Legerdemain
You have been selected for review by me, due to a package gifted you in "Showering Acts of Joy Garden" . I have volunteered to help fulfill this reviewing package. I hope you find the review useful, if only to find out how well this particular item is received. Sit back and enjoy the feedback and attention. You deserve it.
I consider it an honor to have found your port and this great piece of writing. Thank you for taking the time to submit writing into your port. It is a pleasure surfing through your port, trying to decide what to review.
I was really drawn into the story. I immediately felt a connection to the action and characters, and couldn't wait to read more. However, when I did so, this being an interactive, the story just wasn't the same for me. I found myself searching for the familiar tone that started the journey.
I haven't really explored the interactive too much, and I am finding this is a lot like those "Pick your own ending" books I use to read in grade school. I never stopped to think that each path chosen could be written by a different author. Now that I see it from this perspective, it gives a whole new light to the stories. I might have to spend some time going through these at a later date.
The opening for this interactive story takes place in an airport. This bustling port is given its life and vitality through the eyes of a few major characters. We get a brief background, to set the pace for the story, and then it is turned loose to the next author to choose a path for the storyline.
Editing notes:
~sprinkling of freckles...
~ her chestnut[,] shoulder-length...
~ her bumped against her ...[with each read, I kept inserting this word in naturally, and thought it noteworthy to add to the comments]
~with him for a year[,] and...
~In her eighth year of being...
~Apparently[,] she wasn't...
~in the suitcase[,] and as...
~some of the world[.] (missing punctuation)
I like how this first part has a plethora of characters with different backgrounds. Each person has an agenda, and it is up to the reader to choose the path, from the selections given.
Each character is described with a basic appearance sketch, allowing for the characters to be described by their actions and what they are, and how they act.
Kanya~The one part of this opening that doesn't ring quite true for me, was the fact that Kanya would be bored. She hasn't gotten under the radar quite yet, so she should be feeling apprehensive and as if Raul was going to stop her any minute. She had taken precautions in case he found her hidden accounts, but she wouldn't feel secure enough to become bored, until she was well away from the area of where he was located.
Justin~With his background in scientific research, Justin doesn't have time to go dating. When he had a woman throwing herself at him, he was so wrapped up in work, he couldn't see it for what it was. Now, he yearns for some companionship and relaxation, only he is alone, and feeling the emptiness of the black hole he has been living in.
I feel enough was said about Justin to give the reader a hint or stereotype to draw on, but more would be helpful as well. I am torn between wanting more, and seeing it for what it is.
Rollings Couple~A lot was said about Mrs. Rollings, but what does the Mr think? Does he know the purpose of this trip, or does he have some ideas of his own? Nothing is told about that, so it is a hidden agenda. I think it could spice it up if we knew in the beginning of the story, just where he stood on this trip. Yet, that could be a path chosen later.
Festus~I picture Festus as someone from the nearby countryside. He lives outside of the city, on a farm, and has made his way into the big city, to take a trip to somewhere far away. He is unfamiliar with the sites, smells, customs, and bustling of the airport, and feels overwhelmed at it all.
Taffina~I picture her as someone who is uptight. There is nothing that gives me that impression, other than her tugging along on her suitcase. She is offended at the smell of Festus, and to me that puts her as feeling her station in life is a bit above his. This is just my opinion of course.
Overall, these characters are set up so that the next person to write a chapter has a basic sketch to go by. The setting is clear and the characters are vague, with their true selves being revealed in later chapters as we choose the path along each chapter to read.
I feel you did a wonderful job with this introduction of characters. Each character has an appeal that makes me want to dig in and read more of their story. Where are they going, and what will they see? Will Raul find Kanya, or will she meet Justin and travel with him as her companion? Will the Rollings get-a-way be just what they need to rekindle the romance, or does her plans get thwarted by a ....fill in the blank. There are so many options and choices to choose from.
This looks to be a very popular interactive. With so many paths to follow, this could take a while to finish each leg of the journey. I am including it in my next newsletter for others to enjoy as well.
My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Go Noticed" .
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