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The Colony - Detailed Feedback

Intro:

The Colony was written by A_girl_who_writes_2. It follows main characters Beth, Tom, and Hamilton living in the Tunnel, unable to leave due to radiation on the surface; however, after the growing Resistance begins receiving messages from topside requesting access to a "girl" in the underground, life-changing questions are raised, and the Resistance rushes to fulfill the mysterious message's request.

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Detailed Feedback

What Worked:

I'll start with the smaller things, then I'll work my way up to the larger things.

This is a small thing since she's a smaller part of the story (in terms of speaking lines, but her memory is important to the plot and Beth), but I liked Beth's mom and the way she shadows over the plot throughout the entire runtime published so far. I really like scenes where the main characters know they're about to lose who they love, and the person they love just looks at them and reassures them everything is going to be okay. It's an instant way to hit the reader in the feels whether they know much about the person or not. I liked the way she went about it and made eye contact with Beth as if showing through both her words and body that everything would work out. It seems like such a small detail, and maybe it is, but it massively impacts my view of the story going forward since A) you establish stakes that no one's safe, and B) it sets up the core of the plot in an intense scene that readers are going to remember. I also just like her as a character. We get some glimpses of her throughout the story in the few flashback scenes, and I liked how she was a strong presence, and I also like how the Resistance doesn't feel as strong now without her. It makes her impact more known and seen when we actively see the Resistance trying to make plans without her, but they don't turn out as good as before.

My favorite chapter in the book is chapter 2, and it's because that chapter is very gripping and has an intense ride throughout the entire word count. Even in the beginning when it's calm with the two of them in their secret space, you know something's wrong based on Hamilton's POV hinting at what's to come. Then, when they run into what's wrong, it's even worse because Hamilton, the one who hinted at what was to come, is now confused because their "plan" wasn't working. A plan we don't know about yet. So that adds to the horror factor since even the one who's in on it is confused. When the character who was otherwise calm starts freaking out, that's how we know sh*ts about to hit the fan. The entirety of chapter 2 was a wild ride, and I loved it.

The concept is probably my favorite part of the story. I love dystopians, so I understand I'm biased, but I love the Tunnel and the way everything works with the different jobs and levels people are allowed to go in. The atmosphere of the story feels very interesting to read about. I'd say some of my favorite parts were just watching the characters explore or when Tom was trying to research and find more information about pregnancy. The overall concept is what drew me in right away, and it's also what made me stay the more I saw of the Tunnel and its processes. I hope you expand upon it in the future since I would love to see more of what your vision of the Tunnel is.

Lastly, I like the direction the story is going. As of the time of reviewing this, there are 18 chapters out, and we most recently saw Hamilton and Beth planning with the Resistance to get her out. The plot is kicking up, as is the pacing, and the more it picks up, the more engaged the readers are going to be. It really feels like things are coming together and will explode soon. I'm not sure if this is a signal that the book is going to end soon or not, but I can tell some huge conflict is happening, and I was curious to see what it was, but I obviously can't comment on that since it hasn't happened yet. Though, based on the most recent two chapters, I can tell Tom is gonna be in deep trouble with Beth and Hamilton. That is, if Tom even manages to get out of the situation he's in. You established earlier that you're fine with killing characters off, even right in front of their loved ones, so who knows what will happen to Tom.