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Review by Daryl: Beauty of Wrath

Title: Beauty of Wrath

Author: hiatuskh

Reviewer: lordedarylene

Title: 5/5

The title is quite haunting. It's stayed in my head since you applied for a review. This is the kind of title that leaves a lasting impact even if the summary hasn't been read. I love the paradoxical quality it possesses. What can I say? I'm addicted to paradoxes and oxymorons. At first glance, the words that were used seem simple enough to decipher. The simplicity only makes them that more addictive. They look easy to interprete; then, I try to break them down as a whole and I'm left speechless. I always have something to say but in this case, I'm stunned. That's how brilliant this title is. Wrath is not a pretty thing at all. It consumes one whole with a ruthlessness that leaves nothing behind. It's an emotion many are advised to stay away from because it rules over you and makes you it's puppet. Yet, you've made a name that suggests a hidden beauty in the darkness 'wrath' represents. That is just beautiful and holds the same allure a stereotypical bad boy does. You know it's bad but you want to learn more about it. What is even more beautiful is that the confusion arises when I try to pinpoint what that beauty can be. What sort of loveliness can we get from rage? I have no idea. Perhaps, this beauty speaks of the human left behind after being ravaged by its force: someone who has been wizened by experiences brought on by anger. But we both know such people are usually broken afterwards: survivors not winners. There's nothing beautiful about that unless we want to be poetic. The only other form I can think of is someone wielding anger like a metaphorical weapon to escape enemies. That gives me a jolt where it matters. It leaves a wide range of interpretations to focus on. Could it be an orphan finally taking life by the reins after losing a dear friend? Or a child avenging its mother's death? I really don't know which direction this title points at yet I know it'll be amazing. Left, right, up, down: wherever it goes, there's something great to work on. Every interpretation of the title leaves me hungering for more. When you've achieved this effect, you've hit the bull's-eye. This is a gorgeous title.

Cover: 4/5

The cover is absolutely stunning. I give you a round of applause for the overall effect achieved with this work of art. I took a look at it and just stopped moving for a couple seconds. That's the kind of reaction it provokes. Whoever picked it knows the importance of correlation between the title and cover. It goes so well with the title that I'm pleasantly shocked or as youngsters would say, 'I'm shooketh'. It's beyond brilliant.

The most striking part of this cover is the image, of course. That's the first aspect that caught my eye. When I study the image, I see the desolation around her which can represent the ruin wrath can birth. It destroys everything in its path as shown in that picture. There was nothing left to hold onto. She looked like she was caught in the line of fire yet prevailed in such a way that she began to lead the tirade. She basically took control of the destruction around her and became its driving force. The haze of smoke drifting out of her mouth tied the entire picture together. She's become one with the very thing people avoid. Perhaps, she even started it. It's just magnificent. The most interesting part of this is how beautiful this image is. Even though it shows an ugly occurrence, it's stunning. It fits the title so well! This is truly the beauty of wrath.

I like the placement of words on the cover. The title was centred as it should be while the author's name was written along the bottom. I also love the phrase tacked on above the title. Every word stands out in a manner that balances its neighbours out. Speaking on color, I have no complaints. You picked the classic dark background and light font for yours, and you executed it perfectly. Using light colors for the words made them stand out without being exaggerated. Most of the little details were handled meticulously.