Carte Reviews (Closed)

Juliette: Of Men and Monsters

Reviewed by Key Keeper Juliette Dragonrat703

Title: Of Men and Monsters
Author: LeoRStories
Genre: Fantasy Adventure

Cover 4/5

The cover is for the most part excellent. It gives a great picture of the setting of the story, and the font fits with the fantasy aspect perfectly. It gives off a very professional atmosphere. The only recommendation I have is to try to make it more clear that this is a fantasy book. This could be achieved by perhaps adding silhouettes of barbarians or wraiths, or of the main characters, although this is optional, as I think the font does a great job of portraying the genre on its own.

Blurb 5/5

The blurb was excellent! I love how you started with a question which also gives a hint of what the land of Thule is like to draw readers in, then go on to explain the book's ties to the band "OF Monsters and Men." You give great snapshots into what the reader can expect to encounter in the book. All around excellent job.

Title 5/5

Great title! It helps signify the story's ties with the band "Of Monsters and Men," while the word "monsters" hints that this will be a fantasy. In doing this, it also leaves the plot very open. What men? What monsters? It really helps build the mystery and draw in readers.

Plot 10/10

Most books don't get a score this high, but yours does, because the plot is incredible! I found no plotholes or pacing issues. The plot starts very quickly, with a quick meeting of Lionheart and her brother King, and then a barbarian attack. Lionheart is thrown into a quest to find her brother, and the obstacles she encounters are excellently paced. You use traditional creatures like trolls and wraiths in an interesting and fresh way, and this is part of the reason why this book is amazing. It's incredible how well you turned Of Monsters and Men songs into a story while being completely original at the same time. The tone of the book is just like the tone of the songs, but it carries its own uniqueness as well. Excellent job all around!

Character development 14/15

Your characters are deep and complex. You get a great sense of Lionheart and King's backstory without it being dumped on you, and you can tell how their past influences their actions. Lionheart has a very clear goal, and you manage to convey her love and devotion to King (and vice versa) without needing to state it over and over again. I also loved how the trolls weren't beings of pure evil as their species typically are in stories. You could see the mother troll's love for her sons, and they felt like a real family (despite their intentions to keep Lionheart). The Barbarians were more traditional faces of pure evil. I am hoping they get developed further and their motives are explained more. I have grown deeply attached to your characters (when I thought King was going to drown I felt a true emotional reaction). I can't wait to see how they grow and develop more in the future.

Spelling and grammar 9/10

I caught very few mistakes (I pointed out the ones I did catch), and they were so few and far between that they didn't interrupt the flow at all. Great work!

Overall 9/10

There is very, very little to be improved with this story. The only things that definitely do need to be fixed are your minor grammar errors. Other than that, this makes for a beautifully narrated, complex tale that celebrates Iceland's natural beauty and carries on the great mythic tradition with incredible originality and ease. Congratulations!

Love Juliette