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Review by Daryl: The Rise of the Shadows

Title: The Rise of the Shadows

Author: amyrobinNZ

Reviewer: lordedarylene

Character Development: 7/10

My perusal of this aspect will focus on Macey and Connor because they were the most developed. Still, I'll touch on the other personas in the story. Have I said your cast is amazing? No? Well, your cast is amazing. Your characters are unique. Thank you for making the effort to achieve this feat. It's great reading a story with characters who don't act as you expect them to. They are far from perfect which is another plus for me. Perfect characters are boring. Your characters have their individual strengths and weaknesses. The minor characters were just coming to light by the fifth chapter so, I didn't see much of them. In spite of that, it was clear they had good and bad sides. They were likeable and different from each other. They didn't behave according to clichés or stereotypes and that was nice. I couldn't really predict how they would act from the third chapter and that's rare for me. I don't think I have any tangible suggestions to make here. This part was great. 

Macey is an onion: full of many intriguing layers. I loved picking her apart and finding one thing or the other. She's the classic tough main female character yet she's not. I like how easy it is for her to blend into submissive roles despite her dominating persona. For example; she was fierce when dealing with Connor. When she was confronted by their professor, she softened beyond belief. That was hilarious and made her stand out from other badass females I've read about. She also has demons from her past I would love to unravel. I don't know why I like the fact that she has no backstory yet. Perhaps, the allure lies in the mystery that surrounds her behaviour. I really like her. She's like a combination of yin and yang; quite a lovely combo, if you ask me. The one thing that did confuse me, though, was her attitude towards female stereotypes. For such a strong female, she used a ton of them like the 'all girls like flowers' belief. I'm a feminist but I don't care that she believes such gender stereotypes. I like it because a lot of people do and that makes her realistic. What I do care about is how it contradicts her tough girl behavior. It's not a bad contradiction but it is one that could confuse readers.

Connor, Connor, Connor. Where do I start? Connor is the kind of main male character we need on this app. He has no interest in being the worshipped bad boy even though he has the looks to be one like his brother. He loves books. I repeat at the top of my lungs with a megaphone: he loves books. Marry me, please. Finding a guy who reads books -not comics or manga- for fun is tougher than finding a needle in a haystack. I'm overjoyed that you made such a character. I love the way his boldness contrasts with his shyness. He went from biting Macey's head off to fumbling around her. That's a strange difference I can't get enough of. I love his determination to be more than he is. Simultaneously, I love how much he hungers to leave his brother's shadow. That's a similar struggle I faced in high school. Luckily, I blew them away with my eccentric mannerisms. I understand Connor's pain and a lot of people will. It's a lovely point of connection to hold onto. I would love to see how he changes as the story progresses.

Overall, well done here. I'm pleased with your characterization.

Plot Development: 7/10

Before I analyze the plot in and of itself, I'll start by saying I love the plot concepts you've chosen for this wonderful story. They're quite captivating and have been manipulated in a way that opposes clichés that could arise. You have a certain flair I can't identify when it comes to presenting elements of your plot; I really love it. You twist individual elements which would be considered banal so that they become your own. That's just amazing and I plead that you keep it up. We do need uniqueness here.