L. A. Ruel

The "keep fighting for your justice, keep a kind heart" review

Disclaimer: I am one of the winners of this competition but I will give my fair opinion based on my experience. How you decide to interpret it is entirely up to you. I put here my honest thoughts and I take responsibility for them and for how I will be judged for it.

I am trying to find a way to make the ratings meant for a book apply to a contest - bear with me, please.

Rating for Story overall - overall experience in the competition 4 stars

I entered 2 of my books, specifying from the start their genre. Throughout the process, I had no issues with them being assigned in their genre or being assigned a judge. For the first round of the competition, everything was done transparently and I experienced no misunderstandings.
I would have awarded here 5 stars :)) but the discussions stirred around the entire process chipped away on my experience.

Plot of the story - judging criteria used 3 stars
The judging criteria for the first round were perfectly clear to me and learning my score I found it to be a fair one(I did not score the highest in my genre or overall)

The judging criteria for the second round did include some changes to the first round and I am still not aware if the scores from the first round were taken into consideration or not. I know there was mention of user interaction, something I believe is hard to be quantifiable but I thought it to be something to make this competition unique among the others. Unfortunately, it left room for interpretation.

Writing style - judging process 4 stars
I take my hat off to all the judges who volunteered to take part and helped shape up these awards. I had no issues learning who my judges were and no issues communicating with them. My first round judge was kind enough to have discussions and open opinions about my book and my writing style and promoted me to improve on my story right away. My second round judge sent me a heartfelt message to let me know she truly enjoyed my book. Having this feedback from her I did not press to find out more(yes - I took my laurels and was happy to adorn them :))) so I can not comment on how responsive she was to give more feedback.

I did hear however other people were left confused on how this entire process went and their results. When it comes to judging I guess it depends on the judge and the ones who coordinate them.

Grammar - communication skills 2 stars
For round one I thought the communication process went well. There were regular updates, no confusion and no misunderstandings when it came to my entries. There was an issue with finding judges, as one always finds with these type of awards, so not starting with a full set of judges for some genres might have been the cause for the problems some other participants experienced.

In the second round of the competition, communication got a little bumpy and ended up being confusing. The results were postponed and when they were announced there was no mention of the scores. I can see how this left the majority of the participants confused and disappointed when their inquiries got no clear answers. It is their right, and duty for the community, to ask questions and comment on their experience.

To shed light on what I believe was the cause of this, I will add the organiser of this awards was confronted with personal issues and this could be the reason why she was not at the helm, coordinating the entire process. Yes, there are other members involved but I do not know how their communication process went. I believe it is room for improvement in this aspect.

I read people saying they do not trust the entire process and they believe it was intentionally not made clear to give a boost to the judges/organizers' favourites. For my part and I can speak for some other participants I will say I only got to interact with the host and the judges only after I entered the awards. At no time did I learn or noticed anyone was being favoured or was submitting to bribing (I would award this 5 stars for willingness to act fair)

I read from a reviewer that he found this experience disappointing and it discouraged them to enter other awards. I am sorry to hear anyone felt this way. I wish they could have had the chance to reach out to other participants, fellow authors and expand on their community and their experience - this is the best part of participating in any awards.

My personal advice to anyone - do not enter these type of awards to win, enter to better yourself, enter to get to know other authors and their works.

My final thought goes to the hosts of these awards. I know they are young and with other responsibilities. I commend you for being brave and willing to start this initiative to bring together the community. I commend you for your efforts and whether you were experienced enough or not to organise these type of awards please do not feel discouraged. My belief is that even God in all of his perfection still has things to learn. And having the opportunity to learn is one of the best gifts we can receive.

Stay safe everyone!

The "how to drop a bomb" review

(currently finished chapter 16)
Teenage high school drama should NOT be a tag for this one. "How to drop a bomb" seems more appropriate!

This has a great plot and the story gets darker with every chapter. And you want to read some more because it gets a hold on you.

The storytelling has a good balance between descriptive paragraphs, dialogue and action, And everything comes together in harmony. If you are avid for highschools movies the dialogue will make you feel right at home and if you are not you might end up asking yourself "what on earth are teenagers today thinking!" - but all those movies out there - they reflect reality and so does this book. Until the plot twist makes an entrance, that is.

The characters are fleshed out - each one with his or her own set of peculiarities. But they are not simply laid on paper. Oh, no...You will need to discover them as there are nuances here and there that leaves you asking questions if you actually know anything about anyone. And this is what makes the reader turn another page.

I must quote a (somewhat) famous song thou:
"..Down on my knees / Begging, please..." for the author to go thru the chapters and do a proofread and some grammar and phrasing corrections and transform this from a good read to a fantastic read. (Don't worry I am at my 30th revision with some of the chapters in my book - and they are still not perfect)

PS: Did someone enjoy too much "356 Days"? - I know I did :P

The "Of Gods, Mortals and Vikings" Review

Q: What happens when a fierce, bloodthirsty Valkyrie, daughter of the gods, meets a cocky mortal with a destiny?

A: One becomes a Party and they all set on an adventure.

This is a story deeply rooted in the Norse Mythology. Equally engaging for the myths&legends fanatic or for the clueless. One thing is for sure; it is an entrataining.

Plot 4/5

In this book we follow Valkyrie Svava, a legend on her own, on a quest, both official and personal, to find the mystery behind one man's destiny. In the process she finds, that though she thought of herself way above human condition, she might have a human heart. And a way to adorable pet friend. Solen, meant to be a fierce Alpha wolf like beast, is adorably portrayed as one furry friend you would want to have.

And men will be men with their roughness and their fighting, that Svava loves to be a part off. A true characteristic of vikings.

The story is set at a nice pace and reasonably balanced chapters, making for an enjoyable read.

Going through the 16 chapters I had the impression the first 3 or 4 were rushed and unpolished. I found as repetitive the spelled out usual gesture of fist to the heart. I think it would have been perfect if in half of the times the author would have implied them instead of accurately written them. This was not an issue in later chapters where the interactions between characters seemed so natural.

Another thing that I appreciated was the accurate use of terms and gods that made for a vivid setting.

Writing style 5/5

I appreciated the descriptive, well balance and witty turn of phrase, with a poetic twist. It made for an enjoyable read and a study case on how to do a good balance between telling and showing. I also took notes on how to keep a consistent POV when using the 3rd person and not do head hopping. A flawless, clear and to the point delivery, in my opinion.

Again, I believe the first chapters need a little polishing when it comes to repeating words and lengthy phrasing.

Grammar 4/5

Most of the grammar issues I found in the first chapters. I could not tell if they were misplaced or misused words, probably because of the language barrier, but I did find my reading not flowing so easily up until chapter 5 due to this. I also remember an abrupt switch of POV from 3rd to first in one occasion. My conclusion is that a little editing here would go a long way when it comes to the value of this story.

Overall 5/5

This is such a wonderful read. It offers distinct and clearly fleshed out characters, that stick with you and make you feel something. The adventure factor is meant to push the story forward and is complex as it offers multiple subplots, all hinting to something as monumental as Ragnarok. But my main reason for turning the page remained the characters.

"The devil knows your secrets" review

Willow Rise - a place run by the deepest pocket or the fastest bullet. Yet, no matter the player, the filthiest soul always wins. The one that has a hold of your darkest secret and is willing to slam you down with it until you are only worthy to knock on the gates of hell. When you read Willow Rise Six you instinctively ask your self what your darkest secret is and how could you stay away from that devil with a human face.

The writing is top notch and the reader should be advised to search for meaning beyond words. The delivery is simple and neatly created, built as various points of views with each chapter for each of the characters. The devil's true voice however, just like in the scripture, is revealed for the reader through the voices of the 5 sinners.

Like peeling away layers of a mille feuille cake, with each chapter we also discover our dark heroes. The author progresivley gives us details about them, yet just enough to keep reading.

The scenic depiction is flawless. The text reads smoothly into images. The action and dialogue however needs some extra attention from the reader because it is jam-packed.

I found myself unwillingly getting attached to a character only to be left with my heart in shambles by the end of the chapter. Cruel author! But, only a skilful author can make you say that yet keep you reading.

Each character has his distinct persona, from gestures to their way of speaking. The dialogue is faithful to that but through out the chapters I expected to feel that from the way the chapter was written. This is not a critique, but maybe a suggestion for making this book truly unique.

The plot. The main plot is lined with smaller ones and has enough plot twists to make you gasp or chuckle. The story is one that might sound familiar but the way it is built makes for a complex story and worthy of the five star treatment.

Though I have seen the devil's true colors I confess Bill is my favorite character and as it is fitting for him I hope he would get what is coming for him and find salvation somehow. Either way, as a true western fan, I hope by the end of the book someone will ride of into the sunset.

There are minor and scarce grammar issues but the quality overall is 5 stars.

The "When History meets Passion to create Art" Review

I love good vampire stories. Can't help it considering my nationality and my inadvertent closeness to Bram Stoker's Dracula. What I did not expect was to find a Vampire story that would feel even closer to my heart. Forevermore starts on two different sides of the world, factual and metaphorical. The author uses the, by now common and usual POV of the main characters to guide the reader through the story. But there is more to it. Chapter after chapter the author does not simply paint the characters, she builds multidimensional models for them, beyond 3D. She used time and the affective plains of existence as well. These might be the most complex characters I have encountered so far in a story on this platform. And I was fascinated. Not only the story drew me in but also its characters. I could not put the book down until I was finished and after I was left with an emptiness that would only be inflicted by an epic book.

I considered long and hard the 5 stars I gave on each section. Every time I go to revise my rating, no matter how much I put into question the aspects of each category I can not give anything less than 5 stars. There is nothing for me to critique.

And I have not even touched on the subject of the author's writing style. Beautiful, poetry, descriptive, complete, sublime. Everything I strive to achieve as a writer myself. Each chapter left me in awe and i could feed on a vocabulary palette worthy of bestsellers books.

And I did not even touch the subject of history and research. Throughout this book, the reader might get an unsolicited yet fascinating history lesson. The focus is the historical times of Vlad the Impaler -the actual historical figure - with actual historical references- accurate, thoughtfully and masterfully inserted in the story. this could have only come from the hands of a passionate human. And I can vouch that every historical fact included in this book is accurate because I learned it previously in school. And I was again left in awe. I admire anyone who lets himself consumed by their passion and this author invested her time and her talent to do a rewrite on history. I can see high schoolers learning about Vlad The Impaler through this book and not even noticing they are taking a history lesson.

This book gave me the feeling I was reading a hardcover book, from a published author, bought with my own money, from a fancy library, from a shelf with a picture of the author and a sign reading "best seller". Yup. When this comes out I would pay for a copy yet you can read it now for free. So I must ask you: What are you waiting for?

The "Released from the godless world" review

Where should I begin?

With the first paragraph.

If you want reassurance this is one high quality written piece read the first paragraph. I assure you the ensuing will not disappoint.

The author does not shy away from epithets and symbolism to paint the picture of a stormy night for one lonesome writer. I do not know what made me connect to the story; either because it was about a writer or because of the clarity in which I could envision his night and bits of his life unfolding, through the beautiful words. Perhaps it was both.

When it comes to plot writing about someone's night and a storm might not sound complicated, but the reader will get plenty of gut-wrenching plot twists so I could not give anything less than 5 stars.

What stimulated my wit were the philosophical bits spread across this short story.

There were humour, self-irony and something else I can not pinpoint that made the character endearing to me. I believe this is the author's gift. By the final end sentence, I had tears in my eyes

After reading this piece I was left in awe. Could it have been better?

I wished the author had made those philosophical references mirror the story and I would have been blown away.

What I am taking away with me is this quote:
"...it is impossible to write without leaving parts of yourself behind to be devoured by the pages..."

PS: no use talking about grammar and other common writing issues - I found Released to be flawless.

test review

test review -and now I can't delete it.

Might as well make it honest - as honest I can be when judging my work for others to see.

The story overall - I can not give myself less than 5 stars for the story - no way to be anything less than subjective with this criteria.

Plot - I come up with new ideas to enrich the plot every time, some I go for, some I let go - so 4 stars because; room for improvement.

Writing style - I am at the beginning but I had people praise my writing style and the way I keep focus on multiple characters. I am still to improve with the telling vs showing aspect - but I work on that to be truly deserving of the 4-5 stars rating.

Grammar - OK, when I first published this book my grammar would have been deserving of 2 stars. Since then I did a lot of revisions thanks to wonderful people on this platform and it improved. Still not deserving of the 5 stars because it is not perfect. But for the hard work I put in I will leave this rating on 4 stars.

There you go. What started as a way for me to test if I can delete reviews on my own books, ended up as me appearing to be an overbearing narcissist.

Feel free to oppose my star rating and arguments in the comments or with your own reviews.

The "Hello, nice to meet you" review

What is not to like in an origin story? You get the same feeling as the first time you say hello to someone new. But unlike when meeting someone new, I can guarantee you that you will like "meeting" this book and saying hello for the first time to its characters. And you can trust me because I am acquainted with this author's work, Even for this book I read parts of it twice: prior and after some revisions and I can say it only gets better.

From the beggining, you get a clear insight into the premise of the story - the world of gods who set everything into motion and a nice reference to Egyptian mythology. Then you get to know a little girl from a big and dangerous world, who Fate decided to test and mould into becoming something much more than the little girl, or the reader, ever expected. Then you will get to meet a "love to hate" villain but beware, sometimes, with the insight you will get into his thoughts, you might even become sympathetic to his cause. Luckily, then come his actions and that shakes out the reader from straying on the erroneous path. All this rollercoaster of emotions is made possible with the author's skilful story crafting.
Beware of the age rating - some brutal and hard to swallow events are depicted - everything is done in a tasteful literary fashion.

Are there things to improve, grammar to polish and plot to iron out? Sure. Like it happens with every labour of passion. But you will find behind this book the passion and will to create one of the best and memorable vampire stories out there. And the funny thing is because it is a labour of passion, the author might feel it still needs some work even when it will be close to perfection.

The honest review of an intriguing novel

Someone else said "We don't glitter" and that made me chuckle. There are no glitters and none of the other overused vampire lore you would usually find in vampire novels. This book (or better said series of books) brings a new and imaginative approach with elements, characters and plot design. And above all soars something else: passion. The passion that the author poured into her work, imagining and developing the story. You sense that reading her paragraphs.

You follow the female lead from being an all-powerful vampire queen to becoming helpless and amnesiac having to learn everything again. And she is put through these trials and tribulations because of the most universal reason: love. There are some elements of gore and sexual representations so be advised and take note of the +18 rating.

I have encountered books that made me turn a page because of the plot, or because of the beautiful writing and I must say that this book helped me discover yet another reason a reader would turn a page: intrigue. The "why" and "because" are not plainly spelt for you to read. It is the share force that makes you continue reading, apart from the interesting premise and the interesting characters.

In my opinion, there are some things to improve when it comes to the writing style. The descriptions are amazing to read most of the times and the dialogue is very good. I would work a little on how the author writes the filler parts - some more details on surroundings and not repetitive, the filler paragraph describing actions - they have a tendency to sound briskly. Then some grammar revisions so in my opinion, this book is still an advanced draft of what will become an amazing story.

And this is an amazing story told by someone I have found to be a kindred spirit. - a truly passionate storyteller.

"The Legends of Everytheen" Review

(Currently, read up to Chapter 12)

Going thru this book I got the immersing experience of reading something real. Some authentic folk tales about actual places and actual gods that people used to believe in, a long time ago.

The pantheon of gods, the world they inhabit, and the world they create are described with minute details. The writing style is perfectly fitted for such a story as the reader gets plenty of details in the description that can be used as building blocks to create in the reader's imagination what the author envisioned, The relationship portrayed between gods, gods and humans and humans are believable and neither of them is painted as perfect. The gods can be benevolent but are not perfect. Humans are flawed by their nature. There are a lot of comparisons I can draw with the Greek myths and legends. But the author has put in the work and imagination to create a unique world.

I am a fan of Greek mythology. One of my fellow countryman, an author, gathered all the greek legends and rewrote them and compiled them into a book called the Legends of Olympus. A book that has made every child in my country a fan of reading and of the Greek gods. Reading thru this book right here gave me nostalgia of those childhood days.

If "The Silent witness" can reach the masses and pass the test of time, it has the potential to become "legendary".

The "not a cheap thrill" review

Yeah, F. U. Samson - you're not a pervert. You're a psycho!
(warning: this review contains minor spoilers)

Well, that was thrilling!

When delivering a scary story there is no need for over-complex plot. It is enough to read the lines and imagine you are in the character's shoes and if you want to really enjoy this story I dare you to put yourself in everyone's shoes - even Simon's.

The delivery is done in short sentences that present the actions of the characters. Step by step you follow them and while the short delivery is efficient to paint the picture of what is going one I felt hungry for more thrill.
****spoilers****
I wondered - how did Stacy's hands shake after she nearly escaped? How did Jared's blood drip on what colour of a carpet? How the eyes of Mr. "I'm No Pervert" looked every time he got closer and closer to his target? What is going on inside his head to think it would be ok to be a psycho instead of a pervert? And what the hell is going on inside Camilla's mind? How does she feel her terror growing when every person she knows becomes a victim. I wanted the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up and be frozen in place until that final line "F U Simon!". And this written piece has the premise to do that.

Action wise this short story is packed and it is sure to leave you scared to read the next sentence. If the author gives this story a chance to be enriched with plastic descriptions it will leave you on the edge of your seat.

The "now I know what a DragKing is" Review

(read up until chapter 07)

I know I am a plain gal so I do not have much experience with this genre or with the subject in this novel. but oh boy, it was entertaining! In a verry tasteful manner.

Nothing to graphic, only suggestive, putting your imagination to work but giving plenty of details. I am talking about the story folks. Nothing more!

The focal point is the main character's inner core. What he feels, why he feels it, how he feels it! I am talking about the emotions, sheesh!

The author put so much thought into what words to use to describe even a simple dance scene and makes use of irony in a humorous way (loved the florist part).

And I need to mention the characters interactions that is done realistically. My favourite was Bee/Mia. Viktor(with a K, alright?) is kept under the vail and is yet to be revealed. My guess: in a heart shattering way. Also, every character shown gives an air of unicity. Even Rosa, the door lady.

I was surprised I was able to connect with the story but it is all due to the author's skillful writing.

What I want to point out from this book is this line: "Friendships that don't help you grow are worthless" and I can swap it to this: "Books that don't help you grow...should be put back on the shelf" - for the ones that do help you grow - they will always stay with you.

This is well on the way of becoming such a book with the bonus it leaves you learning a new quote ... and what a drag king is.

The questioner's review of an engaging novel

Why do we like this kind of stories?

I think we like them because they are based on the idea of having a mate, a soul mate, a reason to go beyond any impediments and be with someone simply because he or she is the one. And even if 2 people do not belong to the same species, that belief alone is reason enough for them to be together. Or not?

But this story is not just about that. It presents multiple themes like segregation and subjugation, lgbt, all built on the premise of a Cinderella’s rags to riches story, of parties, dressing up and, of course, romance. The author carefully thought of building a complex story and I would have loved longer chapters where these themes could have been explored more.

I appreciated the author's use of imagination. She has created a world for her story, came up with new names, and put up the bases for a new religion. There is also wittiness in the dialogue - I personally found the first 15 chapters to be the strongest in that way.

The reader will flow seamlessly over the paragraphs and sometimes he will be left wanting more because, when the author is focused on description it is plastic and rich with details and it leaves you in owe.
You get personally attached to Cae and Erik because of the use of POV and you cannot pick a clear favorite.

When you reach the end of the book it leaves you asking yourself another question:
Should you love thy enemy or hate thy lover - but I guess you will need to read the next book to find out.

Review of a Romantic Geek

(I read thru the first 15 chapters and what I believe to be the first version of the manuscript that was published on inkitt)

Dear, Author, you had me at Chapter 1.

And the reason for that was A: your writing style and B: the premise of the story.

I found the writing style and the general use of the vocabulary to be similar to that of actual published books. Are you sure you are a newbie to writing? I ended up learning a couple of new words and wishing that the writer could give me some lessons on how to write. The main style is descriptive but at a pace that allows one to read, understand and visualize. As a result, I become a little squeamish on some depicted scenes.

For the story in itself I have a disclaimer first: I am a plain gal that likes drama, romance and the general bullshit of everyday life so fantasy is not actually my element. However, I found the action and fantasy tags of the story to be well represented. I could also add a horror tag, But maybe I am just that inexperienced with the horror genre. Since this is a work in progress, I would encourage the writer to explore more the lore of his world. I for one, found it hard to believe some of the situations presented that were related to the fantastic (like why would the witch not be able to cure herself).The action scenes depicted were good. I think that if the romance element will be better explored it will attract some additional readers.
When it comes to flaws, I encourage the author to go thru the chapters he published so far and do some revisions – there was some phrasing that left me unable to understand who did what. The minor misspelling is something that I understand it can occur especially on something you write and “publish” yourself.
Overall I enjoyed the story, especially at the beginning.
What I like most from the first 15 chapters: the relationship between Eleanor and Grayson (the way he calls her name the first time made me all mushy inside)
The character that I like, and I put my hopes on is Eilif.
Grayson is setup to be the ML, the good guy that has some dark issues to deal with. But what I hope for is to find out that Eilif, who seems to be the antagonist, does all his bad deeds with good intentions. I hope the history between Eilif and Eleanor will be more than meets the eye and - insert Romantic Geek here - maybe a love triangle?