild by ripping your own story.

As a Shattered Dreams contributor myself, I found this little exercise to be quite cathartic. I could openly make fun of my own work and myself, while evaluating my story on a whole new plane.

Join the growing number of authors who have participated in this experiment and show us just how 'terrible' your story is! Your dreams may be shattered in the process (not really), but your morale will definitely be boosted!

A Genuinely Good Read!

Will takes us on the emotional roller coaster of Andy Sharpe's life as a 1990s Senior in High School, as she not only tries to survive her final year of school, but is determined to end the feud that has plagued her father's life for twenty years after meeting the boy who's father happens to be on the opposite end of said feud. This entails jumping on the opportunity to direct the school's rendition of "Romeo and Juliet" with many memorable characters in tow! Reminiscent of "Romeo and Juliet" in itself, this tale leads our mostly-fearless (sort of) protagonist onto her own quest to conquer her inner insecurities and outward obstacles, all while learning about love (and other life lessons) as she falls head over heels for the one boy she shouldn't!

A few parts feel a little drawn out, but overall reasonable to the storyline. If you're looking for a quality story by a talented author, this one is a must! Readers, expect to form an emotional attachment to the characters, especially Andy, and to laugh, smile, be surprised, outraged, and yes, maybe even cry! Well worth the read!

Not My Favorite in the Series

Ancientt is one of the more popular authors here on Inkitt, and like many newcomers to the app, I gave her first book in this series a try not long after activating my account, and thoroughly enjoyed it! Book #2 was great as well, as we followed the characters into further development.

This story though, while having some great moments, didn't quite envelope me into the plot as much as the others. There were a few instances where I felt the characters weren't really living up to the standards set for them in the previous books, and while heavy issues were addressed, it felt lacking in complete resolution. The women off came off as air-heads and the men as dumb brutes. That's not exactly what they were in the first two. The end felt a bit rushed, and not because it was a short chapter...

I find that while I enjoy Ancientt's overall writing style, there are several grammatical issues throughout ALL the books in the series. In general, they aren't so horrific that they ruin the story. But these three books (and the other non-Inkitt published books in the series) are all touted as being available for PURCHASE on the author's website, so that for a fee, readers can read chapters not yet published on Inkitt or read books not published here.
Are readers purchasing un-edited stories?! The whole point of Inkitt is to read such stories for FREE. Ethically, selling unedited work seems wrong, especially with how difficult it is to get published traditionally. Perhaps, I am mistaken and Inkitt is getting a less-edited version, but I somehow doubt it. What would be the point?

I have enjoyed the series, I just beg readers to be aware of what you may be paying for if you are enticed by the offers to read ahead/get more by paying into the author's Wix site. In this case, I just don't think you'll get what you pay for...

Ancientt, you are a very talented author and I don't mean to be harsh. I apologize if I'm wrong about your Wix books. Please enlighten me if so!
I do ask that you continue your talent and please edit your stories until perfection! Your needed editing isn't so extensive that it would take long for someone with as much talent for storytelling as you have to fix!

Best, Gwen

Well Put Together

Having been in several competitions on both Inkitt and Wattpad, I thought the DEA was quite well put together. If hiccups occured, our wonderful host ensured things continued to flow as smoothly as possible!
I also prefer contests where multiple rounds occur and your work is subjected to multiple judgings/scorings. This shows a whole other level of competition and professionalism on behalf of the team of judges.
Well done @yiona771!
I await your next competition sometime in the future! 😊

Be Prepared to be Sucked In

One Chapter?! My first thought was, "Oh no, this is going to be one of those looong, drawn out stories that needs to be chopped up into smaller chunks, seriously... Or, it's going to be too short to be worthy of calling a story."
But, as they say, "Never Assume!"

Brian brings us a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat 'zombie' thriller as told through the eyes of quick-witted Evan, who is writing his account down hurriedly as he's not sure whether or not he's going to make it out alive, hoping that his tale will help someone else out there. He begins the story with an apology for his writing, knowing that he's rushed. Here we note that Brian does an excellent job with dialogue, reminding us every now and then that Evan is telling us his story, all the while reliving the events of his story in vivid action. *As a side note, there are some punctuation and technical errors, though I purposefully neglected to mark it down in my rating, as Evan did warn us from the get-go! ;)

Evan, as the protagonist, may be no saint, but is closer to the 'average Joe' than the other characters, making him very relatable and likable. I found myself very much wrapped up in his account, hoping that he was going to pull through this ordeal. The overall plot gives you a bit of the stereotypical cheesy zombie feel, but it's usually countered with a much more reasonable action. This is evident when the group attempting to make their way to the boat suddenly finds themselves with just the right amount of various weapons, and you're sure the group is going to be free and clear easy-peasy. At first glance, you'd say this was too perfect, yet we're brought down a notch when more zombies appear unexpectedly on the boat! The end of the story is another nod to eroding the stereotypical. No, there will be no spoilers from me here! But, it was pleasantly unexpected!!

While I'm not a huge horror or zombie fan necessarily, I felt that Brian outdid himself with bringing the zombies and gory scenes to life. Said scenes were inserted appropriately and not overly done. Normally, gory scenes (blood and flesh tearing) can put me off, Yet, Brian has already sucked you into the story so well at this point, that there's no way you're going to put it down - not now!

Humor - this story is on point in this department! It's not overly done and is utilized in just the right places - mostly in what Evan is thinking in the spur of the moment. This makes the story more believable, and I was pleased that he never became an omnipresent narrator, trying to tell us what the others are thinking when he wouldn't know.

Evan's narration instantly reminded me of Marvel's Antman's friend, Luis (Michael Pena), who hilariously recaps what had happened by taking us through an extended, sped-up visual monologue. This factor is what I think made this story appropriately ONE CHAPTER long! There's no way to have broken it down, and at the rate the reader is carried away, a chapter break would have ruined the moment! As a warning, make sure that you have a fair amount of time to embark on this tale, for it will be extremely difficult to put down!

If you're into zombies, you should enjoy this one a lot. If zombies aren't your thing, you might want to give it a try anyways! I'm glad I did! I look forward to reading more of Brian's work in the future!

A Love Story of Historic Proportions

As Valentine's Day comes to a close, I find it a perfect time to talk about a novel (and series) that truly speaks to the heart! ETERNITY is book #2 in an ongoing series by fantastic author, Jacky Pringle Velasquez. If you haven't read the first in the series, FOREVERMORE, then I beg you to stop now and download it to your reading list asap! Only then can you can enjoy the second installment.

ETERNITY picks up where FOREVERMORE left off, with the budding relationship and understanding of two individuals, who at first glance would never be suited for one another. The intimidating and emotionally scarred Vladimir (i.e. - Count Dracula) and young, innocent mortal Julia. Yet, together, they find out what true love really is - and it's just begun!

If you are truly into vampires and have an interest in history, this series is for you!
If you're NOT into vampires, but love a GOOD love story, this series is for you!
Not the everyday 'campy' vampire story, Jacky has built up historical facts about Vlad the Impaler and blended them beautifully with Bram Stoker's Count Dracula to create her own extremely vivid and realistic character - Vladimir Drakyla! Not only can the reader envision him, but Jacky has reached deep down inside his mind and past to shown us his very soul - though he may deny having one!

As the story progresses, she shares how his horrific trials in life created the monstrous man history knows as Vlad the Impaler. Yet, she brings him down to Earth by sharing his fragility and vulnerabilities to the point where the reader finds themselves rooting for him! That feat in itself truly shows how well written and thought out these novels are!

On the other hand, Julia (our other protagonist) starts out in FOREVERMORE as a 16-year-old teen who, as most teens are, needs to mature in many ways. Though despite the horrific things she's subjected to, she digs deep within herself to really evaluate not only herself and her own insecurities, but those around her. By ETERNITY, she has matured into herself over time and is even more caring and loving, though not perfect - which makes her just that much more vivid and realistic as well!
Together, they make a perfect pair - a couple that is truly out for one another and strives to understand and love the other despite their imperfections - or maybe because of their imperfections...

Behind the love story, we also find plenty of interesting tidbits of real historic facts and locations, while also engaging in the fantastical world of the vampire and werewolf governments and societies. We find friends and foes, who bring us laughter and smiles, and also edge-of-your seat suspense.

Jacky's writing style and technical skill is exceptional and makes her novels difficult to put down! Her tone makes the reader feel like they are listening to the protagonists' points of view, and her descriptions details paint realistic pictures in the mind! It is evident that she's put a lot of work, heart, and soul into these books!

I highly recommend both ETERNITY and it's prequel, FOREVERMORE! And I can't wait for the third installment, ALWAYS to come out soon!

A Series Starter with Lots of Heart!

All the hard work, research, heart, and thought Jacky has put into this book over the years of its fruition more than shows through all 45 chapters! Not the average vampire tale, this edge-of-your-seat and heart-wrenching story gives readers a taste of both Bram Stoker's Dracula AND historic Vlad the Impaler all in one - both of which create a very much alive character, with so much depth you want to hate him, but end up feeling deeply for him yourself! The other characters - Julia, Roland, Lelagul, Emilie, and Ginger, etc. - are each so distinct and add to the depth of Vlad's character and the overall plot.

Jacky's writing style is beautiful! Technically, it's spot on, while she builds her scenes and characters with elegantly done flashbacks and poetry. If you are interested in history, vampires, fantasy, and want a seriously good read, I highly recommend "Forevermore!"
I can't wait to continue the saga next with "Eternity!"

Nice work, Jacky!

Excellent!

Thanks for hosting these awards, Coalition Awards Community! It was a great experience and while I wasn't a judge, I was given the opportunity to read several of my fellow authors' works, which I may not have found otherwise!

Congrats to all the winners and thanks to all the judges!!

Excellent!

As an OIF and OEF vet myself, I found this heartfelt series of poems to be very emotional and appropriate to the internal battle that many service men and women have faced over generations of wars. While I deployed twice and know well the feeling of wondering whether you're going to make it home to your young child and family, I was fortunate not to have to experience the extremes of what the author and many others have.

But, I do remember coming home and wondering what kind of crazy world I was in. People just didn't understand, wearing rose-colored glasses while attempting to talk about the war like they knew. No one really knows unless they've experienced it.

Love, bless you and your family - and thank you for your service! And I especially thank you for sharing your story in such an eloquent way!
Have you shared this with any veterans organizations? I think it may be helpful to others who may be suffering from PTSD!

Kept me on my toes

I'm not really a huge fan of the wolf shifter genre, but this one was well worth the read! This book had it all: emotions, romance, action, and quite the plot!

I did get quite frustrated with the MC at times. I would have left Derek to burn long before and her complete disregard for her mate and the doctor... She could have averted half of her problems if she just listened. I had a hard time feeling sorry for her. But, you know that the character is well-written when you're talking out loud to your phone telling them not to do such-and-such! :)

Very few grammatical errors, nothing a quick run-through wouldn't fix.
Excellent story!!

A lot of fun!

This was a ton of fun to read! A lot of laugh out loud moments! The characters were loveable and real. The plot flowed well and I had a horrible time putting it down! Nice work!

Excellent Book and Loveable Characters

This was a wonderful story! Loved the development of the characters - they really came to life! Had a difficult time putting this one down!! Will begin #2 tomorrow!! 😍

Great plot!

I really liked the premise of this story and could see it being expanded in more detail. A beautiful storyline that kept the reader interested, so much that I couldn't quit reading despite the fact that the grammar and punctuation needed quite a bit of work. Some inconsistencies with details and sometimes the personalities of the MC and her uncle felt confusing. With some tweaking this could be a really, really good story!!

Intriguing

So far this is quite intriguing! The way the thief regards the jewelry is really well done! A couple sentences could use some reworking, but great grammar and writing style! Can't wait to read the rest!

A good start

I know you're going back to edit, and I look forward to seeing the finalized version!
This story has great potential, though the first half seemed hurried and a bit sporadic.
The second half was awesome with minimal errors, and really showcased your excellent writing skills!! You captured a lot of good descriptions and dialog! I suggest adding more background info on the characters in the beginning few chapters, as similar names, along with nicknames got confusing at first, but made sense later on.
Otherwise, nice work - keep at it!