4 out of 4 stars
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This world is not the only one; at least that is what Patrick Borosky's The World of Ato would want you to believe. This book offers you a lot more than adventure and magic: it gives you a whole new world you may never want to leave, a world with interesting characters and—wait for it—a dragon!
Ato, a young girl who lives alone on a hill in the far end of the Crimson Kingdom, pours her heart and soul into her blank canvases. She stays in her studio most of the time, painting and sketching, not noticing the hours of the day. However, on this particular day, she abandons her little comfort zone and goes to the Azure Ruins to go on an adventure with her best friend, Reed. As they both explore the famous ruins, a powerful feeling suddenly overwhelms Ato. Before she knows it, she wakes up alone and cold in a dark cave. She then strays deeper into the cavern—only to discover another temple with magnificent murals. What Ato fails to realize is that the closer she gets to the heart of the temple, the farther she moves away from the life and the only world she had ever known.
First of all, this book is a bit fast-paced. The author knows when to take his time describing one scene and when to not go into full details. The plot was ever-changing with the surprising twists and turns. Also, every chapter is a page-turner; the ending of each one pulls all the strings of a reader's curiosity. Moreover, the dialogues are noteworthy: some were humorous and light-hearted, others were heartbreaking. Boredom has no room in these pages, the excitement and anticipation never dull out.
There were two aspects I liked in the book: the characters and the descriptive style. First off, the characters were well-developed and well-written. Their personalities were diverse and relatable. They have their own stories to tell, which made them more interesting individually. The character development was also superb. Furthermore, since most of the characters were children and young teens, their thoughts and the way they speak reflected their age—which was a good thing because it made them genuine and convincing.
Moreover, the descriptions in the book were incredible. They were vivid and intense, but not overpowering. Some books tend to describe every little detail to the point that it overwhelms the reader; however, the descriptions in this one were easy to follow. The magic effects in this book were also fascinating: you can easily picture out the scenes when they use it. The author's writing style in illustrating each scene is artistic and poetic, in such a way you could almost feel you are inside the world he had created. Also, the author used words like "accouraging": an obsolete form of the word "encouraging". It is a word used back in the 15th century, which was fitting considering that the setting was when knights and dragons were around.
The errors were little to none. Some of which were missing conjunctions and commas. Others were grammatical errors like using "was" instead of "were". However, these errors weren't too many to distract the reader and to affect the quality of the book.
I couldn't find anything that I disliked about The World of Ato. The only time I felt disappointed was when I was nearing its end. There were two reasons why: one, I didn't want it to end; and second, the villain didn't have enough exposure. However, that feeling was then replaced with eagerness as the story ended with a cliff-hanger—which was the perfect finish to the first book of the series. I think every reader will scream in anticipation and excitement upon reaching the last page. With that said, I give this book 4 out of 4 stars rating.
Artists, especially painters, would find this story relatable and inspiring. The creativity of this masterpiece would attract every reader out there in all ages, especially fans of fantasy and adventure. I wouldn't recommend it to people who don't like stories with magic and children as main characters; also to those who don't like stories with only a few action scenes.
Lastly, I give you one of my favorite lines in the book:
"Art was the expression of the artist's soul left bare for all to see—the single untarnished reflection of the world in the artist's eyes that no one could ever see otherwise."
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The World of Ato
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