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| Cover retrieved from Goodreads page |
The Viking Throne is an Adult Dystopian Adventure.
My Goodreads review can be found here.
There is no Amazon review as I received this as a gift from the author and Amazon is finicky about that in their reviews.
**Please excuse any weird formatting on this post. Google was doing Google things and messed it up. Somewhat normal formatting will resume next month**
As per usual, anything that does not directly relate to the topic at hand will be written in this color.
This will be a little bit different than my other reviews. The first part will be a discussion about why putting yourself out there, even when it's not 'perfect,' is so important for Indie authors and how it can affect how your readers view you and your future stories. The second part will be an actual review of the story.
I don't remember how I first found JB Michaels, but I do know that I ended up on his email list (maybe from a group giveaway?). I was given two of his stories for free as part of being on that email list.
The first one was...not the most enjoyable experience. The e-book was formatted weirdly and had a lot of typos, so much so that I could barely understand what was going on to try and find some connection to the characters or plot.
The next one was a lot better in its quality. While it still had mistakes, it was an enjoyable read and was pretty cute. (Check it out here!) I could follow the story and watch the characters grow and was not distracted too much by typos and formatting issues.
Later, I was then asked if I wanted to review this story. As I had seen progress that he made between the two books I read, I accepted because I was interested to see the growth between the two books. I'm happy to say that this was even better than Tannenbaum, both in terms of story and in formatting.
The first one was...not the most enjoyable experience. The e-book was formatted weirdly and had a lot of typos, so much so that I could barely understand what was going on to try and find some connection to the characters or plot.
The next one was a lot better in its quality. While it still had mistakes, it was an enjoyable read and was pretty cute. (Check it out here!) I could follow the story and watch the characters grow and was not distracted too much by typos and formatting issues.
Later, I was then asked if I wanted to review this story. As I had seen progress that he made between the two books I read, I accepted because I was interested to see the growth between the two books. I'm happy to say that this was even better than Tannenbaum, both in terms of story and in formatting.
If you'll notice, the cover says that Michaels is a USA Today Bestselling Author. I'm not going to be talking about that in this review, because that is a self-explanatory goal and everyone has talked about that in writing.
What I am going to talk about is the progression of skill that I saw and how that should be the goal of any writer out there. Yes, I know. Highly ironic coming from a person who is mainly a reader vs. a writer.
Any person can get on a list. While we would like to think that these lists imply skill, this is not the case. See Exhibit A. Any person can find different ways to shortcut their skills. Any person can use social media skills and charm to sell a mediocre product.
Not many people can actually grow with their talents; whether it's because they give up before they can refine their talents or because they don't think that they need to grow, people give up when success doesn't come quickly. People don't like to show their imperfections. They don't like to show the hard work and mistakes that they make to get to the 'perfection' that others get to enjoy.
However, people forget that you can always go back and edit when you've grown in your skill. In fact, it can be a good thing for your brand: you can grow your reader base with what you have published, rewrite in the future, republish the book when you've gained more experience/skill, and then have a free/discounted weekend for new readers and allow for the previous readers to update their copy (if they have an e-version). While this does feed into some negative stereotypes about indie/micro-publishing, it is always easier to revise than to build your platform on something that isn't there.
So, if you're a writer, please believe me when I say: it is better to grow in the public eye and work on your platform than it is to hide until you're 'ready' and run the risk that 'ready' never comes.
Now for the actual review:
The story itself is interesting but slightly confusing. Because it is a stand-alone in a series, I'm willing to bet that a few of the other books handle the worldbuilding and each book is a piece of a puzzle. However, I am a big believer that books in this situation should be able to stand on their own and this struggled for a little bit.
I spent the whole book trying to imagine how things were placed, as there were mentions of 'non-sea' locations, such as the Eiffel Tower; I spent a good amount of time trying to figure out if there was a Sea!Eiffel Tower and a Land!Eiffel Tower, a Sea!Ireland and a Land!Ireland, etc., only to find out at the end that a lot of Earth is under water. While it's not that big of a deal, it probably should have been in the first couple of chapters instead of the last.
The characters were fun and they all connected well. Though I think they could have been explored a little more, they were not too one-dimensional and did help to make the reading experience fun. Each character has a desire and even though they may not be extravagant, they are universal and make sense within the story.
With this being said, the thing that makes me highly recommend this is its simplicity. While I'm all about having really dark characters, deep lore for the worldbuilding, and a story that lasts over three or more books, sometimes you need something that is straight to the point such as this story.
When you're a reader, you need to be able to slow down and take time to make sure that you're not trying to force yourself to enjoy the process. (Yes, reading is a process.) Reading, at its core, is a medium for connection. It is a way that you find common ground with another person, regardless if you agree all of the time or if you never agree. It is a way to learn about yourself through another's experience. It is a way to find that maybe the emotions you are feeling are more common than your brain is telling you.
You can't have this connection when you're too busy just trying to get through your TBR. You can't have this connection when you refuse to look at different genres than what you're used to. You can't have this connection when you don't take time to actively look at the story for what it is.
By taking time to read a simple story that is this direct, you are doing yourself a favor. Simplicity is refreshing for your brain, especially in this day in age where we have more detailed things to get more enjoyment out of things. You can actually just enjoy the story by not having to worry about trying to keep any secondary characters in the front of you brain in case they show up again in a sequel; you can focus on the journey of the characters and experience what they feel.
Finally, I want to clarify something: this story is simple because the directness, not because of any juvenile moments or missing elements. This is simple because it's a story with no genre frills. It does lean towards following a formula, but also enjoyable with good characters and a goal that keeps the reader invested.
I really enjoyed this story both times that I read it and I believe you will too if you keep a good mindset.
*****
I'll be reviewing Rise of the Altereds next time. See you then!
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