"His beautiful face was devoid of warmth,Theo spun around to face Sierra Rose & their eyes locked. He took a firm grip of the glass on the table before taking a drink, an ominous silence descended in the room."
COVER AND BLURB:-
The book cover is austere and simple - but, not eye-catchy. As far as I know, most of the readers are lured to give a try to a book, especially when they feel some kind of inclination towards the cover, if it's cool & catches the attention very easily. According to me, it could've been a little more impressive and eye-catching if the color-scheme of the cover was more highlighting than appearing dark & dull. The fonts don't really bring out the regal vibes needed to suit the storyline, there's a lack of consistency of the fonts used, they don't simply pass the vibe. Some more emphasis should be made on the selection of suitable fonts, so as to match the royal & regal vibes of the book, such as metallic fonts, & font styles such as Cinzel etc.
The title suits the story plot well, nothing to say here, but it's good.
Now, as far as the blurb is considered, I'm really drawn to it's simplicity & concise setting. It's perfect, it doesn't unravel much & but is enough to let the readers know what it is all about, & what we can expect from the storyline. The questions that might arise in the reader's mind upon reading the blurb are addressed in the blurb, to assure the readers that their answers shall be entertained once they dive into the story. For me, it has all that's needed.
CHARACTER(S) AND PLOT DEVELOPMENT:
The way you've woven a kind of prologue in the first chapter throwing a light into the past, from where it all started to its present consequences, is damn captivating. The transition from the flashback to the present is smooth & not much drawn out, I personally admire it. You've given a short description of both the families, the Delantes & the Letelliers, their trades & past, the backdrop of the story setting is already etched in the reader's mind in the very first chapter.
You've well brought out & discussed the age-old practices of the royal families, to betrothen their children & grandchildren, to expand their territories, businesses & political powers, through your story.
The thing of the medieval times, that a child is betrothed for the sake of the family's stake, even before he/she is born or started to speak, is quite intriguing for the readers, especially the age in which we currently are living, it's an unacceptable thing & thus the uniqueness of the storyline is deemed to attract more readers. The storyline is also unique plus engaging and thoroughly drags the reader in its impact.
Talking about the character development, you've well spent your time & tide on it. The character sketch that you've presented before the readers through your writing is really fabulous. The way you've woven the character of Sierra Rose Letellier & Theo Delante, their first ever interaction when Sierra was born is really cute & heart warming, Theo's protective & caring demeanor for Sierra at such a young age, the continuity to abide to his promise, despite of his busy schedule, etc all have been taken care of, even the minute details are covered well.
The way in which you've developed the character of Sierra Rose Letellier, leaves a lasting impact on the reader's mind. Her presentation as the heiress of a strong French empire, advancing the legacy of the Letelliers lineage, her behavioral traits, mannerisms, regal etiquette & courteous persona impact an image of her character, a perfect epitome of royal blood & it's refined upbringing.
Theo's & Sierra's heated but mild argument brings an unexpected turn to the story, according to me a little too soon, however if it's to express the insecurity of Sierra's blossoming feelings, it somewhere feels right. I also appreciate how amazingly you've allowed Sierra to maintain her regal composure even during an argument where she completely loses herself to succumb to her anger, but still manages to come out of the pit, as a result of the inculcated manners in her.
Your plot is enthralling and engaging and it kept me hooked till the very end, until where you've updated. You've really done a great job in developing the story plot so far.
WRITING STYLE AND PACING:-
The way you've framed your story, from beginning till where you've updated, I'm beyond impressed. It never feels like the storyline has lost its boundness, but it keeps the reader clinged till the very last.
There's perfect detailing of everything, let it be the characters, the scenario or the surrounding. Your writing style is to the point and it really had me picturising each and every scene in the back of my head...as if I was there witnessing everything, just like a VR or Theatre Movie. The way you described about the character's appearances, expressions, their feelings and thoughts ,body languages, and the setting is fairly comprehensive & appreciable. You've done a great work here
For me, pacing is just as fine as the writing style. You haven't beat around the bush but kept the story flow in perfect grasp and balanced speed rhythm. There wasn't much of waiting for the interaction of the main characters of the story and I really enjoyed that. But it wouldn't hurt if things slow down a bit.
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY:-
Your vocabulary....sorry, but it's true. You got me in a frenzy. I'm dazed for real. The fact I know that you said it's your first time writing a book, but according to my perspective, it never really felt like that. The extent of vocabulary you've spent, is beyond the scope of first time authors.
You've made the perfect choices of words which has made the story a lot more expressive on its part and more engaging. They really fit in their literal meanings according to the plot. As far as I noticed, there's no repetition of words and it's the most appreciable thing, cause many times, the constant repetition of words make the readers lose their interest and get easily bored, no matter how strong the story build up is. So good job dear!
As for the grammar, it's also far reaching and tidy in its place. Except for a few places in capitalisation of proper nouns, no issues related to tense & grammar encountered so far. Also, a few typos but that's manageable as they can be easily corrected once editing is done.
PERSONAL ENJOYMENT:-
To be honest, I personally enjoyed the story a lot, the family drama intrigues me & I'm looking forward to it in further chapters, along with the romantic interactions between Sierra & Theo. I feel like it might be too soon to speculate what's up next in the storyline, but you can emphasis on more suspense & drama, as the story is quite different & has enough space for experiments. Readers would love that, I'm sure. You'd done a commendable job in writing the story, as it kept me tied to its flow till the very end and I literally felt the urge to read it more. I'm eagerly waiting for the story to get unfurled more.
All the very best for your future writings, keep up the good work FairyHazel !
AUTHOR: fai-ry_haze-l
TITLE OF THE BOOK: The Last Royal Blood
REVIEWER: TaeTaeGinger