Review of Rise of the Savior
-
F N Chamomile
- Posts: 69
- Joined: 06 Jun 2021, 03:19
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 583
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-f-n-chamomile.html
- Latest Review: Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise by John K Danenbarger
Review of Rise of the Savior
[Following is a volunteer review of "Rise of the Savior" by Antoine Bonner.]
I like shōnen anime and manga. Growing up with a lot of boy-targeted stories, I've become familiar with the unique worldbuilding, unusual supernatural existence, and weird characters that usually appear in this genre. So, when I saw the word "shōnen" in the description of Rise of the Savior: Acolyte of Truth, I instantly got intrigued.
Amanda is an 18-year-old girl who only wants to have an easy life. That is until an accident awakens her power, opening her eyes to her true destiny: the acolyte of truth, the savior. No matter how hard she denies it at first, she eventually has to accept her fate as the protector of the world. This story is Amanda's journey of coming to terms with her role in life. At the same time, she also has to defeat Jamie, the acolyte of death, who kidnaps children for the sake of his dying son.
I can tell that Antoine Bonner is also a fan of the genre by the solid premise of this novel. Amanda is an ordinary girl, but circumstances make her a hero. With the help of people she meets along the way, she learns to figure out the nature of her power and control it before defeating the bad guys. During this adventure, her perspective experiences a shift, leading her to understand the nature and motives of the main villain as well.
Additionally, the characters' archetypes are also familiar. Amanda is the happy-go-lucky, childish, and goofy protagonist. Meanwhile, her 6-year-old sister, Saira, serves as the cold, tsundere, and super genius sidekick. Their parents are the easygoing type, the kind that likes to play video games with their children. There is also the only male member of the main group, the eccentric girls, and the mysterious characters. In other words, this novel has the typical troupe of shōnen fiction.
Despite the strong premise and characterization, the pace of the storyline seems to be a little bit too quick. Rather than enjoying the flow, readers are required to run along the adventure. I didn't have enough time to deeply understand the situation, read the atmosphere, or get emotionally attached to the characters. Because of this, it was hard to sympathize with the characters. I didn't even have time to at least get immersed in the suspension of disbelief. As a result, I ended up noticing the unrealistic and inconsistent parts of the story.
For example, at the beginning of the novel, Amanda and her family seem to be closely acquainted with Jamie, to the point that he feels comfortable sharing his private life with Amanda's parents. Later on, however, despite supposedly working at the same workplace, Amanda's mom doesn't remember anything about Jamie. Meanwhile, her dad only vaguely remembers him before forgetting him altogether.
Unfortunately, this is not the only confusing part of the novel. There is also the concept of kundalini, deity, and gods, which I think will make a lot of sense if you are familiar with the notion. Furthermore, Amanda's truth-telling ability only appears a few times in the entire story. So, readers may be more familiar with her fighting skills rather than her namesake power.
Luckily, the book is surprisingly grammatically well-written, as I found little to no mistake throughout the story. Please be aware, though, that some scenes may be too graphic and not for the faint of the heart. All things considered, I think it's fair to rate this novel 2 out of 4 stars. If you are a fan of eccentric science fiction or fantasy, especially stories with some hints of Japanese culture, you might like this book.
******
Rise of the Savior
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I like shōnen anime and manga. Growing up with a lot of boy-targeted stories, I've become familiar with the unique worldbuilding, unusual supernatural existence, and weird characters that usually appear in this genre. So, when I saw the word "shōnen" in the description of Rise of the Savior: Acolyte of Truth, I instantly got intrigued.
Amanda is an 18-year-old girl who only wants to have an easy life. That is until an accident awakens her power, opening her eyes to her true destiny: the acolyte of truth, the savior. No matter how hard she denies it at first, she eventually has to accept her fate as the protector of the world. This story is Amanda's journey of coming to terms with her role in life. At the same time, she also has to defeat Jamie, the acolyte of death, who kidnaps children for the sake of his dying son.
I can tell that Antoine Bonner is also a fan of the genre by the solid premise of this novel. Amanda is an ordinary girl, but circumstances make her a hero. With the help of people she meets along the way, she learns to figure out the nature of her power and control it before defeating the bad guys. During this adventure, her perspective experiences a shift, leading her to understand the nature and motives of the main villain as well.
Additionally, the characters' archetypes are also familiar. Amanda is the happy-go-lucky, childish, and goofy protagonist. Meanwhile, her 6-year-old sister, Saira, serves as the cold, tsundere, and super genius sidekick. Their parents are the easygoing type, the kind that likes to play video games with their children. There is also the only male member of the main group, the eccentric girls, and the mysterious characters. In other words, this novel has the typical troupe of shōnen fiction.
Despite the strong premise and characterization, the pace of the storyline seems to be a little bit too quick. Rather than enjoying the flow, readers are required to run along the adventure. I didn't have enough time to deeply understand the situation, read the atmosphere, or get emotionally attached to the characters. Because of this, it was hard to sympathize with the characters. I didn't even have time to at least get immersed in the suspension of disbelief. As a result, I ended up noticing the unrealistic and inconsistent parts of the story.
For example, at the beginning of the novel, Amanda and her family seem to be closely acquainted with Jamie, to the point that he feels comfortable sharing his private life with Amanda's parents. Later on, however, despite supposedly working at the same workplace, Amanda's mom doesn't remember anything about Jamie. Meanwhile, her dad only vaguely remembers him before forgetting him altogether.
Unfortunately, this is not the only confusing part of the novel. There is also the concept of kundalini, deity, and gods, which I think will make a lot of sense if you are familiar with the notion. Furthermore, Amanda's truth-telling ability only appears a few times in the entire story. So, readers may be more familiar with her fighting skills rather than her namesake power.
Luckily, the book is surprisingly grammatically well-written, as I found little to no mistake throughout the story. Please be aware, though, that some scenes may be too graphic and not for the faint of the heart. All things considered, I think it's fair to rate this novel 2 out of 4 stars. If you are a fan of eccentric science fiction or fantasy, especially stories with some hints of Japanese culture, you might like this book.
******
Rise of the Savior
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise by John K Danenbarger
