J's Reviews [closed to catch up]

#5: Seth and the Prometheus Guild

First Impression
The Cover is unique and eye-catching. It shows a young boy whose face is covered in scales. It gives a good hint as to what the book might be about and immediately makes me want to read it out of curiosity. I like the font used and think it's a good, simple cover.

The title is so unique that I don't feel I need to search for it in Wattpad to see how many others come up. It is a good, strong title.
Summaries are funny things. You can either get them really right, or very, very wrong. This is a very well written summary. It is a nice length, and says enough about the book without giving the plot away and without spoiling it.

Prologue
I'm not usually a fan of prologues. Sometimes they seem to read like a chapter whereas a prologue should be a shorter, separate sequence of scenes where the story wouldn't work without. I like the eerie feel of this prologue and feel you have set the scene nicely. Unfortunately I can see there are parts where punctuation is missing and it is beginning to read like a chapter. I've also spotted a few spelling errors as well, which makes me feel this book is actually unedited. There are some parts where I think could be described better. Show v tell is important, especially with a book like this. It looks very character driven. And as I think it's about Seth it would be better if you really considered using show v tell. When you say the sound was loud and abrupt, show it. Show the loudness of the sound and show how your character reacts to the noise.

I can't help wondering what sort of creature Seth is. Is he an alien or something? Where did they find him? How does anyone know his name? It is questions like these that make me want to read further so I can find the answers. That's what good storytellers do. They create questions and leave the reader wanting to know what happens next. So well done for that.

I will admit, although some parts could do with more description, the way you have described the guards exactly as Seth would is really good. I can feel his confusion especially with the guard with the strange drawings up his neck (I hate neck tattoos btw).

The plot line is fascinating and it's nice to see a story that isn't full of odd romance. But the prologue reads like a chapter and could easily be retitled chapter 1.

Chapter 1
I can't help but notice you haven't used any chapter titles with this book. Chapter titles are great for building the reader's interest and creating curiosity. I'm interested to know how Seth knows what happened to The Angry One and who that person was. Was he perhaps his former cellmate? Or just someone who was possibly in a cell near him?

I always think it's better for the story and for the readers if you improved the transition between the scenes instead of using little marks.
As I read through this I can see there are a few typos. I think perhaps downloading Grammarly might help you with this book. It's lovely to see how he got his name, but it's also a little confusing as in the prologue you referred to him as Seth. It might be better if you started using his name from chapter 1 and not in the prologue.
I will admit this is a lengthy chapter for Wattpad. I remember when I put a book up with long chapters but I was advised to cut the chapters in half. Although I think they're a little long, they're interesting enough for the length not to matter. With some genres, fantasy especially, then the length of chapters will be longer than the average Wattpad chapter which I think is about 2,000 words. You've got so much content with the world building that it justifies the length.

Chapter 2
I'm still very curious to find out more about Seth. We know he isn't human, but if he's an alien then which planet is he from and how did he get from wherever he's from to Earth? I am still fascinated by the plot and very pleased that I am still interested. Usually with chapters of this length I probably wouldn't have made it past the prologue, but these chapters have enough to keep the readers interested.

As I read through chapter 2 I can see a very long paragraph that could easily be spaced out a little better. This would make it easier for the readers to read.

Finally we are getting to the juicy stuff about what he is and where he's from. I'm glad to see it's early on in the book instead of waiting for chapter after chapter to get to it. All the questions I had leading up to this chapter have all been cleared up. I know what Seth is and where he comes from. I also know what happened to The Angry One.

Conclusion
Although the book could do with a little work when it comes to spelling and grammar as I did see a few typos, it is a good, interesting and unique read. It's actually one of the best books in terms of plot that i have had the opportunity to review. I think if this book was edited better and if it was promoted, it has potential to do very well.

Advice
I think you as a writer and the book would do very well if you were to consider joining some sort of writers support network such as a writing community. I know a very good one that is looking for new members who are at your level and above, to take part in an elite feedback activity. I really think this would help you improve as a writer, improve the book and also show it off to some new friends.

Review Word Count, 1,003 words

I really enjoyed reading this book so here's a Reviewed By J sticker for it