Judge - GrouchyPotato
1.JohnLock 3: Missing Sherlock
Cover: 7/10 - Although the image is good, it lacks the title, still carries a watermark and feels rather uninspired. It's clear that not much effort has been put into it, at least not as much as the story it accompanies.
Title: 7/10 - Mostly because it's intriguing, but a bit clichéd in a way. Within a saga, titles that contain "Missing", "Disappearing", "Gone" and so on reek of milking.
Blurb: 2/5 - I can't summarize this score other than the blurb it's extremely lazy and the "stylistic" choice of using short, jagged phrases doesn't make me want to read what comes.
Characters: 15/15 - Not much need be said. I am not an amateur of LGBTQ+ but I don't frown upon them. For aesthetic reason such as beautiful analysis of the inner monologue, extremely natural interactions, genuine humanity displayed all around and not an ounce of forced development, in this regard I award max points.
Dialogue: 4/5 - At times it feels overly puffy, one instance I can fondly remember is in the first chapter, where a toddler uses the word "ought". I may not be British, not be acquainted to the way they speak, but in noticeably many scenarios the words a character says are over the top posh.
Grammar: 20/20 - I think it's quite self-explanatory, no punctuation errors (at least not from a lack of knowledge, rather attention, but still, few enough to be overlooked), perfect spelling, sentence structure, yada, yada.
Plot: 25/25 Again, no words to criticize. The pacing is amazing, with ornate scenes being so much more in the grand scheme of things, whereas the descriptions don't disturb the flow of the action, they intertwine perfectly. I don't know why but this entire book gives me a strong Jules Verne vibe, and for that, I thank you for reminding me of my adventurous childhood.
Overall Enjoyment: 10/10 - In spite of the first 3 scores, I can't say I didn't enjoy this book. Fully. On Wattpad I have been bestowed the opportunity to read many subpar and bad "novels", so a pause from that in the form of an expertly written and managed 18th century (hope I get that right) action-packed book is more than welcome. It hasn't been a burden, but a privilege, to read and judge this book.
Total: 90/100.
2.GREENWOOD HIGH
Cover: 6/10 - It does make a great job of portraying the place where everything goes down, but it feels lack-luster and extremely monotonous.
Title: 7/10 - The same argument as before, word by word.
Blurb: 1/5 - Riddled with grammar mistakes, too many ellipses and it feels extremely disjointed.
Characters: 3/15 - Very unidimensional, dropped unto the reader, little to no development throughout the few chapters and any instance of their "advancement" is extremely forced. Plus their interactions are clichéd to the brink of it.
Dialogues: 2/5 - Poorly written, not very immersive and they feel extremely out of place. The only bits that fit are copied word to word from an 80's show.
Grammar: 4/20 - Memes aside, I don't think this needs explanation. Extremely poor paragraphing, spelling, sentence structure and even spacing. Punctuation is mostly amiss as well.
Plot: 4/25 - Virtually inexistent, nothing really happens to warrant a plot, there is no intrigue, only event after event with no conclusion and no resolution.
Overall Enjoyment: 1/10 - I really didn't enjoy this story. It was hard to read, repetitive, bland and not my type.
Total: 28/100
3.Safari To Slaughter
Cover: 4/10 - I can't really put my finger on it, but it doesn't match with the title at all. A bloody knife in a pocket watch screams slaughter but strays away from the safari bit.
Title: 7/10 - I won't lie, I like the progression, but I feel like it's not conveying the story's message too well. It's interesting, but can be better. Also it should be "Safari to Slaughter" (non-capitalized T in "to").
Blurb: 2/5 - Very vague, not at all convincing, few information presented. It introduces the characters quite nicely, but it's nearly not enough to make me read more.
Characters: 6/15 - Unidimensional, described through completely effervescent acts that do not fit their "personality". All their actions seem unmotivated and unprecedented and they all act as if they've watched too many spy movies.
Dialogues: 3/5 - Some lines are entertaining. Most are extremely forced and surprisingly unoriginal and unnatural.
Grammar: 15/20 - Five-point deduction for egregious punctuation and many instances where names are non-capitalized.
Plot: 10/25 - The plot advances in leaps and bounds, it's not cohesive, nor fluent. Another problem is the fact that it's not really attractive. It's an exact retelling of an episode of the A-team, minus immersive characters.
Overall Enjoyment: 1/10 - I don't have a problem with smut. I have a problem with unnecessary smut that acts as fluff and filler to distract from the inexistent plot. And I have another problem with smut that is just over the top, used to channel some latent frustration.
