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Review by Daryl: Stone of Chaos

Title: Stone of Chaos

Author: ApolloPhanaeus

Reviewer: lordedarylene

Title: [no score]

The title registered in the space delegated for one is "Stone of Chaos". The first thing that comes to my mind is a world on the brink of catastrophe; one where life deviates from the normal to an extent. The fate of this fictional world happens to depend on the efficiency of a select few or maybe one individual. Then, there will probably be an archenemy who wants this stone for selfish reasons and he will have to be brought down. I'm also guessing the stone is a sort of ticking time bomb; use it the right way and all hell breaks loose. I could be wrong but that's the first impression I get off the title. It's a nice impact yet it connotes a hackneyed theme. A lot of stories have a similar plotline and you don't want readers thinking your story is going to be cliché from their interpretations of the title.

What's the problem here? It's a good attempt but it does feel like it could be better. If you consider titles like "Chair of Suffering" and "Wall of Denial", you would agree, upon further inspection, that they leave a bland taste in the mouth. Your title has a stronger effect than the examples I provided but you get my point. Such a title leaves me hungering for more.

So, I peeked at the cover and something beautiful caught my eye: "Gods of the Niger". That's a brilliant addition that could boost the allure of the title. Look at "Stone of Chaos". It's nice and leaves a good ring in my mouth. Perhaps, I'll try out the book. Consider "Gods of the Niger: Stone of Chaos". That one makes me sit up straight. I'm wondering how everything's going to be tied together. Now, I get the feeling the protagonists are going to have powers. That throws in a whole new dynamic which makes me itch to open the book. It makes the title refreshing, albeit in an unconventional way. I never watched the star wars franchise until they started adding more to their titles. "Star Wars" sounds like the corny title for a galactic themed cereal box. When you add other things like "Rogue Nation", you've got me hooked because it broadens the literary horizon. There's so much more to be derived when you tack on so little. That's the difference I'm trying to highlight.

My advice would be to add "Gods of the Niger" to the title. It will be longer but it will be worth it. Then, to denote the number and the fact that this is a serial book, you can put "Book 1" at the top in a small font or anywhere else you're comfortable with. Voila, you've killed two birds with one stone.

Cover: [no score]

The cover is an interesting one. I'll start by saying I like the placement of everything. The title, author's name, and all extraneous information are positioned where they should be. That's great. My favorite aspect of your placement is that beautiful gem sitting in the centre and radiating all of its deadly potency. Putting the stone there was a good choice. The position shows how important that stone is to the outcome of the story without using blaring colors or overzealous techniques.

Now, let's move on to the font styles and font sizes. I like the font styles chosen; also, the fact that the bottom half uses a different style when compared to the top half. It made both parts stand out more in a simplistic manner. The sizes were good: well proportioned. I have no corrections to offer there.

However, I'm not quite happy with the color. I think the green -going by how much it was used- is a color that can't be changed and I don't want you to do that either. It's a nice color and probably carries invaluable significance to your plot. Inspite of the praise this color deserves, the chosen hue doesn't hit the right way. On a phone screen, this isn't noticeable. On a laptop or larger device, it will be hurtful to the eyes. It will look pixelated in a visually uncomfortable way. A neon shade of green is a very blaring hue which is only highlighted by the plain background. The previous statement brings me to the background. I like the use of a solid, dark one to bring out every other element of the cover. Plain black, though, doesn't work here. Not only does it increase the blaring quality of the green, but it also leaves the cover looking a little empty. For a fantasy cover, you don't have to go crazy with warriors, dragons, and other stuff like that. Despite that, it should have a little extra when compared to genres like romance or comedy.