THE SAPPHIRE AWARDS 2023 [CLOSED]

SCI-FI WINNERS

Winners!
Personally message me with your email, book title and category to claim your prizes 💎

CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED!

Winner or not you will get your review as promised. It will be directly messaged to you from our community account Sapphire_Community in the course of this week.

If you do not get your reviews by this Wednesday the 22nd, reach out to us.

T

wo ties for third place 🔥

THIRD PLACE🥉

Total: 86/100

Division 57 by mmjayoh
Judge:coconichole

• Title:10/10

The title is cool. There's a lot of mystery around it. "Our Life" suggests that the protagonist is a part of a group of individuals that may have to survive some kind of intense or stressful environment. I like how memorable it is. Also with the word choice of "division" followed by a number, it makes me think there is some kind of military element to the world we are about to step into.

• Cover:2/5

I don't think the cover and the title work well together. I'm sure there is some symbolic significance to some of the images in the cover, such as the closeup on the eye and the butterfly, but the way they are presented on the scrapbook surface just doesn't seem to coincide with what the title is suggesting. Also it's hard to lock onto the title and figure out which part comes first. In the description, it's Division 57: Our Life Inside, but the title suggests that it's the other way around. This confusion shouldn't be there. If it's the way it's supposed to be in the description, then Our Life Inside needs to go below Division 57 or something like that.

• Blurb:9/10

I really like the blurb. It sets up the premise without throwing in any unnecessary details. The only concern I have is that the compound seems very similar to other dystopian compounds where kids are raised for a specific purpose. I think this could be balanced out by sharing one more aspect of the story that is very unique to the events in the story. Basically hinting at something that is not what you would find in other stories like this.

• Setting:6/10

There's not a whole lot of description of the setting, but I think for the most part, that works fine in this case. I would say that the only concern I have with it is not having enough to compare the Nolo side to the Magnus side. Since the whole point is to show how differently these kids are being raised, I think the author should emphasize and even exaggerate the differences in setting more.

• Character and emotions : 10/10

This is where I feel the story really shines. I think the author did great in this category. The split pov and first person narrative really helps the reader connect right away with the characters and immerses them in their experiences faster. Not only that, but there were times when the emotions were really raw and extreme. The author made me feel that without it going over the top. This was balanced out with very relatable moments like going on a school field trip or confiding in your friends.