Our review book. All winners in our contests will have their books reviewed in this book. Not for requesting. To be reviewed you must win one of our competitions.
Abbernathy Tells was a twelve year old girl who preferred the companionship of her two cats and a dying tree over others her age. On her thirteenth birthday, a horrible tragedy takes everything away, and young Abby is thrust into a world on the brink of war. With just her two cats, she embarks on a journey to unravel the mysteries of the magical kingdom of Aelurus, while trying to cope with loss, loneliness, and the butterflies that come from a certain boy's touch.
This is Abbernathy and the Cat Kingdom.
Hello, I'm TenYearOdyssey and I'll be reviewing your story. Before we dive in, let preface this review by congratulating you on your win! I hope we'll see more of you in our competitions! Now, onto the review.
Title: Quirky and cute! That's the simplest way I can put it. Your title immediately draws me in (and not just because I'm a low-key cat lady, and by low key I mean I am a full on cat-mom). I've never heard of the name Abbernathy before, but I absolutely love it, and the Cat Kingdom sounds like a pretty fantastic place. Overall, this title really takes me back to the books I used to read when I was younger: whimsical, adventurous, and it makes me excited to read your story.
Cover: Fantastic. It's beautiful and the colors complement each other. It's a relatively minimalistic cover, but it has these decorative details that just add to the overall air of adventure and mystery. I love the font, I love the cat and the borders. If I saw this in a bookstore, I'd pick it up in a heartbeat.
Blurb: You have aced the art of blurb writing with this one. It's short, but it gives the perfect amount of information. Moreover, it's intriguing information! I am, officially, excited to read your story.
Characters: They're vivid, individualistic, realistic. I had no difficulties feeling for them.
Lain and the Queen, though their part in the story was short, were both vivid. The pain and their past were beautifully written, and they were so lifelike.
Abbernathy's relationship with her father is a peculiar one. I think I'd find it less odd, in fact, I'd find most of her relationship less odd if she wasn't twelve. She's quite mature and contrary for her age, but I love her personality nonetheless. There's a mischievous quirkiness to her that makes her endearing and a fun MC to read about.
Crum is interesting. He's a bit of a jerk, but it seems like teases Abby just to get under her skin. There definitely seems to be something between them, though neither of them may recognize it yet.
I want to know more about the princes. Lucy and Sebbi are interesting, and polar opposites, but there's a lot we don't know about them. So far they act as supports for Abby and don't have any major roles or interactions with each other.
Overall, your characters are fantastic. They're well developed and truly a joy to read about.
Plot: We see more action in the prologue than we do in the first few chapters. That being said, the first few chapters establish the characters and the setting really well. I feel like diving in right away wouldn't work well with the story, so the way that you're easing in really allows us to connect and understand both the characters and the world. The prologues allow for us to know what to expect plot-wise. We know there's a war going on in Aelurus and we know that the princes and Abby will be drawn into this war and the political power-play that comes with it. Everything is well established and laid out, it's clear how much thought and time you've put into this story.
Overall: Your writing is beautiful. Each chapter flows so well into the other, your descriptions are captivating without being too much and your characters are riveting. You start this story out with such tragedy, but it works. My heart gave a pang for the characters after the prologue. It's a mark of a fantastic writer that you're able to make readers care for characters after only a couple of pages. This honestly seems like a published book. The writing is so good, the characters (seriously, your characterization is fantastic) are realistic and refined (like this isn't your first time in their heads), and the plot is lined up from the get-go. I can easily see why you received such a high score from your reviewer. I plan to continue reading your story and I hope you continue to gain success!
