The Iowa Review Contest

A story of adventure and discovery. A story of bonds and fellowship. A story of mysteries and mantras. A story of a world only the brave dare to brave. The adventure of a simple young man, brave and strong. A seeker of fun, one who understand the beauty of creation. A creature shrouded in enigma, as deep as the universe. The pursuit of mankind and all creatures in existence. A game of survival, a struggle for dominance. A contest of the braves.

In a world that has cast us out, we stand amidst the darkness. We have no land, no name, only this path. We are the shadows behind this wall. We are the forgotten guardians of the world. We are the Outcasts, and we will endure, or die on our path.

¿Cuán masiva debe ser la riqueza de una familia que ha sido transmitida durante cinco mil años? ¡A veces, nunca sabrás cuán rica es realmente tu familia hasta que presiones un poco a tus padres! Solo después de heredar la fortuna de cinco mil años de su familia, Zhang Menglong se dio cuenta de que la alegría de los ricos es tan simple. Presidente del banco, "Señor Zhang, por favor, le suplico que deposite su dinero en nuestro banco, ¡y usted puede fijar la tasa de interés!" La segunda generación más rica de Huaxia, "¿Todo el mundo pertenece a su familia o qué?" La persona más rica del mundo, "¡Siento que soy solo un hombre pobre!" Familia Real Europea, "Señor Zhang, ¿le falta una novia? Si es así, ¿le importaría encontrar una? Si no, ¿le importaría una más? ¿Qué opina sobre la princesa de nuestro país?" Más tarde, Zhang Menglong descubrió que la universidad que sus padres le dejaron era lo más impresionante. ¡De hecho, ser decano resultó ser aún más alegre que ser la persona más rica del mundo!

All Dave Parson wanted to do was leave an angry one-star review for Life.exe. You know, like a normal person. Instead, he accidentally triggered a universal debugging protocol and became the world's first (and extremely reluctant) reality QA tester. Now the universe is taking his feedback way too seriously. Physics gets "rebalanced" every other Tuesday. Cities rearrange themselves overnight to fix "user experience issues." And somewhere, a cosmic dev team is probably adding "optimization of human existence" to their sprint backlog. Armed with nothing but patch notes that appear in his dreams and help from a suspiciously glitchy tech support agent, Dave needs to figure out how to revoke his universal admin privileges before his next cranky review accidentally turns the solar system into a 404 error. Maybe he should have just downloaded a meditation app instead. The One Star Review That Nearly Ended The World - because sometimes the customer isn't just right, they're catastrophically right. (No developers were harmed in the making of this universe. Yet.)

This works tags Magic, Superpowers, Goddess, Angel, Devil, Vampire, Werewolf, Snake People, The Queen, Contests. Main Character: Morgana: the Queen of the United Empires of Darkness, the Goddess of Darkness, and the Angel of Light Outline: It's a tale of the Queen Morgana, who would like to host different kind of contests, to meet many faces, to explore many places, and to learn many experiences. Contests: Red Wine Brew Contest Music Contest Dance Contest Thriller Storytelling Contest Talent Show Contest Costume Design Contest Cooking Contest Dragon Riding Contest Horror Storytelling Contest Romance Storytelling Contest Fantasy Storytelling Contest

"Winter Yoo returns to Seolbeop, Korea’s most prestigious law firm, after three years of exile. Once a secretary caught in scandal, she now stands as one of the top lawyers. Determined to correct the wrongs of her past, she faces old rivals and reconnects with Hugo Kang, a cold and captivating attorney. As Winter navigates the treacherous world of law, power, and hidden secrets, she must decide where her true loyalties lie. But when her past collides with her future, will she make the ultimate choice that could change everything? Find out what Winter decides in this gripping tale of redemption and romance!"

In the mystical land of Elarion, every young adult faces the Path Ceremony, a rite that determines their life’s purpose. For Aria Evercrest, the choice isn’t simple. Living in the shadow of her mother’s mysterious death, she’s driven by an insatiable curiosity and an unyielding desire to uncover the truth. Against her cautious father’s wishes, Aria chooses the rare and perilous Path of the Seeker—a destiny reserved for those bold enough to uncover the world’s greatest secrets. Accompanied by her loyal friends—Lyric, the clever and sharp-tongued Scholar; Kael, the stoic and fiercely protective Warrior; and Finn, the charming Healer with hidden insecurities—Aria embarks on a journey filled with magic, danger, and discovery. Their quest begins with an ancient map that promises answers about Elarion’s forgotten past, but it quickly becomes clear they are not the only ones searching for it. To check out Character art and design follow on our X (Twitter) page! https://x.com/scottmenga?t=S_ZMZEBP-KwdT17Q4xOtyA&s=09

I don’t even believe in heaven, even though it occasionally shows up in my nightmares.

I have always taken a security-first approach with my Bitcoin. That's why I put my hardware wallet in a fireproof safe-because you never know. Turned out I should have been even more paranoid. A few months ago, a fire took hold in my house. I lost nearly everything: the electronics, furniture, irreplaceable memorabilia. But when I dug through the remains, there it was: my Ledger hardware wallet, somehow intact. I held it up like some sort of post-apocalyptic movie scene, thinking, "At least my Bitcoin survived." But then, fate was not quite done with me: when I powered it on, it showed no signs of life whatsoever. The heat had fried the internal chip, and all I had was a melted, lifeless brick. That's when I realized my entire $680,000 in Bitcoin was trapped inside. At first, I told myself: "There has to be a way." From forensic data recovery to DIY repair tricks, everything I could conceivably Google, I researched. I considered buying an identical Ledger device and swapping components: spoiler, not a good idea unless you are an electrical engineer. Nothing worked. Every expert I contacted had the same answer: "Your Bitcoin is gone." I refused to accept that. That's when I found DUNAMIS CYBER SOLUTION I was skeptical, to say the least. If the manufacturer couldn't help me, how would they? At that point, I had no other choice but to try them. The first call I made, I immediately knew I was dealing with pros: no absurd promises, no giving of hopes, just explanation of their entire process with clarity-from advanced forensic techniques to secure data reconstruction. I mailed them my charred wallet, still half expecting a miracle to be impossible. Four days later, an email arrived. The subject line? "We have good news." They had successfully extracted my seed phrase and restored every single Bitcoin. I couldn't believe it. I had gone from losing everything to recovering $680,000 worth of crypto in just days. If your hardware wallet is damaged, dead, or seems irreparable, please do not give up. Just call DUNAMIS CYBER SOLUTION. They really did pull off some sort of high-stakes rescue operation on my behalf, and believe me, it was the stuff of legend. Dunamiscyber@solution4u.com +13433030545

He Tiantian had always treated the people around her with a grateful heart. Yet in her middle age, she discovered that she had been living in a deception filled with lies. Returning to the past, He Tiantian, with the assistance of the Little Silver Snake, began a new life. From a different perspective, so that was the truth! In this life, she would never again be willingly blind. In this life, she would never again miss out on or take for granted her childhood sweetheart, who had treated her with true affection. She would treat him well, trust him, and have a warm home. ******

Ellie Yeo thought she could escape her one-sided love for her boss, Simon Sa, by accepting an arranged marriage to Ethan Jung. However, just when she plans to leave Simon’s world behind, he pulls her back into a whirlwind of emotions with one last business trip together. Torn between her growing attachment to Ethan and her unresolved feelings for Simon, Ellie faces her deepest emotional conflicts. As secrets unravel and difficult choices arise, Ellie must decide whether to follow her heart or break free from the man who refuses to let her go. Will she finally escape Simon’s grip, or will their twisted relationship trap her once again?

In the Great Chu Kingdom, demons and evils were rampant. In this world, there were martial artists, Taoists, Buddhists, demons, and spooks. Xu Bai crossed over and was up to a hellish start because he was in a bandit fortress cell. When the danger came, he found that his comprehension seemed to be a little unusual. [Observe the nameless blade marks on the wall and comprehend the Bone Breaking Blade Technique.] [Observe the forging book and comprehend the forging method] [Observe the Trigrams Sutra and comprehend the Trigrams Reckoning.] When entering the bandit fortress, Xu Bai was handcuffed with chains, and when leaving the bandit fortress, Xu Bai was carrying a ghost-headed sword. "In this world, there are many things that can be seen. I am just more observant than all of you." Xu Bai laughed.

They say myths are just myths, but in the world of unnatural myths are everything. I've always seen the unnatural, I seen two worlds in one, labeled crazy I kept it a secret, until the day I was stolen from my home and forced to learn the ways of living with the unnatural.

“You never loved me anyway, did you?” --------------- From the start, Lucy Grey knew her marriage was doomed to fall. She held onto her one-sided love for her husband for two years, but that was not enough to save their marriage. On the day Lucy was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Landon stayed beside his first love at the hospital. Finally, she realized it was time to let go. On that same night, she signed the divorce agreement and left quietly. But fate dealt a cruel hand as Lucy found out she was pregnant! After three years of searching, Landon finally found her. However, when he stood in front of her doorstep, he never expected a child who looked exactly like him would adorably look up and ask, “Are you my daddy?” .... This novel currently participates in "Viral Book Call", a Webnovel contest. Show your support by adding this to your library and writing a review. Thank you! #Marriage #Whitemoonlight #Substitute #Baby #Winheratallcost #Faceslapping. #MLgrovelling #ObsessedML

just a lil sum my boo whipped up for me to read. I need feed back tbh

The only game in my life that makes me laugh: The Lands of The Lunerra... I played this game for six thousand hours in three years, and the day I thought I had done everything I could in this game, I felt a great emptiness inside me. I thought nothing in my ordinary and monotonous life could make me happier than when I played this game. But it didn't take long for me to realize that I was wrong with an e-mail I received the night I finished the game. ---- Hi! Thank you to everyone who came to read this story. There are two things I want to tell you. First of all, I first started writing this about two years ago, but I was writing in my native language, Turkish, and on a different site. But unfortunately, the website where I published the series came to the brink of collapse. While I was thinking about where to publish the series, I remembered Webnovel and here I am. So this is my first English novel and I believe I will make mistakes while translating. Please forgive me for these if you encounter some of them. I will do my best. Second... yes, while writing this novel I was inspired by most of the novels I've read so far. Like TNE, that novel is a pure diamond for me and I don't think I will ever reach the level of that thing. So I want to say the first few chapters may feel familiar to you, but I'll do my best to smooth it out. Discord: https://discord.gg/eRZTrv6Y49

He won. The war was over. The Demon King was dead. But so was everything else. In a world where strength dictates fate, humanity clings to survival on a single supercontinent, the last bastion against the horrors of the Rift Cataclysm. The ten great nations, ruled by noble families and the government, control all access to power. For an Awakened, independence is nearly impossible—without backing, they are destined to be weak. The Hunter Academy, a government-funded institution, claims to train future warriors, but in reality, it serves as a battlefield where potential Awakened are scouted, controlled, or eliminated before they can challenge the established order. Adam, a man unlike any other, enters this world of power struggles. He is neither a pawn nor a willing participant in the noble families' games. With a past shrouded in mystery and strength beyond comprehension, he walks his own path—calm, methodical, and unstoppable. As secrets unravel and enemies rise, Adam will show the world that true power cannot be chained.

Giulio Felta, who met a decidedly undignified end, is reincarnated into a magical world as Leonard Noimar. Now, he must not only master the art of magic but also come to terms with his new life.

In this world, ascending to upper realms was a matter of resources and ability. No matter the status or power level, if you have the money and the willingness to, you can live in any realm of your choosing. However, the higher the realm, the more power there is to tap into and cultivate. However, a devastating war led to a change in the rules. Who is brave enough to seek the Supremacy and rule the world? By: Jerlani

He appeared in a blink of an eye. I didn't see him when my eyes were reading the dress code and the people. Either he fell from the sky or just teleported here. As soon as my eyes landed on him, they widened at his aspect. He was wearing complete white which was complementing his silver silky hair. He gleams like shiny white armor. My eyes followed him, as he was getting closer in my direction.

A child prodigy faced with death, is reincarnated into a world far from his own. He has one goal, survive and live his best life. He quickly finds out he isn't normal.

Exploring a new world filled with magic, science and strangeness.

Lyra has been trained her whole life to be a skilled wolf hunter. It's all she knows, and she excels at it-killing or being killed is the only option. But when her parents unexpectedly decide to retire for her sake, Jessica is thrust into a world she never chose. Moving to a town filled with wolves poses a dangerous challenge for an ex-hunter. Just when she thinks she can find a semblance of normalcy, a forbidden romance ignites, complicating her life further. Can Jessica reconcile her past and forge a new future, or will her loyalties to her family and her instincts as a hunter tear her apart? ---

Theron and Kael have been inseparable since childhood—a clever, sarcastic gnome and a confident, troublemaking werewolf prince. Together, they’ve terrorized their teachers, stolen cookies from the palace kitchens, and declared themselves “brothers for life.” But when Theron accidentally discovers he’s Kael’s fated mate, he knows the universe must have made a mistake. Why? Because Kael has spent years describing his dream mate in nauseating detail: “Big-breasted, long-haired, and so hot they’d melt snow just by walking into a room.” Theron stares at his reflection. Flat chest? Check. Short hair? Double check. Definitely not hot enough to melt snow. The Moon Goddess must be having a bad day. His solution? Pretend he doesn’t know. Ignorance is bliss, right? Hide, Gnomes were best at hiding. Except Kael eventually finds out. And chaos ensues. “You’re my mate?” “Uh… no, I’m not. You’ve got the wrong gnome. Goodbye!” Theron yells, making a break for it. Kael isn’t having it. He chases him down like a wolf on a hunt. “You think you can outrun me? You’re like, three .” “Four feet!” Theron snaps, before getting tackled. Now, Theron is stuck with a mate who won’t take no for an answer. “You said you like big-breasted girls! Look at me—I’m a twig!” Kael shrugs, grinning. “I’ve decided I like twigs.” “What about long hair?” “Yours is short, but it’s cute.” Theron throws up his hands. “I’m not sexy!” Kael smirks. “Not yet. But give me some time.”

The Celestial Forge: The Rise of the Starborn is an epic fantasy about a young woman, Elionna Ardent, whose life is forever changed on the night of a rare Starbirth, a celestial event that occurs once every millennium. Born as one of the fabled Starborn, Elionna is chosen by the powerful Celestial of Dawn, Eryndor, and is gifted with the ability to control light and fire. When Elionna’s powers awaken, she is thrust into a world of magic, ancient prophecies, and dangerous celestial politics. The world is on the brink of destruction, as an ancient Eclipse is foretold to consume the stars’ power, and only the true heir of the Celestial Forge can prevent it. With her newfound abilities, Elionna embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the secrets of the Celestial Forge and find the scattered starstones—keys to saving the world from eternal darkness. However, the path is fraught with challenges. Along the way, Elionna forms an uneasy alliance with Kaelen Draven, a rogue Starborn with a dark past who believes that the prophecy is flawed. Together with the brilliant scholar, Adalyn Moonfeather, Elionna must navigate treacherous lands, confront rival Starborn, and uncover truths about her own mysterious lineage. As the stars begin to fade and the Eclipse approaches, Elionna must choose whether to fulfill her destiny and restore the Celestials’ power or defy the prophecy, risking everything in the process. With dark forces closing in and a destiny she cannot escape, Elionna will learn that the greatest battle lies not only in saving the stars, but in choosing what kind of future she wants to create.

The MC Chris lives In a world not unlike our own except for the fact that 80 percent of the world is a desolate nuclear wasteland and humanity has created domed cities they call the Strongholds. One day Chris wakes up to a voice in his head saying welcome to the nuclear survival system. His days consist of trying his best to survive in a world that is constantly trying to kill him

I woke up in a dark dungeon, my body screaming in agony, reeking of death. The air was thick with decay, each breath clawing at my throat. My mind was blank, a hollow void. "Who am I?" I whispered, but no answer came. Stumbling into the world beyond, I was greeted by thick fog and cold silence. The ground was littered with gutted bodies and shattered swords—fragments of lives lost to battles I couldn’t begin to understand. The monsters I’d killed to get here felt like a prelude to something worse. I couldn’t stop wondering about the stories behind the broken swords, the fallen warriors. Maybe my own story lay hidden among them. They say curiosity killed the cat. I can only hope my curiosity ends up killing me too.

Benedict Alessio stands out from other school children due to his multifaceted personality which people said that it was an attribute of his "opulent" family history. (Like some OP guy you like) But when he unexpectedly enters a questionable international art contest his life takes a tragic turn. As a result of this incident, he finds himself in an odd situation where fantasy and reality collide and characters from various realms fight frantically. To go back to his world personal world, Benedict must eventually use his unique skills and heritage to navigate this world and- [Due to circumstances, this synopsis was interfered with by the author to say that this isn't the first part and soon the other stories will be released] [The author smiles but slightly undecided] [The author asks for help in reviews and votes] [The author needs a job and asks for sponsorship] [*the author seems greedy*]