Cat’s Reviews: Fallacious First Impressions
This week, I chose three stories that didn’t have the best first impressions on me. They weren’t bad, but the first impressions are really important if you compete against so many other creators online! I hope these reviews help the creators to improve their works’ first impressions but also show readers that the first impression doesn’t always have to be correct. After all, you should never judge a book by its cover, right? If you’re an author and want to get a review for your work as well, you can sign up here.
Boiling frogs?
Title: Boil Frogs Slowly
Author: Alias
Platform: Tapas
Type: Novel
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Horror
Summary: A foster kid gets sent back to a boys home in a small town where he reunites with old friends and a few new ones. When a local girl turns up dead it becomes apparent that not all of his friends are who they appear to be.
First Impression
A lot of questions came to my mind when I first read the title. It really stood out to me and made me curious. The cover is good but it might be better to have the title stand out a bit more because that’s what can get the reader’s attention. However, it fits the genres really well. The summary makes the story seem as if its main genre is Mystery but a mysterious summary is almost always a good thing. I’d suggest adding something to draw the reader into the story, like an unanswered question. I’m still wondering what this has to do with frogs, which makes me really interested in starting to read but it also seems as if the title has no connection to the cover or the summary.
Would I continue reading?
What I liked most about the story was its general mood. Although nothing mysterious happened at first, there was already some kind of mysterious atmosphere. The main character is mysterious but I still get to see enough of his personality to be curious for more. What got lost a bit in this novel were the relationships between the characters. However, their dialogues seem realistic and I was interested in finding out more about the main character. That’s something I would have liked to read more about. However, this is done very well at some points of the story. I also like the writing style because it’s easy to read but fits the plot perfectly. There might be some pacing issues but in general, this is a novel you can enjoy when you have time to really sit down and read a bunch of chapters at once.
Zodiac Signs and Horoscopes
Title: SYNASTRY
Author: Lunar-Turtle
Platform: Tapas
Type: Comic
Genre: Fantasy, Science-Fiction
Summary: Charlie and Epsilon are brothers who live on their own, without any home and family. They travel through the world that is ruled by zodiac, mythical beings, and advanced technology. One night something happened, and it follows them since then. They go from one place to another and look for a solution. When they arrive in a new town, they are soon encountered by a mysterious man who knows more about them than he should. Both brothers start to understand their life will never be the same, and they will have to face things and events much bigger than them.
First Impression
I have to be honest, I googled the title to see what it means. It’s so prominent on the cover that I couldn’t ignore it. I’m sure native English speakers know what it means but I’ve never seen that word before. After I found out what it means, I was immediately interested in this story! The cover is nice as well, I’m glad that I can clearly see the characters that will be important and some emotions in their faces. The summary gives me important information, however, it could be put into more engaging words. Right now, it seems like one of those summaries that you have to write in school rather than a summary that tries to get people interested in this comic. The thumbnails are fine, they just didn’t really stand out to me more than the cover.
Would I continue reading?
So, after reading the first chapter of the comic, I think I got too much information in the summary. It made me expect something else but I still liked the story. Showing the relationship between the characters is what seems to be a great skill of the creator of this comic! I also like the art style because it’s colourful but not too much. There was never a situation when the drawing confused me or when I wanted to skip some panels. That’s really good! Even though I expected something different, I can’t wait to read more of this story now.
Memories of Men and Animals
Title: The Memorable Bittersweet Days
Author: Talking Chalk
Platform: Tapas
Type: Comic
Genre: Action, Science-Fiction
Summary: Best friends, Simon Makenki and Key Monsaru, are looking for young fugitive, Stephanie Cenerada. Once they meet her, they find out they can fuse and gain powers as “Seymon”. Risking their lives to fight the hordes of “Headhunters” after their new friend, a journey of adventures and chaos awaits the two friends in the following bittersweet days.
First Impression
There’s a lot going on on the information page of this comic. On the cover are many characters and the thumbnails are all different, it seems a bit random. I’ll start with the cover: It reminds me of a poster for an animated movie. It could get lost among the more brightly coloured covers but there’s nothing bad about it. However, the description could be a bit more interesting. It explains what the comic is about but not really in an interesting way. Making attention-grabbing summaries is difficult, I know that from my own stories! The title of this comic is a bit longer than the average but it made me curious about the story.
Would I continue reading?
This comic has more to offer than can be seen at first. My first impression didn’t make me think I would get this kind of story. It’s taking place in a super interesting world, I really like the world-building of this story! There are exciting twists all the time but the reader still has time to get to know the characters and relate to them. The art is good as well, it fits the general style of the story. If you enjoy comics, you should definitely check this one out!
To sum up, none of these stories was bad or made me want to stop reading, even though I didn’t have the best first impression of them. In general, the summaries just seem like a part of the first information a reader gets that many creators have to work on. I won’t exclude myself from that! However, once you, as a reader, look past these first impressions, you might find your next favourite story! You can also check out the other reviews I did to see if any of the other stories sound interesting to you!
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