This review is for LiebeKlara with Love at Dawn. It was conducted by craftychicken.
Title 5/5 The title doesn't make much sense at the end of the fourth chapter but honestly, I don't really care. This is a beautiful story.
Cover 5/5 I normally hate people on covers but the sort of painting- like style of this cover fits perfectly with the story.
Blurb 2/5 Here's where one of my only problems with this story lies. You have a wonderful story here and I don't think telling us the main plot and the subplot really shows off how amazing this story is. You need to tell us what we can expect in here. I will try and write one in my review but I'd highly recommend finding someone to help you write one as this story deserves the world.
First chapter 7/10 I feel like the first chapter is more of a prologue as from what I understand it's about a completely different set of characters and in a completely different place. I love the writing though so I won't mark it too harshly.
Characters 13/15 I know that this is the main thing you asked me to focus on so I will discuss more in my review but I have never fallen in love with any characters in four chapters (except maybe my own) and yet you managed to make me fall head over heels for Edith and Andre.
Plot 18/20 I can only judge the main plot as the subplot hasn't kicked off yet (please correct me if I'm wrong) as we haven't met Fiona yet. I love where the main plot is going though.
Grammar/ vocabulary 19/20 A couple of mistakes but they didn't take away from the story. I did point one out in a comment but that was the only major spelling error I found.
Writing 10/10 It is very rare that I give a 10 for writing and yet you've done it. I love your writing, oh my gosh it's like liquid gold. I want to read anything you put out. It's beautiful. The way you write dialogue feels so natural for the time period, it's like you're a time traveler.
Personal enjoyment 10/10 I wouldn't give anything less than this. If you are reading this review as an outsider, go and read this wonderful story. It's an absolute delight.
Total 89/100
Review
Ok, here's my attempt at putting my thoughts on this into words. I need you to do me a favor and go and get this thing published. Seriously, go, do it. You deserve to be in a bookshop/ bookstore. As someone who reads a lot of books on and off of Wattpad I have read worse books that are actually published authors. You deserve to be published my friend. Ok, I'll stop. So, the only two things I have to say about this are about the blurb and the subplot. I'll talk about the characters first as that's what you asked me to discuss.I believe I have a clear picture of Edith and Andre, but I'll start with Edith first. Edith is 9 at the beginning of chapter 2 and is described as having chestnut brown hair and having amber-like eyes. I believe that she is rather cheeky and she becomes enamored by Andre's talent and his painting ability. She is a rather headstrong character and her friendship with Andre clearly means a lot to her as she is obviously devastated by his disappearance at the end of chapter 4. She is obviously annoyed at him and hurt by what he has done. She also seems curious to know more about her friend and I believe that she will want to discover what secrets Andre was hiding. She is an easy character to root for as we want to know this too. She is lovable and I really like her character.
Andre is described as having long blond hair and lapis lazuli blue eyes, great description by the way. He is much more mysterious than Edith but he is clearly hardworking and good at what he does. Even though he describes himself as penniless, he does manage to still be generous and gives food to those who need it. He has little to give but still tries to do something to help the starving children anyway. He comes across as a very sweet character. Also approachable as Edith has clearly formed a strong bond with him, and has obviously been to see him multiple times. I really like him too and I'm interested to see what his reason for leaving at the end of chapter 4 was.I don't believe we've been introduced to Fiona yet so I can't say much about her as I haven't had the pleasure of meeting her. In terms of the other two characters though, I am in love with them. I can see a small budding romance perhaps? Ok, the blurb. I don't really like the blurb you have currently as I think it is too long and it pretty much just describes the main plot and the subplot. Here's my attempt at writing one for you (feel free to use this if you like and I'm sorry if you are offended by me rewriting your blurb. If I get anything wrong I am so sorry):
Rouen, the summer of 1783, a young girl named Edith meets a mysterious young painter named Andre. The two quickly become friends and form a strong bond which is severed four years later when Andre mysteriously disappears without saying goodbye, leaving behind a red notebook with an inscription on the cover: Love, Compassion, Liberty. The final pages remain blank except for a smudged piece of writing: Liberty is the right to love and be loved.Little Fiona had always believed that she lived in a world completely separated from those wealthy girls. She had two fathers with completely different philosophies. One left her in poverty the other dragged her into a heaven full of dignity and glory. Fiona chose one, and abandoned the other. She felt she lacked nothing, until she met the angel in the scarlet dress again. A century later, the soldier who ended Fiona's life recalls her end in his memoir: "I felt that the old lady was a blaze of fire. I aimed at her, shot and she fell. But the bullets could never snuff out the flames."What romantic endeavors await them and will this story have a happy ending? That is still a little long in my opinion but I don't think I could've cut anything out. I hope you like it :) The only other thing I wanted to mention is the subplot. I don't expect it to have kicked off by now but all I will say is that I hope the two stories connect in some way. I feel like this is one of those stories where the two plots could weave together into a beautifully crafted story. If this is your plan then I love this even more.In conclusion a wonderful story with a memorable and lovable cast of characters who all have such distinct and vivid personalities. I can already picture them in my head. I won't go on about your writing anymore but all I will say is you deserve to be very popular.
I hope my feedback has been helpful in aiding you on your writing journey and I wish you the best of luck on your writing journey. I will be following you now as I wish to follow you on this journey. I hope you go on to become very famous.Thank you for allowing me to do this review for you, it's been an honor.All the best for the future, Craftychicken :)
