In My Opinion

The Distorted Ones by Scanking7

Cover: 7/10
I've dabbled in making covers for my own books recently, so I know how hard it can be to pull off what you want, especially if you're limited to free stuff. So, I think this is good, but it could be better. Now, I'm assuming you're using Canva to make this, so my suggestions are tailored to that system, but if you're using something else, I'm sure you can figure out how to apply everything. First, I like "LOD," but I think you should push the "L" and the "D" further in from the edge of the cover. Not much, just a little. "The Distorted Ones" is a bit hard to read, which I know is kind of the point, but you could play with it a little to make it a little easier to read while still maintaining that distorted effect. Maybe increasing the font size a little, decreasing the angle of tilt, something like that. Your name needs to be more obvious. You are the author, and you deserve the credit. I know you don't want to detract from the rest of the cover, but you can still make your name more prominent without it becoming a distraction. I think you can lose the "by," increase the font size, push it a bit to the left so it's not right on the edge, maybe add a background and play around with the transparency so it's set apart from the black background with a ghostly effect.

Okay, now the images. I don't like the "No Exit" thing. You already have one doorway, and you can get the spotlight effect without using a graphic that includes another doorway. Plus, the text interferes with the important info - series name, book name, your name. I like your main red door, and I like the human figure to the right of the door. The other two, I'm not so sure about. The one on the bottom left is okay, but the one on the top left is partially cut out, even though it's not on the edge of the cover, and there's nothing beside it to explain it being cut off like that. Maybe just move it to the edge so it makes sense? I don't know. I'm just throwing out ideas here. This does catch my eye, though, which is what you want.

First chapter (and everything that came before it): 5/10
I like the graphics in your author's note. Honestly, I think the first cover you did was the best, but the text needs some work. If you played around with the font, that could be perfect. As far as the text of the author's note, there are some little things, like a capitalized "and" in the middle of a sentence, the present tense "take" when it should be the past tense "took," but an author's note is supposed to be casual, so while cleaning it up would be nice, it's not that big of a deal. And kudos to you for taking the time to learn and keep learning. I hope I can help you on your writing journey. 🙂

I appreciate the content warning at the beginning of the prologue, but that really should go in the blurb, too. Also, you need to update it to say "18+" in line with Wattpad's new rules, and you also need to mark your book as "Mature."

So, as far as the text of the prologue, there is definitely room for improvement. Phrasing, grammatical issues, punctuation errors, wording that doesn't quite make sense - I really recommend looking into an editing tool to help you smooth this out. Your story concept is solid, but it's just a bit hard to read right now. I like your characters, and while it feels weird at first that the kids are so crass on their own and such perfect little angels for Leah, it makes sense, in a way. Kids are often different with adults than they are with each other. I do wonder about Leah's language, though. Is she really going to include explicit language in her bedtime stories for the kids? That doesn't seem like something she would do. And your descriptions are also good, but, again, kind of hidden behind wording issues.

Also, the story Leah tells the kids needs to be set apart better. The line saying "Leah POV" really confused me. I thought I was in her mind, in her memories of something that actually happened to her, and it took me a while to realize this was the story she was telling, not her perspective. Putting a heading of "Leah's Story" and doing something to make it stand out, like bold text and possibly centering it, would make more sense. Okay, so I'm going to try to pick out little areas for examples so you can kind of get an idea of what I'm looking at and what I'm thinking.