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Review Requests: ON
1,493 Public Reviews Given
1,547 Total Reviews Given
Review Style
Honest and encouraging
I'm good at...
Proofreading for grammar, letting you know which areas of your writing work and which might be improved
Favorite Genres
Fantasy, historical, adventure, sci-fi
Least Favorite Genres
Murder, horror, erotica
Favorite Item Types
I’m happy to review all types of item
I will not review...
Anything with graphic violence, sexual content or profanity
Public Reviews
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Review of Nightingale  
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
What a beautifully written poem that does justice to a lovely memory. I wish nightingales were more common - I have only ever seen one at a nature park. I especially liked the choir of angels image here. The poem is well written and tells a clear, easy to follow story of your memory of the nightingale.
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Review of Rosebuds  
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
What a beautiful poem! The subject matter of God designing each tiny flower so perfectly is full of uplifting meaning. I love how you bring in meditations on deeper things, like the meaning of life and death and God's plan for us. This poem is well-written and works well.
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Review of Fate  
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
I was impressed by how well you conveyed meaning in a poem that used such short line lengths. This gave it a punchy effect that gives emphasis to each word. The idea of fate can be a harsh concept and also reassuring one as it reminds us of God and his plan for us. You do a great job of capturing this duality and important message here.
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Review of Spooks  
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
The use of alliterations is strong in this poem and I love the memorable, song-like quality that they lend to this poem. The poem packs in modern office imagery that lends itself to a thought-provoking commentary on those in power and how they abuse their power and cause problems. I like the way you tackled these deep issues in a poem that sounds fun and light due to the poetic scheme that you use.
I notice a lot of modern poems without punctuation, like yours. However, I feel that punctuation improves a poem as I had to read some lines here a few times to understand them without punctuation and this slowed down their meaning. I would recommend adding punctuation to help readers.
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Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
What a sweet and uplifting story! It begins with a sad moment as a lonely young woman runs into a shop to cry. I like the twist that it was a shop of oddities. The rose coloured bottle was an original idea and worked well, I would love to know more about it. In the end, the shop keeper pieces together that the woman is no longer lonely and that the bottle has worked as she looks happy and is buying things for others, including dolls and a train for children.
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for entry "August 24, 2021" 
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: 13+ | (5.0)
I enjoyed reading this thought-provoking piece. You ask some great questions about the teachings of the Bible and how much they matter in our lives.
Thank you for choosing my poem about the Primroses to lead to a discussion of the spiritual meaning of flowers and an anecdote about your favourite flowers, daffodils, and that they mean to you. I feel that God hides messages in the natural world for us which we can relate to Bible teachings.
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Review by HollyMerry
Rated: ASR | (4.5)
I loved this story about a boy in a fantasy world and you should definitely continue it. There are some wonderful descriptions. The character of Krug came off the page for me as he was well described and I want to know more about the baby, who we see in Chapter 2 grown into a 15-year-old boy. I liked the setting of the wordsmith shop here.
Imps, elves and a dark mage are mentioned and I loved this - fantasy creatures and great and I want to find out more. Tension is created as you mentioned that followers of the dark mage still exist. Then there was the battle - this was dramatic and well described. This has the makings of an exciting fantasy read.

Some suggestions:
I don't think you need 'area' after 'woodland' in the first sentence.
What do the Celtic markings on the baby look like? They are a great idea, but a bit more description of them would be nice.


*Gold* My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .
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Review of United In Being  
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
This is a well-written poem that has a lovely, natural flow to it which matches the beauty of the natural world that you describe. I loved the message of taking joy in being at one with nature. You choose some beautiful images here, using all the senses to make the reader feel part of this lovely countryside scene at nighttime.
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Review of Seaweed  
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
This is an amazing poem about the sea and an approaching storm and the damage this causes. The poem evokes a strong image of the sea and I felt like I was part of the scene as I read this. I especially admired your wonderful use of alliteration. The 's' and 'f' alliterations conjure the sound of waves. The choice of words was lovely.

Here you mean 'to' -
too
and fro
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Review of Melodious Genius  
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
This is a beautiful, tuneful poem that tells a love story. It would make a good song as the poetic form lends itself to a melodic reading. The poem concentrates on the senses and thoughts of someone in love. This is presented in a way that isn't specific, so that anyone in love could relate to this.
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Review of Dog  
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
I enjoyed reading this poem using an unusual poetic form. It was great that you explained the diamanté at the bottom of the poem so I could look back and see how you constructed it. As a dog owner myself, I can relate to all the adjectives that you used and I think you did an excellent job of including so many in a short space.
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Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
I loved the use of 's' and 'l' alliteration here - the choice of these letters makes the poem sound like a lollipop being slurped by a child as I read this outloud. The poem is short but uses all the main sensory images one associates with a lollipop. I could easily picture Lesley with her lollipop from this - week done.
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Review of Job Wanted  
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (4.5)
This in an interesting story which relived heavily on dialogue which disguises the identity of the speakers until nearer the end. A twist occurs as we learn that one speaker is lightening. Humour is added as the human he speaks to knows they must file and insurance claim for the damage to their house. Readers pick up clues as they read along and are kept guessing until the end.
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Review of Midnight Spirit  
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (4.5)
I can't wait to read the end of this - you end this fragment of the poem on a cliffhanger! I love the spooky tone of the poem and how you use the senses to make readers feel like they are part of the poem and can feel the chill of dread for themselves. The descriptions are excellent. I like how you use the poetic form and choice of words and setting to create a historic feel - this comes across well.
I would suggest adding more punctuation to make this poem clearer to read. I find a lot of modern poems without punctuation, but I find I need to reread the lines to tease out their meaning which means they have a less powerful impact on the first read.
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Review of Daystar  
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (4.5)
This is a powerful, well-written poem with a strong message. I especially admired the imagery that you chose - the refusal of humanity to learn from the messages of the past about war seen in statues and museums was a particularly poignant one. The images of a world falling into catastrophe, both through war and environmental damage, are especially meaningful. You imagine a vision of future humanity that is easy to picture and dramatic. The religious imagery of Noah, demons and God is also an apt choice.
The poem follows a clear structure and rhythm, but I found that the lack of punctuation made it a little difficult to follow at times as I needed to re-read sentences to understand their meaning. I see a lot of modern poems without punctuation, so this may just be a trend, but I always prefer to read poems where the punctuation is clear as I find their meaning clearer to follow on the first read.


*Gold* My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .
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Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
I loved reading about the Vahid poem form and seeing how you interpreted it in the poem - I haven’t heard of this form before. The imagery made me feel part of the scene. I like how you contrast everyday, perhaps ugly or dull images like the septic tank and hen coop, with the beauty of spring. You use the senses well and the poem is easy to follow.
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Review of Moon  
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
This is an evocative, poignant poem that perfect conveys the beauty of the moon and gives the waning of the moon a deeper sentiment as you relate it to loss. Even though the poem is only short, it gives a clear image of the waning moon and its meaning and the flow of words is effortless. I’m not surprised this well crafted poem won a contest.
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Review by HollyMerry
Rated: ASR | (5.0)
This is such a sweet, funny poem perfect to put a smile on the face of readers. The Christmas theme works well and the references to Santa add a festive flavour that would appeal to children. The rhythm and rhyme scheme give the poem the effect of a rap song, which fits the title.
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Review of Magic Garden  
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
This is lovely - a simple and memorable logo. The colours are perfect for Hallowe'en. I like how the physalis (Chinese lantern) flowers mirror the shape of the pumpkins. They are an original choice for a Hallowe'en illustration but work well. The witch with her spade is a clue to the 'magic garden' theme.
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Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
This was a beautifully put short piece. I admired how you conjured such a meaningful, emotional picture in a few short words. The thought is a poignant one and this piece would make a great opening for a story. I see it was inspired by a scene in iZombie, but this piece has universal impact and meaning.
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Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | N/A (Review only item.)
This is a thorough, thoughtful insight into the characters of Elsa and Cinderella. I'm amazed at how much you found to compare and contrast. I agree they have many similarities, despite differences. This would make them great friends and I would love to see a story where they meet and have tea together. Their lives are so romantic and you capture the flavour of these beautiful fairytales well here.
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Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
This is a heart-felt and interesting piece. It makes it easy to see why you feel that Christmas is a let down as it brings back memories of living in cramped conditions and losing the only gift of Christmas. The undecorated, small home and Father Christmas calling were well described. Another thing adding meaning to the piece was how early Christmas movies are. Sometimes starting Christmas so early with items in the shops and the hype of Christmas movies makes the day seem shorter and something of a let-down.
This piece works well and if anything I would like to see it expanded if word limits allow.
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Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
This is a lovely idea and I enjoyed reading these interviews, especially as I have reviewed the work of many of the WDC authors here so I feel like I already 'know' them. Others are new to me and I will be sure to revisit this piece to read the links to their stories. It was nice to know what authors inspire them and where they get their writing ideas from. Thanks for putting this together.
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Review of Ailurophobia  
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: 13+ | (5.0)
This short story is full of twists and has such a creepy ending! At first, the mood is light-hearted and one of humour as Daniel prepares for his date and is concerned about meeting Sierra's cat. The reader thinks this will be quickly overcome, perhaps with a moment of humour as he is afraid of a harmless cat. However, by switching to the perspective of Cheri the cat you reveal that she is actually a vampire who lives off negative human emotions. This adds a sinister edge to Sierra's calm personality. As the story develops, it gets darker as Cheri causes Daniel's death. The hint about the baby at the end is especially dark and a good cliff-hanger. Overall, this story works well and I enjoyed the switches in tone and mood and the original concept of the vampire cat.
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Review of E-asy  
Review by HollyMerry
Rated: E | (5.0)
This poem was written in response to an interesting challenge. Es are used so commonly in words that I'm amazed how, if I hadn't read the title, I would never have known there was anything different about this poem. The poetic form worked well and the concept was solid with a clear message. I imagine this poem must have taken some thought to write!
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