I am Suspended Between Disappointment and Ambivalence.

I’m solidly mediocre! Not great, not terrible. Just serviceable. Could be worse, I guess.

B.R.A.G. Medallion Report Card
Book Title: MEDOUSA
Author: Michael F. Butchin
Genre: Fantasy

Our decision regarding your book was based on the following assessment. For more details about this process please read the
ABOUT US/HOW WE DO IT section of our website.
Ratings

The book was rated on the following criteria using this scale:
5 = Excellent, 4 = Very Good, 3 = Good, 2 = Poor, 1 = Very Poor, 0 = Not Rated

Title
Intriguing, forceful, appropriate to the story
4

Cover
Striking, professional looking, appropriate to the story
4 (Thanks, Em!)

Plot
Original, compelling, engaging, coherent
3

Characters
Interesting, appealing, believable
4

Dialogue
Authentic, quotable, advances the story
3

Writing Style
Distinctive voice, pleasing rhythm, evocative
3

Chapters
Logical flow, advance the story, build momentum
3

Copy Editing
Grammar, punctuation, spelling, word choice
3

Content (Developmental) Editing
Structure, coherence, continuity, accuracy
3

Formatting
Front matter, layout, font
4

Additional Comments:

“I loved the book, but I love mythology in general. I would maybe use more generic terms for a reader that doesn’t understand mythology as I do.”

“This book was very difficult to read the pace was all over the place. It would go from several pages for the same day to one paragraph to advance several years. Half the time I had no idea who was speaking because the quotation marks were not consistent. Also I feel it should be separated into chapters instead of “parts”, being arranged into parts made it difficult to find
a stopping point.”

“I really enjoyed the premise of the book. Also good for LGBTQ+ teens. An interesting take on Madousa that is humanizing and entertainment.”

In addition to the numerical ratings, we ask our readers to leave a few brief comments or suggestions to help an author enhance their writing skills, especially if the reader is unable to rate a book on one or more of the above criteria. Please note, however, that not all readers choose to leave a comment.

About Michael Butchin

I was born, according to the official records, in the Year of the Ram, under the Element of Fire, when Johnson ruled the land with a heavy heart; in the Cradle of Liberty, to a family of bohemians. I studied Chinese language and literature at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. I spent some years in Taiwan teaching kindergarten during the day, and ESOL during the evenings. I currently work as a high school ESOL teacher, and am an unlikely martial artist. I have spent much of my life amongst actors, singers, movie stars, beautiful cultists, Taoist immortals, renegade monks, and at least one martial arts tzaddik. I currently reside in Beijing's Dongcheng district

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