Aphrodite Reviews

two | flower on the riverbank ⬦

Book: The flower on the riverbank

Author: l_a_ruel

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

COVER

So, I'm going to start with the cover. I wasn't a big fan of it. I don't think it looked very appealing or stood out enough. The cover is supposed to intrigue the reader. If the cover isn't attractive, no matter how good your work is, it will be hard to get readers. I'm sure you're more than capable of finding graphic shops but If you need any recommendations feel free to PM me <33

BLURB

The blurb was intriguing. I felt the urge to read the book to expand further on some of the points made. This means that the blurb was effective, so well done! However, I felt you tried to stretch the blurb out. I know that sometimes when I'm writing my blurb's I'm scared it's not long enough. However, if your blurb hooks the reader, then the length definitely doesn't matter!

TITLE

Obsessed with the title! I think it was extremely symbolic and original. I'm intrigued as to how you came up with it, as it is beautiful! It's not very often that I stumble upon a book with such a creative title, so well done! It really allows your book to stand out amongst others <3

PROLOGUE

I know you have written 'prolog' which is interesting. I've never seen it shortened to that version before, so I'm not sure if that's an alternative or not – therefore cannot correct you. If 'prolog' can be used in place of 'prologue,' then that would be interesting to know! The prologue was extremely interesting and It did well at hooking the reader! The descriptions were very impressive and the idea of 'war' that came with it was extremely intriguing!

LANGUAGE

The language used was extremely mature. There was a wide range of vocabulary used, which I loved to see. The vivid descriptions really made me feel present in the scenes, which is a good quality for the book. 'lazily bathed in the autumn sun,' I can't stress how much I love that line! The imagery was extremely strong and although the story didn't start with a bang, I still felt connected to the words.

CHAPTERS BEGINNING

I know you've said that you like to explain things in detail and therefore are less likely to allure the reader, but I personally felt it did the opposite! Just reflect on the first line of each chapter and hopefully, you will understand what I mean. These lines are extremely powerful and I felt it was engaging! An example of this is the start of the first chapter, 'War, the march in the scorching heat or the pouring rain, the clamour of men, his men, following him without reproach.' This sets the scene for the rest of the chapter and honestly had me hooked!

CHARACTERS & CHAPTERS

Character development and maturity were clear throughout the story which was great for the story progression. However, chapter-length varied hugely and some were quite long - this can get pretty tiring for the reader as everyone has different attention spans. Despite this, I felt chapters held the right information and so it worked. If you wanted to break down chapters in the future, you can have 'Part A' and 'Part B'. I would recommend doing this for the chapter 'Journey of no return,' although not necessary. Okay, I've read more and I've realised you have done this for other chapters, which is great! However, I think you need to do this with other chapters, like the one I've said too <3

PLOT

The plot was unique and quite heartfelt. I felt quite emotional when reading. It was pretty refreshing to follow a storyline that was so original.

You should be extremely proud of yourself for writing such a stunning piece! You've noted this is your first attempt at putting together your ideas which is really quite impressive considering the advanced work! Overall, the book was brilliant. However, the cover and blurb didn't reflect the work inside! I know we shouldn't judge a book by its cover but unfortunately, that is the case most of the time. Overall a great read, which I would definitely recommend to others! Best of luck in future endeavours <3