| | Indefinite Hiatus | |
I hope to return to this project someday, but it isn't feasible with my current health issues and life circumstances. I have to cut things from my workload so I can breathe. However, I still intend to complete my current li...
Source: Feedback request Genre: Fantasy Secondary/subgenre(s): Politics Fandom:Kuroko no Basket manga by Tadatoshi Fujimaki (AU) Mature: Y (alcohol, amputation, assassination, bigamy, blood, butchering animals, child abuse, classism, colonization, death, decapitation, gore, loss of a loved one, mental health issues, misogyny, murder, non-explicit sexual content, physical abuse, prostitution, racism, rape, sexual abuse, slavery, strong profanity, suicide, violence) LGBTQIAP+: LG (multiple characters) Status: Ongoing First impression: 37/40 Digging deeper: 97/100 Final thoughts: pending
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First impressions: 37/40
Title: 10/10
This is a great title for drawing in fans of stories with royalty, and it's an apt nickname for the main character as well. I don't know why, but for whatever reason, I've always related this title with kingfisher birds, too. Maybe because of the bright colors on the cover? But kingfisher birds also have a reputation for being beautiful but ruthless predators, so that works as well.
Story description: 9/10
The blurb preview, both on the site and the app, has limited character space, so using that space wisely is really important. For that reason, I think I'd shift the list of features to the bottom of the blurb and lead off with the brief summary. As for the summary, the last sentence doesn't feel right to me. "That is" restates something more clearly, but what follows are the terms of Akashi's offer, not a restatement of what he is offering Kuroko.
Getting into the character introductions, I think switching "everyone" to "most" or "everyone else" at the start of Kuroko's paragraph would make more sense, since there's clearly an exception to the rule. In Aomine's paragraph, the sentence "Nobody truly knows why" feels odd to me. Is that referring to his general title as a prince of the southern kingdom, or is it referring specifically to the descriptor "cursed"? I know it's the latter, but there's enough ambiguity that you may want to look at it and consider clarifying.
But otherwise, this is a fantastic blurb. The summary is clear and concise, and you incorporate further detail in stylized character introductions instead of the more traditional narrative story description, increasing the mystique of each character and the allure of the story. Royalty, political intrigue, assassins, romance—this has a really strong hook.
Cover: 9/10
This is a gorgeous cover. The blues and reds create a dark, mysterious vibe, and the subtle details of a heart-shaped throne with a pile of bloody skulls at its base add so much depth and meaning. This cover is as intricate as the story it represents. My only complaint here is the way your name blends too well into the window behind it, so the letters seem to disappear at first glance. I don't know how (or even if) I'd change that. Maybe your name could get bumped up to be more toward the top of the window, or even above it? But on the whole, I love this cover.
