Micro Book Reviews for ONC 2025 are now open! For more information, take a look at the opening chapter...

[ONC 2025 Shortlister] * * * And so you see, you couldn't really say I hadn't been warned. You couldn't say I didn't know what lurked out there amongst the trees. Because I did. I had been told. I had been warned. But I didn't believe. I didn't listen... * * * Fern lives on the edge of a wood, about which many myths, legends and folk tales are told. But when one of these stories appears to come to life before her eyes, she has a decision to make. To believe or not to believe. But such decisions are never as easy as they first seem... * * * The Demon of the Woods has been written for ONC 2025.

[ONC 2025] Two college roommates search the city looking for a hidden Taylor Swift concert while using a glitchy Spotify playlist as their guide. ••• Draya, a struggling college student, is desperate to pay her tuition before the final deadline. With no other options, she and her best friend, Emily--her outspoken, culturally aware roommate who shares her love for Taylor Swift--head to a pawn shop to sell Draya's rare Taylor Swift collectible, worth over a thousand dollars. But their hopes are crushed when the shop owner offers little to nothing. Just as disappointment sets in, a radio announcement reveals a secret Taylor Swift concert hidden somewhere in Washington, D.C. At that moment, Jae-won, a cute guy from their college, walks in and accidentally leaves his phone behind. Draya notices too late, but when she picks it up, she finds an open Spotify playlist filled with a Taylor Swift song. As Draya and Emily listen, they realize the playlist might be more than just music--it could be a guide to the hidden concert. With no tickets, little money, and only song lyrics as their clues, they go on a thrilling race across the city, chasing one lyric after another. But will following the music lead them to Taylor Swift, the cute guy-and the chance to change Draya's future? ••• PROMPTS: 107. You never realized that your Spotify playlist is predicting your future - until the songs start to come true. (Main Prompt) 128. »Meet me behind the mall at midnight. Don't bring anyone!« © 2025 Elle J. Nior. All Rights Reserved. This work is protected under international copyright laws. (First draft!) Updates incoming Cover by me on Canva