Let's see here...
-The cover/banner: Great art. Very alluring. While I think the title could be a bit bigger and clearer, it is pretty good as it is.
The description is written awkwardly from the second paragraph on.
Due to previous life events, Asura believes that people betray even their loved ones, once they find something they want more than their affection towards them.
Even though being a very hard worker, Asura struggles with studies. But, when real-life troubles come, his demon tactics save the day.
-How hooking the prologue is: It's an interesting start. It conveys what to expect from the novel well. But, few things could turn a reader away.
Grammar errors. Many places either lack a comma or have an extra comma.
Unnatural dialogues. The conversation between the librarian and Asura is very odd.
Atmosphere/Tone. The intro is snappy, too much so. It would be a good idea to add more descriptive lines. I had originally made a similar error in my own prologue and adding descriptions of the surroundings and the general atmosphere of the setting helped it a lot.
The last line! It should be much more dramatic than it is!
"You want money? You can have all of it. Just stop this. I can't stand it. Why are you doing this? Just leave me alone!"undefined> "No. I don't need money."
"What do you want? WHAT ARE YOU!?" He cried out.
"I am the Demon King and all I need is Advanced Physics Volume 3. Because tomorrow, I have got a test to pass."
As I mentioned. The atmosphere is already not conveyed well, and this last is meant to be your main hook. It has been written like a simple sentence. Adding some lines that describe his voice and breaking the last line into different parts would be a good way to go. More experienced authors will probably be able to give you much better ways to make that line more hooking.
-Impressions on the first few chapters and whether they make me want to keep reading: The story is very interesting, so many people will stick around for that. I have noticed a few issues that made me want to turn away, I'll list them.
There is no information about the settings at all. Be it the demon world or the Earth. If I don't know what the character is seeing then visualizing becomes very difficult.
Asura's emotions are very unclear. The description, title, and plot, all point towards a good deal of character growth but our main character has too many emotions for some things and too little for the rest. For example, he was happy about becoming the demon king after getting betrayed? And then he remembers that betrayal for a long time, as hinted in the description and the prologue? Even when he meets his human mother, he understands her love for him a bit too soon for an orphan in a forever violent world.
Chapter 5. What happened in the beginning? This is a very personal opinion, but I think many readers will agree that anime-esque ecchi scenes are the best way to tell your readers that your story is another typical haremy wish-fulfillment. Which, I can clearly see, it isn't. The later chapters and the plot are very interesting with a plethora of potential.
-General story and/or artwork: The art is very nice for the thumbnails and the writing flows well other than the few issues I pointed out and some grammatical errors. It's done well, no complaints.
-Style, tone, and setting: I covered this above.
Writing/storytelling style and how smooth it is: This too, I'll say it again though. Your story flows very well. The pacing is very nice and the narrative is enjoyable.
Overall. I really like the story but strictly from a reader's perspective, it could be shallow at times. The plot is very intriguing and that couples with your smooth writing style make it an enjoyable read that one would stick with. I got to learn many things and also found places I can improve in my own novel from reading this. Keep up the great work!
Oh, I've been subscribed for a while to this one. I don't have much to say here, to be honest. It's written pretty well, so I'll just go over the points real quick.
The cover is nice, but the title could be more impactful. The text color is slightly bland and is fading in the background. The first chapter is off to a good start. It does give off the vibe of being another normal romance due to the circumstances our characters meet in, but at the same time, it builds intrigue.
The later chapters and if they keep me hooked... I'll be honest here. It still feels like a typical romance story, but the description promises some good plot points, and the story does seem like it could go in that direction. I think they are hooking enough.
As for the tone and settings, they are conveyed well. Nothing to say there. The writing style is also nice and flows well.
Overall, it's an enjoyable read. I am looking forward to where you take it.
I was really surprised to see a honest review with constructive criticism. I am really really grateful and I will, for sure work on my mistakes. English is not my first language as you can easily tell by reading my chapters, but we are trying out best here, aren't we? Some of the advice you gave were really helpful and I am working on them.
I was really amazed by your vocabulary skills so I decided to check out TRIAL RUN.
And oh my. I understood what you meant by, to describe the surroundings more. Your description of the surroundings, action scenes, the movements and Ivan's thoughts is something I can really learn a lot from.
I guess you made your cover yourself.
The Prologue was really attention grabbing and we get an idea of the watch's power without you telling us about it. In the second episode I got a somewhat Aladin vibe with them forcing a thief to go in a magical cave and bring back something. But all of that skepticism was long gone by the 3rd episode.
To be honest, I am realy envious of your vocabulary and descriptive skills and I think I can really learn a lot just by reading Trial Run.
Once again thank you for your honest review..
I am really glad my review could be of some help. I was worried about being too fired up while writing the review for you. The story just had me very invested, and the thought of it getting better got me very excited.
I am also very thankful that you took the time to check out Trial Run. Your comments make me thrilled and grateful. Coming from a talented author such as yourself, they are also very encouraging. Thank you.
I am really looking forward to how the story unfolds; I am about to catch up to it. How you develop the story and your skills excite me. I can’t wait to read more of it. Let’s keep doing our best to bring forth the best work we can. Keep up the amazing work.
I definitely know I have to rewrite the beginning, but I'd like to know how my writing stands now. If anything, I'd like to know if my writing has improved at all comparing the first few chapters to the last few.
I've chosen to write in a present tense/ third person POV which turns off a lot of readers.
If that doesn't deter you, please feel free to let me know your thoughts.
(it's my first novel btw so mercy please lol)
I'll focus less on the art side of things and more on the story and style for this one. I don't think I am qualified to call you out on anything art-related.
-The cover/banner: I like the cover. It has great visuals.
-How hooking the prologue is: Your art is pretty good, so many people will stay just for that. Some dialogues felt unnatural at places. Like Amelia's first thoughts after, what I assume is being drugged, and taken to hell, were how she looks like her younger self.
It would make more sense for her to be confused, she would probably notice the inner changes. Since she's old, it would be easier for her to breathe and move and she would probably notice these things before she could even sit up. I know that conveying these small things in comics can be difficult and time-consuming, but it would have greatly enhanced the vibe of your story.
I'll also say that it was difficult to follow the events of the first chapters at times, but that's probably just me.
-Impressions on the first few chapters and whether they make me want to keep reading: Yes. In fact, I caught up myself. There are a few grammar/spelling errors in between, but other than that, it's a great read.
-General story and/or artwork: It's still in its initial stages so saying anything about the story is not possible. I'll at least say that I am really liking how you are building it up. Slowly introducing the world and the characters while hinting at the main goal of the story. Great work there.
-Style, tone, and setting: Beautifully expressed. The visuals are great and the paneling is done very nicely. Nothing to criticize here.
-Writing/storytelling style and how smooth it is: Again, there are a few grammar/spelling errors and some places where the dialogues feel unnatural. Barring those, it flows very well and the story lures me in.
I really enjoyed reading it and can't wait to read more. Keep up the great work!
This was a very fun read.
-The cover/banner: Cute and mysterious. I would totally check it out if I ever saw it at a book store. But! It doesn't convey the same image as the description. I'll give a simple suggestion to solve this problem. Make your title large, bold, and slightly ominous. Give it a misty texture or something along those lines. Right now, some people might dismiss it as a children's story, and I am sure it is so much more.
-How hooking the prologue is: I think the prologue could have explored more of Chippo's day and the world around him. I understand you want to keep the chapters short, but the prologue needs to be slightly more catchy. It's the first thing your viewers will see after all.
-Impressions on the first few chapters and whether they make me want to keep reading: Very interesting. I loved the chapters. The cuteness and the mystery blend well. Once again, a little more insight into Chippo's daily life would have been better. What does he do all alone every day in a mist-filled world? Answering this question would have made his departure much more dramatic and exciting.
-General story and/or artwork: The story is very interesting and, as I mentioned. The art blends the cute and mysterious vibes very well.
-Style, tone, and setting: Chippo's size is slightly inconsistent in different panels, but that's hard to notice. I think for panels that are repetitive, like in episode 7, using different angles and showing more of Chippo's surroundings could do wonders.
-Writing/storytelling style and how smooth it is: Very smooth. Natural dialogues coming from a little chick, and the flow is great. The pacing is great too. Looking into Chippo's thoughts and life a bit more would've been great.
Overall, it was a great read. Subbed and looking forward to more!
Thanks very much for taking your time and your honest feedback!
I agree on the title. When I came up with it, it was supposed to be a simple, light-hearted romance story. As the plot developed, the story got darker and more serious so the current title isn't really fitting anymore... I guess I'll also work on the cover font
Personally, I think the plot is the strong point of my story but it takes quite a bit to pick up. Perhaps I will add more foreshadowing--I'll have a think!
A bit overdue but I checked out your novel. Here are my thoughts.
The cover/banner: It looks really cool! The whole gears of a time piece theme is really fitting and I like the font and texture on the title. Did you make it yourself in photoshop or some similar software?
How hooking the prologue is: Really well done prologue. I'll put the rest under spoilers just in case someone else wants to check it out.
Summary
I like how the prologue was also Ivan's first time testing out trial run. It made it really organic in terms of exposition and stuff. Honestly after reading the prologue I felt like he was a bit off his rocker which I'm assuming is on purpose? I don't know I guess I'll have to read further to find out
Impressions on the first few chapters and whether they make me want to keep reading: Strong start. When Ivan "broke the 4th wall" I was a bit thrown off but I think that's part of your style that I need to get used to. I definitely intend to read further.
I feel like I can take the next few categories at once since I haven't read super far (first 5 chapters) and I'll just end up repeating points.
General story, style, tone, and setting: The plot seems pretty interesting and highly driven by Ivan as a character. The style is new to me I haven't read anything like it. It feels highly conversational which I had to adapt to a bit. The tenses were a bit weird in places but nothing too problematic.
The setting is very interesting and mostly cloudy right now since, as I mentioned, I haven't read that far. Minor gripe, Ivan's thoughts are sometimes in italics and sometimes just part of the paragraph. Not a huge problem or anything but I couldn't help but notice
Anyway not really an issue at all just a matter of consistency. Doesn't take away from the story in any way.
Overall it's really unique. Even though a few sentences here and there struck me as a bit strange, that was mostly me adapting to your way of storytelling which is quite gripping. I subscribed and will definitely go back to read more. Nice work!
Thank you very much for checking out my work and for the helpful review. I really appreciate it. Ivan is certainly a crazy character to the point that he should be getting immediate mental help.
I guess my grammar is still not too good. I'll try to fix the tenses and whatever strange sentences I find. Thank you very much for pointing it out.
As for the italics... I originally wrote the whole story without any dialogue tags, and it's a product of that. I keep going over the story for errors but miss a few. Thanks a lot for pointing it out, I have fixed it.
I just started to read yours, the concept seems great, and the way you introduced the ability and how easy it was to follow the scene was amazing. So you got yourself a new reader.
I just started and will update regularly; episode 2 is scheduled soon. The feedback I got from friends was the usual - looks nice, so I'd like to know from the readers perspective. Thank you for the offer.
Sorry for such a long gap. My laptop broke down, and I got it fixed just a while back. Writing a review on my phone would've been difficult. ;;>.<
-The cover/banner: It's a good cover, sweet and simple. I think the color around the mask is slightly different from the rest of the background? You might wanna change that, it can throw some people off.
-How hooking the prologue is: It's an interesting start. Maybe it's because of my own style, but I found it oddly slow-paced. The descriptions of her gadgets reduced the thrilling tension of the hectic surroundings.
-Impressions on the first few chapters and whether they make me want to keep reading: Yes. I find it very interesting. The story has my whole intrigue and post prologue, the pacing is pretty nice too.
I will cover the remaining here since I can't find much to say. The story is great and you have written it very well. The only things that stood out were a few awkward sentences and scene transition. It was difficult to understand when the scene has changed.
Other than those, I enjoyed reading it. Keep up the great work,