Intro:

Calathea was written by _reichii, the talented author who took home first place in the "Best Potential" category in my Padauk Mini Awards. This is no easy feat. The "Best Potential" category is arguably the hardest category in the Padauk Awards due to its high demand and the way it judges everything about the book, and I'm pleased to say Calathea hit the mark and impressed me with its rich storytelling, unique idea, and cool writing style.

I hope you guys enjoy this review as it was one I was excited to make, and I hope you guys check out Rei's profile!

*Please note that prize reviews are formatted and handled differently than regular reviews, so there will be differences between these reviews and the standard reviews.

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Detailed Feedback

Calathea immediately grabbed my attention with an interesting, well-written blurb that told of what was to come. Then there was the pretty title that got me interested in what the book could be about as I didn't know what Calathea meant prior to reading this, and the cover is also very mysterious and eye-catching. That's all to say you have strong presentation that will hook readers in. The first impression you got down, and that also extends to the hook. The opening chapter is so mysterious, and I like how you title it 00 and don't use traditional Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc. titles. The numbers makes it feel like we're counting up to something, like a specific day that's going to be like a doomsday, or something else. It only adds to my intrigue of the story despite it being such a small detail, but the details matter.

Something I really like that I'm going to ask about in the interview is the attention to detail with colors and how there's such a focus on them. One of the first words in the first chapter is "White." That's it, just "White." The color is one word, and one sentence with sharp placement to call attention to it. However, this doesn't just happen for the color white; all of the colors throughout have heavy emphasis put on them. In general, the descriptions do a solid job bringing the readers into the narrative. For example, I left some comments on the opening about heaven and hell and how you focused on the punishment side of hell when many would focus on the unusual landscape, the king, or the demons. Even Dante's started with a slow journey into hell, describing the landscape and the lost souls before it got into the punishments, so to see the emphasis on the punishments here says a lot about Laurence and where his mind is at. The descriptions had a huge attention to detail that I enjoyed reading about.

Moving into the core story elements, the themes and how you go about the body swap concept were excellent. The themes of mental health and how they were depicted were stunning, to say the least. The descriptions matched with the complex, speculative emotions made me feel like I couldn't put the book down even when I had to go do other things. I really like this speculative side of your writing, and I can't wait to see where the story goes next since I'm already having so many thoughts about it, and I want to see more of Laurence's journey.

This is a smaller thing, but as I commented on during my read through, the openings and endings in the chapters are all very good. Every chapter starts with a hooking line and ends with an engaging final sentence or word that keeps us wanting to read. Like I mentioned above, I didn't want to put the book down even when I had to, and that was because the endings of each chapter felt like I needed to read the next one so I can build on what just happened. The openings being so hooking are a major plus since you're catching the reader's attention with just one sentence, and that's imperative for keeping someone's attention in writing.

I could make an entire list of the things I liked, though I'll end it by saying I think you do a good job with your pacing in the beginning. I already mentioned how I liked the 00 chapter and how it was formatted, but the way you dropped the title as the last line and then flowed into chapter 1 was done excellently. Every chapter flows so effortlessly into the next, making the narrative feel so connected and even more engaging the more it goes. All the transitions are handled extremely well.

All in all, Calathea has strong potential, but it's already a really, really good story that makes you think and challenges you to question everything. I only had one minor critique when I reviewed the story for the first time, but it's so minor that I'm not going to bring it up again here, and it also doesn't take away from the overall beauty of the narrative. You did a great job with this, and I'm excited to see the future chapters!

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Summary:

- Great first impression with a cool title, blurb, and cover

- Pretty descriptions and emphasis on color

- The themes of mental health are realistically handled

- Chapters are opened and ended well

- Great transitions between chapters

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Overall:

Calathea has strong potential and already is a fantastic read with heavy themes and solid descriptions that will keep you reading. You'll lose track of time and keep pressing the "continue" button at the end of every chapter, and that's because Calathea is extremely engaging, constantly inspiring thought-provoking questions that make you want to glue your eyes to the page. If you're someone who enjoys speculative fiction with unique characters and concepts, then this is the perfect book for you.

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Thank you for always supporting me and being so kind and patient. You've always been super nice to me, and I've enjoyed our conversations. I can't wait to interview you! Thank you for signing up for the Padauk Awards, and I hope you keep writing this story!

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I'm going to start leaving this new note at the end of all reviews since Wattpad removed pms.

If you would like to keep in contact with me and ask me for more feedback on your work, I have a Discord server for all readers, writers, and friends. I'll leave a link in the inline comment here for anyone who would like to join.