Turtle Rock Review Shop

~~~ #23- Of Caverns and Casters, @avadel

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User- avadel

Book- Of Caverns and Casters

Genre- High Fantasy

Link to the book --------------->

Cover- 

As you may have already known, I am absolutely in love with all of the covers that you all make. I think most of them are stunning, and the cover for this book is no exception. I really enjoy the rustic, dungeon-like feel of the black background, and the gold, intricate details in the title are very interesting to look at. 

One thing I will point out is that the overall color scheme of the cover seems to be black and gold, but the crest in the center, above the title, is a silver color that doesn't blend as well with the rest of the cover. I do enjoy the fade into the text from the title, however. I think this adds depth to the elements.

Title- 

I'm not going to lie to you, when clicking on this story, I had no idea what 'caster' referred to. At first, I thought it was something related to a cauldron (don't ask why this is what my mind jumped to). After looking the word up, I feel like the title gives off a lot of high fantasy/magic vibes. 

Blurb- 

I usually don't read much in this genre, so I feel like I'm a tad bit out of my element here, but I'm going to try my best to give you my opinions and feedback that you can use. 

I really enjoy the formatting you use for the blurb. It leads into the image that the book will be a dual POV from the two scientists' perspective and the prince. I think most of the dual POV books that I've seen are usually romance. The fantasy books that I've picked up in recent years have mostly been from the perspective of one narrator, so this feels like it will be a breath of fresh air. 

However, I have some gripes with the blurb. I don't think it's engaging enough as a reader who doesn't dabble in the fantasy genre too much. The blurb falls short of gaining my attention and making me want to read on. 

Maybe more personality can be added to the blurb? Although, I think I can see the problem, why I feel as if it is not entertaining enough. There is no real hint at the main conflict of the story. There are the two main POV introductions and a brief touch on setting, but nothing about why I should be rooting for these characters, and what I should want them to accomplish. Even what they are fighting. 

Here are some questions that popped up in my mind while I read that might help you when working on the blurb. These are the things that I felt could be better explained without delving into spoilers: 

Why is Aster seen as incompetent? Has he done something to make his mentor think so? 

What exactly is causing the two scientists to flee?

What is this brutal weather and betrayal?

First impression- 

Right, now I'm actually opening the book. I think the first chapter is definitely a hook tugging the reader into the story. Your writing is clean, and there weren't any errors that I saw from the first few paragraphs. 

I enjoy the little look at Leavi's possible fate in her mind as she's packing away her stuff to escape. I think this little section adds all the more imagery to give the reader a glimpse into the world and the mind of Leavi. 

I also thought the little three-line mantra about escaping and not getting caught was creative. 

Characters- 

Immediately, a reader can begin to connect with Leavi through their journey. I felt like it was easy to root for them to escape by the end of the first chapter, even if we have no idea why they want to escape yet. 

You both do a very good job at describing action-packed scenes, and the whole time, I was on the edge of my seat. You write tense scenes with such ease that I'm a bit jealous. 

I think the section where Leavi worries about what their coworkers might think if they don't see Leavi at work in the following days says a lot about their character. It's interesting that they care enough about people they only consider acquaintances to write them a 'goodbye' letter and even sign it off with a kind parting phrase. 

Plot- 

I don't have much to add to this section because I'm not quite sure what the plot is yet, but based on the first chapter, you set the story up well to be intriguing. 

The fact that you ended the first chapter on a plot twist... made me into a crazy reader who jumped to the beginning of chapter three to see if Leavi was okay. This means you are doing something right. As much as I loathe cliffhangers... I love them. I love the tension!

Setting- 

You both do a very good job at describing action-packed scenes, and the whole time, I was on the edge of my seat. You write tense scenes with such ease that I'm a bit jealous.

While Leavi traveled through Karsix, I could almost see it in my mind, especially the little details about the shops after she jumps over to the other street. The imagery definitely sucked me into the world, and I kept wanting to learn more and more as the chapter progressed.

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Thank you for letting me review your book! I genuinely enjoyed the first chapter, and I thought it was one of the better texts that I've reviewed recently. With a little bit of tweaking to your blurb to show how awesome your book is, I think you might be able to attract a lot of readers. You're always welcome back to the review shop, and I hope you found this review helpful!