IV: Bearheart by MMicheleWilly

                                    

                                              
Bearheart (c) @MMicheleWilly (Fantasy, YA)
                          
I have always loved English and writing, but I gave it up a few years ago after a bad experience. I've been trying to get back into it, and this is the first story I've ever shared with the public :)
                          
Every year, the new adults of Rogaland receive a tattoo: A Mark of Endil. When the marking ceremony is ruined by an unexpected tragedy, Hala and some of the other newly-marked believers are caught up in an international political conspiracy that threatens the freedom of their whole country.

                          
What was Awesome
                          
I would not be overstating things if I said "the whole thing". This was exceedingly well done and I was very, very impressed with the whole thing. I got a strong sense of character from the MC, and I immediately felt placed alongside her and her worries about what was to come in the ceremony.
                          
What was Boring
                          
A few descriptions could probably be smoothed out, but other than that, nothing.
                          
What was Confusing 

                          
I was not confused by anything.
                          
What caused Disbelief 

                          
I was able to easily maintain my suspension of disbelief throughout the whole thing.
                          
Plot - 4.5
                          
The only reason this did not get a full 5 points is because of the commonness of "ceremony" or "testing" plot devices (particularly in YA/NA novels), but I felt this one was very well-executed and didn't seem like it was trying to chase any trends. All of the events were believable and fit with the established logic of the world.
                          
Characters - 4.5
                          
The main character was well-characterised. I was immediately placed in her head with only a few hiccups here and there. The other characters were introduced organically. I was able to tell them apart and remember a lot about them within just the first chapter. I very much enjoyed the use of characters to share world and setting info without it coming across as hamfisted or forced.
                          
Worldbuilding - 4.5
                          
I felt there was an appropriate amount of worldbuilding introduced at mostly the right times. As I said above, nothing felt shoehorned in or like the author was trying to squeeze in as much information as possible (sometimes called "infodumping"). The use of context clues to place the characters in a setting that read something like northern Europe or Russia was particularly well-executed.
                          
Presentation - 5
                          
The cover text is clear, legible, and the font is not distracting. The author's name is prominent and easy to read. The interior was as well-formatted as Wattpad allows and I came across only a few grammatical errors. I didn't have to re-read any sentences or paragraphs to understand what they said.
                          
Overall Score: 4.62
                          
This is excellent and it deserves every single one of the votes and reads it has. I truly enjoyed reading this one and will continue with it as time allows. I think my advice for this piece is simply to keep on writing it and worry about going back to edit or rewrite things once you've completed a draft. I feel that this story deserves as many reads as it can get, so I have added it to my "Recommended" list. All in all, excellent job!