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Review by Danielle: Cromulent

Title: Cromulent 

Author: neomanuisarang

Reviewer: pluviophile_bookworm

Summary: 4/5

This summary starts off with a good, intriguing question. It catches your attention and makes you wonder: what is this book going to be about? Underneath, it gives me just enough information to know that this book is in the future, a dystopian world, and it leaves me with a sense that this book is full of exciting adventures. 

The only thing I would change is that the summary doesn't give you a whole lot of insight into the unique plot of the book. Yes, it mentions some "sinister forces" and "special abilities", but I want to know what exactly Devan and his friends are dealing with. 

When I search for a new book to read, the summary is the first thing that convinces me to read it. I very much like yours, but I want to know that this isn't some cliche dystopian book; I want to know why this book is special. 

Grammar: 5/5

I struggled to find any grammar mistakes in this book, which is hugely important to me—I can't stand reading a book with bad grammar. I only found three or four small mistakes, and in a book this size, that's quite good!

Character Building: 4/5

I really enjoyed seeing Devan, Clint, Ray, and Luke being slowly developed. Clint endeared himself to me instantly, with his quiet power and wisdom, and the way he subtly helped others constantly. Luke also stood out to me, as he used his power to heal others constantly, no matter the cost. I nearly cried when the death finally came, and how the others seemed to be in shock. 

I loved how you didn't just give Devan all his powers immediately—he had to practice continually to begin mastering them. I also enjoyed seeing the fears of the other boys, and beginning to unravel their pasts.

While I loved reading about them, I felt like you didn't quite build the characters through enough. I had so many unanswered questions at the end of the story. What about the female Nox? What's the condition of the outside world? What will happen to the other boys? Will the conflict between psychics and physics be resolved?

Yet your story was so well-written that these questions lead me to believe that there will be a sequel—and if there will be, I can't wait to read it. 

Plot Uniqueness: 5/5

I cannot say I am very deep into dystopian novels, but from experience, usually there's a big war or disease and the survivors are hidden away or controlled by an evil figure, and the special rebels need to take them down.

Your story had some aspects of that, such as the nuclear war destroying the outside world, but the way you told it made it your own. It was nice to read about leaders I felt I could trust, and not having a constantly rebellious main character. Devan questioned a lot of the activities, but I felt that it was more out of curiosity, not rebelliousness. And it truly felt like he and the other boys were almost all on the same team. 

Although I would have loved to see a strong female character in this story, I also liked the fact that this story didn't have romance, mostly because the girls were separated. Romance isn't bad, but when the plot becomes focused on it, it gets boring. This story centered completely on the friendship of the boys and their training and goals together. 

I would love to see a sequel telling us about the girls' point of view, or perhaps a combination of both 'towns'. It really makes me want to keep reading.

Writing Style: 5/5

Like I stated above, I enjoyed how most of the plot was unique, but a few aspects were cliché ideas that you made interesting. This makes it easy to read and understand.

Sometimes it took me a bit to connect the stories when you switched between the psychics and the physics, but once I understood the change, the story flowed very smoothly. 

Also as I said earlier, I am left hanging with a lot of unanswered questions at the end, and I desperately want to know if there is a sequel. If there is, that clears up a lot of things I want to know; if there isn't, the story is somewhat confusing and feels incomplete. 

OVERALL SCORE: 23/25

This is a fantastic book, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a great new read. I laughed, smiled, mourned, and felt a dozen things while reading it, and I am very excited to find out if there is more coming. Wonderful job!