Reverie Reviews

review #56.S3: Only Fire

Only Fire

Author:
Reviewer: CoffeeAndSilverInk
Author: FantasticalChaos

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SYNOPSIS

Ember may appear to be a typical outcast high school senior, always sitting alone and avoiding any interaction. However, beneath her detached exterior lay fiery feathers, yearning to break free from its confining flesh.
From the moment a phoenix is born, it is bestowed with a purpose. However, when she realizes that her purpose binds her to the relentless undead vampire, Zane, she faces the daunting challenge of evading his icy grip. Despite being natural enemies, their connection intensifies the more they are exposed to each other's contrasting elements.
Knowing the dangers, Ember realizes her choice has consequences beyond herself. Will she stay, letting the ice extinguish her fiery walls, or run and save those involved from being burnt?

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Note: The following review is written by someone with no real writing credentials (uni degrees and anything of sorts), only the experience of many years within the wattpadian writing world and having written over 50 reviews in the past 3 years. Please note that reviews are subjective and not law, that they're opinions and should be taken with a pinch of salt. If the following review in any way offends you, please note that that is not the goal and it is one person's view of your story. You are entitled to agree or disagree with the raised points. If you are hurt and need to leave hate comments to feel validated, please don't. The reviewer doesn't care.

Title and Cover: The title makes sense to the story, but I don't find it particularly appealing. From the blurb and what I've read, the focus of the book seems to be romance, so I would go for a more Romance-y title.

The cover involves important elements from the story, but the title blends with the main image. Its greyish tone makes it harder to spot and the author is also easy to miss. I think a different font and having both textual elements in white would improve the readability. The winner sticker could also be better placed.

For the winner sticker, put it round instead of square shaped (it's easy to do on Canva) and lower its position just enough to not touch the corner. If that doesn't look better, try finding a likeable spot.

Blurb: The main character is introduced in a fairly good way, although she could be further explored. Zane is introduced as what he is to her and not as an individual character, and the blurb would be more interesting if the readers got a peek of who he is, instead of only the contrast.

The main conflict is not well explained. The romantic part is implied, but not truly told, and the most important part of the blurb is clearly stating the main conflict. It's mentioned that Ember makes a choice but without saying what the choice is, and that paragraph could be the stakes part. But how can you have high stakes when the conflict isn't properly explained?

I suggest trying to reword it and working on the ending.

Plot/Flow: The opening was good and showed Ember's world and how it works to us. Her lives and who she is are both later further explained and link perfectly to the opening. But then again, it doesn't mention conflict and it may not spark interest.

The conflict could be stated in chapter one, and yet it is not. In fact, her purpose is explained much later. I'm counting her Phoenix life's mission as the purpose, the main conflict that will link her to Zane.