Review by ElenaG -- Manasakd by Kelly May Andrews
Posted: 25 Mar 2020, 10:59
[Following is a volunteer review of "Manasakd" by Kelly May Andrews.]
Manasakd by Kelly May Andrews mostly follows a young girl named Tali who is a legendary new resident of the land of Manasakd, though some chapters are told from the point of view of several other characters. There is no large narrative story being told and this book seems to serve merely as an introduction to the characters and the vast, complicated world of Manasakd. There is a lot to know about this world, and much of the book must be spent explaining it as opposed to creating a narrative or intriguing and relatable characters. The primary conflict of the story is one that our main character Tali is not even aware of until the very end of the book, at which point it is immediately resolved.
I would rate this story as 2 out of 4 stars as it could be a valid jumping off point for a children's series but does not function well as a stand alone story. It jumps around and leaves the reader with lots of questions, many of which are not answered by the end of the book. It is confusing and unnecessarily complicated and the world within would be better revealed through a series of books or over the course of 600+ pages, instead of its current ~200 pages. My greatest complaint is that so much time is spent on world building, that the characters come off as flat in comparison. Their emotions and opinions sometimes change quickly without much explanation.
What Kelly May Andrews does well is setting the stage. If her intention with this story was to create a teaching tool for families and children then her goals are certainly noble and she should continue to work and develop this story for her purposes. The appropriate audience for this book is probably younger children, about 2nd-4th grade. There are no sexual scenes, but there is some cussing and strong language. Manasakd could use some revision and editing but it is certainly full of creativity and imagination.
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Manasakd
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Manasakd by Kelly May Andrews mostly follows a young girl named Tali who is a legendary new resident of the land of Manasakd, though some chapters are told from the point of view of several other characters. There is no large narrative story being told and this book seems to serve merely as an introduction to the characters and the vast, complicated world of Manasakd. There is a lot to know about this world, and much of the book must be spent explaining it as opposed to creating a narrative or intriguing and relatable characters. The primary conflict of the story is one that our main character Tali is not even aware of until the very end of the book, at which point it is immediately resolved.
I would rate this story as 2 out of 4 stars as it could be a valid jumping off point for a children's series but does not function well as a stand alone story. It jumps around and leaves the reader with lots of questions, many of which are not answered by the end of the book. It is confusing and unnecessarily complicated and the world within would be better revealed through a series of books or over the course of 600+ pages, instead of its current ~200 pages. My greatest complaint is that so much time is spent on world building, that the characters come off as flat in comparison. Their emotions and opinions sometimes change quickly without much explanation.
What Kelly May Andrews does well is setting the stage. If her intention with this story was to create a teaching tool for families and children then her goals are certainly noble and she should continue to work and develop this story for her purposes. The appropriate audience for this book is probably younger children, about 2nd-4th grade. There are no sexual scenes, but there is some cussing and strong language. Manasakd could use some revision and editing but it is certainly full of creativity and imagination.
******
Manasakd
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon