DNP #1 has only 5 chapters but I'm amazed that it's a 128-page book. Pages 3 to 27 contain the prologue and the whole chapter 1.
Both prologue and first paragraph of chapter 1 took my attention immediately. The tone used is friendly, as if your best friend is talking to you. Points for the author because friendly tones are kind of hard to use or find in other books.
Right after the first paragraph though, the second paragraph until the last completely turned me off. Paragraph 1's friendly tone is unexpectedly changed with a: "Dear diary, ito ang istorya ko." The transition of scenes weren't executed properly and left me surprised.
I find it disturbing and disappointing to read about a heroine who points out her ugliness numerous times in one chapter. Obviously, she's suffering from low-self esteem, a feeling I've experienced when I was still in high school. Eya calls herself as "long lost sister ni Shrek", "panget na katulad ko", at "atchay".
This girl needs some serious intervention! I have a friend who was called "ugly" and "katulong" by our classmates for the whole freshman and sophomore year. She believed she was ugly, too, just like Eya, and she suffered from low-self esteem and worried about what everyone thought of her.
Eya is just like my friend in every way possible. This saddens me. I'm sad and hurting for my friend, for Eya and for every girl who thinks like this.
Girls, pointing out your flaws and agreeing with what people say about you will get you depressed and will probably lead to suicide. It's not healthy and will lead to more insecurities. Boys don't like meek, shy girls. They like girls who are confident with their own skins and bodies. Learn to love and believe in yourself more. Learn how to say "yes" in every opportunity that comes in your way. Don't let your insecurities hinder you into becoming someone greater and better.
Another thing I've noticed is Eya's weirdness, and it's not the good or cute kind of weird. It's rather strange she believes in aliens and zombies and other sci-fi things. I've met people like this and, really, society shuns them or they're very socially awkward and creep people out.
I watched a show in C&I Network called Monstresses. One mistress believed in aliens so much that she thought her lover's wife was an alien that needed to be decapitated.
To Eya, please get your head straight before it's too late and you become a killer.
Eya isn't likable or isn't not likable. She's immature. Her thinking patterns, her thoughts, her speech, her actions scream "my brain hasn't developed yet". It takes 18 years for the human brain to fully develop. In Eya's case, her brain hasn't fully developed yet even though she's already 19 years old. She thinks like a 15 year old, a huge difference from 19.
Though the characters are of college age (17 to 20), they don't act like young adults studying to become what they dream to be or what their parents want them to be. In college, you usually see students flocking in a table either studying together or just chilling with some snacks while one of them is playing a guitar. In DNP, the students' development regressed and they're acting as if they're still in high school.
I can understand if the characters are first year students, but they're not. They're seniors! They're about to graduate, to get their diplomas, to live their lives outside their comfort zones! Once you're a senior in college, grades are all that matters! Yet, in the DNP world, the characters are too lax. I have a feeling the author hasn't experienced college life yet and has copied too many manga, anime, and teen shows.
The level of character immaturity is clear in their speech and action. And to read about Cross as a student council member surprises me. I've experienced college and have voted for people to become council members before, and those who ran for office were people who knew how to handle responsibilities and their studies. So I had to question the type of young professionals Willford Academy was molding and releasing.
Chapter 1 hasn't shown any promise and just wasted a good prologue and first paragraph.
