Mayatte's Catharsis : A Feathered Serpent Reborn by Jack E MohrMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I was provided an ARC of this book via the author, all opinions are my own.
This is a short fantasy novella that takes place on a mystical island that is hidden from the present day world by the will of Mayatte. Mayatte is a an entity that the inhabitants of the island worship and in turn she protects those under her care. Our main character Naña is young and training to be a full fledged member of society in her village and has not gone through all of the trials of her people but she has full faith in Mayatte. This comes into play when 3 outsiders show up on the island, which is normally hidden from the sight of those not in service to Mayatte. Naña quickly notices that they are in need of help and trusts that Mayatte has a plan for all of them. This leads to a very interesting adventure that almost feels like it might be a dream. As she tries to save the men, she must also save her home from those that would destroy it for profit. She must trust in Mayette to guide her to do what is right to save her home and her people.
Because this is only around 90 pages we don't get the full background and mythology that we would have gotten in a full length novel, and because I'm a huge fan of that type of stuff I would have liked more of that. Given that this is a shorter story, we get great world building and only a glimpse of the culture and belief system of Naña and her people. That left me with some questions and confusing moments but it wasn't enough to take me out of the story. The author does a wonderful job describing the islands and the creatures we encounter along Naña's journey.
If you are looking for a unique, fast paced fantasy that you can read in a sitting or two go check this out. I enjoyed the almost poetic writing style and the journey we go on with Zeke and Naña to explore both the good and bad of humanity.
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