So I finished my very first novel and decided that I want to get an editor for the manuscript. I found someone offering their services online through a trusted platform and contacted them but now I'm unable to evaluate the work they have done. Sometimes I wonder if I was robbed of my money and sometimes I feel like I'm just not satisfied with my own work that is why I expected the editor to make more changes but the problem is this editor refuses to give me an opinion whatsoever and sticks with the grammatical corrections. So I really need a second opinion from someone who has more experience...
I have attached an example of an edited page, the changes are the bold words:
A few days later, Sir Brianna came back , and Evanora found herself happy to see her. The two walked around the castle, Brianna heard about the incident , and she tried to reassure Evanora that the king would never allow anything like that to happen again and that she would personally escort her if she wants to go out again. Evanora thanked her but refused to leave the castle.
Brianna then went on about her adventures in the neighboring kingdom while Evanora listened with blazing eyes. She could imagine Sir Brianna walking around in forests and fighting off thieves as the knight explained in detail and moved her hands as she spoke to add a dramatic impact. Evanora missed the enchanted forest and the fresh morning air at dusk. She missed her old life , but a part of her was also begging to go on new adventures like Brianna.
Over the time that Brianna spent in the kingdom , the two became very close and met frequently. Sir Theon was starting to open up to her , too , and he would sometimes join them for tea or a walk. He seemed more relaxed and smiled more now that Brianna was back. Evanora watched the way he stared at his friend when she talked and laughed. She even teased them about their relationship playfully a few times.
Her time was spent either with Brianna or researching and practicing in the library. Before she knew it, she had already spent a little over a month in the Kassi kingdom. King Rokan was away visiting the neighboring kingdom of Larth . She heard they were planning a new peace treaty. The Larth kingdom was the nearest kingdom and their main trade partner . Having the enchanted forest and the hills on one side of the Kassi kingdom and the Lotus river on the other, it was hard to establish trade with other kingdoms since the routes were more difficult to use. Rokan was trying to keep good relations with their closest neighbors and was willing to travel there himself to make sure of it.
Evanora , on the other hand , wanted to let him know that she had made good progress. She was already deciding where to go to look for wounded animals to test her new healing powers. She was now completely able to transform her energy into a healing light that wraps around wounds and mends it. She had already tested it on herself. She had picked her finger with a needle over and over again till it went numb and then tried to stop the bleeding . She even cut the palm of her hand when no one was around and tried healing it too. She smiled , remembering her success. Feeling a bit at ease with her progress, she decided to go and take a walk in the garden.
It was already autumn, and the weather kept getting colder with each passing day , yet the garden kept its charm. Evanora walked down the narrow path made of shining rocks, surrounded by overlapping trees and branches. She was surprised when she realized how big the garden was . She kept wandering around and felt like she was inside a maze. Trees covered most of the sky , and leaves covered the ground.
As I re-read this I realize there are parts I would have edited feel like there was more the editor could have done. I sent an entire manuscript of over 50 000 words and the edits are basicaly the same as this one on the rest of the pages; ponctuations edits and few grammatical ones. They asked for only 4 days which makes me even more skeptic of the quality.
I thought I knew what to expect and even did some research but the outcome of this experience is kind of disappointing.
The service description: Grammar, punctuation, Capitalization, spelling & more Cohesion and coherence Syntax Sentence structure, fragments and lengths Consistency in formatting, tense and voice Improving word choice while maintaining your unique voice