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cheericrow23's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
themoonreader's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
sagerin's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bookish_benny's review
3.0
Enjoy fantasy and sci-fi books but no-one to talk to? Come join The SFF Oasis, an amazing book discord! We have buddy reads, trilogy reads, live author Q&As, virtual badges to collect, Dungeons & Dragons, writer's cafe and much much more! It's completely free and very welcoming. If you'd like to talk about books with future friends you can join here: http://discord.gg/c2hXSP5MsX
On Lavender Tides caught my attention immediately with its beautiful artwork, designed by Baj Singh and Deranged Doctor Design. I love the colours, especially the blue/purple contrast. Then you've got adventurers in a little boat being overlooked by some kind of giant snow gorilla. It's a brilliantly designed book and a sure fire way to get attention to your self published story.
This is a Pokémon inspired novel and I say this with every meaning of the word. I love Pokémon as many of you do and Travis has taken the best bits of the idea and applied them to his fantasy world. There is a Poké watch, a Pokédex, legendary Jekua called Jenu and even a location called Route 4. (If GameFreak ever read it then there might be some legal questions being asked)
You have to make enough changes to make it your own and I think that Travis has done that, just. There are eleven different types of Jekua (Pokémon) and these aren't your standard types. The way that these are caught and summoned, controlled and 'evolved' (hybrids) are also unique. There are also 'gyms' but not in the same way, there are tournaments and other bits that many Poké fans will smile at.
So, if you love Pokémon then you might be able to forgive this book it's negative parts. There is a lot of tell and not show. There is also a lot of random writing that could be cut and after 50% I decided to just skim over or skip which ironically increased my enjoyment because the best part of this story is anytime the Jekua are involved, even if the battles and occurrences are a little predictable.
The characters are okay but don't fully capture your attention. At times they go off on their own little tangent and because information is repeated it can get a bit tedious and sucks the enjoyment out occasionally.
I'm not sure what age range you would suggest this is for. It's fantasy but not quite YA and not quite adult. I think this is something that will appeal to many people, especially because of the cover but I would just be warned that while this is a fun story, you are going to have to wade through a story that, to me, could have done with another edit with a professional editor to really streamline it. It has bags of potential and just didn't get executed properly.
This is a progression fantasy story though so maybe the other stories in this series will evolve.
On Lavender Tides caught my attention immediately with its beautiful artwork, designed by Baj Singh and Deranged Doctor Design. I love the colours, especially the blue/purple contrast. Then you've got adventurers in a little boat being overlooked by some kind of giant snow gorilla. It's a brilliantly designed book and a sure fire way to get attention to your self published story.
This is a Pokémon inspired novel and I say this with every meaning of the word. I love Pokémon as many of you do and Travis has taken the best bits of the idea and applied them to his fantasy world. There is a Poké watch, a Pokédex, legendary Jekua called Jenu and even a location called Route 4. (If GameFreak ever read it then there might be some legal questions being asked)
You have to make enough changes to make it your own and I think that Travis has done that, just. There are eleven different types of Jekua (Pokémon) and these aren't your standard types. The way that these are caught and summoned, controlled and 'evolved' (hybrids) are also unique. There are also 'gyms' but not in the same way, there are tournaments and other bits that many Poké fans will smile at.
So, if you love Pokémon then you might be able to forgive this book it's negative parts. There is a lot of tell and not show. There is also a lot of random writing that could be cut and after 50% I decided to just skim over or skip which ironically increased my enjoyment because the best part of this story is anytime the Jekua are involved, even if the battles and occurrences are a little predictable.
The characters are okay but don't fully capture your attention. At times they go off on their own little tangent and because information is repeated it can get a bit tedious and sucks the enjoyment out occasionally.
I'm not sure what age range you would suggest this is for. It's fantasy but not quite YA and not quite adult. I think this is something that will appeal to many people, especially because of the cover but I would just be warned that while this is a fun story, you are going to have to wade through a story that, to me, could have done with another edit with a professional editor to really streamline it. It has bags of potential and just didn't get executed properly.
This is a progression fantasy story though so maybe the other stories in this series will evolve.
hagbard_celine's review
2.0
It's a pokemon novelization with the serial numbers filed off. If that's your kind of thing.
ianthereader0's review
4.0
Check out my full video review here:
On Lavender Tides - Non-Spoiler Review
https://youtu.be/JJt_oeH1FHA
A fun, low-stakes, Pokémon inspired progression fantasy that was just the boost of serotonin I needed. This was a colorful and entertaining reading experience that I loved going through. It felt like I was discovering the world along with the characters.
While this book was not perfect, it delivered on what I expected of it and never ceased to amuse me. I recommend this book!
B- / 82%
On Lavender Tides - Non-Spoiler Review
https://youtu.be/JJt_oeH1FHA
A fun, low-stakes, Pokémon inspired progression fantasy that was just the boost of serotonin I needed. This was a colorful and entertaining reading experience that I loved going through. It felt like I was discovering the world along with the characters.
While this book was not perfect, it delivered on what I expected of it and never ceased to amuse me. I recommend this book!
B- / 82%
thewulverslibrary's review
4.0
On Lavender Tides is the nostalgic adventure novel by Travis Riddle that just screams Pokémon-esque adventure that is both dynamic and entertaining.
Ever since he was a kid, all Balt Vana wanted was to be a world-renowned Jekua Summoner like his grandmother, battling other Summoners in front of audiences of thousands. But from where he stands now, living up to the Vana name feels impossible.
When his best friend Alani, an initiate at the local Church, is sent on a pilgrimage to find her path in life and the god she will follow, Balt sees the perfect opportunity to launch his career by escorting her across the archipelago and its purple seas. The islands are filled with monsters to imprint and Summoners to battle, with every victory bringing him one step closer to his dream.
It will take more than just his family name to reach the same heights as his grandmother, but Balt won't stop until he does.
From the very start we know what has inspired this novel but it doesn't stop Riddle making changes that turn this into his own story. The characters are engaging, the plot is fast-moving and the world is so unique compared to other fantasy backgrounds. Riddle has started an adventure that takes us across islands and into the hearts of these characters. There is a homage here that is clearly related to Pokémon but this was more of a nostalgic gimmick than a rip-off and I’m eager to see where it goes. This novel has enough different aspects that may even be considered adult that I’m having plenty of fun learning everything.
That's not to say that this wasn't a drawback either. There were times where it felt like a novelisation rather than an individual story. The references are an intentional homage to our childhoods but Riddle does enough to keep this fresh. The ending did startle me with how abrupt it was but kept me intrigued enough throughout to continue with the series.
On Lavender Tides is an easy progression fantasy that will appeal to all readers and I'm excited to continue the journey.
Ever since he was a kid, all Balt Vana wanted was to be a world-renowned Jekua Summoner like his grandmother, battling other Summoners in front of audiences of thousands. But from where he stands now, living up to the Vana name feels impossible.
When his best friend Alani, an initiate at the local Church, is sent on a pilgrimage to find her path in life and the god she will follow, Balt sees the perfect opportunity to launch his career by escorting her across the archipelago and its purple seas. The islands are filled with monsters to imprint and Summoners to battle, with every victory bringing him one step closer to his dream.
It will take more than just his family name to reach the same heights as his grandmother, but Balt won't stop until he does.
From the very start we know what has inspired this novel but it doesn't stop Riddle making changes that turn this into his own story. The characters are engaging, the plot is fast-moving and the world is so unique compared to other fantasy backgrounds. Riddle has started an adventure that takes us across islands and into the hearts of these characters. There is a homage here that is clearly related to Pokémon but this was more of a nostalgic gimmick than a rip-off and I’m eager to see where it goes. This novel has enough different aspects that may even be considered adult that I’m having plenty of fun learning everything.
That's not to say that this wasn't a drawback either. There were times where it felt like a novelisation rather than an individual story. The references are an intentional homage to our childhoods but Riddle does enough to keep this fresh. The ending did startle me with how abrupt it was but kept me intrigued enough throughout to continue with the series.
On Lavender Tides is an easy progression fantasy that will appeal to all readers and I'm excited to continue the journey.
paperpaladin's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This self-published love letter to Pokemon is both enjoyable and also not enough. reading through this book left we with a lot of mixed feelings. On the one had I mostly enjoyed the characters, though they did feel a bit flat at times, the plot was alright, and the world building was well done. But the prose is hard to get through, mainly the flow. Often times sentences will jump from topic to topic within the same paragraph, making it hard to follow. The thing is there is a lot of explaining how this is Pokemon but also not dog fighting and working around the inherent problems that exist in Pokemon's world.
Overall it was a fun romp but also could have used some polish.
My rating system
1 - Did not enjoy
2 - Not irredeemable but has too many flaws to say I enjoyed
3 - Enjoyed it
4 - Great book but didn't love it
5 - Amazing book
Overall it was a fun romp but also could have used some polish.
My rating system
1 - Did not enjoy
2 - Not irredeemable but has too many flaws to say I enjoyed
3 - Enjoyed it
4 - Great book but didn't love it
5 - Amazing book
thero159's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0