Omg very good

"Such a great story"

Strong World

"You've created a strong world, one which seems very real and easy to picture. I think you had a good combination of description and character interaction to build this "place" and make it real. Nicely done! It does have a Hunger Games feel to it, but not in a bad way. Aside from the imagery and characters, the overall movement of the story flows very well. I didn't sense it getting too bogged down anywhere. I enjoyed the work!"

Best

"I really loved your story. The plot is mind-blowing. I will definitely read this story again. I loved how you captured some scenes and your grammar is really good too. :)"

"null"

Quite interesting and makes us think

"His story has brought me a general analogy of what is in fact the intention to convey an idea. What is the moral of writing something? What profit will readers have at the end of the book? This is a good book and I recommend everyone to read it.The idea is quite enlightening and captivating."

The Tower

"I hope this is just book one, because the author has created an interesting political/economic situation with no easy answer and I'd like to see it resolved somehow. The writing is overall excellent, but there are some mechanical errors, most notably chapter 15 is in twice and chapter 16 seems to be missing. In the early chapters the word "bit" is used too frequently, sometimes more than once in the same sentence or same paragraph and could in many cases be eliminated- "They were younger" versus "They were a bit younger". There are also quite a few unnecessary squiggly line story breaks- that symbol should only be used to indicate a shift of character focus or time break within a chapter, but I found it in the middle of conversations. The later chapters have more typo errors than the earlier chapters and a correction run through would likely fix most of that. What impressed my most was the author's feel for the characters' emotions and interpersonal relationships. The action sequences were also well written, and the story kept me interested throughout."

The Tower

"The Tower is a universal story of hope. For my money, genre isn't important when the writer tells a good story and takes an honest look at the state of man. A little more tension would make the manuscript even more exciting, but that's a minor detail. Like most first and second drafts, there are still a few typos that can be easily corrected; but hey, who's counting. Rock is a indeed a hero, one worthy of acclaim and one who's story should be told. Thank you for a memorable read!"

Praise for, "The Tower"

"I read this entire story in the space of less than a day. The only time I put it down was when real life took me out of the zone. The MC was and is an incredibly likable individual. The book did have a "Hunger Games" feel to it without the vivid visuals of gore which I found refreshing. You know that there was the element of gore with out him describing the result of the events leading to what you know must have been horrific. The writing style was completely engaging and delivered everything you would expect from a best selling book. There were only a handful of grammatical errors in the form of missing words or misspelling, and by a handful I mean less than ten. The only thing I would change about the story is the ending. I was disappointed when the author did not walk us through the reuniting with Jenny and mom, other than that this story was amazing and I hope to see it in physical print,. I would buy a copy for my own collection."

Engaging and Thought Provoking

"Although one might first think of other dystopians like The Hunger Games at the start of this novel, the author cleverly creates a lot of original distinctions in plot, character, and writing style that will change the readers mind. Richard was a very engaging character in the story with a voice I found to be very easy to understand and likable. A lot of modern dystopians really take government to the extreme, but this creates a unique society the realm of literature will happily take with open arms. The concept of The Tower was thought provoking and filled with politics (which was great). I found the characters to feel real and rooted for them as they took their climb. My favorite character out of the group would either have to be Richard or Jenny because of all the development placed behind them and their relationship. They also seemed very real. I gave the plot four stars because I wish I would have known Richard's thoughts as he accepted the job. It would have added more provoking thoughts and made it a little easier for the reader to understand. I also rated it this way, because some other characters like Kris and Owen were pretty similar. Overall, this is a great book filled with something readers will think about for days to come and has a world that's unique and hard to forget. **NOTES FOR THE AUTHOR BELOW."

An American Hunger Games

"I started reading this story and just couldn't put it down. It has a lot of parallels to the "Hunger Games" series, but it has a really nice American, political, realistic twist to it. I love the idea of the volunteers having to climb the tower. The simplicity and horror of it is really striking. One of my favorite aspects of this story was the world-building involved. Most people - when going for a fallen-nation type setting - take it to the extreme, but this just took the world back to a simpler life. I really liked that Richard was a farmer doing normal, every-day things with relatable relationships and goals. This real, vivid world made the story far more impacting. I especially liked the political elements that you included into it. They were very thought-provoking. The characters in this were also quite good. Richard was likable from the start and continued to be even more so. I loved his relationship with Jenny, and one of my favorite scenes was when he told her about the tower. I was expecting some big dramatic argument with lots of self-righteous vigor, but instead I saw two real, honest, broken-hearted people, and that was really touching. I also found myself becoming attached to all the climbers even over such a short period of time. I would have liked to have seen more distinction between the characters - some like Kris and Own seemed very very similar to one another. Even so, I really liked them, and I enjoyed the almost fatherly scene between Owen and Richard during their first night. Charlie was very intriguing, but I never felt like I got to understand him, and the same goes for Alex. I think they would be more impacting if you developed them a little more. Plot-wise, this is pretty solid. I enjoyed it all the way through, and it really held my attention. The ending seemed a little abrupt. I was surprised that he ended up taking the job. It almost left the story with a foreboding tone about diminishing lower class and the greed of society. I would have liked to know more about his thoughts in that area. Did he feel guilty? Like he deserved what he was getting? Like he could make a difference through his position? You don't have to include this, but I was very curious in that last chapter. Also, I as I was reading the scene with the actual climb, I was thinking that you might want to add in more details to make it more vivid. You could include things like the way his limbs feel as he climbs, the way his clothing rubs, the feeling of the wind dragging across his sweat-soaked back. That sort of thing. That scene is your opportunity to paint the true horrors of the climb, and while Jeremiah and all his dead friends definitely do that, I think you could take it a step farther by including more of what Richard is physically feeling. The writing itself was enjoyable. I liked Richard's voice, and I didn't catch very many typos. I noticed a few formatting issues; 1) In the first several chapters, there were areas where the paragraphs kind of mushed together - Inkitt sometimes does this for some reason, but it's not hard to fix. 2) I think there were some scenes missing in chapters 15 and 16 that led up to fights with Charlie and Richard. Since some of the information seemed to be missing, these chapters seemed kind of fragmented. 3) There were those swirly scene-break symbols (for lack of a better descriptor) in places where they didn't need to be (especially in fifteen and sixteen). I think you mostly just want to use those for scene breaks and for times when the perspective shifts. Sometimes they were just in random places, and it confused me a bit. I hope this helps! The story was really super enjoyable, and I pretty much had to nit-pick to find things to critique. I really like your writing. Personally, I like this story better than the "Hunger Games" because you have a really nice, likable protagonist, and I really like the political elements that you worked in. I hope that you get lots of reads on here. Great work!"

measured, intelligent, exciting

"What a breezy read! As a Wisconsinite, I recognized aspects of Rock, particularly his work ethic and family values, from people I know personally. This sort of folk hero, with his plain-spoken morality, has become something of a parody in our "ironic," cynical times, and I like how you addressed that through the General's and President's concerted reaction to his ad-libbed monologue. What was heartfelt to Rock was Stump Speech 101 to them, little more than pandering aphorisms. This story worked on a few great metaphorical levels, some more discreet than others, and I would love to see it fleshed out even more. Treat every chapter--no, every paragraph--as if it is the only passage you will be remembered for. You have a great novel here, and you would be remiss not to suck every last drop of marrow from these expertly devised themes and characters. Also, I agree with another reviewer that a sequel could definitely be interesting, I'd love to see how Rock copes with his new status. Thanks for the book; best of luck in the future."

Page-Turner!

"Absolutely love The Tower and can't stop reading. The author did a wonderful job with descriptions. I could practically see each scene unfolding before my eyes from the beginning. Great job with character development and the plot is exciting and trendy. Keep up the good work :) Much Love. Ruth"

This is Real

"Comparing this to the Hunger Games, this book was more real. As a reader, I was able to connect with the story---the struggles of life, trying to make it in the world, climb the ladder to success, however hard it may be. And more importantly, never giving up because you want a better life for your family. The technical aspect or writing I felt could be stronger, less simplistic. This is not so much a criticism, as we know, writing is not easy, and it is an ongoing learning experience. However, this writer is off to a good start. And this book has good bones."

Review of The Tower

"Really liked this. I thought the word "that" was a bit overused in the first chapter, but I was soon so caught up in the story that if anything else was wrong I didn't notice, other than some typos near the end. It reminded me a bit of The Hunger Games, but more of The Long Walk, I wasn't ready for it to end when it did. I'd love to read more."