Associated with each of the entries in the Amazon contest was a Publishers Weekly review of the entire novel plus two reviews of the excerpt (5,000 words) from Amazon top reviewers. Well, they finally came out today. Here’s what PW had to say about my entry, Captured by Crystal:

Manuscript review by Publishers Weekly, an independent organization
Steampunk fantasy meets Victorian romance in this intriguing novel about an artist who can see, and paint, people’s innermost thoughts. Gavin Kleirhausen owes his special talent to the discovery of a camera lucida that’s powered by a magical crystal. Little does he know, however, that the crystal and the technique are both coveted by Ulberto Khovani, a dangerous syndic of a secret society, who has already murdered another man in hopes of getting the crystal for himself. Ulberto poses as an art aficionado in hopes of getting Gavin to reveal his techniques, while Gavin himself aims for another objective: winning the affections of the beautiful, wealthy Wendolyn. The idea of mixing steampunk with romance is fresh and original, but this novel’s writing is uneven, its plot tangled and, at times, its lush descriptions interfere with the narrative pacing. Carefully honed and edited, however, this novel could make a splash in the fantasy genre.

Well, all in all I’d say I have to agree with them, both on the positive and negative. I do think it would be a book that could make a bit of noise, especially considering the growth in romantic fantasy, and it could certainly use some work. I could certainly iron out the bumps and wrinkles with another good edit of the ms. Winning the contest will be tough. Very tough. My real hope is that the folks over at Penguin will take a look at it and perhaps request a look, maybe even some revisions.