Official Review: Destiny Maybe by Hanzel L. Calangan

Cshelton · Post by **Cshelton** » 03 Sep 2015, 01:24

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Destiny Maybe" by Hanzel L. Calangan.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Destiny Maybe by Hanzel L. Calangan is a book in the romance genre. This story is told from the heroine’s point of view, of how Lucy Woods ends up falling in love with her arch nemesis, Gray Langdon. The story details the evolution of their relationship and how they were able to come together and stay together despite the obstacles that they faced.

Lucy Ferdelance Woods, also known as “Lucifer,” is a self-proclaimed bully attending an elite University that is exclusively for the elitist population of the world. She and group of friends have reigned terror over the student population since having been enrolled at the University. The story begins with Lucy completing her degree and taking additional classes as she is not ready to enter the working world. Shortly after the start of the semester Gray Langdon and his group of friends are enrolled at the University. Gray, who was expelled from his previous school, was also known as a “Bully.” He and his friends wreaked havoc wherever they saw fit with no concern of the consequences. With these two groups of friends now enrolled within the same University, a battle for supremacy takes place to see who would gain the ultimate position of ruling over the student body.

This story takes readers on a journey of the shift in Lucy and Gray’s relationship; how they went from being enemies who hated each other, to business partners and ultimately lovers who were forced to marry each other because of certain circumstances. While their marriage was forced, the love that developed between them was not. The storyline tells readers of how these two strong willed individuals were able to band together against the obstacles/people and become victorious in the end.

The author created a good storyline that kept readers engaged throughout the book, however there were a few things could use a bit of refining. Below I highlighted a few key points that the author may want to consider for future reference:
- In certain areas of the book, descriptions/details are missing that readers generally look for and want to know more about regarding the characters and current situation.
- The flow of the storyline wasn't always cohesive or smooth. In some aspects the characters and scenes actually seemed a little underdeveloped as transitions were missing from one thought/action to the next. Some of the twists and turns that the storyline took seemed to come from left field, almost as if the author was trying to create an air of suspense, with a little bit of the "Wow" factor thrown in. Only it fell short of the mark. If anything, it left this reader a little confused as to what happened and how it happened.
- Additional editing should be considered as there were grammatical and spelling errors present throughout the book.

Aside from the key points listed above, I enjoyed reading the book. The storyline was able to engage the reader by being unpredictable with all the twists and turns present within the plot. This book has a lot of potential and would greatly benefit from some refinement in terms of developing the characters a little more, adding a little more detail to set the scene or adding additional background information about the characters so that the twists and turns that the plot took doesn't seem completely out of the realm of possibility.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy romance novels with a hint of suspense and intrigue thrown in. This book has a lot of potential and would greatly benefit from additional feedback being provided to the author. I rate this book a 3 out of 4.

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Destiny Maybe
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Cee-Jay Aurinko · Post by **Cee-Jay Aurinko** » 07 Sep 2015, 01:56

Hi, Cshelton. I like how you listed all the weak points of this book. I like your wording as well. Your review has a few notable errors though. I'm not that much of an expert on grammar myself, but I'm sure the review would've been even better with a second look. Congrats on your review though. And congrats to the author on finishing his novel. I'm sure he'll put your feedback to use.

Cshelton · Post by **Cshelton** » 07 Sep 2015, 03:19

Thanks for the feedback. I'll be sure to take your recommendation under advisement for the next review that I write.

Cee-Jay Aurinko · Post by **Cee-Jay Aurinko** » 07 Sep 2015, 14:04

No prob, Cshelton. I look forward to reading more reviews from you.

HanzelCalangan · Post by **HanzelCalangan** » 08 Sep 2015, 23:49

Hello! I've read your review, Mr. Cshelton, and I'm very grateful for pointing out the weak points of my book. Please understand English is not my native tongue. I'm from the Philippines and it's my first time to publish a book. Thank you for your helpful insights and I will use this for the editing and revision of my book.

-Hanzel L. Calangan

Cshelton · Post by **Cshelton** » 11 Sep 2015, 02:15

Hi Hanzel!

I thought that may have been the case, or at least a possibility. Either way you did an awesome job for this to be your first published book. Congratulations on that by the way. You should be proud. My primary reasons for listing those points out to you was to give you some food for thought, and also strike up some discussion with others who may have taken the time to read the book. I really think you have the makings of a really good product. Which is why I would encourage others to read your book. I think you could benefit greatly from some additional feedback.

Also, please note that I am in no way an expert on English grammar. I am just a person who enjoys a good book. In reading your book, I saw some things and wanted to make suggestions to you on how I thought you could make an already good product better. Honestly, the feedback I gave was with the best of intentions in mind. I believe in you and know that with a little work all those goals you set for yourself will become attainable. So keep up the good work! And remember the things worth having are worth working hard for! You can do it!

Regards,

Mrs. Cshelton

Cee-Jay Aurinko · Post by **Cee-Jay Aurinko** » 11 Sep 2015, 03:34

I'm with Cshelton, HC. You'll get better and better and in no time at all you'll be a wiz on every technical aspect of writing. It's hard for us as reviewers to list mistakes authors have made. We try not to be too harsh, but sometimes it's almost impossible. Please let us know when a revised addition of this book comes out.

Post by **bookowlie** » 12 Sep 2015, 09:51

Nice review. Congrats to the author on a 3-star review for a debut book!

HanzelCalangan · Post by **HanzelCalangan** » 23 Sep 2015, 21:41

I will. I am almost at then end of my revision. Thank you so much for all of you with your kind words and encouragement. The review I received here made me motivated to use this site again for more of my works. Looking forward to reading from you again soon!

P.S I am only 19 years old.