G0REL0RD

Picturesque

I'm a big fan of detailed narrations because this is exactly how I prefer to write my own stories as well. I think it's great when by reading through the words of a story your mind can visualize the described events to the very detail, almost as if you were watching a movie or TV series in that moment. Your story definitely excels at this, so kudos on a job well done! I also think this trait affects the belieavability and relatability of the characters designed by you in a very good way. Almost all the dialogues and character portraits are very well written, giving a very indepth insight into every individual character breakdown and inner struggle. Although I'm in my thirties now and don't have too many fresh memories left of my teenage years, reading through all the interactions and scenes between the characters of your story came off to me as perfectly onpoint examples of the way youngsters behave in real life. The whole superfluous drama, youthful exuberance, occasional lack of patience, stubborness, rebellious nature due to overprotective parents and many other teneeage qualities are brilliantly pointed out. I only wish your characters would start displaying more capacity for change and personal growth, because so far everyone seems more or less stuck in the swamps of their own juvenile immaturity. I really hope Rose will eventually start going through this, thanks to Kota's influence on her.

Also, unlike some of other readers, I don't mind the slow build-up of the plot at all - on the contrary, I think it's great that the audience is introduced to the characters of Rose and Kota in such an unrushed manner so that everybody gets an all-round view to the backstory of each protagonist, as well as the reasons for their paths to cross. I remember quite a few world famous novels where the same narration structure is used, so I think you picked it for your story just fine.

As far as the plot goes, I'm not exactly big on vampire or werewolf stories, but I found nothing too banal or cliched with the way you handled this theme in your story. Kota's unique background and his versatile relatives and family members managed to add some interesting twists to the whole concept of vampirism, and his rivalry with Jason also infused the plotline with some nice new shades and colors. My only nitpick would be that the vampires in your story seem a little way too overpowered. Don't get me wrong - I understand supernatural creatures are supposed to possess superhuman abilities, but very often Kota seemed to me like all members of the Justice League rolled into one (and he's not even the strongest of his kind). I think it would be cooler if Kota didn't have all those awesome powers and abilities from the get-go but kept on gradually developing them as his vampirism progressed.

Last but not least, even though this work is positioned as a romance novel first and foremost, I wish there was a little more ation taking place in it. I've already started reading the continuation, and so far it seems Blood Rose delivers on this better than its predecessor. Then again, maybe it's all a part of the overall plotline build-up and you already have your own vision for the way this should develop. Anyhow, consider this remark little more than a humble reader's request)

All in all, extremely satisfied with this novel and already quite hooked up for the next volume. I haven't seen any updates for Blood Soul in a while, but I really hope it's only a temporary setback and you will later return with more chapters and more things to tell about Kota, Rose and everybody else.

Thank you so much for capturing my attention with this work of yours and wish you every success with your writing!

Nerve-tingling

It takes a special kind of talent to create a good thriller that can really keep the reading audience thrilled. And I think 'Look Into My Eyes' delivers on this task perfectly! The dark, grotesque, suspenseful ambience established in this story can almost be tasted as you read through it. The characters are very believable and true-to-life and their unique personalities offer plenty to think about. I especially liked the way you structured the dialogues between them - they feel and sound exactly you would expect them to do in real life. I only wish the overall narration was a little more smooth and detailed as a few plot moves seemed a little too rushed to me. For instance, the scene with murder of Bishop, in my opinion, deserved some more dramatic build-up due to the significance of this character. However, before I was even half-way through my shock from processing his death, the narration almost instantly took me right to the deaths of Oculus's family members, never giving me a chance to properly stomach the previous milestone event. Perhaps, it was the deliberate intent to keep this novel short and to the point, but I think that certain parts could be made a little longer and slower, just to give the readers the opportunity to savour them better.

As far as the plot goes, I can't help but point out all the excellent, unpredictable twists and cliffhangers designed by you. All the details gradually revealed throughout the narration are brilliantly linked to each other, leading up right to the flawless logic of the answer to the enigma which was presented at the very beginning of the story. Even though in the end everything could seem to be right on the surface, I have to admit that the discovery of Oculus's true identity caught me by surprise! My only nitpick would be that the idea of a serial killer gouging out the eyes of his victims struck me as a little redundant at first - I instantly picked on similarity with a cheapjack 2006 slasher film 'See No Evil' where the main antagonist also loved to rip out the eyes of his victims. Then again, it's a well-known fact that maniacs and offenders very often have quite look-alike killing patterns, so maybe this is really not the kind of area where much originality can be implemented. Nevertheless, I by no means mean to undermine the emotional effect of this literry touch with my remark as it still managed to instill plenty of fear into my heart even despite my general familiarity wih it.

All in all, very good impression from reading this story, so thank you very much for drawing my attention to it! Also, I believe you left quite an opening for continuation at the end of it, so I can't wait to read what's going to happen in the next installment, should there be one.

Congratulations on creating such a decent thriller novel! Wish you every success with your writing!

Very promising start

I'm usually not big on werewolf/mutant stories but I must admit your narration got me seriously hooked-on from the very beginning! I really like the way the plot takes us right to the epicenter of action, without any lengthy introductions or explanations! At the same time, thanks to your very detailed scene descriptions, it's really easy to visualize the described events in your mind and understand how this post-apocalyptic world designed by you works as you continue reading on. The same goes for understanding of the characters introduced throughout the narration. The depiction of action scenes is definitely your strong suit - the fights feel extremely dynamic and intense, and when you read them you almost feel like watching a movie or a game video. However, since you position this story as a 'Sci-Fi/Romance' novel, I only wish there was more emphasis placed on psychologism and analysis of the characters' feelings and emotions. Otherwise, very promising start so far, so I can't wait to find out how the plot is going to develop further. Thank you very much for drawing my attention to this novel of yours! Wish you every success in your writing!

Bone-chilling

Wow, before I started reading, I never expected the pace of the narrative to pick up so fast - immediately from the very first chapter things instantly start getting pretty intense and pretty scary. The set-up kinda reminded of Stephen King's 'Carrie' where a girl also lived with a mother who wasn't entirely right in the head. However, Ana seems a much more innately violent human being. I wonder if her earlier childhood is going to be explained in more detail in the future chapters and at which point exactly she became so violent. Also, the fact that her mother systematically kills babies and refers to these killings as 'sacrifices' implies she might be a member of some sick, twisted cult of something. Again, would be really cool to look into this part of her biography as well.

Overall, very pleasant impression from reading this novel so far. The work delivers at keeping you intrigued and scared very well! Also, like I said above, I really like how fast the narrative progresses. The speed of plot development in my novels is usually about four times slower, because I prefer to go really deep into details of the events I describe, as well as dig really deep into the psychology of my characters. However, it's nice to read through something more dynamic for a change as it makes you crave even more for each next instalment.

The writing style is also great - I think your language skills are very well-developed and your use of words and speed patterns is quite effective. My only nitpick is that some sentences seem a little too long for me - when you read them, you get the feeling you'd rather have them split into two or sometimes even three. (or, perhaps, there's just a coma and a capital letter missing somewhere in the middle). Then again, nothing to ruin the pleasure.

The cover also reminded of Stephen King, particularly of the novel 'Outsider'. Then again, the picture you chose for the cover fits your novel's key idea just perfectly!

In conclusion I can only say that when you originally asked me to do a swap review with you, I was intending to do this more out of courtesy for you as well as to increase my own number of reviews. However, I gotta admit your novel really got me hooked-on, and I'm now really looking forward to reading more of it and sharing with you more of my comments and opinions. Thus, I now realize I got really lucky to come across you on Inkitt, so thank you so much for getting my attention!

By the way, should you ever want to discuss more about your or my novel, exchange some ideas, opinions, suggestions etc. or should you just wanna chat - feel free to write me at any time. Until then, take care and best wishes!

Wishing you every success with your writing!

P.S. Extra special thanks for locating your story in Russia - I happen to be from Russia myself, so I can well relate to certain aspects of the story :D On the side note, though: based on my personal experience going to a Russian school, our teachers and principals are rarely bothered to call your parents home when you skip classes at the age of eight lol. However, I graduated more than 15 years ago, so who knows, maybe the standards have become more strict since those times? :D

Intriguing

I'm loving this a lot so far! Haven't read too many stories having Nordic folklore outtakes, so it's quite refreshing to finally come across one. The whole school life atmosphere is very credibly reflected and I could really feel it embrace me with its ambience of familiarity while I was reading through the chapters. I only wish the naration was a little more descriptive and detailed, because I like when I can visualize all the scenes and all the characters at length based on what I'm reading. Otherwise, my impressions from reading the first four installments are very pleasant, and I'm really looking forward to the next chapters and further progression of the plot. Kudos on a great job, keep it up!