What is your opinion?
Great stuff!
"The story is gripping from the first words, I like the back story and description of the characters. The overall feel of the story is one of many chapters which twist and turn in a volume of highs and lows for all the characters. The final, I am yet to read but wait with baited breath for the next chapters.."
follower
"the story is very exciting. love it the setting it is in keeps you interested in what will happen next. the chacters are all very unique in there own way. can not wait for more. great job Knicky.when this book is published i would be very proud to own it. I would recomend this story to anyone that enjoys stories of royalty and other worlds . can not wait to see what other great stories she comes out with ."
Is it August yet?
"I must have this book! Driana is my spirit animal. #EnoughSaid I love female characters who are sassy and not afraid to speak their mind. I relate to them in every way. I must admit I'm not much of a fantasy reader but my interest never waned with this book (more specifically, the excerpts). The HoN has really taken me on an adventure of which I'd like to never get off. The flowery language doesn't affect me, I think it just adds a bit more 'umph'. I think Knicky, the author, has a good thing going here and I'd really like it to be all that she promises and more. I wish her good luck in her endeavors."
Engaging and Intriguing
"This excerpt is the kind that draws you in with its subtle allure. It is easy to read, has a good flow and is well written. But the character development is what I find the most compelling. At first I'm ambiguous about these characters. Do I feel a connection? Do I care what happens to them? But then the layers start to form. How far will Queen Nreid go for her son? What kind of person will the Princeling become? Someone we admire? Or someone we grow to hate? Will something blossom between him and the rash and volatile Driana despite the misunderstandings? Who is Driana and how did she become a ward of Queen Nreid? Will this be a coming of age for Princess Zelphinae? Will she grow a spine and become a woman to be reckoned with? Engaging and intriguing, I am eager to find out how this plot unfolds."
A good read.
"The excerpt has left me wanting more. After taking some time to get used to the writer's style, the language used aided my imagination, pulling me into the story rather than dragging me out. The plot of the excerpt, although being common in this genre, is well executed, leaving me to wonder about the fates of the two young girls."
Elegant fantasy at its best
"Unfortunately, having read a lot more than this excerpt of the book I had to force myself to review it in the context of the excerpt alone. Because of this the plot suffers a bit though you can tell that beyond the edges it is a grand and involved thing indeed. I've seen some complaints about the writing style and honestly it takes a bit of effort to get oneself into the rhythm of it. But when you do, believe me its like a melody, flowing and ebbing like lyrical verse. The language asks a lot of you as a reader but if you're willing to give it then you are greatly rewarded with deep, passionate and beautiful characters, emotionally intense conflicts, situations and tearful climaxes galore. The author isn't afraid of flowery language and the elegance that that entails even if it might be alienating to some who are accustomed to more accessible fare. For that she should be commended."
House of Neotar ~ Unique & active reading experience
"I have read this excerpt several times and each time I leave with a greater appreciation for this writer's style. Knicky weaves words together to create a beautiful and complex tapestry unlike anything I have experienced before. This story is not made for the passive reader, but rather one who is passionate for abstraction and the appropriation of language; one who is prepared to read actively. From the beginning I was transported to the spiral of Nescada, with an interest to learn more about the characters, their struggles, and why it all mattered. The characters all stand as individuals with their own personal dilemmas that contribute to the why of the story, all compelling in their own way. I found that Driana's character recieves the most attention and is the one who becomes the most compelling throughout this excerpt. However the character development seems most important between the three children and how their experiences together in that hostile place will influence the rest of their lives. The plot does change its pace several times, but not without reason; I didn't find that it interrupted the experience . I thoroughly enjoyed House of Neotar and am anxiously waiting for more!"
Driana Rocks!!!
"Driana is defiant, strong willed, and maybe a little obnoxious, but still remains true to herself no matter what!. I was transported to a higher level and entered a world I would consider to be as worthy as Narnia!! Good writing imerses you into the story, you feel as though you are side by side with your favorite character, through the highs and lows, you are there, and that is where I found myself with Driana. We all have some desire to push against the norm, the socially acceptable, and be true to ourselves, well Driana does all of this and I can't wait to see what else is to come!!"
Great hook, keeps you interested
"I started reading this story, and even from the very beginning I was hooked. The style is pleasant and easy to follow. I have been patiently waiting for this to land on my doorstep, as I have read various parts and am very much looking forward to reading the entire book. The thing I've found really impressive is that I've been able to pick up each of the various excerpts and follow along with them, get hooked right into the tale, and have the need to know more when the excerpt ended. I'm a picky reader so that makes a huge fan out of me! There's nothing clunky about transitions, no abrupt changes from chapter to chapter. This is a beautiful work of art. And it truly brings to life a wonderful world and time that, while it doesn't exist, it becomes so real in your mind that you can believe you're there and living in that world while you read along with the words written on the page. It just literally transforms everything around you and makes you feel a part of that world for a short time. We'll done!"
Great
"The House of Neotar is one of the more captivating intense and moving stories that has graced this genre in a while. Its characters and scenery have introduced readers to a world beyond their imagination, one that is tastefully colorful and exciting."
"House of Neotar (Excerpt)"
"Making the words into imagery, the characters appear as if one is in these rooms with them and giving the story a style of language that fits into this world made me as a reader very interested. I truly enjoyed this one. gary =/\="
Satisfied
"The idea of fantasy is to be swept into another world and this is what happens in this story. I feel like I am there and I get the required emotional response to each twist and turn. This story allows my imagination to transport me to a higher level and enter someone else's world. That is what we are here for that is what I am here for. Great job."
The House of Neotar
"I rarely read fantasy but I found this story very interesting. I relate to strong female protagonists and use them in my own books. Although this is only part of the whole story, it flows very well and kept my interest."
Flowery language and perfumed prose, sumptuously descriptive with an intriguing child like story which still keeps the reader fairly on edge.
"I cut the story some slack because truthfully not a lot happens but baring in mind it’s a small sliver of a much larger story, of what there is story wise is very well executed and fairly riveting. I found it very sweet and charming but with a bitter edge that propels the story and characters and keeps a moreish intrigue pushing you to want to go deeper into the world and characters. Some tired tropes used but a cliché used well is nothing to turn your nose up at besides and given the brief foray into the book, it serves the excerpt well, giving scope to the overall project. I’ve been reading some of the previous reviews and back-biting besides, I see I’m not alone in finding the narrative quite fulfilling despite not being a great lover of sci-fi or fantasy. My favourite criticism is of the ‘flowery’ language used, either in regard to the oddly placed swearing or the verbose sentence structure; Either way it strikes as if someone reading Shakespeare would finish a midsummer night’s dream, laugh and then call Shakespeare a ‘fag’ and throw book away laughing. The style is the style, you either like it or you don’t to be unbiased is to overlook your personal tastes and doing so I find a very competent in the descriptive style and the story telling, rivalling any of the modern novelists of our day. Tense and bewitching, the story is a small glimpse of a larger world but from what I’ve seen the characters and the world(s) are well worth exploring further."
House of New Thought
"This story is absolutely fascinating. I have always love the premise of raising a child to be a weapon. The concept is not new, but it is a great tactic to create tension, as it does here. Dmitri becomes the battleground of a war waged for supremacy between well-rounded characters. However, that is not to say that the story is perfect. The main trouble with the story is that there is no reader character. All the characters in the story understand what is going on for the most part, save for the secrets that need to be saved. This means that readers who don't understand the concepts of the "spheres" and "orbs" in the world(s) continue to be lost in the story. It is a classic technique, and for good reason, that one of the characters be naïve or oblivious. We lack this character in the story. As a result, I felt a bit lost when some aspects of the story were brought up. I hope that Abbott continues to write and revise this story. My advice is to add a prologue in which readers may meet Driana as she is pulled from her unsuspecting life and thrust into the story, cynical, scared, and surprised at this world beyond the one she knew."
Colourful, Imaginative and Alien
"Behind House of Neotar's, for better or worse, familiar fantasy conventions stands a landscape waiting to be explored. This is the strength of Knicky Abbott's writing. It is colourful and imaginative and alien enough to contrast the familiar struggles of greed, class prejudice and even family conflict. The writing style, whilst not much of an issue for me is understandably not to everyone's tastes as the flowery prose can sometimes warrant a re-read just to make sure that an important detail was not overlooked. It causes the occasional break in rhythm but nothing worth dwelling on. As HoN is part of a larger narrative, there is lore and jargon not self contained in this excerpt. As a result the significance of these places, events and objects can be easily lost on those expected to take only this excerpt into account. That said, there is more than enough story telling here to at least make one curious as to where the larger plot leads."
Transporting
"i love fantasy. I love fantasy that transport me to a totally different world. In that vein, House of Neotar is a lovely piece of writing. I Undersant the comments that have been made this far about the flowery language, but for me it serves the story. The story is sweeping and whimsical, and therefore to my mind the lyrical and flowery writing helps put me in that frame of mind. I feel like I am somewhere else when I read the story. The strength of any story for me is always the characters, and HoN has fascinating characters and sets up a very interesting story. It's unfair to judge an entire novel based solely on an excerpt, but judging the excerpt alone is why I gave it for stars overall. From an excerpt we cannot possibly hope to understand the entire my this and lore of the entire novel, and this is meant to be a novel. Also, to respond to the complaints about the grammar: the grammar is fine. Long run-on sentences are consistent with the flowery writing style, which as I've said before is one of the main tools used to convey the other-worldliness of the story and setting. I personally can't wait to read the novel, based on this excerpt."
A smidge confused
"I decided to write this review because the author posted in one of the groups that she wanted an honest review. She seemed sincere in her request, so I decided to review. In the interest of truth, I am a professional editor. I am also entering this contest, but there's not much to win, imo, so I'm primarily doing it for fun. I'm not IN ANY WAY judging her on a savvy ability to get votes. I praise her for that. PLOT - I'm not entirely sure what it is. There are obviously some bratty characters. There is a queen and king. But as far as I could tell, it was just family members fighting. Maybe there's something here, but I don't know what it is. There is no clear plot that I could discern. SETTING - This was a fair strength. I could sense a certain kind of fantasy setting that very obviously wasn't the past but also wasn't some sort of monarchy in the present. This is the author's strength, imho. PACING - The pacing was fast because there was almost nothing but dialogue. DIALOGUE - Sigh. This is where I have a major issue. I have a 6 year-old. I'm around other children of that age fairly regularly, and there is no way I would be cool with my kid calling me an "ass plug." The dialogue is absolutely ridiculous. My guess is that the author is very young and is projecting her youth onto her characters. That can be useful, but I don't know a child who speaks like that to their parents. CHARACTERS - I could differentiate because there was the king and queen and bratty children, so in the most stereotypical sense, they had personalities. The king and queen only yelled at their children rather than discipline them and the "brats" just didn't do what they were told. So we have brats and parents who don't bother to care for their children. Why, as readers, should we care about them? At least make your kid go to her bedroom, for goodness' sake. QUALITY OF PROSE Choppy, at best. There were places that flowed somewhat smoothly. But in places, it was hard to tell which pronouns belonged to what character; there was a lot of incorrect comma placement, an incorrect semicolon, and consistently incorrect usage of royal titles. The quality was low enough to distract from the story. Overall, the author clearly is strong in setting and pacing. She just needs to work out the plot. I realize it's a first chapter. A first chapter should have correct use. It should set up the characters, but more importantly, it should get the plot, whatever it is, moving. It should have dialogue that's at least *somewhat* believable and some character to care about. It is my belief that the author is likely young and is bound to improve quite a lot in time. A person who cares about her work always does."
Writing interferes with plot
"In this tale, the writing obscures the point repeatedly. In some cases the prose is too flowery and not enough concrete information is given, as in the beginning when it's not quite clear that the Queen is one of the escorts and not one of the little girls. In other places it's grammar that interferes with clarity. The plot and characters are interesting, despite that fact. I'd have liked a bit more casual references to background before, not after, I needed them but that's not a major point."
How?
"How does this have some many likes? The story is broken, the punctuation confusing, the characters ridiculous in their motivations. I could hardy read this except without completely losing grasp of the point of the plot. I mean, there's the potential for a good story, but the author is incapable of constructing a clear plot line without reverting to cliched character arches and silly conflicts. I'd been introduced to this website through a friend, but if this is the best that can be offered (by way of votes) then I think something is sorely amiss. There needs to be an editor somewhere in between this and the publishing for the public. First place in this contest and I can't help but think there's a popularity contest in the running. Poor. Poor. Poor."
