The Laurel Wreath Awards

Fantasy ROUND II RESULTS

Please stay tuned for the judge results and show some love to our amazing judges! They'll be ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd!

THESE ARE THE FANTASY SCORES AND FEEDBACK:
Thank you to all of our judges who got these results back to me in a timely manner. Thank you to the participants who allowed themselves to be vulnerable as we reviewed your work. I hope that the in-line comments and feedback have found you well. Do not let feedback discourage you! Allow this input from a secondary source to motivate you to review and improve your work! You are all so talented <3

(You can view your judges in Round I results. The winners of each genre and category will be posted separately in Round III results!)

Olvaaarrdd Heart of Straw

Total Score: 99/100

Feedback:
            The synopsis is concise and intriguing, well written. I enjoy the author's style of writing. The cover and font choice are cute, imparting the feeling I'm reading a children's fairytale. I came into this expecting some sort of Wizard of Oz type Fan-Fiction story, but it contains so many surprising, unique elements. I was pleasantly surprised. Prologue is well written. The story picks up at a different place than the prologue leaves off, hence an initial confusion. This is quickly remedied, as readers do not have to wait long to find out more about the character who was first introduced in the prologue.
            The author employs a vast vocabulary to conjure a very vivid image of each scene and character to the forefront of my mind. I think the way Swishy is described is very well done. I love how realistically the writer is able to detail his body and his experiences from the perspective of a scarecrow. Already he is a dynamic character and even his speech thus far sets him apart. Swishy makes his mark. I particularly adored the little detail of those dainty flowers springing up in his wake. How charming. Even the boy in the prologue has a personality that is distinguished from the others. He is sporting attributes of a typical 20-year-old.
            I can clearly and easily imagine a scene unfolding. The writing itself is flawless, I found virtually no grammatical errors. I can 100% see this in bookstores one day. You are a very talented writer. I actually wish I found some more errors to offer more help with finding areas of correction, lowkey feeling a little bad, but that just goes to show that it is already quite polished.

Aravis-Brightspell Rhyshannon Chronicles

Total Score: 94/100

Feedback: Cover is striking, well formatted. Synopsis hooks the reader, captures enough of the storyline to be found intriguing. I found a run-on sentence or two, could be broken up to read better, but besides that, an interesting read. Amazing imagery, I remember reading the opening scene, I could hear the beeping of machinery in the hospital room, I could envision the environment and put myself in the character's shoes. Everything is so well described and interesting from the get-go. The worldbuilding is excellent. There are a variety of characters and even side characters feature an accurate, distinct portrayal according to profession. The ambiance of each different scene is /chefs kiss/. Loved the addition of the language and the description of that realm where the Being resides. This work gives off major Sci-Fi vibes, reminding me of those types of books I first fell in love with as a young reader!

Fowler0821 How to Save the World with Mediocrity

Total Score: 71/100

Feedback: The title was definitely very intriguing, because you don't see someone saving the world with mediocrity every day. The cover though, I feel like it could have been better. Same with the blurb. It definitely isn't bad alright. Just not anything catchy. Now the imagery was honestly not that advanced in the beginning, but it improved as the story progressed. The world building was actually well-done, nothing too in-depth, but it got the job done. Vocabulary was pretty good too. Just the use of a bit more words could do the trick. I will be honest; the characters need more development, and plot was a bit rushed. The climax was good, but there were some nit bits where the plot felt unnaturally fast paced. There were nearly no spelling mistakes, the paragraphs were neatly arranged as well. The beginning could have been better. Otherwise, many would drop the story and wouldn't know that it actually was good by the end of it.