Author: SaraStoryWrites
Reviewer: Rain_dropsand_roses
Genre: Fantasy
The story starts out in an interesting way by implying that a bad gang controls part of a big city. But some things are unclear - we don't learn the gang's name or what they do. Not knowing these details makes the world less developed and leaves the reader wanting more details. Also, not naming the city makes it hard to picture the setting, which is important for building the world.
Cora quickly trusts Seth even though at first she didn't. But it feels sudden, so the reader wants more of how they became close friends. More could have shown why Cora decided to follow Seth's lead instead of going off alone.
The chapters are short so the story moves slowly. Some readers may like this slow pace. But others may want more plot developments sooner. Combining the first few chapters into one longer chapter could have sped things up without losing important parts.
Cora and Seth find a new place called Phaedra through a strange portal. It gets a fair bit of description but not enough to fully picture this interesting world. More details about Phaedra and how it connects to the first world would draw the reader in. Not naming the original world also makes it harder to connect to the story.
The characters aren't described very well, making it tough to picture what Cora and Seth look like. Especially their ages are never given, and knowing that helps understanding them better. More details about what they look like and how they act would help readers relate to them more.
Hints are given about magic things like Shields and ShadowWalkers that add mystery. These parts have great potential if explored more to fascinate readers. I hope future chapters explain these magic hints further to learn more about the world's magic and what's important.
This sets up a promising fantasy series overall. But building the world, characters, and Phaedra setting more would make it better. I give it 3 out of 5 stars for those interested in a fantasy with solid realism.