Darkniciad
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2005
- Posts
- 7,946
What the hell. I've been typing up all these reviews, so I may as well post them.
The goal is to be fair to the story, pointing out things that may push your buttons ( either for good or ill ) regardless of whether the story did anything for me. That being said, everyone has their biases, and I'll point those out as I go along.
I'm including a link to the story, the author name, category, and number of pages, to help out those using the contest page as a starting point, since it doesn't include a lot of that information.
The page listing may have a + attached, which means that the story runs over into another page, but not by much. Thought that would be helpful to those with limited reading time.
The sections are:
Technical which includes not only grammar and spelling, but also formatting and style. The last, of course, is entirely subjective.
Plot&Characters My thoughts on the characters and plot of the story -- or lack thereof. When a story is meant to be stroke in my opinion, I put far less emphasis on this section.
Stroke This is my thoughts on the sexual content. I'll do my best to point out anything that might squick you if you aren't fond of anything beyond the vanilla that shouldn't be obvious from the category.
Theme Is the story on theme? Somewhat subjective, but this contest gives a lot of leeway for theme.
Overall My final thoughts on the story as a whole.
Anyone is more than welcome to add their own reviews to this thread. Think I went to hard on someone? Maybe I went too easy? Write your own review! You don't have to use my format. Do your own thing. I don't have any control over it, but I think that any responses ( other than the author responding to his or her review ) should be in the form of a review of your own. The goal in that is to mitigate any potential back and forth arguing amongst posters.
Above and beyond all, these are my opinion. I'm not a professional editor, critic, or anything else. I'm just another writer reading the entries.
So, let's get started, shall we? There will be a flurry at the beginning, because I've been typing these up since the contest started. Others will appear as I finish them.
===============
Daughter's Gift by HeyAll (Incest/Taboo) 1 Page
This is a Daddy/Daughter story, in case that might cause you to squick.
Technical
Nothing really jumped out at me as far as grammar, spelling, or formatting.
Plot&Characters
There's no build-up here. Right from the beginning, you're hit with what the story is. To me, it was shocking, as I don't know much about either character, and it just drops out of the blue. It makes both characters feel flat to me. This one dances on the line of of stroke vs. story, and to me, it breaks up the heat too much for stroke, and doesn't give enough build-up for story.
Stroke
The heat is there, but it's divided up by a brief story section between scenes. Both parts of the scene are a little brief, and the cool down in the middle is likely to frustrate stroke readers. It's also a first time/defloration story, and the only mention of discomfort is a squint, stretching the suspension of disbelief. Those who like a little food play may get extra mileage out of the first half of the scene.
Theme
It's set in the season, so that's sufficiently on theme.
Overall
I feel like this one is reaching for both primary groupings of readers, and not really hitting either of them. If Daddy/Daughter is your kink, you may get more mileage than me, and it's a quick read that won't distract you with a bunch of technical errors.
==============
Santa Takes Back What Is His by RedHairedandFriendly ( Sci-Fi&Fantasy ) 1 Page
Full disclosure: I'm fond of Red's writing, and have participated in two of her chain stories.
Technical
Nothing jumped out at me.
Plot&Characters
This one stands your standard expectations on ear right from the beginning. The plot is clever. You know who Rebecca is from a few observations Santa makes as he enters the house, and just a few brief lines she delivers. Santa likewise comes across well in the narrative and his words without a lot of exposition, and he's not what you expect.
Stroke
First off, if reluctance turns you off, you're probably not going to like this one. Oddly enough, considering some of my writing, it's not really my thing, so that kept me from really enjoying the story. There's also concentration on bondage, and the sex is on the rough side. If that's within your preferences, there's plenty of heat here for you.
Theme
Hard not to be on theme when Santa is a main character *laugh*
Overall
This one's a departure from the norm, and variety is a good thing. Red tweaks the story with descriptive phrases that show her vocabulary and creativity, without seeming as if she's throwing it in your face. I'm going to have a hard time not appropriating 'liquid silk' into my own lexicon *laugh* If the sexual kinks don't turn you off, then this is a well-written, hot little tale that will probably push your buttons.
The goal is to be fair to the story, pointing out things that may push your buttons ( either for good or ill ) regardless of whether the story did anything for me. That being said, everyone has their biases, and I'll point those out as I go along.
I'm including a link to the story, the author name, category, and number of pages, to help out those using the contest page as a starting point, since it doesn't include a lot of that information.
The page listing may have a + attached, which means that the story runs over into another page, but not by much. Thought that would be helpful to those with limited reading time.
The sections are:
Technical which includes not only grammar and spelling, but also formatting and style. The last, of course, is entirely subjective.
Plot&Characters My thoughts on the characters and plot of the story -- or lack thereof. When a story is meant to be stroke in my opinion, I put far less emphasis on this section.
Stroke This is my thoughts on the sexual content. I'll do my best to point out anything that might squick you if you aren't fond of anything beyond the vanilla that shouldn't be obvious from the category.
Theme Is the story on theme? Somewhat subjective, but this contest gives a lot of leeway for theme.
Overall My final thoughts on the story as a whole.
Anyone is more than welcome to add their own reviews to this thread. Think I went to hard on someone? Maybe I went too easy? Write your own review! You don't have to use my format. Do your own thing. I don't have any control over it, but I think that any responses ( other than the author responding to his or her review ) should be in the form of a review of your own. The goal in that is to mitigate any potential back and forth arguing amongst posters.
Above and beyond all, these are my opinion. I'm not a professional editor, critic, or anything else. I'm just another writer reading the entries.
So, let's get started, shall we? There will be a flurry at the beginning, because I've been typing these up since the contest started. Others will appear as I finish them.
===============
Daughter's Gift by HeyAll (Incest/Taboo) 1 Page
This is a Daddy/Daughter story, in case that might cause you to squick.
Technical
Nothing really jumped out at me as far as grammar, spelling, or formatting.
Plot&Characters
There's no build-up here. Right from the beginning, you're hit with what the story is. To me, it was shocking, as I don't know much about either character, and it just drops out of the blue. It makes both characters feel flat to me. This one dances on the line of of stroke vs. story, and to me, it breaks up the heat too much for stroke, and doesn't give enough build-up for story.
Stroke
The heat is there, but it's divided up by a brief story section between scenes. Both parts of the scene are a little brief, and the cool down in the middle is likely to frustrate stroke readers. It's also a first time/defloration story, and the only mention of discomfort is a squint, stretching the suspension of disbelief. Those who like a little food play may get extra mileage out of the first half of the scene.
Theme
It's set in the season, so that's sufficiently on theme.
Overall
I feel like this one is reaching for both primary groupings of readers, and not really hitting either of them. If Daddy/Daughter is your kink, you may get more mileage than me, and it's a quick read that won't distract you with a bunch of technical errors.
==============
Santa Takes Back What Is His by RedHairedandFriendly ( Sci-Fi&Fantasy ) 1 Page
Full disclosure: I'm fond of Red's writing, and have participated in two of her chain stories.
Technical
Nothing jumped out at me.
Plot&Characters
This one stands your standard expectations on ear right from the beginning. The plot is clever. You know who Rebecca is from a few observations Santa makes as he enters the house, and just a few brief lines she delivers. Santa likewise comes across well in the narrative and his words without a lot of exposition, and he's not what you expect.
Stroke
First off, if reluctance turns you off, you're probably not going to like this one. Oddly enough, considering some of my writing, it's not really my thing, so that kept me from really enjoying the story. There's also concentration on bondage, and the sex is on the rough side. If that's within your preferences, there's plenty of heat here for you.
Theme
Hard not to be on theme when Santa is a main character *laugh*
Overall
This one's a departure from the norm, and variety is a good thing. Red tweaks the story with descriptive phrases that show her vocabulary and creativity, without seeming as if she's throwing it in your face. I'm going to have a hard time not appropriating 'liquid silk' into my own lexicon *laugh* If the sexual kinks don't turn you off, then this is a well-written, hot little tale that will probably push your buttons.