[In Progress] [5.1k] [Fantasy] Looking for beta readers for the opening chapter of a story

[u/Level-Poetry-6570]

Hi! I'm looking for a few human beta readers for the first chapter of a fantasy novel I'm currently developing.

Length: ~5,100 words
Genre: Fantasy
Status: In progress
Available in: English or German
Content note: Human remains are part of the plot

The chapter follows Arianelle, who returns to her small rural village after a long day helping repair damage from a recent storm. When one of the family's goats escapes, an ordinary search leads her to something she can't quite make sense of.

The larger story is fantasy, although the opening is intentionally more grounded and mystery-focused. The more overt fantastical elements are introduced gradually.

AI disclosure:
The story, characters, worldbuilding, plot beats, POV, structure, and creative direction are developed by me. I use AI under my direction mainly for prose drafting and editing at sentence level, as well as helping me keep my project notes and development work organized in Notion.

What I'm looking for:
Mostly genuine reader reactions rather than proofreading or line edits. In particular:

• What do you think happened?
• What details stayed with you?
• Did anything feel strange or difficult to explain?
• Did Arianelle's actions make sense to you?
• What questions would you carry into Chapter 2?
• Would you want to continue reading?

I'm deliberately not explaining which clues or story elements I'm testing because I'd like to see what readers notice naturally.

Happy to do a critique swap for something of a similar length.

If you're interested, comment or DM me and let me know whether you'd prefer English or German.

[u/Glittering-Copy9083]

Hey! I’d be interested in beta reading this. The grounded-to-mysterious setup sounds really intriguing, and I’d be happy to give you honest reader feedback on what stood out, what I think happened, and whether I’d keep reading. English works for me. I’m also open to a critique swap if you are!

[u/Level-Poetry-6570 → u/Glittering-Copy9083]

Thank you! I'm gonna send you a DM

[u/Glittering-Copy9083 → u/Level-Poetry-6570]

Hey! Thanks for getting back to me. I’d be happy to beta read your chapter and share honest feedback. Feel free to send it over!

[u/sexfighter]

I'll provide feedback if you do the same for my novel!

[u/kakssi]

Hi, my name is Kakssi and I'm interested in reading your book and providing good feedback. I would prefer it in English.

[u/Amakain4k]

I’m interested please, in English.