Official Review: Apex Five by Sarah Katz

Sam Ibeh · Post by **Sam Ibeh** » 15 Jan 2020, 09:16

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Apex Five" by Sarah Katz.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Apex Five by Sarah Katz is a story of five nations — Tabira, Lir, Garo, Ayam, and Opal — that formed a world known as the Plane. This world was created by a group of supernatural beings known as the Zaam. The Zaam was worshiped by all the nations in the Plane. This worship was truncated when a Tabiran officer by the name Joleh got wind of some hidden secrets of the Zaam from a Zaam known as Echil. He also took away Rohem from Echil as leverage to learn all the secrets of the Zaam. With both Echil and Joleh failing to keep their end of the bargain, all hell was let loose on the Plane. After many years of chaos among nations of the Plane, Rohem who grew up in the Plane, was saddled with the responsibility of bringing the much-needed balance. A discovery of whom he really was put him in a dicey situation. Will he decide to follow his original descent or help the inhabitants of the Plane?

This book took me on a deep imaginative journey. First I imagined a world with only five nations and connected to one source. As I read this book, I couldn’t help but play the scenarios of Star Wars in my head. As a matter of fact, this helped me flow with this book. I saw a lot of similarities between this book and Star Wars. There were people with various body features and innate abilities. Some could fly, some could switch their gender, while some others derive their sustenance from the elements like the sun and water. In all these disparities, the author created dots to connect these different beings as the book unfolded. One would need a good imaginative disposition to flow with this book.

The author did well to develop the plot of this book. The characters came alive and where relatable. Even the character that switched gender was easy to identify regardless of the gender at any given time. For every character, there were unique characteristics they could be identified with. This showcased whenever I encountered any of them as the story unfolded. For instance, Johem was academically inclined, Nasin was the peace-loving diplomat, Oria was the intelligence specialist, Chief Telo was the fearless and courageous leader, and so on. This distinction was also seen among the five nations and how they behaved.

What I liked most about this book was the glossary of people, places, and things added at the end of the book. Though I wished it came at the beginning, I was glad the author was thoughtful enough to include this. Going through the glossary gave me an understanding of the book that I could not fully get initially.

Every chapter stood out for itself in this book. But my favorite was chapter 21. This was where the story picked up the pace. After that chapter, I had a better understanding of the plot. However, as earlier stated, the glossary capped it for me.

I didn’t find any errors in this book. It was well written and professionally edited. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. If you’re inclined to saving-the-world kind of stories, then I strongly recommend this book for you. It would also appeal to any lover of adventure.

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Apex Five
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Laura Lee · Post by **Laura Lee** » 20 Jan 2020, 08:19

Some could switch their gender at will?? That's wild! That's skillful writing to be able to work so many differences in and yet not lose the reader.

"Truncated." Great use of a great word. I'll be looking for more of your reviews. You do a great job and I enjoyed reading this.

Post by **CherylTegan7** » 21 Jan 2020, 02:13

Several characters and places to keep up with here. Readers may find this daunting or confusing, but your review seems to show that every character (perhaps places as well) have specific traits that make them more identifiable. That along with the core mystery and supernatural beings makes this sound like a good read.

Sam Ibeh · Post by **Sam Ibeh** » 21 Jan 2020, 04:49

Laura Lee wrote: ↑20 Jan 2020, 08:19 Some could switch their gender at will?? That's wild! That's skillful writing to be able to work so many differences in and yet not lose the reader.

"Truncated." Great use of a great word. I'll be looking for more of your reviews. You do a great job and I enjoyed reading this.

Thank you, Laura.

Sam Ibeh · Post by **Sam Ibeh** » 21 Jan 2020, 04:52

CherylTegan7 wrote: ↑21 Jan 2020, 02:13 Several characters and places to keep up with here. Readers may find this daunting or confusing, but your review seems to show that every character (perhaps places as well) have specific traits that make them more identifiable. That along with the core mystery and supernatural beings makes this sound like a good read.

Yeah, the author did a great job making each character and place stand out. The glossary at the end of the book will also help readers to easily identify each character, place or thing. Thanks for your comment.

derialist · Post by **derialist** » 21 Jan 2020, 05:52

That title gave me the impression of a combat-based story given that it sounds like a codename of some soldier or operation. Nonetheless great review!

Sam Ibeh · Post by **Sam Ibeh** » 21 Jan 2020, 07:11

derialist wrote: ↑21 Jan 2020, 05:52 That title gave me the impression of a combat-based story given that it sounds like a codename of some soldier or operation. Nonetheless great review!

The first line of my review unraveled it. Thanks for commenting.

Erin Painter Baker · Post by **Erin Painter Baker** » 22 Jan 2020, 11:19

Sounds like an interesting book. I am glad the characters came alive for you, and that the glossary was what glossaries in these types of books are supposed to be - an aid that added to the enjoyment of the book, vs something that was required to even make sense of the book.

Sam Ibeh · Post by **Sam Ibeh** » 23 Jan 2020, 06:59

esp1975 wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 11:19 Sounds like an interesting book. I am glad the characters came alive for you, and that the glossary was what glossaries in these types of books are supposed to be - an aid that added to the enjoyment of the book, vs something that was required to even make sense of the book.

The glossary made sense of the book. Thanks for your comment.

hasincla · Post by **hasincla** » 12 Feb 2020, 08:28

Oh man, this sounds way too complicated for me. Plus, I'm just not into books about statecraft and world-creation like this. I'll pass.

That Reviewer · Post by **That Reviewer** » 19 Feb 2020, 06:35

From your review, I may have to start from the glossary at the end to read this book.

gali · Post by **gali** » 22 Feb 2020, 08:31

A science fiction book that follows five nations that co-exist on another plane of existence sounds intriguing. Good world-building, good plot, and fleshed-out characters make it a good read for fans of the genre. That the book is well-edited and contains a glossary is another bonus. Thank you for the review!

AvocaDebo621 · Post by **AvocaDebo621** » 22 Feb 2020, 08:41

The information about the glossary is so useful, I will start from there then. The author did a great job making each character and place stand out. The story seems immensely interesting. Thank you for the review

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Post by **Emy Katherine** » 22 Feb 2020, 08:46

A well-written sci-fi story with a well-developed plot and relatable characters! Plus, it is well edited. I am glad you enjoyed it, but I don't think it's for me because I don't read this genre. Got my copy last year, though. Thank you for the detailed review!

Post by **Vickie Noel** » 22 Feb 2020, 08:55

I like books with characters who have special abilities. I'm not great with world-building plots though, but it seems this concept might not be too complicated to grasp. Good thing the author added a glossary to help. I'd know more when I sample the book. Thanks for the review.