ARA Review by M. D. Sanders of Julu

[M. D. Sanders]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Julu.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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In Julu, the magical world responsible for all imagination- the source for all books, music, poetry, etcetera- has fallen. Evil has won, the land is devastated, the prophesied savior... died. DIED, died, not the ‘ha ha, you've just activated my trap card and I actually won, see you in three days’ type. However a glimmer of hope is granted. Enter a tale of travel through both time and magical (and literary) worlds, learning about those involved on both sides of the matter as efforts are made to meet those who need meeting, save those who need saving, and fix what needs fixing, to change the story. And- hopefully- its outcome.

I will say clearly: it is not a masterpiece, but it is an absolutely lovely fantasy tale, which I came to rate 5 out of 5 stars- in which for me means I not only enjoyed it enough to finish it, but would consider it potentially worth rereading at some point- and continuing the series even if I have to purchase the sequels (where at 4 stars I'd read it once and only continue if I could get sequels free through a library or Kindle Unlimited). It IS perhaps targeted toward a younger and slightly more feminine demographic, but still perfectly enjoyable for fantasy fans in general.

Now... my reasons for saying it isn't a masterpiece?

The very first problem is the cover, which immediately put me off. On Amazon I discovered after reading the book that the author has- as their author pic- what appears to be an absolutely gorgeous illustrated cover that perfectly matches the book and its contents. They should use that as the actual book cover, because what they have as the cover on the actual book instead looks- let's speak bluntly- like a total hack job. Like they gave someone a few dollars on a commission site to have them cut and paste a couple vaguely related fantasy-esque pictures together and slap a logo and some light filters on it. If the first thing I'd seen going in was the gorgeous illustration, I would have started reading with expectation of a lovingly crafted masterpiece. Instead I went in gritting my teeth in fear of what I expected to be a poorly crafted amateurish slog-

Which frankly made it harder to get into and enjoy from the start. While not vital to the book itself, first impressions are important to the overall experience, and it is painful to see a book this good represented so poorly: I can only hope the author switches it.

Then there was the forward, in which the author hand-holds the reader to explicitly lay out how to understand the already clearly labeled chapter time-stamps, which made the first impression worse, as despite understanding it was intended to be helpful it made me feel the author either didn't think they were competent at writing well enough for the story to explain itself, or else assumed their readers would be idiots.

After which came the actual book, where at the start it felt like Oprah was handing out mysterious hidden royal origins. ‘Now YOU get to be secretly a prince or princess, and YOU get to be secretly a prince or princess, and ALL OF YOU get to be secret princes or princesses!’ Which along with the special prophesied child savior thing and combined with my previous irritations and expectations, honestly had me rolling my eyes.

Now I will say, it wasn't too bad, just a little rushed, with the hidden origins all coming out up front instead of being hinted at to add mystery. It just seemed worse than it was due to my initial poor first impression.

Apart from which there are also occasionally emotional reactions that seem... to me... unrealistic. Either out of place or exaggerated. Characters either bursting out laughing, or crying, too easily- or in the wrong place. A young boy openly professing his love for a being out of nowhere, a young girl who- on seeing what she believes to be the skinned hides of other children- breaks into tears of pity, instead of getting sick or terrified. Just odd little quirks here and there that momentarily broke immersion.

And because of the way the author broke it up- with it switching between times and perspectives- it takes a little while to get to know the characters and understand exactly who is who and why you should care about them and what they're doing in general, while some of the hidden parts that could've brought intrigue and greater plot depth and curiosity about them over time were instead revealed right up front.

That said, once the story gets underway and you get past the first impression to where the different threads start weaving together, it is simply, plainly, interesting. The author has an interesting take on time travel and its effects. While there is a prophesied savior we know from the start he already failed the first time and therefore isn't some super powerful plot-armored uber child. And while the idea of having a fantasy world of imagination interlaced with literary worlds isn't wholly unique, the author’s rendition is quite curious.

(If someone told me the author's inspiration stemmed from a lucid dream they had after accidentally falling asleep reading Chronicles of Narnia, in a room full of Lisa Frank's artwork, while a child was watching NeverEnding Story nearby... I would be tempted to believe them.)

The story has an upbeat tone and positive message even despite the grim prospects, with focus on love, friendship, imagination and kindness, mercy and redemption, overcoming hatred and greed. While there is some action and suspense, it doesn't focus on violence and warfare as a primary means of resolution. And as you get to know the characters they are- for the most part- likeable, and one does start to care about what's happening to them.

That said, if you're looking for dark fantasy with violence and gore, or your typical overpowered ‘hero child discovers mystical abilities and beats everything down’, it likely isn't for you. But if you enjoy the idea of a fantastic character relation-centric romp through time and a world of faerie creatures, talking animals, rainbow pegasi and dolphins, combating dark magic and the forces of evil to save imagination? I would definitely recommend it.

Now please excuse me as I head off to buy book two.

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