Official Review: Sorcerers' Prayer: A Trilogy
Posted: 08 Jul 2020, 07:25
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sorcerers' Prayer: A Trilogy" by Luigi N. Spring.]
Sorcerers' Prayer: A Trilogy: Book 1 - Sacred Idol by Luigi N. Spring can be defined as a supernatural thriller because the villain is an immortal man who has deep knowledge of Hawaiian magic rituals. He was forgotten after he had disappeared in the 1800s, but he's still alive and he came back to take revenge on the descendants of the person he thinks he was wronged by. In 2014, when a man is killed following a complex Hawaiian ritual, Dr. Kawika Kinimaka-Ka'ahalewai, aka Dr. Triple K, an anthropology professor, is called by the local police to work as a consultant. The investigation turns out to be dangerous for him too.
This novel can be labeled in various ways as the author mixed various genres. There's no doubt that its Hawaiian setting is memorable. It's not just that the story is set mostly in Hawaii, it's that the Hawaiian "flavor" fills it up. Words in Hawaiian language and references to Hawaiian culture are present throughout the novel accompanying the plot's developments.
The villain is a Hawaiian man nicknamed the Judge because for some time in the 1800s he was indeed a judge. He learned deep secrets of Hawaiian religion and magic, to the point that he found a fountain of youth and became an immortal. A professor of anthropology with a deep knowledge of Hawaiian history and culture ended up becoming his main adversary.
This is not your usual crime thriller, and the supernatural element is just the most obvious one the author added. The murders are accomplished complying with a very precise ritualism to appease the Hawaiian god Lord Kaha. The ritual is quite brutal, so particularly sensitive readers might be disturbed even if the author described only the details that are relevant to the story. Despite that, the novel is full of humor, often dark, sometimes over the top, that adds a strong comedic component.
The important characters are well developed, also through their speech patterns. In the dialogues, the author included a lot of vernaculars and words in various languages that include Hawaiian and Japanese for characters of Japanese heritage. That means that the characters have their own recognizable "voice."
My only problem with this novel is that the plot development is uneven, affecting its pace. For example, when the story is just taking off after the beginning of the initial murder's investigation, there's a whole chapter about Detective Adams from the Honolulu Police, the cop in charge of the investigation, telling his backstory from the 1970s. I found that some other bits and pieces of the novel were of little or no use. In my opinion, a tighter plot development would have helped to keep a steady pace.
Despite this issue with some of the author's choices, Sorcerers' Prayer: A Trilogy: Book 1 - Sacred Idol is a novel I found intriguing for its beautiful setting and the many twists that can recapture the readers' attention even after some digressions. It contains some grammar and punctuation errors, but they didn't detract from my enjoyment. I think that its merits outweigh its flaws, so my rating is 3 out of 4 stars. It contains profanities and some milds sexual references that, together with some gory descriptions, make it suitable for adults. Note that it has an open ending as there will be more developments in its sequels. If you're looking for a supernatural mystery in an exotic setting, this is the novel for you.
******
Sorcerers' Prayer: A Trilogy
View: on Bookshelves
Sorcerers' Prayer: A Trilogy: Book 1 - Sacred Idol by Luigi N. Spring can be defined as a supernatural thriller because the villain is an immortal man who has deep knowledge of Hawaiian magic rituals. He was forgotten after he had disappeared in the 1800s, but he's still alive and he came back to take revenge on the descendants of the person he thinks he was wronged by. In 2014, when a man is killed following a complex Hawaiian ritual, Dr. Kawika Kinimaka-Ka'ahalewai, aka Dr. Triple K, an anthropology professor, is called by the local police to work as a consultant. The investigation turns out to be dangerous for him too.
This novel can be labeled in various ways as the author mixed various genres. There's no doubt that its Hawaiian setting is memorable. It's not just that the story is set mostly in Hawaii, it's that the Hawaiian "flavor" fills it up. Words in Hawaiian language and references to Hawaiian culture are present throughout the novel accompanying the plot's developments.
The villain is a Hawaiian man nicknamed the Judge because for some time in the 1800s he was indeed a judge. He learned deep secrets of Hawaiian religion and magic, to the point that he found a fountain of youth and became an immortal. A professor of anthropology with a deep knowledge of Hawaiian history and culture ended up becoming his main adversary.
This is not your usual crime thriller, and the supernatural element is just the most obvious one the author added. The murders are accomplished complying with a very precise ritualism to appease the Hawaiian god Lord Kaha. The ritual is quite brutal, so particularly sensitive readers might be disturbed even if the author described only the details that are relevant to the story. Despite that, the novel is full of humor, often dark, sometimes over the top, that adds a strong comedic component.
The important characters are well developed, also through their speech patterns. In the dialogues, the author included a lot of vernaculars and words in various languages that include Hawaiian and Japanese for characters of Japanese heritage. That means that the characters have their own recognizable "voice."
My only problem with this novel is that the plot development is uneven, affecting its pace. For example, when the story is just taking off after the beginning of the initial murder's investigation, there's a whole chapter about Detective Adams from the Honolulu Police, the cop in charge of the investigation, telling his backstory from the 1970s. I found that some other bits and pieces of the novel were of little or no use. In my opinion, a tighter plot development would have helped to keep a steady pace.
Despite this issue with some of the author's choices, Sorcerers' Prayer: A Trilogy: Book 1 - Sacred Idol is a novel I found intriguing for its beautiful setting and the many twists that can recapture the readers' attention even after some digressions. It contains some grammar and punctuation errors, but they didn't detract from my enjoyment. I think that its merits outweigh its flaws, so my rating is 3 out of 4 stars. It contains profanities and some milds sexual references that, together with some gory descriptions, make it suitable for adults. Note that it has an open ending as there will be more developments in its sequels. If you're looking for a supernatural mystery in an exotic setting, this is the novel for you.
******
Sorcerers' Prayer: A Trilogy
View: on Bookshelves
