Tag: slice of life

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.