Today, I am reviewing the Fantasy novel The Girl from Teacup Village by Michael Kanuckel. Our protagonist, Tessa Gardener, is a kilner (pottery maker) from the aforementioned village who has suffered family tragedies: her brother is dead, killed by a raging giant, and her father's mind is slipping farther and farther out of reach. When Seed Koga, the godlike figure responsible for administering seeds for planting to the lands, declares that some of her fellow villagers are to recolonize a nearby, shattered township, she can't hold herself back; off now on her first adventure, she soon comes to find out that not everything is the way she was made to believe.
I give this book a 4.75/5. Here is my breakdown.
Characters: 5/5. Magnificently done. Michael excellently delivers people that have real motivations, feelings, fears, and loves. I felt as if I was travelling alongside the group, sharing stories. Several times I felt surges of strong emotion, and it was purely due to the strength of these characters. A real strength of this novel.
Plot/Storyline: 4.5/5. Michael has written a tight, forward-moving plot that has strong verisimilitude and ties together well. I believed in the story and enjoyed reading it. There is one small inconsistency regarding the giants' behavior that I noticed, but that could also be explained away. Overall, fantastic.
Flow: 5/5. Michael has an obvious command of pacing in his work. The story flowed along very well and I was never bored or waiting for the next point, but it also didn't seem as if anything moved unrealistically fast. The fantasy "campsite scenes" which are so prevalent in the genre felt good and well-executed, giving needed background without dragging things out.
Spelling/Grammar: 4.5/5. The book has a simple formatting issue. The copy I have has margins that go too far into the page. I don't know why. Once one gets past that, everything else is excellently put together.
Overall: 4.75/5. My wife recommended this book to me after purchasing it from Michael. She hasn't yet read it, but I am thrilled that I can heartily return the recommendation with accolades and honors. The life of an indie author can be difficult, so I hope Michael keeps heart and pushes onward. He is a fine storyteller and the world is richer for his work.
If you liked my review, check out my books over at my main site: www.jasonpatrickcrawford.com/bookstore.html
Thanks as always, and keep reading!
