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Full title:Herera - Stories of the Purple Pearl by Fata_Viola Source: Blossom Awards 2024 Category: Fantasy Mature: Y (explicit sexual content) Status: Complete Special note: LGBTQIA+ Round 1: 38/40 Round 2: Judged by NoelleAnn397
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*****
Round 1 total: 38/40
Title: 10/10 I think a colon would look better than a hyphen, but that is totally personal preference, and this is a good title.
Blurb/synopsis: 9/10 How did you know I love short blurbs? I've been trying hard not to let my personal preference affect my score, but this speaks to my heart. Short, sweet, and to the point. I am not a person who likes a lot of detail or spoilers in a blurb. My only suggestion would be changing "part" in the second sentence to "half," since the first sentence said half of her crew is being held hostage. But, otherwise, this is perfect.
Cover: 10/10 So pretty! I love the colors, the image, the font, the text placement - everything. It's just beautiful.
First chapter (and everything that came before it): 9/10 I'm not deducting points for this, but I personally like chapter titles to be capitalized ("Show Them the Way"). But you're not the only person who doesn't capitalize every word, and you're consistent in your chapter naming, so it's fine the way it is. Anyway, I love the prologue, and I honestly can't find anything wrong with it. And I feel her frustration with the punchy, ever-shortening lines toward the end of the prologue. Great job!
There are just a couple of little things here or there, little mistakes that you can pick out easily with a quick read through. I would cut the second "for too long" from the first paragraph, as it's repetitive, but that's your choice. A question mark when she asks the other woman's name would be more appropriate than a comma. I'm guessing you mean something like, "The door hadn't shut before Lemington had already entered the room." "Remainder" instead of "remaining" reads better to me, but, again, style choice. But, overall, very well-written. I would like a content warning in the blurb about sexual content, so it doesn't surprise a reader, but I'm not deducting points for that.
I will not continue reading this story because of explicit sexual content and LGBTQIA+ content, but if those don't bother you, check it out. It's really well written.
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