Review by MegMoreland -- The Evolutionite Chronicles Boo...
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MegMoreland
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Review by MegMoreland -- The Evolutionite Chronicles Boo...
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Evolutionite Chronicles Book One: Dagger and Shadow Ninja" by Timothy Callahan.]
Tanaka and Daniel are brothers living in Haven, a place of superpowers, fights, villains and heroes. Ex Protectors, they used to work with a group of Haven’s Evolutionites: a race with superhuman boosts and powers. Now, under their alias’: Dagger and Shadow Ninja, they work together to protect and defend their clients, alongside running a package delivery service. In their latest job, the pair are tasked with protecting the future from potential destruction, and face multiple timelines, disguised villains and time travel. As they are pulled deeper and deeper into a war between the future, the present, and the time-travellers that can jump between the two, they struggle to know with certainty who can be trusted, and how their actions may impact and drastically change the future.
The Evolutionite Chronicles: Book One- Dagger and Shadow Ninja is likely to be most enjoyed by fans of Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction and Superhero literature, as it incorporates aspects of all three genres. My personal favourite aspect of the book is its fast pacing, as it provides an exciting read that is made compelling by the many plot-twists and unexpected revelations. Timothy Callahan’s use of humour in the narrative and dialogue makes for an enjoyable narrative and, repeatedly, a well-placed break from rising tensions.
I found the protagonists, Tanaka and Daniel, to be well written, with good characterisation; their interactions felt natural and, oftentimes, were very humorous. The strong relationship was established as a foundation for their success, and as a good motivation for both characters regarding their general decision-making throughout the book. This understanding of their motivation allowed the protagonists to feel more real and, therefore, made the read more compelling and tense.
The book, however, is not without problems. My least favourite aspect of the read was coming across so many technical errors such as spelling mistakes and grammatical mistakes. It did not, in my opinion, read as something that has been professionally edited, and my frequent uncovering of such errors was fairly distracting and enough to take me out of the story. It is for this reason that I would not recommend this book to anyone who feels as though grammatically lacking prose would be frustrating enough to them to make it impossible to focus on the story-line. Unfortunately, I would also note that I was somewhat disappointed with the lack of female representation in this book. There are no well-characterised or important female characters, with most of the inclusion of women emerging in the form of comments made by male characters about their attraction to the opposite sex. I cannot speak for further installments in the series, however, and I hope that, as it progresses, some well-developed women with motivations outside of romantic relationships emerge as part of the ongoing story.
To summarise, I would rate this book two out of four stars. This is because, although I enjoyed the fast-pacing and exciting twists, the grammatical and spelling errors detracted from my overall reading experience. Plus, the lack of any important female characters made it feel, to me, somewhat disconnected from a modern audience.
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The Evolutionite Chronicles Book One: Dagger and Shadow Ninja
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Tanaka and Daniel are brothers living in Haven, a place of superpowers, fights, villains and heroes. Ex Protectors, they used to work with a group of Haven’s Evolutionites: a race with superhuman boosts and powers. Now, under their alias’: Dagger and Shadow Ninja, they work together to protect and defend their clients, alongside running a package delivery service. In their latest job, the pair are tasked with protecting the future from potential destruction, and face multiple timelines, disguised villains and time travel. As they are pulled deeper and deeper into a war between the future, the present, and the time-travellers that can jump between the two, they struggle to know with certainty who can be trusted, and how their actions may impact and drastically change the future.
The Evolutionite Chronicles: Book One- Dagger and Shadow Ninja is likely to be most enjoyed by fans of Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction and Superhero literature, as it incorporates aspects of all three genres. My personal favourite aspect of the book is its fast pacing, as it provides an exciting read that is made compelling by the many plot-twists and unexpected revelations. Timothy Callahan’s use of humour in the narrative and dialogue makes for an enjoyable narrative and, repeatedly, a well-placed break from rising tensions.
I found the protagonists, Tanaka and Daniel, to be well written, with good characterisation; their interactions felt natural and, oftentimes, were very humorous. The strong relationship was established as a foundation for their success, and as a good motivation for both characters regarding their general decision-making throughout the book. This understanding of their motivation allowed the protagonists to feel more real and, therefore, made the read more compelling and tense.
The book, however, is not without problems. My least favourite aspect of the read was coming across so many technical errors such as spelling mistakes and grammatical mistakes. It did not, in my opinion, read as something that has been professionally edited, and my frequent uncovering of such errors was fairly distracting and enough to take me out of the story. It is for this reason that I would not recommend this book to anyone who feels as though grammatically lacking prose would be frustrating enough to them to make it impossible to focus on the story-line. Unfortunately, I would also note that I was somewhat disappointed with the lack of female representation in this book. There are no well-characterised or important female characters, with most of the inclusion of women emerging in the form of comments made by male characters about their attraction to the opposite sex. I cannot speak for further installments in the series, however, and I hope that, as it progresses, some well-developed women with motivations outside of romantic relationships emerge as part of the ongoing story.
To summarise, I would rate this book two out of four stars. This is because, although I enjoyed the fast-pacing and exciting twists, the grammatical and spelling errors detracted from my overall reading experience. Plus, the lack of any important female characters made it feel, to me, somewhat disconnected from a modern audience.
******
The Evolutionite Chronicles Book One: Dagger and Shadow Ninja
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Opaque by Calix Leigh-Reign
