Judge - Toni24boo
21. Two Steps From Hell
Cover: 5/10 - For a cover with this title I expected something better. I understand the dark colors were used to portray the mystery, but the background was so dark that I could hardly see the words. Cover could've been creative, maybe using colors like orange, red and a navy blue.
Title: 10/10 - It is absolutely related to the plot and it has an excellent double meaning. While reading, I realized "Hell" could be the fact that 'The Family' were basically going to hell to release the destroyer while it
could be a foreshadowing to the fact that 'all hell was about to let loose' meaning the earth was about to plunged into chaos and suffering.
Summary: 5/5 - It was well written, and it'd intrigued me to want to read the story.
Characters: 15/15 - .The characters are mature and can learn from past experiences to help them on the
mission. I like how you gave us information about them and showed us what they're all about. It really helped me to connect with them to understand the situation they were in. The lead character, Joel Essen, is indeed a lead meaning that he was capable to be responsible of those around him without buckling under pressure. The sisters really played their role as assassins well and it was a nice twist when one decided to rebel against the lifestyle. The other characters such as David and Ezra played their roles well. The supernatural creatures really brought the horror to the story and it was good to see the various interactions that all characters made with each
other.
Dialogue: 5/5 - When I say I'm intrigued at this, that would be an understatement. The conversations were well developed, and it made the characters seem intelligent. Base on various conversations that were made, it evoked different emotions and helped me to know who the bad guy was and the good. I must say I admire Ezra's intelligence and knowledge on science.
Grammar: 18/20 - Even though the story is written well, a few mistakes were spotted. Some paragraphs were too long and need to be cut into at least three parts. They occasionally throw me off and makes my eyes hurt. Words were misspelt, some were missing in various sections making a sentence confusing and some were
repeated in the same line.
Plot: 24/25 - Excellent plot with great plot twist, a moderate pace which is filled with action and mystery. The
flow was perfect until I reached chapters 33-35. Here chapter 34 came immediately after chapter 32, followed by chapters 35 and 33. It ruin the flow for a while and if it wasn't for the note at the end of each chapter, I'd be confused where to go next, but I noticed you've made the correction.
Overall Enjoyment: 10/10.
Total: 92/100.
22.Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Cover: 8/10 - It caught my attention with the broken glass and the font type, but it is not necessarily connected to the plot of the story.
Title: 6/10 - It is catchy but the meaning behind it doesn't connect to the story. It however, reminds the me of a more fantasy kind of mystery, e.g. Snow White. I recommend changing the title to fit the plot of the story.
Summary: 4/5 - It was well written, and it'd intrigued me to want to read the story. However, based on the plot of the story, I'd recommend changing the summary a bit to fit the plot by removing the part where 'the mirror reveals its secrets'. It misled me as I'd expected the mirror to be magical. I thought the story was really centered around the mirror but after reading, it's not.
Characters: 10/15 - The characters' interaction with each other was good but there was a lack in their development. For example, the detective and his junior, needed a bit more mature development in their behavior and mindset which affected the decisions they'd make. It also felt like too many characters, with little background info were introduced to assist with the problem at hand. I just couldn't connect to them.
Dialogue: 5/5 - Conversations were understandable and easy to follow.
Grammar: 19/20 - Well written story with a few spotted errors such as misspelled words.
Plot: 21/25 - No plot holes were spotted and it's not cliché. However, I thought the pace of the story was a bit rushed and needed a bit more development. Nice plot twist.
Overall Enjoyment: 7/10 - It was a good read but the necessary things that I've pointed out almost ruin the story for me.
