lowswirlreviews

[lowswirlreviews]

Offering FREE manuscript reviews!

Hi writers of Tumblr,

My name is S.B. Benjamin, and I am a writer, editor, and aspiring publishing professional. I would love your help gaining experience working with manuscripts while being as useful to you as possible.

I am offering free manuscript reviews to authors and writers through my website. Here's what I'll do for you:

1) Read up to 80,000 words of your manuscript for FREE.

2) Provide a basic reader's report for your manuscript. This will include a basic summary of your book, what's working in the manuscript, what's not, and what comp titles I see for your work. Up to 2,000 words of reader's report material for FREE.

3) Offer basic developmental edits. I will make general suggestions regarding your structure, plot, characters, and pacing, as well as offer my rational behind these suggestions. Up to 2,000 words of editorial comments for FREE.

4) Conduct a 15-minute Zoom call to collaborate on your manuscript and answer any of your questions for FREE. During this time, we can chat about continuing to work together on a paid basis.

My preferred genres included science fiction/fantasy, speculative fiction, historical fiction, and crime/thriller. I will also work on romance and narrative non-fiction, although I have less experience in these genres. I work in English language only.

My credentials:

I received a B.A. in English Literature with Honors from Wake Forest University. I studied book publishing at the Columbia Publishing Course at the University of Oxford, in Oxford, England. I have worked as an editorial assistant and staff writer for an established media company. I have an excellent eye for detail and deft feel for the macro elements of story.

Some disclaimers: 

While I have lots of experience in the editorial field, I am not a professional editor or publisher. I am building my skills while providing you the best service I can. At this time, I cannot provide micro copyediting or proofreading, and I am not a sensitivity reader. This service will not prepare your manuscript for querying or submissions.

Interested? Find my website here and schedule today!

[lowswirlreviews]

The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune

TJ Klune’s cozy and heart-warming fantasy novel The House in the Cerulean Sea follows the understated, lonely caseworker Linus Baker as he learns shed prejudice and embrace the strengths of his own heart.

Brief Plot Summary: When orphanage caseworker Linus Baker is summoned by Extremely Upper Management to evaluate a mysterious orphanage on Marsyas Island, he leaves his familiar–if dreary–life in the city to fulfill his duty to his company. But his trip to the coast isn’t what it first seems: Linus isn’t just an ordinary caseworker, and Marsyas isn’t just an ordinary orphanage. Linus works for the Department in Charge of Magical Youths, and Marsyas Island serves as a home for young magical creatures, including a wyvern, a werewolf, and, naturally, the six-year-old Antichrist. Governing all is the orphanage's strange and strangely charming caretaker, Arthur Parnassus. Thrust rudely out of his ordinary office job and into the wonderful and bizarre world of the Marsyas, Linus must confront both the responsibilities of his role as a caseworker and the demands of his own heart.

What I Liked About It: The House in the Cerulean Sea is exactly what it sets out to be: a straightforward, uncomplicated tale about finding love where one least expects it. Once timid, reserved, and professionally distant from his charges, Linus learns to find his inner strength and embrace his capacity for love. Central to this book is the evolving relationships among Linus and the residents of Marsyas Island, chiefly the six children and their caretaker, Arthur. There’s something sincerely heart-warming about watching Linus evolve from feeling skepticism and distrust for the children to feeling genuine love and responsibility for their well-being. The children themselves are a refreshing take on some well-known mythical creatures, and moments of humor keep the tone light throughout the book. The message to accept oneself pervades all here, and the fairy-tale ending for Linus and his found family couldn’t be sweeter.

What I Didn’t: The plight of magical youths in The House in the Cerulean Sea is very explicitly an allegory for real-life marginalized communities and unhoused youths. In some moments, the authenticity of a scene erodes to allow one character or another to wax poetic about the difficulties and necessities of accepting oneself despite one’s differences. I would have preferred a slightly subtler approach to this message, letting the interesting cast of characters do the moralizing with their actions as much as their words. Additionally, several plot lines, including the secrets behind the Extremely Upper Management team and the antagonism of the coastal town toward the island, had less than satisfying conclusions. If you’re looking for proactive characters or a tightly constructed plot, this is not the novel for you.

RIYL: In many ways, The House in the Cerulean Sea delivers on the promises of its premise: a charming setting, a delightful cast of characters, and a happy queer romance. If you like contemporary fantasies like Prachett’s and Gaiman’s Good Omens, touching gay romances like Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles, or adult books with a YA feel like Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea, you may like The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Rating: 3/5 stars

[lowswirlreviews]

Welcome to my blog!

Hi readers, writers, and lovers of the written word! This is lowswirlreviews, aka S.B. Benjamin. As a reader, writer, and aspiring publishing professional, I believe there is something to love and something to learn from every book.

Here, you'll find reviews on my recent reading history as well as a backlist of some of my favorite or most personally influential titles.

My reviews will always follow the same format: a brief, spoiler-free summary, what I liked about the book, what I didn't, who I would recommend it to, and a rating out of 5 stars. I will also sometimes include a section about what I learned from the book from my perspective as a writer and an editor.

My taste leans heavily into commercial fiction, particularly SFF and speculative fiction, but I also love historical, literary, and crime/thriller fiction. You can expect my reviews to most heavily feature those genres, alongside the occasional romance and nonfiction title. I'm always open to book recommendations–drop me an ask with your favorite recent read!

If you would like me to review one of your favorite books, or if you would like consultation on your own writing, please send me a message through my "Ask Me Anything" page. I will get back to you as quickly as I can.

Thank you checking out my blog, and happy reading!

S.B. Benjamin