Science Fiction Tied 1st Place Winner- Tegan1311

17 5 1

by afragileheartforever

by afragileheartforever

Welcome to the Universe- Tegan1311

Title: 4/5
-Not the most original title out there. BUT it was still catchy!
-It is definitely interesting. Gives a space/futuristic vibe, really vague and yet so vast.
-It caught my eye, yes. It made me wonder where it takes place, exactly--the universe is huge!
-It definitely pertains to the genre. Gave me a deep sci-fi vibe.
-It appears to pertain to story. But it's hard to tell yet, may link into more later.

Description/blurb: 8/10
-It gives a good idea of the story, a little vague but mysterious. I'd suggest maybe reorganizing it to have Alexandra's part/mini-intro first, just for more clarity.
-It did make me want to open the book. However, I found the character quotes to be unnecessary.
-It seems to correspond to the story. Definitely drops some character names and shows who may or may not be important.

Cover: 4/5
-It looks appealing. A smidge busy, a lot going on, though.
-Kind of made me want to open the book. The explosion part was a bit confusing, kind of got in way of text.
-It seems to correspond to story and genre. The items and colors really match the first chapters.

Plot: 19/20
-It's moving slow but steady. You delay crucial information to give mystery... and I like it.
-There's definitely a balance of narration and dialogue. And both are very well-written and formulated!
-Every chapter gives information to further the plot. They keep us hooked with tiny details to feed curiosity.

Characterization: 20/20
-The characters are most definitely 3D. I love the switch between them, the slow introduction for the important ones.
-They feel realistic as they can for a sci-fi book! I love the insight into their thoughts.
-They definitely portray emotions well. They were all easy to understand and even relate to, in some parts.
-They definitely stick out, especially Alexandra. Her description is consistent in every POV, and the way everyone sees her is super intriguing.
-I could definitely feel them coming to live, even the minor ones. Great descriptions, seriously helpful!

Creativity/originality: 9/10

-It's definitely original. A few tiny clichés (powers, damsel in distress style stuff) but nothing that bugged me.
-The characters do have some basic traits BUT they're also super original. They're cloaked in mystery and certainly creative.
BONUS points for the places and your original descriptions of them!

Spelling/grammar: 14/15
-Overall proper grammar throughout. I only found a handful of typos. Also, be careful with dashes.
-The prose is easy to read, well written. Just be careful with repetitions (like "soft" and then "softening" just one sentence away--consider something different).

Enjoyability: 5/5
-It was definitely enjoyable. Slow building, draws you in, hooking for sure. Little anecdote here, when I was reading your book, I suffered sudden neck pain and had a panic attack and had to go home from work... and I was so anxious to get back into your story, I couldn't stop thinking about it despite my pain!
-I do plan to read more. I'm super curious about what comes next. Nice ending to chapter 5!!

Literary devices: 4/5
-Yes, proper usage of these here. Nothing out of the ordinary.
-Your writing is definitely rich, just watch out for repetitions. Especially those close together (=echoes).

Descriptions: 5/5
-Honestly, both characters and settings came to life. Your descriptions were simple yet vivid enough to really wake my imagination.
-I had no trouble visualizing anything. All was well set-up and really easy to get lost/immersed in.

OVERALL: I always love reading your work! It was seriously a pleasure to judge it, though I found myself pretty under-qualified BUT I definitely wanted to keep reading even when I reached my last "assigned" chapter! Well-done!

TOTAL 92/100