Ekata: Fall of Darkness by Dominique LawMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really interesting read. It covered the concept of more than one world and portal travel nicely. It seemed to be set in present time with a present day Earth, but in the alternate world the people live simple, peaceful, clean lifestyles but they have unlocked advanced technology within nature and themselves. The people from the alternate world, Ekata, possess "powers" such as empathy, telekenesis, telepathy and other things that we would consider magical or fantastical abilities. For those on Ekata, those gifts are normal for people to have and regularly taught subjects in school. Where the book becomes a fantasy is the addition of the Pure Ones, unicorn like creatures who have powers and knowledge above and beyond what humans possess. The Pure Ones are major players in the plot.
Ekata follows our two main characters, Asher who was raised on Ekata, and Alexis who is native to Ekata but was raised on Earth for her protection. Asher has been having horrible visions for years, and he has be ostracized from his community because of them. He finds out on the day of his graduation that his visions prove that he is meant to help the chosen one end the war that has been going on for years and save not only his world but Earth as well. Asher is part of a prophecy but unlike most YA books, he isn't the chosen one, he has a major part to play in assisting the chosen one succeed in saving humanity. Alexis or Lexi, is actually the chosen one, daughter of two high priests of Ekata, is meant to stop the war her power hungry father has started. She has been hidden away since her birth on Earth so her father can't find her. The side characters were great and played just as much a part in the story as the main characters Asher's best friend Diavat and his trainer Blake are major contributors to the story line and the war, and both become great friends to Lexi. The Pure Ones aren't just some mythical magical creatures, they are major components to the story. I really liked that they were woven into the plot as opposed to some magical beings that just swoop in to save the day at the end. There is some great action as the the good guys face the bad guys. There are some cool mind bending tactics since everyone can use their minds to fight as well as their bodies.
The world building was excellent. The description of the environment made me feel like I was there. I do feel like the details of the story could have been a little more flushed out. There were times where there weren't enough details and the characters just either accepted what happened without explanation or just knew what happened and never explained why. Other times things were repeated or over explained. This just slowed the pace of the book for me. I felt the pace of this book could have been a little faster, but again that is personal preference.
Overall, I'm anxious to see where the next part of the story is headed. There is a ton of potential and plenty of places for the author to take us with this creative world and plot. If you like fantasy give this a try.
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