_Autumn_Amber_

My honest review

Everything included in this review is solely constructive criticism

Overall review:

My overall review of this novel, is one I had to think a lot about to write.
The elements of gods and goddesses, ages of man that hint towards a past the gods are afraid to speak of and villains that fill you with nothing but hatred aimed towards them, it is simply difficult to come by.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and I am aware some chapters are missing, despite finding myself confused at times, but to sum up my emotions and thoughts of it, I would definitely read it again with more.of an understanding now of the lands and layout of Barathørn and with a better understanding of the characters.

Title and summary:

The title alone holds its own, it makes us question who the silent witness is and what it could mean, what had they witnessed and why is it they remained silent?
As for the summary, it exposes us to where our tale begins and reveals who the silent witness is.
It most definitely builds the fantasy feeling and creates a picture in my mind of the first character

Plot:

Looking at the plot as a whole, I would say that it is well thought out in the way that you have multiple kingdoms with different stories over periods of thousands of years and yet, through domino effects everything aligns and we see characters joining together.
It is well organised and well structured.
It was a surprise to see a cliffhanger at the end but it added tension and kept me thinking what could happen next.

Grammar and punctuation:

On the most part, these two aspects don't crop up occasionally, of course there are a few mistakes here and there but none are anywhere major enough to make it difficult to read or understand

The protagonist:

I would say it is difficult to place my finger on a main protagonist as the point of view does change quite a bit throughout the novel.
However, I do believe at its heart, that Sërafinn is the protagonist.
I enjoy reading about her character but I did find that I had to remind myself that she is not a child.
I feel as though she is portrayed as innocent and more naive than her sibling and the others, but as she drinks wine and other things that pop up, I am reminded that she may be younger but she is not a child.
With her new human body and life, however temporary, it has set a new path of tasks and hurdles for her to overcome but she is strong, although I don't believe she will go home, I have a feeling Daris might just win her over completely.
She is determined and gentle, much like her mother, and I do enjoy how she controls the moon and how she presents herself as a goddess, u swayed by power and more concerned with using it to better Barathørn.

Character relationships:

I will not list every relationship as there are quite a few characters so I will group many together.
To begin with, the gods, their relationships vary a lot depending who is talking with who and if they are partaking in a discussion or meeting. Their meetings often get heated especially when it comes to the first age of man, but you can tell that no matter what they argue about or disagree on, they are family and hold one another close and would protect each other no matter what, as we see when Sërafinn falls Ill.
In terms of my favourite relationship in the novel, it goes to Shafis and Gunner. Their love knows no bounds and has no compare. In terms of their relationships to others, they hold their tongues and show respect, even for Alkan who is widely hated, they get along with most, although shafis's relationship with her daughter is suffering because of Alkan and so is Ysha's relationship to Joshen who she claims she does not love and yet may be carrying the child of, although the probability of it being Alkan's is high.
Elarosh, who is another of my favourite characters, along with his cousin Gren, definitely has a limit on his relationships with others seeing as he is Alkan's advisor and isn't allowed to talk to many.
His relationship with his cousin is something I enjoyed reading, you can tell that there is care and the family bond which definitely adds comfort when times get dark and tense, it brings some relief.
The Hatmins, in the beginning, I thought they were going to be the Gillan's, at least the eldest brother, but things took a twist and they became a friend to the other kingdoms, standing up against Alkan which was a twist but a welcomed one.
Morgan and her families relationship isn't one we see too often but once again, that sense of care is there although she and her brother don't see eye to eye on beliefs in the gods, it was a shame to see her father and brother go off to war, despite her brother wanting it anyway, there is always that chance they won't return and it would impact her character to a grate extent, especially Alkan's attack on the school she was attending where she met a truly vile character that does somewhat remind me of Alkan.
Sarita and her relationships along her journey were solely for her own gain and were not thought about much by her even after deaths followed her, not that she paid mind to them. Her relationship to Morgan was suspicious from the start and once again, we saw her selfishness arise, even if the thought of Morgan being able to change her sat at the back of my mind.
I don't, however, remember what happened to her after the attack of støne fønt, perhaps she will make yet another appearance.

Things to work on:

I would tsay that there are anything major to work on but to list a few things, I would say:

Perhaps introduce the place names slower as on occasions it did overwhelm me with the number of new place names and names of people.
Keep your eye on grammar and punctuation, they're just small errors like a misspelling or a missing letter etc.
Add more in depth detail in areas, for example, the end battle. There are places that could use more description to add that feeling of dread and chaos taking place.

I look forward to your future installments 🌿

My honest review

Everything in this review is to be taken as constructive criticism and feedback.

Overall review

Seeing as this is my honest review, I will be completely that. This book took me on a journey, a good journey, and one I enjoyed a lot.
As a whole, the book had a good storyline which was, for the most part, clear and direct with the events unfolding.
It is definitely a must read for anyone who enjoys historical and religious fiction, although it doesn't follow either to a T and so you can see the originality and the feel and look the author is going for.

The title and summary

The title instantly caught my eye. I have heard of the angel Michael before but I was not aware of his story. It creates a sense of needing to know, why is Michael the last angel on earth? I assumed he was banished and yet, the reason remained a mystery until you began reading.
The summary was well written and very thought provoking. It gave us a little more information as to what happened to begin the novel off but not enough that it gave too much of the plot away.
A much earned well done to you for your work.

The plot

Looking at your plot in the whole, I would say it has relatively good structure, we can follow Michael on his journey with his friends and the ones he gains on the way. We follow them from country to country and from danger to danger and it is clear where they are and what is happening.
On the whole I think it has been well planned out and you knew what you wanted to include and how.
If I were to mention something, however, I would say to look at the end of your work, where the final battle takes place as I found some things a little confusing and it could do with a little reading through.

Grammar and punctuation

Now I will say that this is something I noticed that was an ongoing issue through the novel. Some mistakes weren't too noticeable and you move past it but others made it slightly more difficult and did cause slight confusion.
As I read, some words I found had letters switched around or were misspelt which was alright, however there were instances where words were missing completely and so left me trying to fill in the gap.
But something like this can be helped by more reviews and even websites or apps such as grammarly.

The protagonist

The protagonist holds many names and titles through the entirety of this novel and I will say that it is easy to follow due to how it's written. However there are times where he goes by another name and his previous one is used which I did not see as necessary,however it is up to the author with how he wishes to name and mention the protagonist.
Michael, as I like to refer to him, is a deeply scarred character. He has faced great loss that only grows more as the book goes on and it has definitely made him more strong-willed and in a sense, dangerous.
We learn of his past and what he had done and it does make us feel for him, especially as he loses his family and friends, it does affect his character the entirety of the way through until the end when he seemingly forgives himself and becomes at peace with his past.
We see Michael's character develop and strengthen as he is introduced to people he once knew and others he cares for deeply, but through it all, he takes care of his friends.
I do like Michael as the protagonist, even if his name and appearance has changed to another now, but we can still see the old Michael shining through with determination and love.

Character relationships

The relationships between the characters varies quite a bit, especially when it is in relation to Michael.
Obviously the ones considered 'the bad guys' do not get along with Michael in the slightest, or so I thought before some joined his forces in the end.
Xathaniel, Zarakoth and Lucifer for one do not greatly like Micheal to put it lightly. Their rivalry and conflict is an ongoing issue through the book that affects many others in their wake. But I do think that their relationship, or lack of, is well thought out, especially with Lucifers, Zarakoth and Xathaniels relationship which takes a deadly turn towards the end.
Michael and his friends, on the whole, hey along well, they have their disagreements and we do see Michael bring the best out in them and in some cases, the worst, as we saw with Margaret's outburst. But I do like their relationships because despite them being friends, their group is built more like a family and we can sense the affection between them even as that group then grows from the original members.
Obviously, Margaret and Micheal as the more known relationship and I will admit that I do enjoy their interactions as it seems almost like father and child, as if Michael took over the parental role after his big mistake, as though it was a way to repent and make up for what he had done.
Some relationships, especially towards the end when we meet the Greek gods etc. I do feel as though there needs to be a bit more building as when some perish of are injured, it doesn't have as much impact as it should that makes us dread and hope they survive, just that bit extra time spent with them where they can build a relationship with the already known characters can make the difference and add more impact into your writing.
The mixing of religions and mythologies in your book is what stood out to me the most as I am a sicker for mythology, especially Egyptian and Greek so it was definitely enjoyable to see a personality and characteristics given to the names of famous gods.

Things to work on

The more prominent things I would say you need to work on are descriptions.
Throughout the book, descriptions of armour, weapons and clothing have been long-winded and speak of things I can't imagine or understand as technical terms have been used that I haven't heard of before.
Condensing and simplifying these descriptions can make the world of difference to your readers.
Another thing I would like to mention is the explanations of the characters' pasts. On reading the first one all seemed well, however as more got introduced it became noticeable that they followed the same structures and phrases that became increasingly repetitive. I would definitely recommend altering each one so that they feel more individual and personal to the character instead of them sounding too similar.
The last thing I will mention is the ending of the book, it can be seen in my chapter review, however, I will note it here too that I found it somewhat confusing, it could have been me misreading things so I will have it to you.

I wish you good luck with your work, you truly have a splendid world created and it will undoubtedly grow and expand with the next book/books. I wish you all of the best your work and should you wish for another review from me, just give me a message.

My honest review

Overall Review

Anything that is said within this review is constructive feedback and is in not written with malicious intent, I wish you all of the best with your work to come.

The title And Summary:

From both of these, we come to understand that the protagonist, Elizabeth, finds herself in a world that she isn’t familiar with, they are both intriguing and definitely pique the interest of the reader from the beginning.
I do think that perhaps the summary could keep some things hidden so as to not give everything away to the reader, this way we can discover it along with Elizabeth as we go along.

The Plot

Now the plot, like the title, is well thought out and unique, there are twists and turns from the beginning which have been planned well and aren’t left without an answer.
I can tell that the author is passionate about writing, although they are only starting out, they show true potential already and I do believe that if they continue to work and develop their ideas and books, they could take their work quite far.
I definitely enjoyed her adventures to an alien planet, it was original and gave us a new and very real look at our own world, it was up to date with recent topics and genuinely made me ponder some questions and issues that were raised.
Overall, the plot was smooth and raised problems which the main character had to solve, whether it be independently or with the help of others.
There are things to work on that I have mentioned in the chapter-by-chapter review but they fall under more specific critiques rather than the plot on the whole.

Grammar and Punctuation

On the whole, these two aspects in the book are not a major concern, there were a few mistakes I picked up on here and there, but in no way did they affect my understanding or the way I read it.
One thing I did mention to the author in my notes, was that personally, I do not find swearing in descriptions or thoughts effective, it is simply a personal preference and is not something I would say needs changing.
Similarly was the use of phrases, some were used many a time in a chapter which, if spread out more, would have made it seem less repetitive and would have made room for more detail.
Along with the grammar and punctuation, the point of view, which was first person, remained consistent throughout the book, there was no changing of it as I have seen in other books, it was a well-written book where a few adjustments are needed.

Character Relationships

There are quite a few characters that we come across in the book.
In the beginning, it is Elizabeth and her relationship with her colleague Samantha that we come across first, which we find out isn’t a friendly one of sorts.
Elizabeth’s relationship with her family is strong, her brothers are protective over her and will look out for her as will her parents who seem somewhat in control of her life still, which is partially the reason for her wanting to travel so that she can become independent.
Her relationship with Nate is one of friendship on her side, but romance on Nate’s. We discover that he has liked her for some time but she has refused him on each occasion, yet he sticks by her side and wants the best for her, even if that means informing her parents of her lies.
On her travels, Elizabeth meets a man and woman, they go by the names of Diego and Angela. With Diego, her relationship with him takes a somewhat romantic turn when her alcohol-driven mind frees the side of her that she usually doesn’t show. However, it is a fleeting event and relationship when things are revealed.
As for Angela, her relationship with her is a friendly one and I can say that I do like Angela’s character to an extent, although there is something that told me she couldn’t be trusted.
The man we are introduced to as Grandfather has an intimidating reputation which doesn’t change when Elizabeth meets him for the first time. He has almost two separate personalities, one that shows sympathy and longing, even happiness and the other, that displays control, order and discipline. We do learn more about him along the way and I did seem to forget the sympathy side of him and more of the violent and malicious intents.

During her time on the alien planet Azure, we meet even more characters whom I liked more so than those on earth.
We saw Elizabeth meet Ivan who she had a mixed relationship from the off seeing as their personalities often clashed, both of them being strong-willed and determined, but we saw their relationship progress and better as time went on, despite these occasional disagreements.
On meeting Ivan, we also met Ethan who had a more sympathetic and caring nature when it came to Elizabeth’s bewilderment on reaching their planet, he continued such traits throughout, especially when she became his temporary niece which had a big impact on his character as well as her alien mother who had been wanting children.
Elizabeth’s relationship with other students varied in a wide range of emotions and views, some such as Adina and Lenna, for their own reasons, were harsher towards Elizabeth whereas other characters like Isa and her group of friends helped and supported her during the tougher times and showed to be reliable friends.
One of my favourite characters was Damon, he started off as mysterious and kept to himself until he had an insult to say. But as he got closer to Elizabeth a sweeter side was revealed, one that seemed to care for her well-being and safety which is unusual when you look at other Lamia who would obsess over her human self, that was, until we got towards the end of the plot and things took an unexpected turn.
This is what we saw with Elric who could smell the difference in her blood, he definitely tested out his theories when he could.
Although, it seemed that Elric and Lenna had fallen off the face of the Earth and never reappeared despite it seeming as though they would have more to do with the plot. Similar to them would be the difficulty to understand what part the King of Argent had to play in the plot and what the whole scenario with them added to the plot besides extending it and adding a bit of drama and the same goes for the bees that attacked Elizabeth and weren’t mentioned afterwards, as well as the shadow man and the newly introduced Ambrose.

The Protagonist

Elizabeth, as the main character, who we follow through her adventures is explained from the beginning as reserved and someone who doesn’t venture outside her comfort zone.
However, we see her change and develop as the book continues, she becomes more confident and strong-willed, not to mention outgoing.
It was interesting to see the character development, in the way she spoke and acted towards certain people and situations.
Reading her thoughts and feelings and the way they affected her emotions made her more relatable and less one-dimensional, it allowed us to follow along and in some cases feel as though we were Elizabeth and made us think about what we would do had we been there and facing what she was.

Of course, the other characters too had different personalities and traits that set them apart, this can be hard to do and let alone maintain through a book, especially when new to writing, but you did well and I hope the characters in the book two are just as well thought out.

Things to work on

I would suggest working on detail and description, on the whole, it was relatively well written, however, I did find in some places it lacked the immersive feeling and I couldn’t quite picture or follow what was happening.
Something else I would like to point out is the loose ends in the book. There were things that I felt were missing like perhaps a section or two checking in with Nate and Elizabeth’s family on Earth so that we could grasp the time and whether or not there was a difference between Earth and Azure.

An Honest Review

The blurb: the description sets the boom up well, it piques the interest of the reader and makes us question what it is that's happening.

Characters and their relationships: the main character Eugene is our hero of the story. However, we don't get to see much of his personality or who he is, we can pick up that he has a humerous side but like the other characters, we don't see a lot of who they are.
The relationships between the characters is difficult to understand, their is mention of a romantic relationship between Eugene and Liz but nothing comes of it and is never mentioned again.
The other relationships are hard to tell and can cause a bit of confusion.

The beginning (prologue-chapter 3): we first get introduced to the protagonist here as well as the interesting 1st person narrative. However, what I picked out from these chapters is that there is a lack of description. If more was added, then it would help build the suspense and the world which you are trying to get us to see. It is missing elements that would bring your writing together by simply adding small explanations or comparisons so we can relate to either your character or places.
Describing characters is essential, so one way to do this is picking a key feature and having your main character describe it as though they are noticing the said feature.
Something else I noticed, is that, it is a very fast paced story with quite a few times jumps or leaps form one place to another, so it loses that element of a journey which we as the reader can accompany your character on. By drawing out the journey and describing it and the world around them that they are travelling, we ttok can see what they're seeing as if we were the one travelling.

Middle (chapter 4-7): form these chapters I once again noticed the fast paced nature.
Something else I picked up on was it's untracked sense, it made it difficult for me to keep track of where i, as Eugene, was and what I was doing.
Some of this came from information dumping which made it hard to absorb what I was reading..
But spreading it out and placing information strategically can significantly change the way your book flows.
As for the grammar and punctuation arrors, this can be helped by using apps and websites such as grammarly.

End (chapter 8-epilogue): I realised some loose ends and complications that doesn't entirely let the reader immerse themselves in your world. By reading over and perhaps putting together a rough plan/plot will help you keep track of everything so you can be sure that everything aligns so that there aren't any answered questions.
With some adjustments, I believe that this could be a very interesting read.
You have a very good base but it just needs some polishing up.

I, in no way, mean for this to be harsh, I simply mean it as constructive criticism and i hope that you find it useful in some way.

Keep up the work because the more you write the more you develop your ideas and skills.
It is clear you have a passion for writing and an image of what you want it to come out like in your head, it's just getting It onto paper that needs a little work. 😊🌿

My honest review

Title and summary:

Without even reading it first, these two aspects grab my attention. The title suggests we will be travelling through time but doesn't tell us where or when in time, although the subtitle does hint towards a certain bow wielding man who may wear green tights (not legolas).
The summary however, delves into those details, it exposes the ideas and trips we will be taking as we progress, but it doesn't give too much away that I'm left wondering what else the story could include.

Prologue:

I am definitely loving the whole terra cotta army and the Chinese dragon emperor. It is something I found fascinating after watching the mummy, return of the dragon emperor.
It is right up my street.
There is a lot of information in this prologue and sometimes I did feel my brain trying to keep up, but I think if some sentences were adjusted and simplified then it would be much easier to absorb.
Still, I like the characters you've introduced so far and can't wait to see how you work them into the other chapters.

Main characters:

Tristan and Troy, only teenagers and yet left with such weight in their shoulders.
Tristan is definitely a good source of humour, even in dark situations and Troy is more of the one to ground her and see the logic rather than throwing himself into something heads first, and they work well with each other, the balance each other out
The one criticism I do have about their relationship, is the honesty about their feelings towards one another so early on, as previously stated in my comments. But other than that I like how they're developing already

Relationships with other characters:

As of now, they don't have greatly established strong relationships with others, they have acquaintances like their teacher who sent them on this journey, but they dotn have much to do with each other besides mentions and the interaction before their mission began.
Another example is Robin Hood, who they meet and have somewhat of a love- hate relationship, with his quirky wayd of grabbing their attention and not so well said directions.
They also meet the Vivien who says little but guides them on their journey further, their interaction much like other legendary being of English lore, is brief and serves the purpose of progressing the plot.
But I love them all nonetheless.

Plot:

On a whole, as it stands so far, I like the plot, it is progressing gradually and we have information as to why they are there and what needs to be done so we have the mission in mind as we read.
I can see it being well thought out seeing as there clearly has been a lot of research done and has been purposefully and carely planned.
I cannot wait to see how the rest plays out and to see how the plot develops with the characters and where it will lead down its twists and turns.

Grammar and punctuation:

I did notice a few sentence structures were slightly off but it didn't deter me from reading but I did have to go over it a couple of times just to be sure I understood.
In terms of punctuation, I couldn't see much wrong, the paragraphs and sentences were of good length and you could clearly tell who was talking and when.

Things to note/work on:

Just watch the sentence structures, it isn't anything major.
The development of Troy and Tristans relationship.
And one thing I'd like to ask, is how does Tristans past with her mother being killed play a part in the book? I understand it unsettles her in the specific environment they go to in the shop, but is there not another incident that isn't so extreme that could have taken place leaving her anxiety ridden and traumatised? Just something I remembered while coming to the end of the review is all.

Review of the first chapter only

After reading the summary of your story, I will say that I was apprehensive about reading it as it is something that didn't exactly take my fancy, it was an unusual idea that I will say needs work and to be self-reviewed by you.

I managed to only read the first chapter as it left me rather overwhelmed, with all of the vague information thrown at me.
It also left me confused because of the lack of explaining and the rather off the shoulder feeling it gave as if there was no effort to even try to explain. I would recommend reading through it and possibly finding a way to spread the information so it isn't so in your face.

In terms of the main character, I found him somewhat repetitive with the descriptions given. His weight and appearance, which were explained as ugly, utterly consumed the character and I could not focus on anything but those two features.

Similarly, was the description of most things, they were very vague and some didn't entirely make sense or seem in-depth enough to make it worth being in the plot, would definitely advise finding places to add more detail to make it not only more realistic, but more advanced in terms of the age range you are aiming for.

The punctuation needs a lot of work, with the absence of commas I was left trying to figure out what it was supposed to say instead of it being clear right from the off, it also made it feel as though sentences went on and on.

Overall, I could not bring myself to continue past the first chapter, but perhaps with some revisions and adjustments, I will look into it again. But as of now, I am afraid that it is not the type of book for me.
All the best🌿

Honest reviews

Abomination

Very intriguing first story.
Get the idea that it is an LGBT themed one with the mention of the same anatomy.
It gets the reader thinking and wondering what the meaning will be in the end.
Clearly, love went wrong and the perspective makes it feel as though we are responsible which is a clever writing tactic.
But it does make me wonder if it is actually murder or an internal struggle this character is feeling.

Fish Hook

Clearly an internal struggle, the fish hooks are metaphorical for the pain we are going through as the character.
Very gruesome and descriptive.
Find out that our character is a female from the mother's words.
Truly draws out emotions of dread, sorrow and yearning for a positive comment.
The list of words is a clever tactic, we can see by the way the font size and style changes that she is growing more distraught and angry with each word that comes to mind.
She is clearly a tormented soul that has not been given chances in life and has not been surrounded by nice people.
I get the feeling that it could be a way of describing self-harm, as she recites the words spoken to her and all of the negativity, the fish hooks tearing her skin, a metaphor for self-harm.
Or it is the way depression feels to her, until the end.

Nodnaba

Love the contrast of the snow angel in hell.
Get the idea that we were kicked out from home and yearning for someone to care, holding onto the hope that someone shows some kindness.
A very intriguing concept, we are clearly wondering the streets in the cold but of course, being alone and left to the elements would sure feel as though you were in hell.
We are clearly seeing a story of someone who is now left to the streets to try and survive, with no one stopping to ask if they are okay.
It is well written and evokes emotions from us as the reader.

Atlas

Instantly, I feel as though he is taking his life. The way it is described as him having the weight of the world on his shoulders is very clever.
It is very hard hitting to the reader with the descriptions and the gore, it exposes us to the gruesome things and horrific thoughts tormenting and torturing his mind.
It is truly heartbreaking.

Villain

Right off of the bat, there is a fight, I can tell by the language and descriptions used.
I get the idea that she was abused by a possible partner but wasn't believed, it leads me to think that he is the one she is fighting.
Looking at the title and what is written, it is like the title wants us to think she is the villain for murdering this abuser, as do the words that people have said about her, but it is hard to think that way when she clearly went through so much pain and hurt with people ignoring her cries for help.
There is a theme through all of these short stories, the protagonist is always seen as a monster or a villain, where the people pushing them to their edge are the real monsters and villains.

Rot

Is the character imagining all of this illness, do they see the illness as their mind and how that reflects onto the body.
I did find this one a little harder to understand but nevertheless, it was well written and very effective.

Garden

The weeds I feel as though represent the anger and emotions invading our minds left there by our family members.
It is a clever way to compare the mind and feelings to nature.
I like the last line and the impact it has and how it shows how we feel like the reader and character.

An honest review

The overall book

The Seer Chronicles kept me gripped from the very beginning to the very end as I found myself reading as many chapters as I could to know a little more.
Andriel is different from our world, you can tell by the architecture, the people and the lands themselves, it takes us to a new world and makes us feel taken away from the ordinary, but even in Violet Springs, there is a trickle of the supernatural seeping in from Andriel.
There were a few things I picked out but they were discussed with the author and resolved which is something that I find genuinely good, alongside the book.
Having communication with the author can be key to understanding their work but also for them to receive the best review, the more I understood, the more I could enjoy it.
I can firmly say that I am looking forward to the second book and all of the adventures, plot twists and new characters we will meet along the way.

Plot

The plot line for the seer Chronicles was very well planned, that was for sure, there were no loose ends that left something vital unexplained and it was clear to me that the author had thought it through to the very end.
Every branch from the main plot was clear and rejoined the main storyline very well, everything came full circle and caught you off guard.
The author used a wide range of skills that provoked emotion from the reader, as well as using foreshadowing and getting us to think back to the very beginning where we can draw connecting lines to something happening towards the end.
Overall, I love the plotline and I can see that the author had a clear image in their mind of what they wanted their book to be and in doing so, created a very well written and well-established book.

Writing Style

The writing style is what stood out to me as well as the plot itself.
The descriptions and explanations were well written and painted a clear picture in my mind as the reader, I could almost see what was happening and the way the people looked, even things down to the swords and stones I could envision clearly because of the way it had been written and said.

The Characters

My thoughts and opinions of each character fluctuated throughout the thirty-seven chapters.
Destiny, being our protagonist, stayed a somewhat steady character throughout there were of course times where I questioned her actions but like the other characters, we place our trust in her and believe that she is doing the right thing.
From the beginning, there are clashes between certain characters, like Destiny's father and stepmother who doesn't particularly seem as though they get along, not to mention Destiny and her step-mother too who sometimes won't see eye-to-eye.
My opinions changed the most towards Cristos and Hope, these two characters I thought to be sweet when I was first introduced to them, but as time went on, I soon found out to not fall for the charms.
Loyalty was something I kept my eye on, with traitors and deceit passing around, it was hard to trust even the closest of characters, I felt the same emotions as them as they struggled to find reliability in each other out of the fear that they could be betrayed by those closest to them.
Even when Mother Nature, who is one of my favourite characters, was introduced, I kept reservations based on what she had said to Destiny and Taylor, despite her speaking in riddle-like phrases, they had many warnings and I couldn't help but think about who they may be referring to.
Each and every character certainly kept you on your toes, especially those like, Selina, Solomen, Cristos, Hope and Ashwen.

Relationships between characters

Despite being tricked and saddened by some relationships, like that of Destiny and Cristos, there were a few that left their mark on my mind.
Destiny and Taylor are the more obvious couple, their relationship is slow developing but isn't any less sweet. He is caring and accepting of her and her boundaries, with his joking personality he is a very thought out character.
Another couple that we see grow together is Ash and Esmeralda, their relationship is more of a side one but it is nice to see them share small moments here and there.
The relationship between Taylor and his father is one that I liked to see, it gave us more insight into Taylor himself and his family, it also revealed how he is with his family compared to his friends, there was definitely a difference.
I believe that the relationships were very thought out between the characters, equally so with the characters that weren't so loyal, they all had a role and a part in the plot that painted a bigger picture, and even at the end, I imagined their journey with Destiny is not over.

An Honest Review

Following my previous review, I can definitely see the changes and edits that you have made and it has made things clearer and easier to understand.
With added details I can now envision things much better and can get a firmer hold on the storyline that you have created.
I would say that I did enjoy it more so than last time, seeing as the characters were now introduced more indepth to ud as tge readers.
As requested I have left a comment on each chapters with things that I thought might help, so I hope that they make sense to you and that they do help in some way.
I in no way mean for them to sound harsh, I am just quite blunt with my note making as I only bullet point them as I go along.

I wish you all the best with this book, you have a good developing idea and I am sure that not just this book, but others you may produce will do well.
Thank you for letting me delve into your world of supernatural beings.

My Honest Review

Starting with the summary, it was definitely interesting and engaging. It got the readers thinking about the situation and the events that would be approaching as they began the book.
I did, however, believe that it could have included less information, or perhaps could have been written in a way that concealed more information to make it more of a mystery as to what would be happening.

What I thought of the characters:

Our main character, Kathleen, is an emotionally unstable woman who has suffered the great loss of her child.
It is clear that the event tortures her on a daily basis and is something she and her husband haven’t entirely talked through, to an extent that it is something they can move past together.
I do feel as though some of her actions are supported by her grief and the void she feels that this painting filled, however, there are times that she seems irrational, even in the beginning before the effects of the painting.

Her husband, Rene, on the other hand, seems more progressed past the loss and holds a strong but sometimes aggressive demeanour.
His words and behaviour, at times, do escalate quite quickly where the conversation could be drawn out a little longer to make it seem more natural and not as though he is an aggressive character that is always about to burst with rage.

The relationship between the two characters was clearly rocky and unpredictable with the loss of their child playing a major role, including their new member to the family.
They're often butt heads and fail to see eye to eye.
I would have liked to have seen more of a connection between them, perhaps a bit of backstory too so that we could get more of an idea as to who they were before the miscarriage and the rest of the events that unfold.

The beginning of the story:

The first chapter, and its name, were both intriguing, even more so when I came across the title that had been worked into the chapter itself.
You were first introduced to the characters and the interesting first-person narrative, Kathleen we discover is our main protagonist in this tale and that her husband is a side character who plays a vital role in triggering the plot and moving the story along.
As the story progressed I saw a change in the writing style as it became smoother, as well as the way each chapter progressed the characters themselves.
The first chapter set the story up well, but more detail could have been added, just to give it more of that suspenseful dread we want to feel when reading something like this.
Through this book, there were slight grammatical and punctuational errors, but it didn’t change my experience to the point that I didn’t enjoy what I was reading.
It proceeded nicely from chapter to chapter and we gradually get to know more about their miscarriage and how affected each of them differently and how they chose to cope with it moving forward.
There was a scene where the police were called and I do feel as though they responded too quickly, but then it is not entirely explained where it is they live, if it is the city then perhaps it would have been more reasonable, but I still feel as though there should have been a bit of a longer wait for the officers.
Another section was the news article, this could have been made a bit more formal to really sell the idea of it being an actual article.

Overall though, I feel as though it was genuinely a good novel with good foundations.
You can see the progression of Kathleen’s character and how she loses her grip on reality and sanity with the influence of the painting, she began isolating herself and distancing from others as her obsession grew.
Although, I do feel as though it ended rather suddenly and could have been done with more of a build-up to really grow the suspense, tension and exaggeration.
However, I do recommend this to others who enjoy the genre and I really hope that this review helps.
All the best on your other projects.

Review

Absolutely fantastic!! This for me is what fantasy is all about, the lore the worlds created as well as the characters. and you have done it all.
The plot is so well planned out so far that it makes for a smooth yet eventful.
You've created each and every character as well as the places in a way that shows their individuality and quirks.
Honestly, this is an amazing read and would highly, highly recommend it for anyone that is a lover of fantasy.
Keep up the great work :)