ISO beta for upper MR Contemporary/Mythological Fantasy 56k > Likes and Comments

Hello.

I'm looking for a few beta readers for my completed 56,000-word upper-MG contemporary fantasy, *Merrick the Crow*.

The story is set in San Francisco in 2007 and draws heavily from Cherokee and Chinese mythology. Merrick's ordinary summer takes a decidedly less ordinary turn when creatures and figures from mythology begin intruding into his life, including Rosie, a young ying-long (Chinese dragon). What follows involves Merrick and his friends in a conflict that reaches well beyond anything they expected to encounter in Golden Gate Park.

This is primarily a character-driven adventure with fantasy, mythology, friendship, family, and humor. Although *Merrick the Crow* is intended as the first of five interconnected books, it has its own complete story.

I'm most interested in **overall reader reactions** rather than line-by-line editing. In particular, I'd love feedback on:

* Where the story grabs you—or loses you
* Characters and relationships that work or don't work
* Pacing, especially anywhere the story drags
* Anything confusing or insufficiently explained
* Whether the mythology is understandable without already being familiar with it
* Whether the ending feels satisfying
* Whether, after finishing, you'd be interested in another story about these characters

I'm not expecting detailed editorial notes or proofreading. I'm mainly looking for the experience of someone coming to the story fresh and telling me what worked for them and what didn't.

A 4–6 week turnaround would be wonderful, but I can be flexible. I'm happy to provide the manuscript in ODT or possibly via Google docs.

**No critique swap is required.**

Reader wrote: "Hello.

I'm looking for a few beta readers for my completed 56,000-word upper-MG contemporary fantasy, *Merrick the Crow*.

The story is set in San Francisco in 2007 and draws heavily from Cherokee..."

Hi,
Adventure and mythology…I am in. I'm Bassey and I offer experienced beta reading services. I am interested in reading your manuscript. I have a fast turnaround time of 2 weeks. 

My deliverables includes;
- Chapterly review
- feedback on your characters, pace, plot, tension, and suspense
- Honest in-line comments and reactions in the manuscript
- Full and detailed report of the full story
- I'll always answer any questions you have.
- I'll make corrections on any typos if you won't be offended by it
- I'll give opinions on how to improve your work if needed.

You can check the link below for my testimonials from other good reads authors
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... or my website https://penandreads.wordpress.com/

If you’re interested in a paid service (with free first chapter read), you can reach me at basseyblessing118@gmail.com or reply under this thread, let's work together.

Hi, your premise sounds quite interesting. If you are open to paid readers, I would love to read it. Just to check, I don't have any prior knowledge of Chinese mythology, I hope that's not a problem?

I am also happy to provide my feedback on the first chapter as a free sample. That would help both of us decide if we are a good fit. :)

I’m an editor and beta reader with 5 years of experience in the field. In addition to in-line comments and immediate reader reactions, I offer an honest analysis of the manuscript from a beta reader’s perspective, with constructive feedback on what works and what could be improved. I also don’t use AI at all. (That should go without saying, but I know it’s something a lot of authors are concerned about nowadays, so I just want to be clear :) )

I primarily work through Fiverr but I'm also happy to work directly if that's your preference. You can see reviews from past clients on my Fiverr profile: https://www.fiverr.com/s/odqLqNN.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

I will keep you in mind, if I expand in that direction.
Thanks
Kathryrn