85K Time Travel / Lit Spec Fic / Sci-Fi, Complete, First-Time Writer

[Erik]

Hello! I'm seeking beta readers for my first novel, specifically to hear about your experience reading the book. I'm hoping to get feedback within a month or so. Here is a short blurb:

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A trillion lifetimes. One lyrical, ever-curious voice.

Kikiloa is a mischievous 13-year-old and also Mitochondrial Eve, the grandmother of humanity. Kiki’s philosophical, irreverent storytelling carries us as she time-surfs across universes, convinced her young friend Hazel may hold the key to defying entropy.

Book one of a trilogy, this literary speculative novel blends time travel with myth and coming-of-age adventure. For readers of His Dark Materials, Cloud Atlas and The Book Thief, this is an odyssey of wit, wonder, and meaning that spans millennia yet lands close as an indrawn breath.

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The book is complete in polished beta form, although not fully edited. I'd love to know:

1) Did you enjoy reading the book?
2) Were any parts too fast, too slow, or confusing?
3) How did you feel after finishing the book?

I don't need detailed writing feedback, although it's welcome if you like to do it!

Thanks in advance for your perspective. I currently plan to self-publish. With your permission, I'll be happy to mention first name and last initial of my beta readers once the book is published.

A little bit more on the story:

From surfing an ancient Hawai‘i tsunami and outlasting prehistoric apocalypse to rafting an Ice Age flood and navigating teenage tragedy in modern San Francisco, Kiki stitches together a patchwork family of allies, oddballs, and a mercurial enemy, trading banter and heartbreak in equal measure (“It’s not kidnapping if they come willingly. Mostly.”). Her desperate quest to save all existence may blind her to the hardest truth: love sometimes requires letting go.

First five chapters and more info at https://kikiloa.com/.

[Liz]

Welcome to the community. Please be sure to check out the various threads about scammers before selecting anybody to work with. Best of luck,

Lisa

[Liz]

Friendly reminder: free services only in this folder. Anybody being caught using the old Fiverr scheme will have their comments removed and be removed from the group. Thanks.

[Erik]

Thanks @fantasymaven1! I will DM you.

[Erik]

Hello! I wanted to send a quick note about my hopes about beta reading based on feedback I just received from a beta reader on another platform.

Baseline: I do not need/want an AI-generated assessment of the book or individual chapters/scenes. I'm a technical AI researcher and can do that myself.

Most importantly: I'm hoping for honest and thoughtful feedback from real people, humans who've read my book. I am interested in your personal experience with reading the book first, and your experienced speculation about how other readers may experience it second. Things like: How did you personally feel as you read it? What did you personally like or dislike most? Would you recommend it to a friend? Would you want to read the next book? Why or why not?

Thank you again for your help!