- This topic has 576 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 1 day, 5 hours ago by
.
-
Posts
-
@whalekeeper yess Tyn is awesome
IDK why, I just like her.
Oliver is my other favorite but that’s probably cause he’s an Australian lizard and you know how I feel about both of those things.
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
I don’t know how to send doc. links. so, here are my answers.
The Narrow Path Trilogy: Book One – The Cost Feedback Questions
Character
~ Which character(s) did you find the most compelling/relatable/believable and why?
Alan. Because he was the redemption character, and I LOVE redemption characters. If you look at my list of favorite characters, they are always the redemption characters. (Or the older brothers.) He also was very well written and like I mentioned before, you could go from point A. to point B. and see two different people, yet they are still Alan. I don’t like redemption stories that basically have two different characters with the same name one for the beginning, one for after redemption. If that makes sense. He also had good personality, he was the guy I yelled at the most, and he was just all around fun and made sense. I’m also interested in Linus and would like to see more of him later on.
~ Were there any character(s) you struggled to connect with? What could make them more engaging?
Hmm. I don’t know. Tyn was never a favorite, but that’s just because I don’t really like her. I mean, put it this way, if she was a real person she and I would have a very hard time being friends. So it’s not against your writing of the character as much as she is not a person I would enjoy very much. (does any of that girl jabber make sense?)
~ Did Alan and the other character’s motivations and actions feel believable?
Oh yes, absolutely.
~ Were the relationships between characters well-developed and meaningful?
Hmmm. Okay, the big complaints that I have are a few of the Alan/father relational moments and dialogue moments seem to fall flat. It’s like you as the author were in the characters head until they started talking, and then you got outside of them and tried to navigate the conversation. I don’t know if that’s really what was happening, but as a reader who’s also an author that’s how it felt. There are just a few of those times when it seems dull or…. Or 2D paper cutout. Which is a hard jolt because you have really well-developed 3D characters, so to have them go 2D all the sudden seems off. I just feel like some of the moments between the two are unbelievable, like I can’t even begin to get into their minds and find the motivation behind the words they chose. Any of that making sense?
~ Were there any characters you wanted to see more of?
Martha. Especially some Alan/Martha moments. *blink blink blink. Blinkity-blink blink* lol.
~ Did any characters feel unnecessary to the story?
Not that I can think of…. If there any I forgot about them. (whoops) But yeah, none that come to mind at all,
Plot:
~ Was the plot engaging? Which parts did you find the hardest to put down?
Oh yeah. Most certainly. Honestly, all of it. I’m someone who likes to eat books in one go, so having to put it down at all was annoying. (I did a four book series in one night once. Mistake. I felt awful the next day. Lol) But it would probably be the end after he’s a Believer that would have been the hardest.
~ Did the pacing feel consistent throughout the book? If not, where did it lag or feel dull?
Hard to say since I read it over the course of several months. However, there aren’t any dull parts that come to mind. It would be more of a chapter-by-chapter flow that would be in question, and nothing stood out to me.
~ Were there any plot twists or surprises that stood out to you?
Um…. Honestly maybe him going back to magic. That was just— *Punches the air several times* Other then that, no, but it’s hard to catch me with plot twists so don’t go by me on that one.
~ Was the ending fitting and satisfying, or did you feel it came too suddenly?
Totally fitting. Totally satisfying in the “I hate you because you left the book on a cliff-hanger” sort of way. But it works. Nope. Not too sudden at all. But then again, I survived the endings of The Green Ember Series. Those were brutal. (And then the author writes side stories between each book! *screeches in annoyance* Don’t you DARE get any ideas.)
~ Were any parts of the story confusing or difficult to follow?
Nooo…… not that I know of. I don’t remember anything that wasn’t already addressed.
~ Were there any unresolved plot threads you wish had been dealt with in this book?
Martha and Alan!!!!!!! (but you can wait for a later book on that)
World:
~ Was the worldbuilding clear and immersive?
Not a huge fan of fantasy worlds because I find them hard to follow. (Especially with odd creatures. I don’t mind the ones that are basically alternat realities of our world.) However, that being said, this one seemed pretty clear and easy to follow. I’m guessing you’ll address this badguy the king is afraid of later on and maybe give us more of his country and what is going on with all that and why he’s a threat. That feels unresolved, but it’s fine as long as you do resolve it in the next book.
~ Did it feel incomplete in any area?
Nope. Not in a bad way.
~ Were the rules of the world (e.g., magic, fantasy races, laws) explained well?
Yes. Your narrator helped.
~ Did the integration of Christian themes into the fantasy world feel natural?
Pretty well. I think it works.
~ Did any parts of the world feel unnecessary? Do you think any parts of the worldbuilding should be cut out?
The magic imagery, but that might not be a part of your world building.
~ Was the balance between action and description effective in creating the world?
Yes. Yes, I think so,
Theology:
~ Any theological concerns for the story?
I wish you brought into play that spiritual warfare is a thing going on. It’s not just about their country, it’s about the whole world, and there is a spiritual battle as well as a physical one. I don’t know if that’s a concern, but it is something I believe in.
~ Did this book balance storytelling with faith well? How do you feel about the way it portrayed God?
I think so. He feels a little impersonable. Okay, a lot impersonable. And distant. However…. Before you make changes, I think this is okay. We have only experienced him through Alan, and Alan is still struggling with understanding this. As long as he grows closer to God, (the Father figure idea alluded to in the last chapter would be a great open door) then I think this is okay.
~ What would you say the main morals of the story were?
The Christian life. (lol, I’m bad at questions like this. Morals make me think Aesop’s Fables) Okay, I think you were showing that we can’t save ourselves, we need a Savior. There is nothing righteous we can do to earn redemption. There is a price to following Christ. (And with that, I would like to see in later books some small prices Alan has to pay that are more relatable to our normal lives as well as the big ones. Just a thought)
~ Did this story make you think about anything you hadn’t before?
Nooooo…. (besides hybrid animal people. Lolololol) Okay, no, but it’s always good to revisit such stories.
Other:
~ What was your favourite part of the book overall?
The last two chapters!!!! I LOVED THEM!!! So good. Sooooo the best.
~ Which scenes do you think would benefit the most from illustrations?
Stripe getting hugged. Alan and his father together at some point would be a wonderful sketch. Maybe…. Maybe Alan fighting the guys with the cloaks. Maybe Alan near the end of the book. Probably the scene of him talking to Cyrus with Linus and Chhub standing nearby. Martha and Alan talking in the stable. That would be cool. Those are just what come to mind at the moment.
~ What would you say the target audience of this book would be?
13-25. I know that’s broad, but it fits. Wingfeather may have been for a younger audience then your book, but I know a lot of adults who love it. It feels a little older then Wingfeather, so yeah, probably 13-25.
~ Do you anticipate the sequel?
You are so mean.
OF COURSE I DO!
~ Any predictions or things you would like to happen for book 2 and its characters?
Alan to not ever use magic again. Alan and Martha to have a relationship!!!!! Badness and sadness and tragedy and maybe Alan almost dying. 🙂
~ Any other thoughts?
Just that this was a great book and one that I would totally buy. Well done! Keep me in the loop if you get it published. (And I don’t know if you saw my offer about editing, but I’m open any time unless something crazy happens and I’ll let you know if I can no longer do that.)
Man is born for the fight, to be forged and molded into a sharper, finer, stronger image of God
Also, what about Andrew Peterson’s Carry the Fire? We both agreed on that one.
Okay yeah, we did. That one is a great song.
Oh, looks like you mentioned the editor question. Ignore my second offer. I thought you might have missed it.Glad you found a good person for the job!
😉
Man is born for the fight, to be forged and molded into a sharper, finer, stronger image of God
I think she’s really fun, but I’ll talk about it in the long feedback post. 😊
Sometimes it is necessary to paint the sky black in order to see the stars.
Thank you very much for the feedback! I will get to reading through it later.
Sometimes it is necessary to paint the sky black in order to see the stars.
You’re very welcome.
Also, why does that racoon picture have an expression that so fits what I know of you? lolololol.
Man is born for the fight, to be forged and molded into a sharper, finer, stronger image of God
@linus-smallprint lol that raccoon
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
Happy Belated Birthday! 🎂🎊🎈
Thank you!
I have finished the book. I was tearing up at the end. Charles was one of my favorites. I still haven’t given up hope that he will be saved in the next book, even though I know he won’t. That hymn was so beautiful and definitely fitting. I’ll try to get to the questions soon, but it probably won’t be for a week because of Christmas celebrations.
🎵For our blessed lady's sake, bring us in good ale!🎵
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.