Sapphire's Review Store 3.0

Review by Faye: The Art of Life

Title: The Art of Life

Author: Death-Breath

Reviewer: Fayesther

As this is a non-fiction book I have changed the layout of my review accordingly. Changing "plot" to "structure" and not including "characterisation". Here is my honest feedback.

Title + Cover: 5/5

I found the title effective for your book. It sums the themes in a nutshell and grabs your attention.

I also think the cover is very effective. The plant gives off a calming vibe which is a lovely contrast to the dark , gloomy background. This illustrates the book's mood really well.

The layout of the cover is very pleasing to the eye. The title, subtitles and author's name are well placed and can be seen clearly. The lines included are also a gorgeous touch.

Description: 5/5

This is a description that I can truly appreciate. Short, simply written and straight to the point. I knew exactly what I was getting into and that is everything you need to introduce your piece of work.

Grammar: 2/5

There were a few errors that stuck out to me grammar wise, such as typing slip ups, tense slip ups and clumsy wording. As this is such a short book, I've decided to underline these errors chapter by chapter (not including the very first chapter). I hope you find this helpful.

Chapter 1- Typing slip ups-

"to" where it should be "the" in the sentence – "...but how much have (to) courage..."

"done" where it should be "down" in – "Life will always pull us (done)"

"Go" where it should be "get" in – "...fearfulness to (go) back up."

Chapter 2- I believe writing "eldest" would flow better than "oldest". But writing "oldest" does make sense (so this is just a personal preference that I wanted to share).

Chapter 3- writing "to" instead of "the" in the sentence "Only you have (to) control..."

Missing out "have" in - "you will (have) a good and better outcome."

Chapter 4- "It may be hard but when it comes to being putting knowledge to the test, you will see how easy it is."- this sentence is confusing to read, taking "being" out would fix that.

Chapter 5- I found the first paragraph of this chapter confusing. The questions at the beginning start it off nicely but after that I got lost. I would suggest reading it over and giving an edit to make it more clear.

The first half of the second paragraph was also a bit confusing. However, the last two sentences of this paragraph are well written.

Chapter 6- Tense slip- you are writing this chapter in present tense, therefore, "broke" should be "break" in – "leave you in the dark and (broke) you."

Writing Style: 4/5

I enjoyed your writing style, your choice of words (in the majority of the book) were easy to follow and relatable.

I liked how you used bold font to help put across emphasis on certain words. You used this tool very well- you didn't overwhelm your text with bold text nor did you use it so sparingly that it looked out of place or inconsistent.

The narrative style that you have chosen to write in was very well thought out. Whilst reading I got a professional, lecture sort of vibe; this is an effective narrative to use for a non-fiction book as it is a simple way to communicate truths that are close to the heart, whilst maintaining a safe distance.

That being said, it is clear within your writing that you do write from the heart and this gave you a kind and caring demeanour within your work. I never felt judged or offended whilst reading about such personal issues. Challenged in places, yes! Judged, no! There is a fine line that we walk when it comes to challenging someone or offending them and you managed to stay on the right side of that line.

Structure: 3/5

The chapters come in a well thought out order! Each chapter focusing on a certain issue in life, explaining how an individual's mind needs to cope with these areas of life in a healthy way.

The issue's covered followed a chronological pattern of when in most people's lives they prominently occur. "Time of Life" being an effective start, then working through family, school and friends.

There is an occurrence where you repeat the first paragraph in a new chapter (the last chapter). I thought at first that I didn't move onto the next chapter and got a bit confused (mind you, its not hard to confuse me lol). However, I understand what you were aiming to achieve; to tidy it up I would write that introduction paragraph as a quote, referring back to the previous chapter.

OVERALL SCORE: 19/25

This book is a lovely snippet of self-help, which I think, could really support those who are struggling with the issues covered, sufficiently. There were certainly paragraphs that truly spoke to me, which I commented on as I read!

I would suggest reading through each chapter and ironing out various sections, so that the concepts that you want to get across are clear to your readers. (Now for my catch phrase) Try reading your work aloud. (I say this a lot in my reviews). But really, hearing your work out loud rather than just in your head does help to highlight any problematic areas.

I hope you found this review encouraging as well as helpful and thank you so much for choosing me to review your work!