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Depressed

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Depressed

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Author :: unnshiii_07

Reviewer :: hongsanii

First Impression :: 9/20

» Cover :: 6/10

For the most part, it’s a decent cover. It has everything one would need; a background, the title, and the  author’s name. The blendings are well done, and the color scheme used tells me right off the bat the vibe I should be expecting from the book. Good job! What really needs work, though, are the fonts, and I’m not talking about the font type, but rather the color and the placement. The one used for the title is good, but I’d like it if it was a bit bigger. As for the subtitle, the font color makes it hard to read it properly, so I’d suggest going for bright white or adding shadows and strokes to it. The placement of it is a little off-putting too. Instead of putting it to the side, align it in the center. All in all, it’s a good cover, but it could use a little tweaking here and there.

» Title :: ⅖

It certainly does contribute to the entire concept you’re going for, but it feels a little too straightforward and
statement-like. Titles like that don’t garner people’s attention most of the time. That’s how it works on Wattpad at least, unfortunately. So, while your title is relevant to your story, I’d suggest going for something a little more vague and not so direct.

» Blurb :: ⅕

I’m assuming the quote is a dialogue from the book. But, you see, it feels a little obnoxious in my opinion. And now that I think about it, it’s how the entire blurb feels to be honest. Like your title, you’re going directly into the topic, and it almost feels as if you’re trying to convince everyone with everything you have that the book is about depression. Don’t be so straightforward. When dealing with disorders like this, there are a lot of uncertainties in the character dealing with it. Show it in your blurb. Try to take a vaguer approach to it. There’s another quote at the end that says, “when two depressed souls meet.” At that point, just within your blurb, it becomes a little repetitive and like I mentioned earlier, a little obnoxious because it feels as if even your characters are trying to convince everyone they’re depressed. Instead of saying ‘depressed,’ you can say ‘lost.’ It’s a subtler meaning of ‘depressed’ but it sounds so much better in that sentence.

Beginning of a new start :: 4/10

The prologue isn’t really a prologue since it’s just the definition of depression, a little note, and your
disclaimers, so we’ll jump right into the first chapter. The content of the first chapter talks about the character, Hana’s, life going downhill all of a sudden and her feeling lost. Overall, it’s a common way books on Wattpad start: with lots of info dump. Instead of telling me she feels tired or sad, show it to me with the way she acts. Instead of saying she has bad grades, no friends, and strict parents, show it with the way the teachers are disappointed in her, how the kids treat her, and how she responds when someone just genuinely nice is asking to hang out with her after school. The first few chapters should be subtle enough to cause a spark of intrigue in your readers, but informative enough to not drive them away because they have no idea where the story is going. In your book, everything’s a little too straightforward and obnoxious, and I’ll explain the reasons in the other categories as we go. Despite that, the next few chapters do show her being
depressed through her actions, so fortunately, there’s that.