I really enjoyed your story, Chleo_Chleo ! I loved the concept and the direction that the plot was going in. I look forward to more updates, and hope that my feedback and rating helps :)

Want an in-depth analysis? Check out my review below!

Blurb: The blurb is meant to introduce readers to the story and character that they will be following, but the blurb for 3 Billion Base Pairs focuses more on the history and word. I think you could keep the first part of the blurb, but in a second paragraph introduce Willa to the readers so that they can go into the story knowing a little more of what to expect from the character's perspective.

Plot/Concept: Your concept for the story is extremely creative and frighteningly realistic. So far in the story, your plot is being well developed and I'm excited to see where it goes. You've set up a few solid storylines and a great arc for Willa! The only issue I have seen so far is that the first chapter or two is very information-heavy while the setting disappears. I think tying the reader down to the setting will make dealing with that information easier, since it all is very important to the novel.

Pacing: The pace of your story is pretty strong, except for having relatively slow chapters amidst a very action-heavy one. I think, in Willa's state, you could invest more time into her actually interacting with her environment rather than being shuffled around by others. This would take away from a few of your (generally well-done) information dumps that I mentioned above. By lessening the monologue-ish information with increased action, I think the pacing could be a little more even.

Character Development: From what I can see, you have a strong set of characters. I like that they all have their own opinions and backgrounds, and while the arguments can be a bit confusing, they all stick to their opinions very realistically. [Side note: I think you could use their arguments to share some of the information from earlier chapters that readers didn't need to know in the moment] I think having Willa in isolation at the beginning of the story allowed us to really see her self pity, but then having her sick the chapters after is realistic though it also inhibits her. I think that, while realistic, having the main character be restrained from interacting and fully reacting to the plot and where her life is headed is going to feel weird to some readers. As of now, she is being told what to do, so the argument where she expressed dissent was great since we got to see how she really feels (other than being slightly annoyed at everyone).

Writing Style: Your writing style is very fluid, which also makes sense for your character who seems to be in her own mind a lot of the time. I ran into a similar issue with this because it was very realistic to have her in her mind and thinking all of these very fluid thoughts, but as a reader it was slightly off-putting. I think what could help is tying more of your writing down to the setting so that readers don't also feel like they're floating in isolation (this is optional, but I worry that style of the beginning may confuse some readers and turn them away). Aside from this issue (which is only an issue since it's at the beginning of the chapter) I love your writing and found only a few grammatical errors. The sentences never feel monotonous or had me skipping through!

TOAST LEVEL:

Overall, due to the amazing concept and interesting characters, I'm giving 3 Billion Base Pairs a rating of Well Toasted!

For the author: If you would like the notes I took for your review (chapter notes, grading), please DM me.