『  _EyeoftheStorm 』

Hello! My sincerest apologies for how long it has taken to get this review out (･∀ ･; ) but it's here now! I haven't written a review in a while so I apologize if it's not great... again thank you so much for your patience.

✰ cover
The cover is well made! It looks like something you would see in a bookstore. It also sets the mood for what the story will be about.

✰ title
The title is superb. It connects well to the plot of the story and makes me wonder what the price will be.

✰ blurb
The author did such an outstanding job at summarizing the story in such an articulate manner. My only question is whether or not "surface" is meant to be in this sentence:

After so long hiding, they will both have to surface and face what Thomas did, not only for the sake of his legacy, but for each other.

I feel like getting rid of "surface" and just leaving "face" would be good enough. This is only my suggestion, though! It's completely up to you, of course.

✰ characters
Tanner seems like he has a certain soft spot for Nicolas. Like he comes off as this gruff old guy but when it's mentioned that he named the boy Nicolas because it was a name he would've given his son if he had one was such a thoughtful detail to his character. It made me go "aww," and you know as an author you've done a good job at characterization if your readers feel a sense of empathy or connection to your characters.

I'm interested to see who Nicolas becomes once he gets older. I have a feeling he's going to be brave and strong just like Tanner. He has a lot of potential and I can't wait to see how that's achieved.

✰ plot
The plot is refreshing for me. I rarely read stories that don't have a romantic plotline somewhere in them, so reading a story about a boy and a father-like figure piqued my interest. I also love the way you've set the story up–where it isn't rushed and we're going through the boy's childhood rather than just suddenly seeing him as an adult.

✰ pacing
Like I previously mentioned, the pacing is great. It isn't rushed and the characters are fleshed out as individuals. Really awesome work!

✰ grammar/language
There were a few grammatical errors, particularly in chapter five, that could be easily fixed by just going back and re-reading it. Other than that I thought your writing was phenomenal.

One thing I would recommend, however, would be to break apart dialogue from paragraphs. What I mean by this is that when a character speaks, try to have it in a separate line.

For instance this:

Could be written like this:

"Alright," Tanner replied slowly. His eyes gazed past the guard and Mary and to the boy.

He gave a slight gesture of his hand and stated, "You can leave us then, Michael."

The guard nodded, leaving the room in an instant Had it been anyone else...etc.

The paragraphs just feel less chunky this way, but it's totally up to you.

✰ overall thoughts
Overall, I thought this story was wonderful! I love the idea behind it and I definitely see it improving. There's a lot of room for growth but so far, it's really blown me away. I wish you the best in all your writing endeavors!

✎ . . . .

Happy writing!