What is your opinion?
Great!!
"Overall, this was a lot of fun to read. As a massive Titanic nerd I knew I'd like this from the get go, but I can tell you've really put the work in to making this an original story while still making the characters fun. I can see influences of Rose and Jack with Sierra, but she still feels distinctly her own. Aside from Sierra, the other characters are fun to get to know, especially Alec - I can't wait to see how that one plays out! I see that chemistry! You've done a great job with the Edwardian prose too. Aside from a few instances, I really felt like I was back in time! Grammar was good too. At points, the letter writing got a little muddled with the storytelling (as in, sometimes it felt like we had transitioned to what was happening in real time instead of it being something she was writing) but this is nothing a few rounds of edits can't fix! Overall, this is a charming story with a fun cast of characters and a great historical backdrop! Really well done :)"
The Letters of Sierra Charmonte
"A 5 star story line. I Loved the plot twist and character. I rarely read book/story, but this is the only exception. I can only imagine how time consuming the research that you did just to have this kind of remarkable love story. All I can say is, your hard work has paid off. "
An enjoyable read
"I read this story as a contestant for the Roadmap Awards on Inkitt.The Letters of Sierra Charmonte was a very enjoyable read. Overall, this story is richly developed with delightfully intriguing characters. Skilled author with a fantastic writing style. I look forward to reading more of her books here in the future."
The Letters of Sierra Charmonte
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A Book as Sweeping as the Sea
""The Letters of Sierra Charmonte'' is a compelling tale that brings history to mind, and not just the legendary seafaring disaster of April 15, 1912. Such is a book as sweeping as the sea that illustrates a grand love story set against a backdrop of prideful excess in an era of technological developments, where the most unlikely of individuals look beyond the rigid social classes of the 1900s. The characters are deliciously complex, especially the fashionable Sierra, whom I found myself empathizing with because of the well-versed and well-written moments of introspection. I love historical narratives, and your captivating way of writing has made me regard the cataclysmic disaster of the Titanic's sinking with a fresh perspective. Lastly, the premeditated foreshadowing added an enthralling depth to the story, as did the character dynamics between Sierra and her two handsome love interests. This journey to the past you have enmeshed readers is both a breathtaking and stunning one with historical drama, intrigue and romance akin to the epics. Overall, this is a positively riveting tale of adventure and romance I would highly recommend!"
Amazing
"This story was an absolutely beautiful read. The plot was great. The characters were enjoyable to read about. The descriptions were also really great, I could easily imagine and see all the scenes and characters. Overall a very well-written book I enjoyed!!"
Nice
"Really good story. Love the writing style eventhough I would suggest for the paragraphs to be a bit shorter. So it cna have a better flow. Love the plot and character! Recommend it!"
A Page Turner!
"Definitely not another Jack and Rose love story! One of the stories which I was able to finish immediately because of the amazing characters and storyline. I literally gasped at the ending! A must-read!"
Read this piece of art
"I liked the scenarios and the characters, I would recommend it to literally anyone who enjoys a good and well written book, the plot twist is fire here, believe me ✊🏻😪"
Page turning
"I have been doing about ten review swaps over the last few days, but I saved this book till last as it I wanted to really savour it. It was more than worth it, this story was amazing! The characters jumped off the page and I could really feel the chemistry. I was nearly crying at the end, but then there was that one last twist when I wasn't expecting it! You should write more, it was amazing! Keep up the good work, Sofia"
Green Exchange Awards Rnd 2
"(up to Inkitt Ch. 12) You have obviously put a great deal of effort into capturing period settings, sensibilities, language and conversational modes. I can't judge the accuracy of your portrayal, but it seems largely believable to me. Good work on this. That said, the attempt to use period language in narration resulted, at times, in what seemed to this reader to be awkward sentence structures and a certain degree of discursiveness that slowed things down somewhat. A more direct approach to narration might be preferable, while maintaining period language in the parts where it is appropriate, such as in dialogue and correspondence. This reader was not really hooked into the plot, which for me was just too slow, with not enough conflict or action to keep me interested. However I recognize that many readers do prefer a pace like this, so perhaps it is appropriate for that audience. The moderate frequency of grammatical issues and some cases of awkward sentence structure (see detailed review) detracted from the reading experience for me. The piece needs a thorough edit to catch and correct these. I think this novel will appeal to many, and there is obviously a large audience for romances like this. And I have learned that there is an actual genre of Titanic novels—who knew? With some cleanup and perhaps tightening up the plot a bit to make it flow more quickly, it should attract many readers."
Letters
"This story touched my heart. The plot was splendid and really enjoyed reading about all the letters between her father and herself. And the way the how the story was developed was great too it was not too fast neither too slow. Overall a great story if you love reading Jane Austen’s books. "
Breaking and Mending Hearts
"After reading your novel and finishing with your final note, I ended up smiling through my tears. Thank God for giving you the ability and the creativity to craft such a magical novel, and to take your readers on a ride aboard the grand Titanic. This review is my thoughts and opinion about your novel- which are a lot- regarding everything, so excuse the length, for I tend to be thorough. For me, the story started in chapter 2, when I learnt that Daniel had passed away and Sierra was mourning her loss. At first, the events were slow and I found myself wanting to get on-board and hear the events through Sierra's voice already. The way you wrote your letters varied between being able to pour events and show them colorfully to the point that I got entranced and forgot that it was a letter, and between narrating events where emotions could've been conveyed in a rich way with better phrasing of sentences. It felt as it took you some time to relax into writing, and that's why showing and not telling as well as dialogues appeared through the middle of a lot of chapters. Sometimes I thought that maybe the fact that Sierra is writing letters is what's limiting her to express her feelings, and it felt weird when she wrote about her night with Henri after the confession in the form of a letter to her father. Your characters are amazing and intriguing!! Starting from our lady, Ms. Sierra Charmonte who had the curiousity of a kid, the determination and guts of a warrior, and an ocean of pure love for everybody in her life. I love that you gave her a background and showed us her past in Philippines, then showed how her memory is linked to her curiosity. You made her into a high-class lady who didn't care about classes, and that's how her interactions with her beloved Jane and Alec were so rich yet nonchalant. As much as Sierra was confused about her feelings toward Henri and Alec, I was confused too. But with the additional chapters of Henri's memories- btw that guy is my favorite character- and their intimate interactions later into the story, it felt that Sierra's bond with Henri is much stronger and deeper than hers with Alec. Jane was adorable, caring, and cherishing her best and only friend. Ms. Abram was very strict that I might pull my hair out if she was my mentor, but I understand her overprotective behavior toward Sierra. Alec sounded wicked at first and I felt he was hiding something ever since he showed up out of the blue. But, for him to be betrothed to Sierra, that was unexpected, and I must congratulate you 'cause you did a great job hiding it. See, when I learnt all that, my heart broke. Because Alec gave up on her even though he knew she's his destined person, and that meant to me that he loved her truly because he wanted Sierra to be happy with the person she chose. Now, to Mr. Heartbreaker. Chapter 27 is my favorite because Henri broke my heart that instant. Sierra's and Henri's love was evident. Their pain. Their heartbreak. I felt every bit of it. When I learnt Sierra was betrothed, it broke my heart. Her happiness was bound to someone she doesn't know (well at that moment.) I know, mixed emotions and everything. I wonder if I'm making sense anymore. The flow of the story was so smooth and the idea of the Titanic was capturing that I couldn't put the story down. The way you described every nook and hall and deck of Titanic, and the way you built tension for the scene of wrecking the ship, it was all so magical. I declare myself a horrified passenger on the ship. That 'INK SPLATTERS' was the beginning of the heartbreak. BTW, nice phrasing. Then there was that moment when Henri died, and I felt that Sierra's reaction was kind of delayed. That was a moment where you could've described Sierra's voice, the ache of her heart. Her screams that should've rattled through her being. I teared up a bit, but in this scene, you could've made readers cry. By the time I reached chapter 46, I started begging for a happy ending because Sierra suffered a lot of pain, and I'm really glad she got it. I loved your story, and there's a sentence that made me think 'That's me!' Quoting you from chapter 44, "Once I love someone, I will tell and show them how much for in a blink of an eye, it can be gone." It's evident how much effort- how much of your soul and heart you poured into crafting this piece. Yes, it's a piece of art where I could hear and feel most of it. I like how invested you were in the history of the past days, from technology to fashion to culture and even music. Your music taste is interesting, and the music you used wasn't just for musicians to play on the ship, but also to give a sound to the scenes you were writing. I said it before and I say it again, this ride was as elegant as Beethoven's sonata. Technically, I mentioned before that it felt as if you took some time to relax into writing your characters and understanding them, and that's why your scenes ranged between telling and showing. There were times when you narrated and I truly wanted to feel something for the characters but I couldn't, and other times when emotions went high and I was content. Lots of sentences could be phrased better which would give smoothness to the letters being written. One example is from chapter 3: "...but his eyes indicated a thousand words." 'Indicated' isn't a strong verb that conveys feelings. The issue in this case lies in using the verb 'feel' a lot, as well as sensory verbs like 'see' and 'hear.' Try to reduce the usage of the verb 'feel' because your sentences have emotional depth that could be shown beautifully. Regarding tenses, I noticed that you switch a lot between past and present tenses- I'm not talking about the tense used in letters and that used for memories for example- it's about tenses within the same paragraph. Pay attention to the punctuation of dialogues and their corresponding tags and action beats. I'll provide a link (excuse my tardiness) about the rules. https://thewritelife.com/dialogue-tags Also, exclamation marks and questions marks aren't used together or more than once. And you switched from 3rd to 1st POV in chapter 45. Overall, The Letters of Sierra Charmonte is an amazing ride, and I enjoyed reading every bit of it. I couldn't put it down, and I really hope it'll get published one day because whoever isn't reading it is missing a lot. Congratulations on finishing your piece of art, and I'm glad I had the chance to read it again and finish it! You're amazing! Don't stop writing, who knows what that creative mind of yours will come up with!"
Some Assembly Required
"The concept, letters from the Titanic, is very intriguing! Unfortunately there were some minor grammatical issues sprinkled throughout; a more difficult challenge, immersion-wise, were expressions in dialogue and narration that did not ring true for the time period. (Which is a challenge in writing historical fiction as I well know!) 'How great you have been doing,' 'Hold on, Celeste just gave me a massive package,' "Find it complicated to process all this,' etc. Am very certain that 'alright' and 'kid' (referring to a child) were not in usage a hundred-and-ten years ago. Nor can I imagine a woman referring to herself as 'fabulous.' The spoken dialogue being sometimes in italics and sometimes not was distracting and confusing; seemed random. Narration switches from past to present and back again fairly often. Descriptions were good; but one overall issue that kept me from being drawn into the narrative was a relative lake of stakes. Obviously a character taking ship on the Titanic will have a great deal of conflict soon enough; in the meantime chapter after chapter passed with the MC seemingly content with life as it was. There was little conflict or desire for the MC besides enjoying her cruise. But the very idea is very interesting and (far as I know) unique! Look forward to seeing what the author can do with the concept!"
