The Black Cat Awards 2019 Reviews

Fantasy 1st Place - Of Caverns and Casters by @avadel

🥇 Fantasy 1st Place Winner 🥇

Of Caverns and Casters by avadel

Reviewed by AmyMarieZ

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Title: The title Of Caverns and Casters is very fitting with the genre and style of this story. I can immediately tell that the story will be fantasy from the "Casters" part, and the "Caverns" part gives me the impression that there will be strong elements of adventure as well. This story seems to be a young adult fantasy story, and I can see this title really appealing to that audience specifically.

The alliteration gives the title a nice and memorable sound. Although I've seen a number of fantasy stories that use the format "of x and y," I feel like it is a format that can work really well and still be unique regardless. In my opinion, Of Caverns and Casters is an example that works wonderfully.

Cover: The cover of this story is well polished and grabs my eye immediately. The font looks very stylized, but not in a way that is overthetop or distracting. I particularly like the way the two letter "C's" stand out and draw my eye. The image of the fire is nice and I think fits well in the center of the book. My only thought on that is that an image of fire is fairly generic and doesn't indicate anything unique or original about the story, since so many stories, particularly fantasy stories, involve the element of fire. It does work very nicely aesthetically. I can't deny that! Lovely cover all around!

Summary/Blurb: The summary for Of Caverns and Casters is excellent! I really love the way the summary has been stylized, featuring the longline/pitch first. I feel like this simple sentence does a great job of capturing the energy and feeling of the story. Because it is so short and punchy, it works as a great way to start the summary because it immediately draws a reader in.

The summary that follows includes a few sentences summarizing the journey of each of the three main leads. I feel like this is a format that works well. Each of the characters are unique and have compelling stories that intrigue me to read on. The three sections are all worded in a way that is clear and easy to follow, and the paragraph at the end ties all of their journeys together into a cohesive plot. Excellent!

My only concern with the summary is that it is somewhat long for a Wattpad story. Many readers have short attention spans and might be intimidated by a longer summary. This summary is excellent, but in my opinion just on the edge for ideal length.

Descriptions: The descriptions in this story are remarkably well done. The author clearly has an excellent grasp of how to balance the level of detail in the writing to create an immersive scene. The descriptions are written with precise details that make it easy to visualize like watching a movie. All of the senses are incorporated with the descriptions, making me feel like I am there. The narration is smooth and flows flawlessly from sentence to sentence and paragraph to paragraph.

The details in the first and third chapters were right on point, which is difficult to do with so much action. Some of my favorite descriptions during these chapters were the tactile ones. What really stuck in my mind was the description of Leavi tearing her nail as she tries to climb the wall. I winced when I read it! And then, when she goes to move the pot and collects the dirt and moss in her hands, I could feel the stinging on that open cut. Ouch!

The descriptions during the segments in Aster's POV seemed to have a somewhat different style, but were just as effective. I felt like I got more general details. For example, while he was casting spells, we didn't get to see each individual spell he cast, but instead there was a more overarching description of the process and what the effects felt like for Aster. I thought this was a wise choice for pacing, although I might not have minded just a little more detail.