Tag: Adventure

Thoughts on Sacred Cat Island

Title: Sacred Cat Island (A Cozy LitRPG Fantasy Novel)
Author: Harmon Cooper
Published by Boycott Books, LLC
Year: 2020
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 646
Language: English
ASIN: B08LDSMGMT
Dates Read: 2025, February 20 to October 14

Introduction
Since I love to play video games, I wanted to read a book from the GameLit genre. I always see books from this genre advertised online. However, in the last few months, I have tried to start reading several recommended novels, but I could only make it to the end of the first chapter – if even that far. There was always something about these books that I disliked so severely! Either the writing was full of typos, there was too much profanity, it was too cheesy, or too wooden. Or, the plot wasn’t interesting, and the characters were not likable. Moreover, the series was unfinished and the author was on a prolonged hiatus, so the series may never be finished. And, the series was too long for me (I didn’t want to commit to 5 books or more right now). Finally, I found this novel, and I was able to complete it!

About
Initially, I assumed this novel was going to be about characters playing a video game or entering a video game as virtual avatars, and the first chapter would serve as an introduction to the characters starting the game. This assumption originated because all of the previous GameLit books that I had sampled had this “otherworld journey” as the main concept. I was taken aback when the character already had the quests and stats flash before him in the first chapter. The characters are already NPCs in an unnamed video game. The two brothers already exist in their “real world,” but the world has gaming elements built into its metaphysical system. Characters in a video game – but it’s their real life!

The first chapter introduces the characters and how the LitRPG elements work, such as the stats, levels, what Rowan and others can do or improve on, and inventory slots. Throughout the story, more information about the world’s RPG system and what can be accessed or how the world works is discovered by the characters or explained by exposition. The different people or NPCs seem to have varying knowledge about how the world or island works. Different quests or personal stats are shown by special formatting throughout the novel, like bold and center alignment. This formatting takes up quite a bit of space, so the book did not feel like 646 pages, as my Kindle version said it was.

Going with the Flow
The characters have unique names, but are not ridiculous or hard to pronounce. Several characters on the island have lots of quirks, but I enjoyed all of the different personalities. These NPCs act realistically, and if not for the LitRPG elements, it would have felt like a story about an actual town. The story deals with realistic issues, and there are deeply tragic parts. However, I would say that, overall, the story still has a lighthearted tone, bubbly and whimsical with elements of suspense, fantasy, and slice-of-life. Although the novel is slow-paced, I would say it was not boring, but I had to embrace the mindset that this was not going to be the action of a portal fantasy story. You have the father and the sons doing daily tasks, completing quests, planning to improve the island, and meeting the villagers. At the same time, you have the big mystery about why the mother did not want to come, why the father left his job, the island cats, and magical happenings. There is a real risk of dying and NPCs who have died or are dying. A very human story.

Among the story, the themes or concepts that stood out are the brotherly bond, the family bond, friendship, moving on with life despite circumstances, discovering the unexpected, hating change, growing to love a place you hated, growing up and balancing life via quests/responsibilities, and changing a life or town for the better!

Overall
Overall, it was an easy book to read and a nice entryway for me into GameLit. The 600+ pages flew by, but it just took me a while to get through it because I was busy with adult tasks in my real life! I wish I didn’t start and stop this book so much. I should have made myself continue on when I initially started in February, not becoming distracted in the evening. I enjoyed reading something different; I liked the elements, the basic plot, the characters, and the accessibility of the story. However, I did have some pet peeves.
-SPOILER WARNING-
The ending did not tie up all the loose ends that I thought would be resolved. Earlier in the novel, I got the impression there would be more information about the kitten that the boys adopted – like they were going to be able to communicate with the kitten and use him to solve a mystery. Also, I’m annoyed that Blanche did not get her happy ending when the story hinted that her problem would be solved if the boys helped her. I also had questions: are the boys returning to school or are they moving to the island for good? I thought there would be a bigger mystery about the mother and father. Not all of the quests were finished, but the boys know that they will have more time. I just thought that all of the quests would be completed by the end of the novel. I felt that the book needed a sequel to flesh out some more people and quests.

Content Advisory
Although I would say the overall story is wholesome and has a light tone, there are some mature and intense elements. Some of the NPCs deal with grief, loss, mental illness, aging, and the dying process. The deaths are permanent like in real life, and apparently, there is no respawning mentioned. There is a brief description of a decaying body and the ensuing funeral of this NPC. Furthermore, this is a fantasy novel with supernatural elements like a ghost character and mentions of other ghosts. The word d*mn is used twice by adults. Some adults drink alcohol. Characters eat meat. The violence is generally mild and centered around fantasy fighting. Animals play and fight roughly.

Reviewing Beauty’s Daughter

Title: Beauty’s Daughter: The Story of Hermione and Helen of Troy
Author: Carolyn Meyer
Published by ‎ HMH Books for Young Readers
Year: 2013
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 353
Language: English
ASIN: B00AUZS6K6
Dates Read: 2024, March 27 to April 14

In the past, I have read In Mozart’s Shadow and Patience, Princess Catherine by Carolyn Meyer. I loved them both. I appreciated her vivid use of first person, how she incorporated many historical figures into the story, and her deep emotional characters. I wanted to read another one of her novels, but I wanted to read a story with an ancient setting. I liked Troy by Adẻle Geras when I read it in middle school, so I decided to try Beauty’s Daughter. 

Hermione is an evocative, inquisitive, and assertive protagonist. This story focuses on Hermione’s perspective before, during, and after the Trojan war. Throughout the novel, her thoughts and feelings of her mother, as well as others, change over time. The characters are used to convey plots of the war and other Ancient Greek stories (in case the reader is unfamiliar with these). Basically, many pages of the story’s first part is a summary of the Iliad and other ancient lore paraphrased from Hermione’s perspective with an emphasis on her relationships to others. I have not read all of these legends or myths, but I am familiar with the basic plot of many. Despite all of the details and references to Ancient Greek stories and characters, this book was still  an easy read, and it is just the right length.

Due to the winding plot filled with many disappointments for the characters, I thought that the novel’s ending would be bittersweet, and I was prepared for the death or disappearance of Hermione or her lover. Also, I had gotten names and prior Greek stories confused. Orestes and Pylades are characters in this book, so I thought they were going to turn into stars or constellations by the end of the story. Fortunately, they do not, but I assumed this because I confused their names with Orion and Pleiades, persons from another myth I’ve either read or heard about. Anyway, the ending was alright, a little bittersweet, but the leads got a good ending. 

There is an author’s note where Meyer explains how she uses myths combined with much of her own imagination and creativity to create this novel. I do think that this book is an easy read for 12 and up, but there is suggestive content in keeping with the spirit of the values and myths. I would recommend it if you like ancient world literature and retellings. I think that I like the other novels that I’ve read by this author better because they seem to have a better structure and more likable extra characters. 

About The Song of Albion

Years ago, I was looking for Christian fantasy or fantasy with Christian themes that people like to read besides The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. First published in the 1990s by a different publisher, I found these Kindle formats published by Thomas Nelson. I had a basic understanding of what this series was about from reading blurbs. Well, these are my prominent thoughts after reading this series.

Title: The Paradise War
Series: The Song of Albion
Serial: Book 1
Author: Stephen Lawhead
Published by Thomas Nelson
Edition Year: 2010
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 465
Language: English
ASIN: B003DS6OMO
Dates Read 2023, May 22 to June 25

One of the interesting things that I noticed is the modern setting and how much technology has changed. It takes place in the 1990s, so Oxford students use the landline phone and map instead of GPS. I liked how the narrator and his friend who are graduate students actually talk like they are smart and make neurotic complaints. Reading the first few chapters, I thought this novel was going to be a ‘bro’ adventure/ best buds tale, but the friendship just seemed a bit dysfunctional. I thought that this was going to be a best friend adventure where they end up better friends by the end of the book or even series. Hahaha. Anway, many of the books published by Christian publishers or labeled “Christian fiction” that I have read so far tend to have minimal to no profanity; therefore, I was surprised at the amount of swearing in the first few chapters. The swearing is mild and does make the dialogue between two college students seem realistic/provide characterization. Anyway, the chapters started to drag, and I wondered when the main character would finally enter the otherworld realm. He finally does, then the story gets immensely better. I love the protagonist’s humor and disgust. You can tell that the narrator matures. The swearing really dissipates, and the language is cleaner once Lewis enters the otherworld. It stays minimal throughout the entire three books. However, we have other mature themes such as descriptions of violence, alcohol references, building peril, scenes of war, deaths and some suggestive themes throughout the rest of the series of novels. Yet, the narrator discusses how wonderful the world is- like a New Heaven. He doesn’t want to leave. Being there awakens in himself a deep longing. If I’m not mistaken, this thought echoes writers like Alcorn, Tolkien, and Lewis. The Otherworld is like a Paradise, and fantasy echoes longing for a better world. After reading this first book, I became very curious about the author’s sources, inspiration, and background. Having to worldbuild 2 worlds!

Screenshot 2024-03-30 185251

Title: The Silver Hand
Series: The Song of Albion
Serial: Book 2
Author: Stephen Lawhead
Published by Thomas Nelson
Edition Year: 2010
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 448
Language: English
ASIN: B003DS6OOM
Dates Read 2023, June 27 to July 22

Although the novel is still in first person, it took a moment for me to realize that Tegid narrates this novel. I loved the camaraderie and brotherly affection between Tegid and Llew. There is a recap of the last book, and some mysterious, unexplained things are explained. A minor criticism I have is that there is too much detail in some places like descriptions of the characters traveling, but not enough detail of some of the characters at times when I would like more detail. However, several scenes evoke beauty and transcendence. The story gets a bit gritty and violent with descriptive deaths and mentions of rape. I understand that it’s a war, but I was very annoyed with all of the character deaths. Several of the main likable characters you are introduced to in the first novel end up dead in this novel. There are not a lot of women main characters to begin with, so it’s annoying that some are killed. Moreover, some dialogue and passages seem contrived and wooden. The villains are really monsters, and I finally see that Llew’s buddy from the modern world may not be a redemptive character after all. I’m glad the book ends well, and it’s an actual ending.

Screenshot 2024-03-30 192622

Title: The Endless Knot
Series: The Song of Albion
Serial: Book 3
Author: Stephen Lawhead
Published by Thomas Nelson
Edition Year: 2010
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 465
Language: English
ASIN: B003DS6OGK
Dates Read 2023, July 23 to August 31

In this novel, we return to Llew’s narration. The story is still interesting, but even more hero characters die. I didn’t know what to expect reading this book, and I kept hoping that the ending would be okay. I’m glad the story finally ended, but to me, the ending was a bit bittersweet. Also, I had a few outstanding questions about kingship and the way time works in the worlds.

Overall Impressions and Other Comments

Overall, this was a decent series; however, I didn’t fall in love with it like so many people did. I loved the Celtic alphabet pronunciation guide at the beginning of each book. I also appreciated the interview with the author at the back of each book. It was pretty cool to read an entire fantasy series with first-person narration. The Celtic fantasy with Christian themes was awesome. However, I thought that the villain would be redeemed, not basically become Satan. I probably thought this because so much time is given to his ramblings at the start of the series, and his friendship with Lewis is emphasized. Anyway, another minor matter is that some events happened, and I wanted more explanation. Some random events occurred and there was either not enough detail or too much detail. A major grievance is that too many hero characters died, especially women. Despite everything, I’m glad that I read this series.

A Meander Through The Tahn Saga

I was trying to find Christian fiction to read, and I found this series listed on the www.christianbook.com website. I thought that it was a Christian fantasy series, but it is more of a medieval fiction series with historical liberties.

Title: Tahn: A Novel
Series: The Tahn Saga
Serial: Book 1
Author: L.A. Kelly
Published by Fleming H. Revell
Year: 2005
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 337
Language: English
ASIN: B00B85CMR0
Dates Read 2022 November 24 to November 26

Before the story begins, Kelly includes an author’s note explaining why she wrote the book. She was propelled to write it, and she hoped that the message of God’s mercy, love, and forgiveness are evident throughout the work. She does state that the book cannot be defined as truly historical fiction that takes place in Europe. The story “claimed a place and time all its own…” (page 8).

Within the first chapters, there is a lot of action and violence; Tahn kills a few people just within the first few pages. Tahn has to do the bidding of his evil mercenary master Samis. Samis took Tahn from a city as a child. Samis trained him to steal, kill, and destroy at his request. Even before the woman Netta, who Tahn kidnaps, shares the gospel with him, he is already somewhat redemptive. He had made the decision to disobey Samis and rescue several children from his lair. Tahn is trying to protect Netta’s life, honor, and he is not mercilessly mean. Despite all that she goes through, Netta is very devout: she teaches and preaches about the Christian faith throughout the entire novel. There are a lot of mini sermons and lessons; this book seems like something that Lynn Brooks could narrate on BBN radio during the time slot that they have her narrate a Christian story. There are several characters in this novel that have more characterization and emphasis in the next two novels. Not everyone accepts Christ, but a lot of the characters do. The events do have a good resolution, and a person could stop reading the series at the first novel.

Title: Return to Alastair
Series: The Tahn Saga
Serial: Book 2
Author: L.A. Kelly
Published by Revell
Year: 2006
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 369
Language: English
ASIN: B00B85CN8I
Dates Read 2022, November 27 to December 5

As of writing this, the book series is still out of order on Amazon. The website has this book listed as the last book in the series, but it is the second. There is no author’s note in this one. This book has many of the same characters as the first one, and it introduces some new characters, namely Tahn’s sister Tiarra. You learn how Tahn is related to nobility, and it’s another adventure. However, Tahn is sick for several pages, and it seems like the dreams he has while sick reveals a lot of the plot’s mystery.

Title: The Scarlet Trefoil
Series: The Tahn Saga
Serial: Book 3
Author: L.A. Kelly
Published by Revell
Year: 2007
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 305
Language: English
ASIN: B007TV0VVG
Dates Read 2022, December 9 to December 17

This book was more perilous and darker than the last two. It was hard to pause reading because many chapters end pitifully, and I kept wanting to take a break from reading on a happy note. It was a bit anguishing to read about Netta’s kidnapping and Tahn’s abuse at the hands of the bandits and others paid by Lionell Trent. Throughout the story, there is such an overwhelming amount of thoughts and emotions that to me, it started to get a bit repetitive. I know how all of the characters feel, please let’s continue advancing the plot. In my opinion, it was too much talking and feelings and not enough action.

 

Overall Impressions and Other Comments

This is a decent Christian fiction series. I thought that the series had a lovely ending. Although several priests are mentioned, and the setting is loosely based on Medieval Europe, there is emphasis on general themes of Christianity common to Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox. There is no mention of Mary, saints or The Five Solas. There is emphasis mainly on God’s providence, trust, prayer, assurance, forgiveness, stewardship, and redemption.

If any of the characters are memorable to me, they would be Tahn and Lucas. I loved their platonic relationship the most. I appreciated the camaraderie that Tahn, the Trillets, and others had with the children.

The one thing that I found confusing is what dialogue belonged to which character. Usually, when a different character speaks, a new paragraph is started, but here not so:
“What can you tell us?” Netta whispered to Amos. “He rests well. Breathes stronger.” This is on pg 195 of The Scarlet Trefoil and it was hard for me to see that Amos started taking after Netta because both sets of dialogue are in the same paragraph.

There were some unrealistic elements to me. This could be historically accurate, but I did find it weird that people wear boots without stockings, socks, etc. Also, another odd thing is how Tahn’s relative complains about being barefoot throughout several pages, but I kept wondering what does she do during the winter. It was odd that Tahn is forced to walk barefoot for miles, but his feet do not hurt, just other parts of his body from injury. The scene where Tahn takes off Netta’s shoe to examine her ankle just seemed really forward of him, and I felt it could have been written better. The series increasingly has a lot of dialogue with a lot of emphasis on the various characters’ thoughts and feelings; I started to desire more action. The plot and story advancement takes a halt in order for us to review every thought and mental process of various characters.

Unfortunately, the author passed away in 2011 years ago with one of her children in a car accident. She wrote other books under her name Leisha Kelly. They look interesting, and I may try to read her other works.

Thoughts on The Oddling Prince

Title: The Oddling Prince
Author: Nancy Springer
Published by Tachyon Publications
Year: 2018
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 288
Language: English
ASIN: B083G69DWZ
Dates Read: 2022, November 4 to November 11

This is the first book I’ve read by Nancy Springer. I’m trying to find books to read in the fantasy genre that are standalone. Many of her books are not on Kindle, and she has been writing for decades. So many of her books seem like gripping reads. I could not get this book’s blurb out of my head, so I decided to read it.

The chapters are like – “Chapter the First….Chapter the Fourth…”- I’ve never seen that before; that’s amusing. I thought that the fey were fairies like Tinker Bell, but in this story, they are like elves. The brother Albaric is a beautiful fey boy, even after becoming mortal. He is an oddling in both the place he left and in the mortal world because of parentage and circumstances. He feels like an outcast, but his half brother cares for him deeply, comforts him, and attempts to help him find peace.

Aric has nothing but love for his sibling and constantly expresses this in word and deed. Throughout the novel, these siblings are really touchy-expressive, and there is quite a bit of hand holding and hugging. While I really appreciated the profound affection that Aric had for his fey sibling Albaric, by Chapter the Twelfth, it started to seem a bit strange. I actually wondered if Aric was gay and romantically in love with his brother. In that chapter, lots of women are visiting this house and they are interested in him as a marriage candidate. However, Aric shows a lack of interest and sort of mocks them. When he finally shows a tad of interest in one girl, the conversation they have is about Albaric and what a wonder he is. Aric makes Albaric sing; the scene is written in a way that displays Aric oozing with devotion like his bro is a rock star. However, the brothers are just close brothers; Aric does fall in love with a female (albeit with a rather young one and a bit abrupt in my opinion).

The king, who is the boys’ father, acts capriciously throughout the whole novel. His character is dark and foreboding. The way he acts and the way people act toward him reminded me of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. I kept feeling like this book was going to end in a dark or ambiguous way, so it was hard to enjoy the read. The ending is alright. Thankfully, the king is better and misfortunes reversed; however, it was a bit unclear how exactly Aric and Albaric “healed” everything. Albaric was the most likable, in-depth, and captivating character by far, and I hope to read other books with characters like him. The recommended age on Amazon was 10 to 18, but 14+ due to suggestive themes and violence seems more accurate.

Regarding Daughter of Rome

Title: Daughter of Rome
Author: Tessa Afshar
Published by Tyndale House Publishers
Year: 2020
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 378
Language: English
ASIN: B07T32RZMF
Dates Read: 2022, October 22 to October 30

The book was captivating. Every chapter is an adventure. The character, themes, and touching moments really pack a punch, and there is an edifying sermon every chapter. After reading Thief of Corinth, I wanted to read another book by this author. Priscilla and some others make a cameo appearance in Thief of Corinth. Some characters from that novel are mentioned in Daughter of Rome. I like how Afshar’s novels are somewhat linked, but they are not a series so a person can start with any book. At the start of the novel, I knew why Priscilla was trying to see the physician even before the reason was revealed. This was the only predictable part of the book for me, and the rest of the book was more unforeseeable and engaging. 

The book gave me the impression that it would mainly be about Priscilla, but Aquila seems to have an equal part. They start out as both outcasts from their world who come to find love and acceptance. I love how the book shows that they are partners in ministry.  For some reason, while reading this book, I kept imagining it as an anime. I wish there was an anime like this and relatively clean, popular and made especially for Christians. I especially loved how the story demonstrates Christian characters releasing or overlooking offenses, being able to love, extending hospitality, and showing grace even to some of the most infuriating people. I enjoyed how the story shows both married and single people caring for each other in a community and having deep love, concern, and relationships with each other like adopted siblings.

One scene that I thought that could have been crafted better is when certain characters go to rescue Paul from a kidnapping. The scene reminds me a bit of “The Beggar’s Opera” by John Gay. Also, when the dog Ferox is introduced, I was given the impression that there would be a mysterious path there that would be eventually unraveled. He’s a mysterious dog that shows up out of nowhere. He saves Priscilla and is a part of the family but there’s no unraveling or discovery of his origins like there is for the orphan Marcus. Sometimes, to me, the romance scenes were very passionate and a bit more descriptive than I anticipated or thought necessary. Also, who gets her brother’s “estate” at the end or does it go to creditors? The book is a great read overall, and I look forward to reading Afshar’s other works. 

A Travel Through Straight On Till Morning

Title: Straight On Till Morning
Author: Liz Braswell
Published by Disney Hyperion
Year: 2020
Series: A Twisted Tale Series
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 349
Language: English
ASIN: B07VW38815
Dates Read: August 11 to 20 2022

I found this book series while scrolling through an overwhelming amount of fairy tale retellings on Amazon. A Twisted Tale series retells Disney movies; the plots seem to offer very intriguing alternative/what-if scenarios. For my first book to read in the series, I decided to randomly go with Straight On Till Morning. Peter Pan (1953) was an enjoyable movie, and I was so captivated by the scenario of this book- Wendy going to Neverland with Captain Hook.

I thought the story would follow the events of the movie more closely than it did. This retelling was almost completely unrecognizable to the movie; there were several differences. There are a lot of details and narration about Wendy, her life, her family, and acquaintances. It’s almost 100 pages before Wendy even leaves London. She is already 16, moved out of the nursery, and she does not go to Neverland with her brothers. Throughout the novel, there are some variations on characters that are in the movie, new characters, and characters absent from the movie. The narrator’s voice is somewhat wry.

On the Amazon page, the recommended age minimum is 12. Honestly, I thought this was probably because of the reading level; however, this story is actually darker and more serious than the movie. This would definitely be a hard PG. There are some suggestive references, a few minor coarse words, more violence, alcoholic references, and more peril. Also, the author does use a lot of interesting dated British words or rare words; I had to constantly look up words while reading the novel.

This story is very much about Wendy coming of age. The adventure she takes helps her decide what she should do with her life. Also, there seems to be a deeper characterization of her character. Her relationship with Tinker Bell and the jealousy the fairy has when it comes to Peter Pan are explored in depth throughout the plot. The story is a wild ride; by the end, Wendy is tan and in rags. Additionally, to me, in this retelling, it seems that Captain Hook is portrayed as an extremely more pitiful villain than in the movie.

Overall, the novel is alright. It was fun to read and then muse about for a few days. Honestly, it was more like a well-crafted fanfiction for older intellectual teens and young adults than an alternative version to the famous animated film. I may try out some other books in this series.

A Review of Illusionarium

Title: Illusionarium
Author: Heather Dixon
Published by Greenwillow Books
Year: 2015
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 368
Language: English
ASIN: B00M70YWS2
Dates Read March 29 to April 8 2022

This is probably my first steampunk novel. The book was mentioned on a few blogs so I decided to read it. The author has some other novels that seem exciting, so I may read those later. After reading this fantastic story, I was surprised that there were less than 100 reviews on Amazon. It was a deep and fascinating story with wonderful worldbuilding. Reading this book was almost like watching a movie- not all novels can make me feel this way. Also, I never knew what to expect next, and it was a quick read. The world is based on 19th century England with detailed steampunk elements such as airships and unique technology. I appreciated Dixon’s innovative words and concepts such as orthogonagen, polarage, fantillium, the Venen, Illusionarium. The book is in first-person, and the protagonist Jonathan Gouden narrates the story. The narrative voice is realistic; you can tell he is a teenager, very intelligent, a bit awkward, and still trying to figure out some sentiments. I enjoyed his footnotes, an extra creative touch. To me, all of the other main characters have vibrant and unique personalities as well. Some of the characters are based on real people from 19th century England. Not only does the writer build the steampunk world that I just described, but also she builds an alternative world as well which is a derelict and dysfunctional version of Jonathan’s world. This is the world that the villain who brings the Fantillum comes from, along with the Venen. That world serves as a warning, and the characters have to make moral choices. There is a lot of meaning packed into the plot of this original young adult novel. There are a few twists and not all are happy, but eventually the main heroes find the right way, and it is a good ending.