Review of Kalani
Posted: 11 Jan 2024, 20:45
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Kalani" by Jolene Fine.]
Kalani: Shadows of Destiny by Jolene Fine is a science fiction novel chronicling the journey of Zach and Desiree towards letting go, submision, and acceptance of their fate in a land known as Kalani.
The story is set on Kalani, a fictitious land where everyone is immortal. Zach opens the story, having been denied his petition once again. At the observatory, he makes up his mind to go after his girlfriend, Gretchen, who is on Therma. Desiree, on the other hand, has been moved from home to home without permanence. She craves family and loves Yu. However, both Gretchen and Yu are not within reach of Zach or Desiree. Along the way, in his quest to save Gretchen, Zach disobeys Magnar and refuses to bend to his will. This costs him his liahona. A prophecy surrounds Desiree and it begins to manifest after she battles the soldiers of Awry. Would these two different people, with destinies linked together, be able to overcome their personal interests and submit to Magnar in order to achieve a higher purpose?
Kalani: Shadows of Destiny is not your typical light-versus-dark story. It embodies more than that. The author writes about leaving one's past, no matter how glorious or sad it is and submitting to a higher authority. Jolene Fine takes us to an entirely different world. In her world, the saved ones have a higher calling and for them to get to their purpose, they only have to yield to the will of Magnar, even when they do not understand his plans at the moment. I think the book adopts the beliefs of life after death, immortality, and true submission to God. It stresses the importance of forgiveness and true repentance. This is seen in the case of Desiree's foster father. Additionally, this book is laced with light humor. I especially love the part where Rafikki, Djmon, and Makalo played a prank on Zach by making him think that they were shadow snatchers. The twist got me rolling with laughter.
The negative aspect of the book was that there were lots of little errors that could have been avoided by proper editing. Also, the name Rafiki is spelled both "Rafiki' and "Rafikki' in the book. These two variations are used repeatedly. So I picked one spelling while writing my review. Apart from this, I love every chapter in this book. I intend to read the next book in the series.
I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. I had to remove one star because I found so many errors in it.
I recommend this book to lovers of science fiction and adventure.
******
Kalani
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Kalani: Shadows of Destiny by Jolene Fine is a science fiction novel chronicling the journey of Zach and Desiree towards letting go, submision, and acceptance of their fate in a land known as Kalani.
The story is set on Kalani, a fictitious land where everyone is immortal. Zach opens the story, having been denied his petition once again. At the observatory, he makes up his mind to go after his girlfriend, Gretchen, who is on Therma. Desiree, on the other hand, has been moved from home to home without permanence. She craves family and loves Yu. However, both Gretchen and Yu are not within reach of Zach or Desiree. Along the way, in his quest to save Gretchen, Zach disobeys Magnar and refuses to bend to his will. This costs him his liahona. A prophecy surrounds Desiree and it begins to manifest after she battles the soldiers of Awry. Would these two different people, with destinies linked together, be able to overcome their personal interests and submit to Magnar in order to achieve a higher purpose?
Kalani: Shadows of Destiny is not your typical light-versus-dark story. It embodies more than that. The author writes about leaving one's past, no matter how glorious or sad it is and submitting to a higher authority. Jolene Fine takes us to an entirely different world. In her world, the saved ones have a higher calling and for them to get to their purpose, they only have to yield to the will of Magnar, even when they do not understand his plans at the moment. I think the book adopts the beliefs of life after death, immortality, and true submission to God. It stresses the importance of forgiveness and true repentance. This is seen in the case of Desiree's foster father. Additionally, this book is laced with light humor. I especially love the part where Rafikki, Djmon, and Makalo played a prank on Zach by making him think that they were shadow snatchers. The twist got me rolling with laughter.
The negative aspect of the book was that there were lots of little errors that could have been avoided by proper editing. Also, the name Rafiki is spelled both "Rafiki' and "Rafikki' in the book. These two variations are used repeatedly. So I picked one spelling while writing my review. Apart from this, I love every chapter in this book. I intend to read the next book in the series.
I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. I had to remove one star because I found so many errors in it.
I recommend this book to lovers of science fiction and adventure.
******
Kalani
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon