I decided it was time to make a portfolio for the awards and reviews Ancilla has received. The pages they were on were cluttering up the back section of the original book; I deleted the pages once I made this portfolio. My apologies to anyone who mi...
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Review by Abby _abhipreeti_ (I am not going to attempt an actual tag - Wattpad always eats my tags)
"Ancilla" by @SeraDrake
Title: 5/5
I did a quick search and found out Ancilla means (from Google), 'an aid to achieving or mastering something difficult.' Quite intriguing I must say, for a book title. The word intrigued me to the point where I was curious to see what the main content of the book has to offer. I especially liked how the author has kept the title simple and right to the main theme/mood of the book (assuming here).
Cover: 4/5
The cover gives off a mysterious and dark vibe that of erotica/dark romance. And then I had a glance at the tags of the book and it turns out I was right that the book contains such elements. Hence, good job to the author on creating a cover that perfectly displays the required themes of the book. Also, the subtitle, "Master, teach me" adds more of the erotic dark romance sense to the cover. Although I did have slight difficulty in figuring out the subtitle due to its curvy font; it could just be a personal preference. But the cover could definitely be more appealing.
Blurb: 9/10
The blurb definitely is how a standard blurb should be. I specifically liked the mysterious touch to it and the words Amo, amas, amat..., etc. because I have no idea what they mean or signify.The lines 'He's been waiting his whole life for her. Meanwhile, she's starting her whole life over' oddly rhymes and adds more to the intriguing aspect of the blurb.Very interested in knowing how 'he' becomes her tutor in magickal and erotic arts.
Grammar: 10/10
The author has a perfect grasp of Grammar and knows well what they are doing with the writing style, and by incorporating correct Grammar into it. As someone who needs good Grammar for a story to be readable to me, I had a smooth reading experience, thanks to that. Often many ignore the fact by putting the story plot before the Grammar (plot of course is quite important) but so is the Grammar of a story. And I am glad to see how great of an importance the author has put into perfecting the Grammar in their book.
Story flow: 8/10
I won't lie, in the beginning the writing appeared fairly heavy to me due to few of the descriptions that I believe weren't necessary or directly impacted the plot in any way. However, the author has great knowledge of descriptive writing and that is clearly shown in the book. Definitely the passionate sex scenes needed the descriptions to feel the emotions rushing through me and as someone who has never read erotic romance before, I don't regret reading the few chapters of "Ancilla."
Characters: 10/10
The characters are realistic, complex, artistic and beautifully encapsulates the "slow-burn" factor of the book.
Setting \ World building: 10/10
Two words are only necessary, complex and realistic. Nothing else required. Magister definitely is a character who immediately appears majestic and captures one's heart.
Originality: 10/10
Very out-of-the-box plot, "Ancilla" contains. It is simple, not too hard to understand, yet complex and unique in its own way. Both the protagonists are a mystery. Actually, scratch that. The entire plot is a mystery and it feels like the layers are peeled off moment by moment as we delve deeper into the plot and understand this uniquely crafted erotic, magical realism, romance while the characters discover magic, sexuality, and their very own identity.
Enjoyability: 9/10
Understandably so, I enjoyed this read and a new genre that is uncommonly seen, especially on Wattpad with not your common standard tropes. It was definitely a good change of genre for me and believe me when I say this, even when I do not read erotica, as I have mentioned before, I did not regret reading and judging this perfect literary piece that deserves more attention. The author has worked hard and it is evidently proven through their writing skills, and constructive plot with a strong foundation. Although, some parts of the story felt like they were being dragged due to the "not-necessary" descriptions but they were negligible and did not affect my liking to reading the book.
