Review of Omtola (Rave #god)

[Ngozi Onyibor]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Omtola (Rave #god)" by Awolesi Gideon.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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It is rare to find fantasy novels about Africans set in Africa, and that is what drew me to Awolesi Gideon's book, Omotola: Rave God. The story follows Omotola, a young goddess with limitless supernatural abilities, on her journey to fulfill a prophecy that was made long before her birth.

I loved the originality of the book's plot. So I was eager to see what the novel had to offer. But, sadly, the story was a little thin.

First, the book has fewer than one hundred pages, and the author packed as much action as possible into these short pages, making the story extremely fast-paced. However, the speed came at the expense of character development and a fleshed-out plot. As a result, the book reads more like a display of supernatural abilities than a story crafted for readers to get invested in.

Another of the book's weaknesses is that the story was told, not shown, which made it hard to care about the characters. Omotola, for instance, is the story's protagonist, yet little to no information is given about her family and childhood. Also, the cause of the obliteration of her original planet wasn't explained, nor was the reason her earthly parents seemed to know she was special. The inclusion of the details mentioned above would have enriched the book's plot. Lastly, the details about Moremi's defeat of "the dreadful Igbos" to take over the throne seem sketchy, considering the distance between her town and the Igbo region.

The book's premise is promising, but the execution needs more polish for its potential to be fully realized. The editing could also use an editor's expertise, as I spotted errors on every other page. However, despite its flaws, readers interested in African legends will find something to enjoy in the book. Hence, I rate it 3 out of 5 stars.

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Omtola (Rave #god)
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[Chris Agbara]

More reason why it is said never to judge a book by its cover. I was drawn to read this review because of the fascinating look of the cover. quite disappointing the author did not make the content worthy of the cover.

[Ukaegbu Confidence]

This books cover looks exceptional. Like the feeling im getting just from looking at it is etheral. I wonder what reading the book will feel like. Awesome review.

[OTrain Disene]

Aw, such huge let-downs to a book that was certainly promising. I hope the author updated the book because indeed books like these are rare.

[reviewerbook17]

This looks like a promising book but nevertheless I would still love to check it out.