A Bit About the Author:

ellieerose_ is a Watty award-winning writer who enjoys bubble tea, traveling (especially to Germany), historical fiction books, violin, and swing dancing. Her motivation to write is: "I write to inspire."

Title:

Simple. But I like it. It's not one I've seen before and it fits the story very well, though I think you could also try another title that's more eye-catching. This seems to fit more a poetry collection than a historical fiction story, but that might just be me. 

Cover: 

Simple and aesthetic. But the author's name stands out more than the title (never a good thing) and it's not very eye-catching. It's cute, but doesn't work out that great as a cover in my opinion. 

Blurb: 

While this is perfect for a synopsis, it tells too much to be a blurb. I love it in a synopsis sense (if you ever query, this is perfect!) but it should be cut down a lot to be a blurb. Lessen out the details—tell us that in the story—and make the information brief but interesting enough for the reader to jump into your story to find out what's going on. At worst, just keep the two last paragraphs of your blurb and use just that for a blurb as that tells enough information without being too much. ^_^ 

The Good: 

I was surprised how much I love this story. It is a lot better than the last few I've read (probably because it's newer than the others ha!) and in some ways was similar to Stellina in style, though very different in most aspects. Your grammar was good for the most part and your descriptions...  I live for your descriptions and metaphors. They are so beautiful and you do such a good job making them flow poetically. The characterization, for the most part, was very well done and I really loved getting into your characters and feeling their pain. Beautifully done, over all. 

The Bad: 

I don't have much to critique with this story. But here are my two main concerns: 

First, your main character, Celina. (By the way, this is a problem I have a LOT!) Your other characters are very well portrayed and their development is spot on. But I found that lacking in Celina. Towards the end, it was better, but in the beginning and middle, it was really hard to get into her character and to understand her. (Still don't understand her sudden ripping that dress. I understand she's mad, but it felt off.) Try to show her emotions more. I know she's introverted, but show us her thoughts, her inner turmoil, her emotions she feels inside, even if she doesn't show them. At least let us, as the reader, feel her pain even if no one else does. 

Second and lastly, the pacing. Your pacing was good overall, but in some places I wasn't sure what exactly was going on. Your pacing as a story was fine, don't get me wrong, but be sure it's clear to the reader what's happening. Many times I had to reread sections to understand where they were going, what was happening, etc. It might also help to have a map for readers who aren't familiar with the placements of cities, etc. 

What the Reader Thought: 

I loved this story. Very different from the others I've read from you. I thought it would be like Stellina and even though it was sad, still have a happy ending. Well, it does, in a sense, but it's very different sort of ending than Stellina. I really loved this, even though some surprises really hit me in the gut. T_T (sorry can't specify cause SPOILERS) Besides my critiques I mentioned, my only other thought is that everything seemed too thought-out. Like too many coincidences. Maybe explain better why everything happened in such a perfect timing that it did would help the book's plot not feel so stiff. But other than that, I really really enjoyed reading this story and I hope you get it published some day! 

Score: 8/10