Cloud Nine Reviews
Title of Story: Hello, Strange Place

Title: As it is based off the album by the K-pop group CIX, of course, it is not entirely unique in those terms. Nevertheless, it is a fan-fiction and just by reading it, I can't deny that it has this warm, mysterious aura to it that makes the reader want to find out the relevance of the title to the story.

Cover: note: I will be judging the new cover since you mentioned about replacing it after the contest.

The new cover has bold and vibrant colors which is really nice as this will make it stand out from the rest. The main title text on the other hand is also visibly large and easy to read. This in turn will allow readers to grasp the title immediately.

What could use minor adjustments in my opinion is the font style of the word "Hello". Also, you may want to adjust the text size and positioning of the author's name. Maybe you could enlarge it a bit and place it higher. Yet again, this is based on your discretion and personal taste.

Blurb: The blurb was indeed concise but still meaningful. I do think that it has the kind of edge that will make readers want to flip the pages and read the story. It is quite interesting to say the least.

hint: you may want to reveal at the blurb and not just inside that it is inspired off both CIX and also the anime: Orange, since it is a huge factor.

On a different note, I do encourage you to lengthen it if you'd like and to even add more juicy descriptors to your sentences if you wish to make the blurb even more appealing than it already is.

For instance, don't just talk shy, very unspoken boy—say timid and school's social pariah!

Grammar: Your story is a good mix of Taglish and Filipino. Most parts were written well without any problem, but there were minimal mistakes I spotted in grammar for sentences written in English. On that, whether they were typos or not, do make a mental note to recheck for possibly missed grammatical errors.

Plot: I love that this is a much more Filipino take on the anime entitled: "Orange". I know that in essence this is a fan-fiction, reason being for why the plot is heavily dependent on the anime. One remarkable strong point was that the first few chapters including the prologue had solid and compelling beginnings that also ended on good notes. Some scenes may have seemed too good to be true, but I believe that's part of the story's charm.

On the topic of the story's flow and setting itself, for me it would boost the creativity of your book to further alter it in whichever way you would like. In fact, swerve the plot and taint it to your liking. I as the reader, would want to see more of the subtle or extremely large changes you've incorporated into the story as this will shape your voice in writing. Keep adding those undoubtedly Filipino elements or your own, if that is what you are aiming for.

Well, that's it for my short, blissful, and honest review on Hello, Strange Place. Don't forget to follow rule #3. And once again, thank you so much for allowing me to review your work!

"The world needs people who save lives."
-Frederick Buechner

love always,
dilagmakata