Free Book Reviews - 2023

8 • Duplicity

Book: Duplicity

Author: @CKendallWWS

Genre: Historical fiction

Chapter's read: 2

Title: Duplicity. I recognize the word, yet assume it's not one often used. The vague definition which springs into my mind leaves me doubtful. In the end, I resort to a dictionary. Lo and behold, the definition is far different than what I think I have in mind. A bit of a twister, that word.

Blurb: One long paragraph with no breaks is what I see. At the end is a sentence or two of text—I read that first.

Most readers won't take their time to read through a long blurb, no matter how interesting it is. There are two POV's. It might help to put a break between them.

- The word "himself" appears twice in the first two sentences.

- There is no present tense. Odd. Unless you're telling something that happened in the past, the blurb should be in the present. To show that what we are about to read hasn't happened already; that is is happening.

The blurb is more of a summary of the beginning. A bit too much detail. This could also be the result of a long blurb. In the beginning, Lord Davenport has struck a fancy for Evelyn. Further down, they are suddenly married and Lady Evelyn is trying to fix the damage. Too much happens too fast (in the blurb). Then again, maybe you give this away because it's foreseeable. 

Cover: I've seen two. The delicate yet sharp font on the current cover is sinister, and conveys the essence of a secret (certainly preferred over the previous curly, bold font). The water droplets highlights the red rose in the background. Simple, but precise and direct. I love it.

First Impression: The cover, the blurb, the title—it all catches my interest. Most of all the genre. I happen to love Historical fiction. What I love more is when a writer pulls it off.

•••

Inciting Incident: When Lord Davenport meets Lady Evelyn in that grand dancing hall. I love that he didn't have the chance to confront her and makes up his own fantasy of what he thinks he saw, which just adds to the mysterious aspect.

General Plot: Exciting. I always love when the "dark secrets of the past" card is pulled. I look forward to the conflict between the two cousins evolve as Lord Davenport falls for Evelyn. That is if Philip gives up his pursuit, or strengthens his resolve. We'll have to see.

Main Character: I immensely enjoy reading Lord Davenport's first appearance. His character is portrayed in a unique, well written and thoughtful manner. Carefully woven with action, and not jarring at all. Perfection of the writing rule "show, don't tell".

In fact, I have gone back to read it a couple of times!

Other characters: Philip Davenport. He might not have the qualities of his cousin, but he's innocent, intelligent, and passionate in his own way.

The contrasting personalities of these two cousins are balanced—to perfection. I'm sure great conflict will stir between them in the future. I can't wait for that.

Lady Evelyn strikes me as a determined, independent, and strong character, the kind that is shaped from hardships and difficulties. The kind I'd root for and trust to do important tasks without messing it up.

I feel like her strength will be put to the test. I'm not sure what type of character arc she will have though. Now that will be interesting.

Grammar: Writing in old English requires an entirely new vocabulary set. Especially the dialogue. Perhaps the hardest challenge is to make sure each word is appropriate to the chosen time era; and speaking of which, I'd like to ask, how do you achieve this? A lot of research and studies?

Writing Technique: I can tell you've got a load of experience up your sleeve. The story trade smoothly, but if you go back and reach each sentence with a reviewer's eye, you can tell each word has been carefully chosen.

 I know I'm fawning, but it's genuine. I can picture the setting, faces, and even action so clearly. You use a generous helping of verbs. You used the word word "glittering" to describe the gaming hall and evening wear. The picture still remains in my head.

Also, there is a noticable alteration between showing and telling. I appreciate this a lot.

What to improve: ... What can I say? Nothing at all. My own writing isn't anywhere on par with yours, yet I can tell with all my writer's heart that you've put a of work into perfecting your story.

I do have two issues though, mentioned at the beginning.

- Change the first (or second) sentence so you don't have to repeat the word "himself" twice.

- Break the blurb into two. Lord Davenport's POV, and Lady Evelyn's POV.

Final impression: This masterpiece is bound to be an intriguing, fun, and mysterious book. I'd definitely recommend this to read. In the future, I'll surely read the whole thing.

Keep up the good work!