Jaded by WriterRaichu

Genre: Action/Adventure/Miscellaneous.

Chapters Reviewed: 16 chapters.

Update Schedule: Irregular.

When I joined Wattpad about a year ago, I was very quiet and refused to comment or even vote on any story I read. That changed as I started to read Jaded because of how much emotion the author could easily provoke. Each chapter is a thrilling ride, and honestly, I still can't put the book down.

It would be one thing for me to say this, but it's another when a lot of the readers who quickly engage in the story as well due to how well written it is.

"I only read one chapter so far, and I can already tell that this story is very structured and detailed. Well done!" @itzzclaire

"Plot just keeps getting better each chapter! X3" EeveelutionBrandi

"A+ cliffhanger" UnisonRaider

So what makes Jaded such a good read? At first glance, it looks like the stereotypical journey Pokéfic, where the main character, Jade, is on her journey to earn gym badges. She meets friends and rivals along the way. It seems like it would be just an ordinary, everyday, Pokéfic with excellent writing skill.

Thing is, whereas most journey stories would have the Trainer ease on through the gym battles, this story takes a different approach. Jade struggles through her challenges. This is something I enjoyed because I don't think gym challenges would be easy. The protagonist pushes through. It's realistic, believable, and honestly, very fun to read because seeing a Trainer plow straight through the battles gets a bit boring after a while. At least in Jaded, there are some battles that our heroine eases through while others she struggles. Each Pokémon battle is very well written.

Another realistic quality that I love about this book is the internal battles Jade faces. She hints about these early on in the prologue, and throughout the book. It's unclear exactly what happened until the big turning point. It beautifully written as it shows the struggle Jade had to overcome and will face every now and then as the memories resurface. Again, I'm not going to say what this point is due to spoilers, but to those who have read it may know that this point of the book is an emotional one for a reason. The way it's timed into the book is very well done.

The author handles these internal battles with care too. They're not just tossed into the story to be tossed in there. It feels real and are taken very seriously. I enjoyed how the problems weren't just placed into the story to be there, but rather, have significance to the characters involved.

The only thing that bothered me in the entire book was the first chapter. It almost gives off false advertisement in a sense. As many writing tips will say, you've got to draw the reader in with a memorable beginning, and that's what happens in the first chapter. I'm immediately drawn in as I'm wondering what is going on; however, there is just one problem with this first chapter.

It's too short.

This is just my experience with the book, but when I first saw the first chapter containing only two paragraphs, I immediately thought it was going to be like many of the books I've read before. In those stories, they either don't make sense, have short chapters consisting of a paragraph or five, and/or cut in the middle of a scene in every chapter. I almost didn't read on when I first read this book, and probably wouldn't if I wasn't so intrigued on what was going on. When I did, I realize this only happened in the the prologue as the other chapters have good length, they make sense, and don't cut out in the middle of a scene (unless it's a deliberate cliffhanger).

Now, it's a prologue, so its allowed to be on the shorter end of things. I would just be careful. It took me until chapter thirteen to realize why the author did it the way he did, but to be honest, I had almost forgotten about the prologue when this chapter came out. It's still too early on in the book to know what else can really been done about this, so I'm conflicted on a resolution for this, or if it's really even a problem to begin with and shouldn't be messed with.

Clearly, many readers have continued to read on or don't really care about this. It's something I would cut out, but—like I said before—I am a bit conflicted on even saying that as it really draws the reader in. It made me want to read, which is good. That's the purpose of the first chapter.

Being that is the only thing about the book that needs improvement (or not, as it's still too early on to realize if it's a problem or not) Jaded is off to an amazing start. There's lots of action, drama, and character develop that happens within these first sixteen chapters. One of my favorite elements about this book is how complex the characters are. Even with the little interactions given, each character has their own personality. It really adds to the story. Every character brings the story to life.

Jade is the best example of this. She is the main character, and, honestly, I just love how straightforward she is. Yes, she may not always say what she is thinking, but there is no filter in her mind. Too many times, I'll read books where Character A is like, "well, everyone thinks Character B is so cute, but I don't see it" all because Character A doesn't like Character B. Jade isn't like that. She will think what she thinks without justification.

The following is my favorite example of this:

"I couldn't help but notice that his shorts made his ass look fantastic. I could probably bounce a coin off of it" (Chapter 2).

Right there, Jade admits that this guy has a good looking behind and isn't afraid to admit it. It's the perfect example of a "show don't tell" statement too. Sure, Jade doesn't get along with the character she's talking about, but she won't deny he has a good looking rear end.

While Jade is straightforward, she isn't like that about everything, even in her mind. There are still some things that she is trying to hide and push away, even if it's her own thoughts. I won't get into these as I'll be getting into spoilers on that, but moral of this is that Jade's character is just well written.

Another character I particularly like is Lucas. If you haven't read the book, he isn't the guy Jade was talking about in the dialogue tag above. Unlike Jade, this boy starts out being this shy little guy who juxtaposes Jade's character perfectly. While he's shy, he eventually grows into an outspoken guy as he's getting comfortable being around Jade. This helps Jade grow in her character development as well. He's just the perfect travel companion for her, and I love it.

Overall, this book is off to an amazing start! It's one of my favorite reads as it takes a more serious approach to a Pokémon journey. The characters are all so lovable and different from one another. It's a great read, and one I personally enjoy it a lot!

Being an avid reader of this book, I am so thrilled that WriterRaichu has agreed to do an interview about his book, Jaded.

JunieWeather: Jaded is a very interesting story. What inspired you to write this story?

WriterRaichu: There were a few things that inspired certain parts. A big theme of the book is dealing with one's past (i.e. trauma and the like) and I wanted to explore that in a Pokémon writing piece because I like seeing depth in our Wattpad community. I wanted to write about a character who suppresses these feelings and tries to be strong without her being an angsty "I-Hate-Everyone-Because-I-Have-A-Dark-Past" trope character. There were a few social issues I wanted to explore, such as PTSD and homophobia, etc. But I wanted to do this without making it the total centre of the book's plot, because the central plot will still focus on Pokémon in the later chapters.

I also wanted to try and write as a character who's a bit more rounded, without one singular trait being what defines her. I wanted Jade to be physically strong but have suppressed emotional struggles, I wanted her to be sarcastic without it engulfing her whole personality, I wanted her to have her sweet moments, funny moments, etc.

JW: That's really interesting. Have you faced any challenges when writing a book that goes against the troops or exploring a darker topic (so to speak)?

Rai: Oh for sure. See, I didn't want the entire book to focus on these darker topics, but I always didn't want to invalidate these topics either. It's been a bit difficult to incorporate a certain character's trauma for example during appropriate times. I don't want it t seem like that's all there is about that character, but I also didn't want that character's PTSD / trauma to only surface in plot-convenient times, because that's unrealistic.

Finding a balance is often one of the more difficult parts.

JW: You do a very good job at finding balance and making these characters seem realistic. It makes the story very enjoyable. Which character in the story is your favorite to write?

Rai: It's definitely Jade without a contest, I really like being able to play with how she responds in real life versus in her head. (E.g while she may say something snarky in her head, she knows to pick her battles and when to appear nonchalant externally.) I do feel like she's more developed than my other characters, so I'm currently working on making sure the other characters are more developed as well. While Jade is one of my favorites, I have a total soft spot for a couple others as well. I like the dynamic between her and her mother, for one. For another, I like to write her Pokémon, Light, with a very puppy-like personality. It gives me a nice little break from some of the seriousness in some parts when I get to write for such an innocent character like Light.

JW: I really liked what you did with Jade. Her personality truly does shine through. I like that you had her start out with Light. Light's a very unique Shinx. Is there any reason why you had Jade start out with this Pokémon or any reasons as to why Shinx has a unique skill set?

Rai: Thank you! That means a lot. And yes actually, there's a very specific reason of as to why she started out with a Shinx. For a plot point later on, I needed her to start off with a "basic" Pokémon. By basic I mean a Pokémon that could be captured early on in the game series. I needed it to be common, but not common to Kanto, if that makes sense. I had played with the idea of a Shinx, Starly, event a Sentret. But in the end I stuck with Shinx because he just felt the most right when I was writing him. And yes, there's also a big reasoning for Shinx's unique skill set. I can't tell you why because it's very important later on, but let's just say his unique skill set certainly isn't just, for lack of better phrase, for the hell of it. : )

JW: That's good to know. I'm excited to see what you have in store for Jade and Light. Is there anything you would like to share about your book?

Rai: I'm excited to see if you and the other readers will like where it goes! The plot is definitely going to only pick up from here on out, and I'm excited to explore all the directions I can take it in from here on out. I do have a plot of events planned for future chapters and I know how the novel is going to end as well. Unfortunately, one of the ending plot points is gonna hurt my heart to write... but we'll get there when we get there, hehe. And hmm, I guess one thing is if you're someone who loves the Pokémon fandom but likes to feel like you're reading more of a young adult fiction type novel, then my book is probably for you. But for the most part, I'll leave those opinions up to the readers! Wink, wink.

JW: Thank you for taking time to do an interview. Jaded is a wonderful story that I would highly recommend. Personally, I'm excited to see what's in store for this book as it's off to a great start.