What is your opinion?
Take A Chance
"Overall, this was a good read. I found the plot intriguing, however, the chapters were very dense. Each chapter could have been separated into 2 individual chapters easily making this a 30 or 31 chapter book. Chapter one did have an info dump on the main character's father, but once you are past that, it is a good story. I say give it a chance. My favorite character was Sarah. I would have enjoyed the MC and her interactions/conversations more."
Well done!
"Really I don’t have a lot to say about this novel. It was very well written, the plot was interesting and emotionally captivating, the characters were well developed and well rounded. Reviews are most useful to authors when they include criticism, but there is little to criticise here. A few plot points struck me as a little off. Charlene’s parents were killed when she was nine years old, and I don’t think it is adequately explained how she became what would seem to be a world-class skater, since her father was her main coach. Obviously she must have had intensive training after losing her father, which would have taken up a large proportion of her time, as is usual with elite athletes, but that is not touched in the novel. I think it should be. I was a bit confused about your description of figure skating events. Elizabeth and Charlene’s father must have done pairs skating, as do Charlene and Doug. But it is mentioned a couple of times that Elizabeth won her Olympic medal in “dance” as a solo skater. In figure skating, ice dance is done by couples and is an Olympic event. Mens and Ladies Single skating is referred to as Singles, not dance. A minor point but it might be important to skating fans. Finally, I don’t think it is ever mentioned whether Charlene uses sign language. Would it not be natural for her to have learned that? It would certainly make for easier communication than a notepad, at least with those who knew it. Much is made of Melanie and Doug using a notepad to communicate with Charlene, but to my mind, it would have been much more impressive if they had begun to learn ASL so they could better communicate with her. These are minor points, just things you may or may not want to look at. In fact I had to think hard to find anything to criticize here. The Silent Skater is an excellent story and a worthy winner of the Roadmap Award. Thanks for sharing it with us."
Wow!!
"Wow!! What can be said about this book.... Its perfect. I love the your writing style Will. You are truly talented. I always feel a connection to the characters and get emotional while reading too. Great work. "
Lovely
"Hands down, one of the best YA stories I've read in a while. Without jumping at the very popular fantasy/dystopian wagon, this book succeeds in grabbing your attention and guide you through an emotional rollercoaster. Some chapters bring forth tears, others elicited smiles, but it never failed to make me care for Charlene and her new, somehow reluctant, family. The descriptions of the shows and the sensations she experienced while skating were on point, and every time Charlene struggled to communicate, I wanted to scream alongside her. I would have loved a longer epilogue, but that's the emotional me speaking. It was hard to let go of these characters. A short, yet beautiful book."
First Place Winner: The Roadmap Awards
"Congratulations on maintaining consistently high scores through all three judging rounds of The Roadmap Awards! Your writing skill speaks for itself. You have crafted a wonderful story with incredible characters and a lovely message. Your first-place rank is well earned! "
A Lovely, Must-Read Story
"Will is my favorite Young Adult genre writer! He does it again in this unique tale about Charlene, a young woman who lost not only her loving parents at a young age, but her voice. In her quest to latch onto the only remaining family she has, at nineteen years she finds herself in the strange and cold world of her straight-laced and near-unemotional aunt and two cousins who are doing their best to survive as daughters to the "Ice Queen." Figure skating is the one thing that connects the group, but also brings out each character's strengths, flaws, fears, and desires. It was a pleasure to tag along with Charlene as she discovers herself and how she fits into this family, while trying to help them heal just as much as she heals within herself. The ultimate, and very well accomplished take-away is that regardless of our strengths and talents, it's the love we have for those close to us and the love they have (or perhaps even had) for us, that makes whatever in life we do meaningful and creates the joy in pursuing life. The plot was overall well done, though as some have mentioned, I would have liked to have known if Aunt Elizabeth did in fact have Charlene's dad's letters. And even more so, to have read about Doug's backstory - he promised to tell her (us), after all! But, digressing to the letters... As Will had noted in his other story, "The Feud," in which he'd pulled a similar card on the reader at the end, this lack of information was most likely done purposefully to enhance the TRUE message of the story. It really wasn't about 'the letters,' but about family love. Perhaps, this could be considered a bit misleading, as it was a primary focus for our protagonist throughout the story, but understandable/forgivable in the grand scheme of things. Otherwise, I enjoy his writing style immensely, and his grammar and punctuation are spot on! I highly recommend "The Silent Skater!""
One of my top favs
"I really enjoyed this book. Not to the point of, “Hey, yeah, that was pretty good,” but to where my eyes were just skimming over the words, jumping from dialogue to dialogue, my mind forgetting that I’m supposed to be paying attention and critiquing this work. This is my reading “comfort zone”, a state I tend to enter when reading my favorite spine-worn novels, where my brain is content to simply let go and hang on for the ride. The Silent Skater is emotional, inspiring, and absolutely touching. Charlene is a strong, smart, talented female protagonist with a rare trait I WISH I saw more of in YA writing of bringing out the best in people simply by being herself and by loving the flaws in others. Will’s characters, on a whole, are some of the most developed and rounded of any I have seen on Inkitt, striking an immediate and deep connection with the reader right from their introductions. Overall, The Silent Skater is officially one of the most enjoyable books I have encountered on Inkitt so far."
Loved it
"I completed reading this book yesterday and I loved it. I got a sudden message to judge 2 of your book for the second round which was previously assigned to some other judge but I am really luck to get the chance to read it. Really liked it and I will be reading your other books too. 😍"
The Silent Skater
"A thoroughly enjoyable story that captured me from the beginning. It's very well written - the author's skill is so good you don't notice it. The characters are well rounded, interesting and believable and they develop as the story progresses. . I found myself caring for them - even the Aunt! I recommend this to anyone who wants a heart warming story with a happy ending."
Bravo
"This is the third story of William's that I have read. This one is my favorite. The Feud was great. Very emotional and funny too. The Kid was good. This story is stellar. I am so impressed. Thank you William for sharing this with me."
The Silent Skater
"I am enjoying the emotional ups and downs of this novel. You are describing and portraying them so well. I am feeling every bit of her frustration and am constantly amazed by her self control❣️ Can't wait for all the skeletons to be revealed. 🙏🤩🤪"
Imagine being in HER customised skates
"Will has a great way of getting his readers hooked, for my curiosity was off the charts just by reading the first chapter. Why did Andrew stop communicating with his family? And about Charlene, I feel sorry for her. As someone who sings a lot, I can’t imagine losing my voice! Charlene is a tough cookie and I love her personality; she’s a little spicy. I knew Elizabeth was in pain, so I didn’t hate her as much as Will (perhaps) wanted me to. I believe the feeling of anger always has a root. Unravelling the truth about the Oakshue family. What happened to them? I wish Will wrote bits of the backstories to hurt me more because the plot is good, and I'm a sucker for good drama, but I didn't feel much whilst reading the whole story. Did I turn into someone like the Ice Queen Elizabeth Oakshue? Perhaps. About the aunt's inner conflict. Why did she become who she is now? I hoped Will wrote more about this within the chapters, not only on the last part because I'm more curious about her more than Charlene. >_< But about Charlene! I hoped you wrote some memories through dreams, her love for her family was strong, but it wasn't strong enough to make me cry. And I loved the epilogue, it was such a sweet ending. The only thing I wished for were the precious memories of Charlene and Elizabeth within the chapters throughout the whole story. I felt the desperation of the characters, but as much as I wanted to cry over their situations, I couldn’t because I want to know more why they are the way they are. I hope with this suggestion, the book will be the best it could be. This is a good narrative, I hope you'll work on it more, then I'd buy this if it's available! Well done! 😊"
The Silent Skater
"This dramatic romance tale is a novel of intense emotions, overcoming insecurities, and ultimately, forgiveness. The author's themes pervade the pages of The Silent Skater with a unique perspicuity that outlines the importance of familial relationships. Despite the story's seemingly ordinary modern setting, there is a sense of magical realism in the writing style through literary devices that elevate the writing quality to encourage readers to visualize picturesquely frozen ponds. Throughout the novel, the romance is believably and seamlessly interwoven in such an intriguing story that offers a unique insight into the coveted life of a dedicated figure skater. My only critique is the grammar, but it's nothing that renders your novel confusing and is easy to fix. Overall, this story is richly developed with delightfully intriguing characters. A fantastic read perfect for lovers of the drama and romance genres! Note: This is a judge's review written in accordance with the Roadmap Awards writing competition, round one."
It's getting there
"The characters are fleshed-out, they do not blend into each other. The writing style is clearly that of a person who has been writing for quite a while. The relationship between the characters didn't stagnate. My criticism: there were too many instances that the character was narrating her thoughts directly, in italics. I think most of those places could have been integrated into the writing instead. Also, the book lacks a spark to it. I find myself more reading and feeling not as much. Maybe the writing style could be tweaked and experimented with more. Overall, though, it's a well rounded read."
Interesting
"So- I did think it would only be fair to review one of your books because you reviewed a couple of my short stories. And it did take a while and for that I apologize. Let me start off by saying that this was a very detailed book in terms of ice skating moves. But it felt kind of dry. I didn’t really feel the emotion. I don’t know if that was just me but it wasn’t enough. It needed a kablam, a surprise element, a twist. Otherwise, it felt pretty okay. But there was something that kept me out of the story a bit. I don’t know if this was spelling mistakes or something but some words just didn’t fit in? I can’t remember the exact one but there was the word “fried” in a sentence and it didn’t really make sense to me? Now, I am just a high school girl and I might be reading too little into it, but it didn’t make any sense. I think it was on Chapter 12 or 13. But, overall, it was an amazing book! We saw the things love does as well as the power of forgiveness and that was pretty dope! Keep on writing!"
Enjoyable
"I really enjoyed reading The Silent Skater. I haven't read a modern story since high school. My preferences includes fantasy/paranormal/science fiction so I was pleasantly surprised when your story was able to maintain my attention all the way to the end. It is a challenge for me to get pulled into a genre I do not typically read. You have a way of making readers fall for your characters that is refreshing. Your writing style and story telling reminds me a little of Sarah Dessen. I absolutely love Charlene. I loved seeing her grow as a skater and as a person. Melanie and Sarah also grew on me rather quickly. But I'm still so-so about Doug. Towards the end of the book he did finally start to grow on me. I strongly dislike her aunt. There are some inexcusable actions that I simply can't get over. An issue I have is that you made these letters seem extremely important but we don't ever find out what her father written in them for ourselves. While we got her aunt and father's back story I feel a little stifled. I would have loved to know just who her father really was through the letters. I would have loved to see how Char would have reacted while reading her father's letters. I would have liked "tough Doug" explained. It was brought up but never brought up again. Maybe if this was explained I would have understand Doug a lot better and not be on the fence about him. And I really wanted to know if Melanie and char were able to talk things out and mend their relationship. I really loved their bond. Overall it was an enjoyable read."
