Official Review: Kovu Part Two by Kenneth Fultz Jr.

[CataclysmicKnight]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Kovu Part Two" by Kenneth Fultz Jr..]

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1 out of 4 stars

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The extent of my knowledge with manga or anime is my obsession with Pokemon as a kid. I watched and bought the VHS tapes along with any episode I could find on TV. This is relevant because Kovu Part 2 almost reads like a book version of an episode of an anime or a text-only manga (although it does have illustrations of the main protagonists, an illustrated map, 3 sketches throughout and 3 more character images at the end). It's the second part in a series that may take at least ten books to complete at the rate it's currently moving. The series tells the tale of 18 year old Prince Kovu, who discovers that his father and the nobles treat commoners cruelly and tax them highly, so he denounces his throne and goes on a quest for the 10 rings of the kings. His brother Prince Dayo, meanwhile, is tasked to stay in the kingdom to try to uncover further secrets his father and the nobles are hiding.

Kovu Book 2 begins with a very brief few paragraphs of the story thus far. This did a decent job of catching me up - I haven't read book 1 - but there were still numerous times that I felt confused by things. Book 2's story continues Kovu's journey in seeking the third ring (even starting its chapter numbering with 6) but he makes a stop at a secret temple Elewa (a 16 year old who was imprisoned by his own father and has essentially lost the ability to comprehend or speak, but can mimic others expertly) mistakenly discovers. Inside, they learn that Busara (Kovu's advisor, 17) and Princess Rahma (16, Kovu's bride to be) have secret power within them and Elewa is actually an important, powerful boy who will become a great general to "the true king". They then journey toward their destination while trying to teach Elewa to be stronger and wiser. Meanwhile, Prince Dayo is given multiple tasks by his father in an attempt to teach him that weakness cannot be abided and must always be destroyed.

When I said earlier that the book is much like a text-only manga or a written anime, I meant it - it has some cheekily-lewd moments, things are often overdone for an attempt at comedic effect (although the book does have some funny moments) and characters do things like when Princess Rahma "shut her left eye and giggled". It's also very short - Kindle says 100 pages but the PDF I reviewed was 45 extra-long pages - and it has absolutely no closure in its ending. The book actually ends on a cliffhanger in the middle of a fight! It also feels like a translated story (like many anime and manga stories) as there are dozens of grammatical errors, not including that the book consistently uses the word "trails" instead of "trials" and "crotched" instead of "crouched".

Worse than the story, though, were the characters. Elewa feels like the comedic relief "different" character, and both he and Rahma (the princess) are constantly belittled and mocked despite the fact that they constantly do their best. I genuinely felt bad for them - Rahma is supposed to be Kovu's bride-to-be and yet he and Busara constantly treat her as an annoyance and burden. The characters also all feel one-dimensional, and I honestly couldn't even find myself cheering for the main hero Kovu, I sided more with Rahma and Elewa instead. There are some cool moments and parts to it - I've always loved RPGs and so the weapons and the fire/water stones used were intriguing, but it wasn't enough to win me over.

The true test of a book in a series is whether I want to read the next one, and even though most of Kovu Book 2 is effectively just buildup for book 3 (and all the additional sequels), I have absolutely no interest in reading any further in the series. Book 1 may explain the animosity toward Rahma and Elewa, and if Book 2 was just part of a bigger book that had more plot it may have had potential, but as is I can't give it anything but 1 out of 4 stars. Those who really enjoy anime or manga may get a kick out of a short book that feels similar to it, but otherwise I absolutely can't recommend it.

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Kovu Part Two
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[kimmyschemy06]

That's very honest. I just read the review on Part 1 and it sounds interesting enough. It's probably best to read the entire first novel at once instead of installment by every few chapters. Great job on the review.

[CataclysmicKnight]

That's very honest. I just read the review on Part 1 and it sounds interesting enough. It's probably best to read the entire first novel at once instead of installment by every few chapters. Great job on the review.

I definitely agree that reading the books in order would be more entertaining, and I'm thinking maybe once a bunch have been written or the series is done, going through the whole collection at once would be best!