Hello, I'm Kit!
In each review, I aim to provide at least one professional-grade insight on writing and likely more than one thing for authors to ignore completely. We're all imperfect, and most of my thoughts are wholly subjective. I firmly believe writers have the final say in their work and voice, though never without consequence.
Amongst the Waking Dreams is a novel marked as completed by Jessica Goodman , though it should be noted that only a portion of the book is available on Wattpad. At the time of this review, it has 6 published pieces.
Author's Goal: "I've already begun submitting to literary agents, so my goal is to one day be traditionally published. I have a degree in English Literature, a certificate in linguistic grammar, another certificate in professional editing and publishing. I've worked a bit as an editor and in the publishing world, so I know the odds of getting published and also the importance of beta readers. This book took me a year to write and edit so far, so please be honest but constructive." - @raeanngoodman
- Thanks for sharing this! I read your work and wrote this review with these things in mind. Due to your interest in getting feedback concerning your goals, most of what follows is less a review and more of a critique centered around content and writing. It's my sincere hope to provide some constructive feedback and insight.
The Blurb:
"Nymeria Verne has always loved fantasy books. She loves the mystical lands, the fantastical creatures, the happy fairy tale endings...but what she loves most about them is that they are nothing like the real thing.
Nymeria was raised in the land of faeries, constantly visiting the mortal realm with its urban cities but never understanding them. As a human living among fae, she has grown up always knowing that she is not pretty enough, not strong enough, not ever enough-for who could compare to the ethereal fae? She doesn't belong among either the faeries or the humans, and yet she loves her home and is desperate to find her place among the Seelie Courts.
Despite the beauty and draw of the faerie world, there is a sinister undertone to it, and Nymeria knows that she can never be safe as a fragile human there. Not even her strenuous relationship with the faerie she refuses to call 'father' could help her. Her only chance of security and belonging is to one day come of age and become a faerie's bride, but at seventeen years old Nymeria refuses to accept marriage as the only option.
In her search for her own path and independence, she stumbles across a prince of fae that offers all the solutions to her problems. She becomes his servant and agrees to spy for him in return for protection and a place in his court when he becomes High King. As a mortal, Nymeria can do something the fae can't: lie-a trait that the prince sees an opportunity in. Along the way, she meets a mortal boy, Collin, that was raised among fae just as she was. As her reluctant feelings for him grow, he has her questioning her choices and what it is she actually wants. Perhaps leaving the land of fae would be her better option...
But her prince has no intention of letting her go."
All in all, this blurb does the job of telling readers what the story will be about. I do, however, see opportunities to strengthen it through additional summarization. Every detail needs to be relevant, though I think it's fair to say that as writers, we tend to be biased and less objective about what's considered relevant (our whole story is important to us!)—so I would challenge any writer to write blurbs through the lens of marketers writing copy, not authors writing prose. Getting the word count down to about 200 or less is ideal, plus a solid marketing plug at the end.
I also want to bring up a point about publication cycles for trending genre fiction, but I think I'll reserve most of those comments in my closing statements. But it's worth noting here, at least in summary: Following trends, no matter how unique the adaptation, tends to reduce chances for publication rather than increase them. I mention this here in the blurb section to indicate that readers are already reading similar blurbs elsewhere, and in the end, it becomes white noise in a flooded market.

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