Review of Tzia
Posted: 20 Jun 2023, 21:50
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Tzia" by Mister Sanamon.]
Older siblings are known for getting privileges before their younger siblings while the less mature children watch with envy, and Galatéa and Agatha are no different in the exciting book, Tzia: The Book of Galatéa, by author Mister Sanamon.
In this tale, Galatéa is told that there's a whole exciting and hidden world that she, as the eldest, is to visit on her fourteenth birthday. The youngest, Agatha, is prone to bad moods and misbehavior, so hearing about Galatéa's adventure sends her spiraling. What follows is an interesting but scary trip to another land for Galatéa while Agatha tries to find her and stop her on her quest. Does Agatha catch her? Do the siblings make up? Or do matters only get worse? You'll have to read this fun yarn to find out.
Tzia is very reminiscent of classics like Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, yet it is definitely its own story. I was fully engaged while reading and couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what would happen next. Even though I'm much older than the middle-grade crowd this is meant for, I also occasionally had to peek through my fingers to read! As an older adult, I appreciated the tale's underlying themes, like family, confidence, generational blessings and curses, and good versus evil as well.
My favorite thing about the land of Tzia was its magic and ability to protect itself from would-be trespassers as well as its alternate idea of time. The puzzles that Galatéa had to solve were also intriguing and set my cerebral gears turning. The characters were all interesting, and I didn't feel that any did not earn their keep. North, in particular, made me smile a lot, but I also had soft spots for PumPum, a talking and rhyming cat, and Myrto, an old lady who Theodora (who'll be the main character in Book Two) meets aboard a plane. The enemies were also well drawn, and the witches, as well as The Vicious, all had me cackling in laughter. I look forward to spending more time with Theo and the lion in the next book too.
Tzia had a smattering of beautiful illustrations by Zsófia Ötvös that I spent a good deal of time poring over as well. I would have liked pictures of other scenes and characters, but it's not a picture book, so I understood that not everything could be drawn.
Unfortunately, Tzia was tarnished by its lack of professional editing. The author had a terrible habit of hyphenating everyday words that don't call for it, like "be-sides," "de-meanor," "harsh-ly," and a host of other words, and it got to be very distracting. There were also a few issues with capitalization and incorrect word usage that may have been typos. I highly suggest Mister Sanamon hire professional editors for the rest of the series so it can really shine like the gem it is. For this reason, I am rating the book 4 out of 5 stars, but I also want to give it a grade A for content.
Since this book is meant for younger readers, there are no sexual situations or profanity, but there is some mild violence though it's not graphic. I therefore wholeheartedly recommend Tzia: The Book of Galatéa for middle-grade readers, fans of classic children's tales, adults who love stories featuring outlandish lands, and bibliophiles who cannot get enough of witches and other fanciful creatures.
******
Tzia
View: on Bookshelves
- PumPum, Tzia: The Book of GalatéaWinds from the east, moon copper gold,
I'll tell you a story that's never been told.
Older siblings are known for getting privileges before their younger siblings while the less mature children watch with envy, and Galatéa and Agatha are no different in the exciting book, Tzia: The Book of Galatéa, by author Mister Sanamon.
In this tale, Galatéa is told that there's a whole exciting and hidden world that she, as the eldest, is to visit on her fourteenth birthday. The youngest, Agatha, is prone to bad moods and misbehavior, so hearing about Galatéa's adventure sends her spiraling. What follows is an interesting but scary trip to another land for Galatéa while Agatha tries to find her and stop her on her quest. Does Agatha catch her? Do the siblings make up? Or do matters only get worse? You'll have to read this fun yarn to find out.
Tzia is very reminiscent of classics like Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, yet it is definitely its own story. I was fully engaged while reading and couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what would happen next. Even though I'm much older than the middle-grade crowd this is meant for, I also occasionally had to peek through my fingers to read! As an older adult, I appreciated the tale's underlying themes, like family, confidence, generational blessings and curses, and good versus evil as well.
My favorite thing about the land of Tzia was its magic and ability to protect itself from would-be trespassers as well as its alternate idea of time. The puzzles that Galatéa had to solve were also intriguing and set my cerebral gears turning. The characters were all interesting, and I didn't feel that any did not earn their keep. North, in particular, made me smile a lot, but I also had soft spots for PumPum, a talking and rhyming cat, and Myrto, an old lady who Theodora (who'll be the main character in Book Two) meets aboard a plane. The enemies were also well drawn, and the witches, as well as The Vicious, all had me cackling in laughter. I look forward to spending more time with Theo and the lion in the next book too.
Tzia had a smattering of beautiful illustrations by Zsófia Ötvös that I spent a good deal of time poring over as well. I would have liked pictures of other scenes and characters, but it's not a picture book, so I understood that not everything could be drawn.
Unfortunately, Tzia was tarnished by its lack of professional editing. The author had a terrible habit of hyphenating everyday words that don't call for it, like "be-sides," "de-meanor," "harsh-ly," and a host of other words, and it got to be very distracting. There were also a few issues with capitalization and incorrect word usage that may have been typos. I highly suggest Mister Sanamon hire professional editors for the rest of the series so it can really shine like the gem it is. For this reason, I am rating the book 4 out of 5 stars, but I also want to give it a grade A for content.
Since this book is meant for younger readers, there are no sexual situations or profanity, but there is some mild violence though it's not graphic. I therefore wholeheartedly recommend Tzia: The Book of Galatéa for middle-grade readers, fans of classic children's tales, adults who love stories featuring outlandish lands, and bibliophiles who cannot get enough of witches and other fanciful creatures.
- PumPum, Tzia: The Book of GalatéaThe purpose of the storm, to create or destroy
Depends on its creator, their anger or joy.
******
Tzia
View: on Bookshelves