Tag: Coming Of Age

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.

Notes on Johnny Tremain

Title: Johnny Tremain: A Story of Boston in Revolt
Author: Esther Forbes
Published by Clarion Books
Edition: 75th Anniversary ed. edition (September 11, 2018)
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 323
Language: English
ASIN: B07FK993XT
First Published by Houghton Mifflin in 1943
Dates Read: 2024, May 30 to June 16

Sometime in 2023, I developed an interest in the 18th century, especially Colonial America. I don’t remember the exact reason why I gained this sudden interest, but it may have to do with how I’m constantly seeing pins on Pinterest of portraits and clothing from those eras. Additionally, I have been trying to find novels about male friendships and adventures.

I remembered hearing about this book in elementary school, but I had never seen the movie. I knew that the novel is a Newbery Award winner. In college, I had to write a paper on the Newbery award. Although I had not read it, I used a line from the book because I needed more primary sources related to my paper’s topic. Also, I knew that there is a song in the movie about a tree that my parents would randomly sing. Finally, I became curious to actually read Johnny Tremain.

In this edition, there is a comic at the beginning that introduces the characters and a brief overview of the novel’s setting. It does not reveal huge spoilers which is helpful for people reading this story for the first time. First of all, the protagonist is much, much different than I thought. Based on my experience with retro media,  I assumed that Johnny was going to be a goody-two-shoes, archetypal, heroic school boy— naive, innocent, and extremely lovable in every way. He may have been a bit like Dick from the Dick and Jane books, the brothers from Leave It to Beaver, or Opie from The Andy Griffith Show. Instead, the boy is so full of pride and angst— angst and pride— he goes back and forth. He is a bit hot-headed, and teases plenty, but he does grow during the course of the novel. 

Since the book was written in the 1940s, and there are black characters, I was expecting the stereotypes to be cringy, and they are, just a little. I thought it was odd that the author used “black” but never “Negro” and seldom “colored”. I assumed in the ‘40s or 1770s colonial era that these were the terms used, and that “Black” wasn’t used regularly until the 1970s, along with “African American.”

I thought there would be some Indigenous characters, even if they were characterized flatly or stereotypically. However, there are none that I recall, but I could have sworn that it was going to be revealed that Rab is part Native American. This is due to the way that he is described with elements like: “dark boy,” “muscular, brown throat,” “teeth look sharp and white,” “calm demeanor,”  and an odd last name, Silsbee, which sounds like a tribe (although the name is of English origin). It’s like the author is trying to hint at something— that he is not completely white—but it’s never stated. Johnny’s immaturity and angst contrasts with Rab’s collected, methodical, cool outlook, and their differences go together well as good friends. To me, the narrator relays Rab as almost perfect. His portrayal throughout the plot and what happens to him at the end of the story displays that he is almost the hero character and an ideal. The way Johnny idolizes Rab, despite some annoyance and jealousy at his actions, and seems to like him more than Cilla, displays such a deep, endearing friendship.

There is actually quite a bit of humor in this story, despite the fact that the plot culminates in a war. I enjoyed the episodic nature of the story and the slice-of-life adventures of Johnny, which saturate the reader in the setting’s world and provide ample characterization. I was especially surprised at the relay of the Boston Tea Party; it was like manual labor, an arduous task, not a feel-good party with dancing and craziness. How much early American history did I forget? The speech against tyranny and what they are trying to do right before the start of “The Scarlet Deluge” chapter definitely reminds me of WWII and other parallels. I liked this book, and I’m glad I finally read it, especially this version— and not the other published book with the boy and blue background. When I read the beginning of that one after finishing this novel, that introduction spoiled the entire novel, so I was happy to find a version to read without many major spoilers. 

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. 

On The Giver Quartet

Among the Hidden from the Shadow Children series is the first work of dystopian fiction that I remember reading. I thought that it was a fascinating book so I read several more of the series. This was around 2005 to 2006 when I was in 7th grade. I do not think that I finished this series because the library may not have had the final couple of books. In 9th grade, we read 1984 as a class requirement. In 12th grade, we had to read some dystopian fiction as a requirement for class. The works that I remember are The Handmaid’s Tale, Brave New World, and 1984 again. I became sick of dystopian fiction.  I never became interested in the series that my peers liked such as The Hunger Games, The Selection, and Divergent. However, some time ago, I stumbled upon the Giver Quartet on Amazon. I decided to give the dystopia genre a retry. The only other book that  I remember reading by Lois Lowry is Number the Stars in 6th grade. 

Title: The Giver
Series: Giver Quartet
Serial: Book 1
Author: Lois Lowry
Published by Clarion Books; Reprint, Media Tie In edition
Year: 1993
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 99
Language: English
ASIN: B003MC5N28
Dates Read 2023, March 7 to March 17

I loved the short chapters and easy to understand dialogue. At less than 100 pages, this is definitely the book to introduce someone to the dystopia genre. I thought that the worldbuilding was amazing. I was actually okay with the ambiguous ending, and I interpreted that the characters made it. This book was better than any dystopian fiction book that I have read, and I liked that it built suspense. In the back of the book, she explains why she ends the book like that because she wants readers to ponder for themselves; also, they can read the other books in the series to find out what happens to Jonas and the boy. In the back of the book, there is also the Newbery Award speech and information about the origins of this story.

Title: Gathering Blue
Series: Giver Quartet
Serial: Book 2
Author: Lois Lowry
Published by Clarion Books; Reprint edition (September 25, 2000)
Year: 2000
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 225
Language: English
ASIN: B003JFJHRK
Dates Read 2023, March 30 to April 16

Wow, what a tough village!  It seems like a place more Indigenous,  spiritual, and ancient than the suburban community in The Giver. A new main character, Kira, lives in this village. Jealousies, arguing, rivalries, harshness, and hostility. We read about her journey and how she wants to change the community. However, this book seems to end abruptly. You do get a line or two about Jonas from the previous book. I felt like the book needed one more chapter to smooth out the ending. It’s a companion book and not a sequel, but it deals with similar themes. The book setting feels like it takes place 100 years before The Giver, but it’s actually the same time period. 

Title: Messenger
Series: Giver Quartet
Serial: Book 3
Author: Lois Lowry
Published by Clarion Books (April 26, 2004)
Year: 2004
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 194
Language: English
ASIN: B003JTHWKK
Dates Read 2023, April 16 to April 23

This book takes place after Gathering Blue. I liked the mention of Jonas and Gabe in the Village. This community is the more altruistic one that  Kira finds out about in the previous novel from her friend Matty.  Although Messenger is interesting and fast paced, once again the ending leaves something to be desired. The big things that are happening are not explained as well as I would have liked. I would have appreciated a deeper metaphysical explanation of the powers/gifts and the Trading.

Title: Son
Series: Giver Quartet
Serial: Book 4
Author: Lois Lowry
Published by
Year: 2012
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 405
Language: English
ASIN: B008454X2Y
Dates Read 2023, April 23 to May 13

The book’s setting coincides with the events of the previous book and ends several years afterwards. Many of the main characters from the previous books are in this one. This one is focused on Gabe’s birth mother Claire. During the book, Claire ends up in a sea village untouched by modern conveniences. The names of the characters are very pretty- Alys, Bethan, Einar, Andras. A lot of interesting things take place during the book, and this novel also references back to the previous books. The author tries to better explain what happened in Messenger and tries to fill in the shoddy worldbuilding with explanations. Moreover, several  parts of Son were too specific and made the book drag on. Despite tying everything up from the previous books for a final ending to the series/quartet, I still felt the ending was somewhat unsatisfactory. I’m glad that everything ended well for Kira, Jonas, and Gabe, and Claire, but I still wonder about the final fate of The Giver and the community that Jonas and Gabe originally left. I’m still confused about the mystery of how Claire got her youth back. Does this mean that all of the people got what they traded back since Gabe defeated the Trademaster? What about Einar? Was he restored.? I’m also not sure if I cared for the “deal with the devil” bad guy. I’m not sure if I like how this quartet jumped from fighting a dystopia to just battling Satan.

Overall Impressions and Other Comments

I now understand why the first book is considered a classic and the rest of the books are not mentioned as much. I also see why only a movie was made of the first book. The Giver is now my favorite dystopian book. It was more calm, contemplative, and clean than the dystopian fiction books that I have read in school. I get that books in this genre usually don’t have extremely happy endings, but I would have liked for the endings of the last three books in this quartet to have felt more satisfactory. In this series, it was a neat touch to give many of the characters powers and magical talents. 

A Review of The Seeker’s Trilogy

I realized that The Twilight Saga is the only fantasy series that I have completed so I decided to find others to read. I was searching for a series without a dark setting, lots of details, and tons of pages. I decided to try this Christian fantasy trilogy.

Title: Seeker’s Call
Series: Seeker’s Trilogy
Serial: Book 1
Author: Cassandra Boyson
Published by Kingdom House Press
Year: 2014
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 334
Language: English
ASIN: B00RDGG30U
Dates Read May 4 to May 12 2022

The protagonist is a young girl named Iviana who lived with her guardian until she passed. They lived as outcasts, and now, she has left the village to discover the world. She meets a dragon and her destiny ensues. She meets several intriguing characters throughout the novel. When the dragon takes her to another realm, a breathtakingly beautiful place full of islands, several mysteries are eventually revealed. The way her questions are initially ignored by the islanders builds suspense; the readers keep trying to figure out the mystery surrounding her, other characters, and the newfound realm. In the novel, a big backstory is revealed about her ancestors, the sorceress, and a war with great dragons. Honestly, this tale of the past was so interesting to read and full of action that I wished it was a book of its own. For the “magic system” the Great One anoints individuals with certain gifts such as super strength, breathing underwater, speaking things into being, healing, etc. The novel has a very Old Testament feel and Charismatic perspective. To me, Iviana is a “Moses” or “prophet” figure. Most people have one gift but Iviana discovers she has three by the end of this novel.

Title: Seeker’s Quest
Series: Seeker’s Trilogy
Serial: Book 2
Author: Cassandra Boyson
Published by Kingdom House Press
Year: 2015
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 302
Language: English
ASIN: B012BJ9QZM
Dates Read May 13 to May 21 2022

The next book starts near the end of the first book. Iviana returns to the islands and is tasked with seeking a mysterious parchment. Her newfound friends decide to go with her on this quest. Eventually she discovers the lost city of Atlantyss which is a city thriving under the ocean where knowledge flourishes. It was sunk by the Great One years ago and its people are waiting for the Chosen One to return. This is such an innovative spin on the Atlantis legend. There, she makes new friends. She finds herself reading an untitled book about a cool guy performing miracles. Later, she has a “dream-otherworldly journey” about this same guy who she learns is the Anointed One and the Great One’s friend. It takes place at his crucifixion; Iviana is distraught that the Great One allows this to happen, and she really struggles with her trust in Him awhile. Although this series is considered Christian fantasy, and it definitely has strong biblical themes, I did not know that the author was going to put the actual the Christian story into the novel, especially since the setting is so fantastical with dragons, etc. By the end of the novel, the gospel message is revealed, and it actually works well with the fantasy setting.

Title: Seeker’s Revolution
Series: Seeker’s Trilogy
Serial: Book 3
Author: Cassandra Boyson
Published by Kingdom House Press
Year: 2016
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 336
Language: English
ASIN: B012BJ9QZM
Dates Read May 21 to 28 2022

This book continues after the events of the previous one. Iviana and her friends carried the gospel message to the islands and of course, the reaction is similar to the tribes of Israel during Christ’s day. While the realms of islands are absolutely stunning with natural beauty, there are dirty things going on with the leadership. A lot of other gifts are discovered. Apparently, Iviana is given several more by the end of the novel. There’s a new character who shares the main stage with Iviana…The ending of the trilogy is good, yet you know Iviana and friends still have a lot of work to do.

Overall Impressions with Mild Spoilers
The books are likable and positive. If someone were looking for Christian fantasy or clean fantasy for the age range of 11 to 18, I would recommend it. I had difficulty discerning the ages of some of the characters. Iviana and company would seem around 14 at times, 18 at others. It was hard to believe that Leilyn was of marriageable age considering how immature and silly she acted. I kept forgetting that Marquen was under 30 because usually, wise hermits with powers are portrayed as 50 or older so kudos to the author for breaking this stereotype. I thought that the side character Laurel’s betrothal in the first book was kind of random, but she and her husband end up playing a bigger role in the second book. I love how Iviana finds love and acceptance from the Great One and also others by the end of the series. The major characters have nice endings. Sometimes, to me, the dialogue was a bit silly. Also, I wanted more action scenes and less talking and pondering. There were a few typos. The series is inundated with romance. Her various friends date, get engaged, marry but she does not. She has no interest right now and she is busy living her best life for the Great One and doing adventures, etc. At one point, she actually considers trying to force an interest in this rich lord only because other people are pushing her towards him. However, he ends up being a villain so she’s glad she didn’t fall for him. It is actually pretty cool to have a strong female main character without a romantic element. However, her future daughter visits her in the final novel so you know she probably does marry eventually. It is never said whether Flynn restores his engagement with the other island girl at the end of the novel, so I wonder if the author is hinting that he and Iviana will become a couple. It’s not alluded to whether she romantically likes any of her single friends at the end of the book. Anyway, If this is the author’s debut trilogy, she will only improve. Moreover, I enjoyed the author’s note about operating in God’s gifts.