note: okay so... this book was completely different from what i usually read, so i feel the review didn't come out in its best form. i hope you can excuse that. for this reason, this review will not be entirely marked and will rather express my thoughts as a reader. that's why i took a lot of time.
✿ first impression: title, cover and description (13/15)
title: intriguing. i didn't know what the word meant, but the suffix 'ward' tells me it's a direction of sort. i had to search for what it meant.
cover: gives the right vibe for the story and has all key elements. not so impressive but does the job.
description: it's great. has all key elements, introduces enough without spoiling, & free of grammatical errors. (except you used a weak starter twice for no dramatic reason. thot i'd point that out)
the first impression was great. my only issue is that i don't read this genre at all. i was afraid i wouldn't be experienced enough to give you a review, and your writing gave off a fancy impression.
✿ plot & chapters
+ the book starts with a fighting scene on nightingale's ship, the lion. while the descriptions were enjoyable, the scene did not relate to what you promised in the description, so it was a little turning off. you talked about the ulysses, so this doesn't count as the good type of confusion that intrigues. i didn't think it was an inciting incident too? i was still meeting the characters and getting to know them in action.
+ c1 and c2 have a time gap in between. after the fight in c1, i felt thrown into a new setting in some way without being given background about the characters motives or the significance of the settings yet. c1 is out of sync regarding what you promised the story is about. i'm reading sth from the pov of someone called nightingale, but i don't exactly know who he is, nor what he is seeking after that fight? but this could be a flaw in my reading and not your writing. this is all new to me.
+ in c3, i feel the story starts to match the description. could be too late before someone clicks back. i couldn't get what what happened on the lion had to do with the storyline, even with the little hint of reminiscing from nightingale. the conversation with the little kid did reveal a little about the mc tho, but not enough i felt.
+ i reached c5, but i couldn't understand what was the hook? the story so far sounded like the captain life of hiram nightingale. it could merely be my disinterest in the genre tho. you could consider wondering what happened with the ulysses a hook, but the problem with this one is that there is no connection established. why should the reader care about the ulysses? what's its significance?
+ after finishing five chapters, i wondered, not induced by anything, if the events and logic behind the story were properly researched? a genuine question. it was sorta impressive for someone to understand such concepts and write stories about them. very new to me.
✿ characters
nightingale's first impression comes from a fighting scene in c1. the chapter focused on describing the events more than the characters in the events, so i can't say i learnt enough about the mc from there.
i didn't also see a background about characters relationships; aka what they meant to each other. whitehead's first impression came from asking nightingale if he had kids, and it threw me off because i thot they knew each other, so he'd know the answer to such a question. later you tell me he just met him on the journey, but that's unclear (or i missed it. lemme know). how about you make it clearer what every person nightingale talks to means to him?
YOU ARE READING
Anna's Reviews
Non-Fiction[ closed ] get a detailed review and in-depth analysis from a self-taught literature student. sometimes, i do special reviews while requesting is closed. it doesn't mean you can request too. but hey, maybe i'll take a special request from you if...
