Primrose | REVIEW SHOP [ OPEN ]

✦ { Cel } CROWN OF SHADOWS AND ROSES

Client: itsstxxa

Reviewer: rinaXhazurina

Title: 4/5

The title has a nice ring to it. It follows a common structure of published fantasy stories usually with a combination of two to three nouns and a coordinating conjunction and preposition. It hints at a dark fantasy ambiance with traces of romance with the word 'rose' mentioned after the 'shadow' so it sets what kind of genre to expect by reading the title alone. However, I suggest adding a definite article before the word 'crown,' specifically either the words 'A' or 'The.'

Personally, 'A' would be the better option because it follows a similar structure to popular published fantasy stories like ACOTAR which may attract a large number of audiences interested in them. If you value peculiarity, you can instead put 'The' instead as it pertains to 'The' Crown of Shadows and Roses and just any crown of shadows and roses. Whatever you think suits best. Nonetheless, I suggest adding a definite article.

Book Cover: 2/5

I'm sure you already know where I'm coming from about this but I'll mention the key points for the sake of a proper review and for further information. First off, the admirable thing about the cover is the element of the crown placed over a woman's head, showing its boldness that is also seen in the deep pink/red color and the white font color standing out.

Unfortunately, there is a huge gap for improvement that I strongly suggest should be worked on. While the proverb of 'Don't judge a book by its cover' is important for an individual, it is also significantly applicable to the literature field. Visualize it in a situation of preparing for a job interview. A person may perfectly exemplify the qualifications employers are looking for but if they wear non-professional clothes, not only does it cause a huge damage to first impressions but they may also decide to discontinue the process because the improper attire already indicates unprofessional behavior.

This is similar to books and their cover. Sadly but truly, there are readers who judge a book's quality by its cover, and apart from the title, the cover may even be the first thing to notice about a book's aspect. So while the content may be great, it doesn't mean that the cover should be made with less effort as it is one of the most important visual aspects of attracting first-time readers to read the book. Since the story follows a common structure of fantasy titles and a common fantasy trope, it puts your book in a competitive position against other fantasy books with similar genres and tropes. So do work on the cover to put it on an equal level with the other similar books.

You can create your own cover in Canva or other free online book cover makers with free templates to use. It's understandable that making covers is hard and not everyone can be confident with their art skills, which is why there are various graphic shops available on Wattpad where you can ask other users to make a book cover for you. I highly suggest checking out Rose Gold Community's Sakura Graphic Shop which is open with many users available for requests. Do not worry as the payments do not include cash. Common payments from asking for book covers in WP include permanent follows, shout-outs, and reading and commenting on the users' books, which is an appropriate payment considering that these wonderful designers put genuine efforts into creating a book cover fit for your story and deem it as a piece of art.

So again, I strongly suggest you check out the graphic shop. You can also surf other graphic shops on Wattpad because there is a lot of creative and talented book cover designers out there.