I liked it; it was good
The author of this book, who lives in the same town as me, reached out for a review of her self-published novel. This is the first time I’ve received such a request, so I was ecstatic to give it a read!
Read: June 15 – June 16, 2024
Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale
Audience: Children
Book contains: good vs evil, evil animals, snakes, bugs, cougars, coyotes
Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca
*Self-published author*
While visiting her grandmother’s old cottage, twelve-year-old-girl Kai doesn’t expect to stumble upon a hidden magical world that’s been thrown into chaos, but the forest creatures need her help to restore the magic to their sacred gemstone. Together with a little bear-like creature named Eenu, Kai’s first order of business is to save the forest’s princess.
I’m reading this book between the Chronicles of Narnia series, which is written for the same audience (8-12 year old children).
Coton writes in third person limited with a focus on Kai, though there are rare occurrences when the focus shifts to another character. For the most part, this is Kai’s story, so we need to know what she’s thinking and feeling.
The author sent me a physical copy of this book to review, and I read it the old-fashioned way over the weekend. (I sat outside on my balcony with a nice hot cup of tea and listened to the rain pouring down in buckets all around me as I read this. It was delightful.)
Kai is a sweet child who takes on the role of “the chosen one” as is common in fantasy stories, but there really isn’t anything special about her. She could be any little girl—what makes her special is that she chose to help. She didn’t have to undertake this quest to save the forest, but she decides to do it anyway because she loves the forest and wants to help the animals that live there.
She makes many new friends along the way, first and foremost being Eenu, whom she joins in his rescue mission. Also consistent throughout the book is Kai’s relationship with her deceased grandmother, whom she misses and whose voice she hears when she needs to keep going. Her grandmother is her inspiration and motivation, and I like how this adventure also helps her deal with the grief of her grandmother’s passing, which she hasn’t done in the six years since it happened.
Coton is a fairly new writer, as this is her first published work, and while I like her fun and playful style, it is clear she didn’t have the support of a proper publishing team for this book. I can see her going far as a children’s author with a good team to edit, design, and proofread her work. For now, there are a few mistakes that took me out of the story, and there were a few times I was left confused by the action.
The pacing in this book was quite good. Two days flew by—each page was filled with action, and the characters barely got a break. In the rare moments of peace, they were putting together the clues of the mystery and planning for the future.
This is Coton’s first published book, and I recommend it to young readers who enjoy fantasy, forest critters, and magic. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!
Alice in Wonderland Book 1: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Tigerpetal Press is a small book press dedicated to publishing local authors and poets.