The Future Banned Writer Awards (CLOSED FOR JUDGING)

Round 1 Results: Fantasy

Teardrops of the Volcano, jordynsaelor
Title: 5/5
Cover: 1/5
Blurb: 4/10
Hook: 5/10
Total: 14/30
Notes: Sounds very much like a comedy / slice of life book. The way the blurb is set up is very matter-of-fact, and I'm led to believe the story will be directionless; like a reality TV series following these two mermaids and their shop. The blurb lacks plot direction. The first chapter was more expository than anything, and as mentioned above: this definitely comes across as comedic from the start. I personally wasn't hooked by the comedic flair, but it did serve as an entertaining start. The rest of the chapter was a bit slow for my taste, though.

The Lamia, Awakenings, JimHeter
Title: 3/5
Cover: 2/5
Blurb: 1/10
Hook: 7/10
Total: 13/30
Notes: Is the cover hand-drawn? Cool! (Though I'm not a fan of the font placement or title treatment.) The blurb is... practically nonexistent here. Just stating this is part one; the intriguing thing, though, is "what is a Lamia?" I asked myself this. There's just not enough in the blurb to tell me anything about this story, and I have to give it a low score because of that. The first chapter started strong, then had a few moments where it felt like the pacing lagged a bit. Otherwise, I thought the intro was rather nice. Great writing quality and descriptions were lovely.

Art1-The Ties that Bind, RAllenLancaster
Disqualified for not completing payment correctly.

A God's Wish-The Bearer of Fruit, minnyisnothere
Title: 2/5
Cover: 2/5
Blurb: 1/10
Hook: 3/10
Total: 8/30
Notes: The cover is very difficult to read, and I'm not sure if it conveys the title properly. The blurb is grammatically messy and confusing. I'm not sure I understood the majority of it. The prologue and opening chapter are also a bit messy grammatically, and there isn't really a strong pull for me to continue reading.

Sea Gypsies, HeideHunt
Title: 3/5
Cover: 2/5
Blurb: 7/10
Hook: 5/10
Total: 17/30
Notes: I thought the concept was interesting in the blurb, though the vague "item" that can end peace is brought up twice, which makes me think I should know what this item is. Bringing up the mysterious thing once would've been fine, but when it was brought up again, I wanted to know what it is. Maybe only include the mystery once? The historical background here is pretty cool – I think the premise is set up nicely and concisely while still leaving us room for discovery. The first chapter was well-written and had a good balance of tension.

Books that are going through to the next round:

The Gemini Age, Oxviola
Title: 4/5
Cover: 1/5
Blurb: 9/10
Hook: 9/10
Total: 24/30
Notes: Other than some initial confusion about certain meanings of words in this blurb, this sounds very much like what I might find on the back cover of a book in a store or on a shelf in a library. Well done. The first chapter was engaging from the start with great descriptions, and the author has a clear storytelling ability.

The Apprentice and the Lost City, justalex99
Title: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Blurb: 7/10
Hook: 9/10
Total: 24/30
Notes: Points removed from the blurb for some punctuation errors; otherwise I love the logline and the charming nature of the first paragraph, ending with "she's not even a witch!" It adds character. We also get some good background here, without it being overbearing. I could do with more plot elements outside of this though. We get the mystery revealed to us right away (her position as descendant of Merlin) but we don't get many more plot-centric elements. I loved the first line of the first chapter, and I also liked the setup for the next chapters to come. It was very engaging.