Starting within the next day or so I will begin reading each story submitted to this group, and I will write a review of it. Now, I'm not the most unbiased reader, so take everything I say with a grain of salt.

The Criterion for Review (CfR):
Length:
Not really something that will influence my decision, but I will give a general estimate for how long it takes me to read it. I'm a moderately quick reader, so I'll eventually put up some estimates for words per minute to give you an idea of my speed.

Plot:
Not that kind of plot. Here I will put what I think of the overall plot to the story. Unfinished stories will be exempted from this, but I will still put what I think of it so far.

Character Development & Believability:
Within this section I will judge the way the characters seem throughout the story. Whether their reactions seem to fall in line with the characters that they are, or if the characters are unrealistic. I will also see if the characters grow from their experiences throughout the story. A good story should see the 'hero' change somehow from the beginning to the end of the tale.

Grammar & Spelling:
Rather self explanatory. Just a judgment of how well the author in question uses the English language.

Use of Description:
Too often I see stories with lots of plot, but very little background info. It's great to 'See Spot run', but I want to know where he's running.

If I think of more, I'll add to this post, but for now this is what I've got. If you find a story that you really like, but aren't sure if it qualifies to be in this group, feel free to send me a PM. If you have a story that you want me to review, though, don't PM me. If it's in this group, I'll review it. If it's not here, I probably won't. I don't have limitless time at my disposal, and I do like to work on my own works as well.

That's all I wrote
AVANTE!
-Jet Howitzer

The first story up for review is a romance tale. Octaves Beyond, written by GuitarKirby. This story features an OC paired with Octavia.

Length:
At just a hair over ten thousand words this piece can easily be tackled in one sitting, or, perhaps two. The longest chapter is just a bit under 2,000 words, so there's no major intimidation factor when looking at the story.

Plot:
First Look (Before Reading): When I first started reading the story it struck me as being a fairly typical romance piece. One party finds the other through some means, and then they fall in love.
Second Look (During Read): Octavia seems to follow the usual route of a lover in doubt. She refuses to acknowledge her feelings for the OC, and so there is a sense of tension between the two characters. Typical romance fare.
Final Review (After Read): Right, so, with the story finished, I can see that there's all the needed parts for a romance. But, rather than have everything resolved in the story, it is left to the reader to determine the fate of the involved parties. Shady Sound, the OC, and Octavia, share some tender moments in the story, but they never really make anything official. However, it is made clear that there is something, and that it will be explored by the two of them upon their return to Canterlot.
Plot Rating: It's pretty good, if not a bit overdone. If you're looking for a romance story that follows the typical formula, give it a read. If you want something that deviates, and leaves you wondering, this probably isn't for you. Still, it's a short read, so it couldn't hurt to give it a shot.

Character Development & Believability:
I feel like Octavia had a bit more development than Shady Sound did. Shady never really had much about his past talked about, and I feel like that detracted from things a bit. When you write an OC it is always important to make them feel like a real character. As it stands I feel like Shady Sound is a bit flat. He, other than some minor emotional displays about the 'loss' of his music, seems fairly un-involved with the world. Maybe it's just me, but I would've liked to have learned a bit more about the characters. As for believability? Yeah, it's pretty solid. None of what happened was too outlandish, and so it's believable. But I feel like, in this case, it actually detracts from the story. There aren't really any events that would really create conflict.

Grammar & Spelling:
I didn't read the story as a proofreader or editor would, but I still have a good eye for spotting mistakes, and I didn't really see anything all that glaring. In this area, the piece is well done.

Use of Description:
Meh. Short chapters kind of prevent the use of elaborate description. When it was there it was well done, but for the most part it was more plot than detail. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not something that I am a fan of.

Personal Notes: The spacing of the paragraphs could use work. It comes across as a wall of text, at points. Some spacing between the paragraphs would alleviate this.

OVERALL RATING (TL;DR Version): It's a good story. I recommend it to the wider viewing public. 7.5/10 Could be better, but for what it is I liked it.