Sea of Flames by Emilieee

VᴇʀꜱᴀEᴍᴇʀɢᴇ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ ꜱʜᴏᴘ Archive。
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REVIEWER'S CORNER
It's been awhile (2 years) since I've done a graded review so I tried to divide the points by how important they are (plot is pretty important) to make it out of 100 points.

As for how I gave out points, I tried to make it as accurate as I could.
Sea of flames
LINK
BY emilieee


Title (5/5):
I really like the title because it's unique and quite eye-catching but, gladly, the title is referenced right in the beginning of the fanfic which shows the connection between the story and the title. I like when titles have a distinct connection to the story like this one does so good job on that aspect.

Description/Foreword (9/10):
I do like how short and simple the description is but, at the same time, it makes you wonder what Baekhyun really wanted specifically or if he just generally wanted more of everything. Although it's kind of generic to start with the 'once upon a time' phrase as it's been used in many different works, I still think it's a quite intriguing description. The last two lines makes me think that the thing he gave up was just his being since it says he breathes but doesn't live and so on. I'm wondering who the OC is to Baekhyun because it does state he has a family (though, I'm assuming he lost them because he was greedy) so it really gives you that state of wonder.

Plot (40/40):
I like how the story starts off. It immediately tells you what the Sea of Flames is and what it's done to him, or given to him, and I love how you give Baekhyun the struggle of getting rid of it. Although the concept of wanting something such as immortality is quite cliche and I've seen it done before, you've written it in a unique way that really makes it seem original and it stands out. I love how Baekhyun repeats "this is the last time" (or close to it) when it comes to Haewon and he never really seems to mean it. I do like how we're given some slight insight on what happened to his brother, mother, and father - which are all quite gruesome - and I love how it's clearly stated that the Sea of Flames comes with very dire consequences. The progression of their relationship, and Baekhyun's inner struggles with the Sea of Flames, definitely brings this story to life and you can even imagine some of the scenes. The plot may not be one hundred percent original but hell, it's unique and for that alone it just is an amazing story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Though, what I really liked, is the fact that you made it seem like the curse was gone but then things start to go wrong such as the flower pot almost hitting her, her ankle being swollen, she got mugged, and so on. It makes you think that something might end up killing her on the last day which is a great sense of suspense. I love how you don't tell us what happens specifically either, you let us imagine what happens after the story ends. It was a perfect ending, I think.

Reading the explanation after reading, I do think you nailed the lesson about letting go of things that seem important and keeping a hold on something dear. Because really, Baekhyun gets rid of the Sea of Flames to, hopefully, save Haewon. It was a perfectly executed story.


Writing Style/*Flow (20/20):
The grammar is pretty much flawless, there was nothing wrong with it and I found zero typos. The writing style was also very good and I felt as the story easily wove itself together. The scenes easily flowed into one another and really - everything is pretty much perfect. The flow was never choppy and everything really did come together nicely in one story. I love the development of their relationship and the fact that it's not rushed into immediately, that they actually hang out and become friends before claiming themselves as a couple. I can tell that you really thought this idea out and I definitely appreciate the smoothness of the flow. 

*Characterization/Development (20/20):
Baekhyun's character, just by the first paragraph, is easily distinguishable and, as I said before, I love how you give him that almost internal struggle with the gem. He wants to get rid of it but he can't stop himself from holding it; it really brings his character out. I also like that he isn't really power hungry it seems; he really seems like someone who is just trying to live their life despite it being very boring and dull. His personality is presented throughout the story and we learn new things about him all the time like the fact that he hates messes just as much as the gem and he doesn't know how to use a phone which I thought was quite the nice touch. He hates loneliness which is ironic because I'm sure he's been lonely for a very long time. I also love how he doesn't want to leave his 'mark' on the world when Haewon wants to take a photograph of him. The fact that he wants the Sea of Flames to stop working after a few meetings with Haewon really starts bringing the development of their relationship, and his character, to light and I think his character develops perfectly within the whole story.

Haewon's "Don't quit something you like to do." really made me like her as a character but that is 100000000% the truth and it always irritates me when people quit writing just because they weren't getting attention (aka people who don't even like writing but want attention on a website that doesn't matter in life..grr.) Anyways, her character really connects to the readers I think since she has a fairly simple life. When it comes to OC characters, I usually am more strict with how I look at them because a lot of the time people write them as cliche, and sometimes bad, characters who have zero uniqueness or originality. But Haewon is definitely one of the OC characters that I've seen that I like. She's not a mary sue, she has her own problems, and she's fairly relatable. I love how she's the one to bring up the idea of them being a couple and the way it's approached is more realistic then how most OC's tend to bring up the idea of them dating the main role.

Personal Enjoyment (5/5):
I really enjoyed this story, there's a lot of elements to it that I like. Your writing is very smooth and easy to read and enjoy while your characters aren't overly cliche, if at all, and I really like that. There really wasn't anything wrong with this story; I really couldn't find one flaw. Pretty sure the only thing I took off for was the generic start of the description but even then, this is practically a perfect damn score. These kind of endings are also my favorite because they give the reader imagination. I've reviewed some of your fanfics before but this one was definitely my favorite.
I hope I covered everything I wanted to since I was reviewing as I read (just to make sure I put in details and such) but if you have any questions or concerns, let me know!

Total Score: (99/100)

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