Rant & Rave- The Seventh World: Search for the Lost Keeper Book One by A.S McMillen

 Hello Everyone!

I'm back with my Rant & Rave for The Seventh World: Search for the Lost Keeper (Book One) by A.S McMillen.  This is the second book I'm reviewing for Paper Raven Books.

This book follows Evie, starting with her time in an orphanage, through her adoption, until a little after her 16th birthday.  Evie, as it turns out, is a descendant of Magnus (who features in the prologue), a great man, who knows the truth about Earth and the many galaxies, and was working to protect them.  Evie starts to learn the truth during a heritage trip to Ireland, where she meets another descendant of Magnus.  Her new friend helps Evie discover her true potential, as a savior of Earth and the rest of the Devas galaxy.  

So lets rave:

The writing in the book is straightforward and easy to follow.  I found myself getting lost in Evie's world after only a few seconds, and, at times, had a hard time pulling myself out of the rich fantasy world.  The vocabulary is not exceptional, but the use of everyday language adds to the ease of transition into the book. 

While the worldbuilding itself was nothing special (although it was unique), each part was well-described and left just the right amount to the reader's imagination.  A.S. McMillen does an excellent job of weaving the necessary descriptions into the plot without creating blocks of solely description.  Both as an avid reader and as someone that struggles with writing like this myself, I can appreciate when it's done right.

This novel is excellent for preteen and teenage readers, as well as adults that want a read with less intellectual strain.  My last book involved a lot of focus and thinking to understand the plot and repercussions of each character's actions.  The Seventh World doesn't take as much mental energy to get through, and is therefore a more versatile book.  I can pick it up without having to carve aside tons of time to dedicate to its pages.  

On to the ranting:

So this is related to my last rave comment, but sometimes the plot felt overexplained. While McMillen does a great job describing people and places, she sometimes uses Evie's thought process to "dumb down" the plot for the reader.  There is a thin line to tread here- the plot is elaborate and designed to take place over several books, so it's complicated- but I think it could have been explained less and still been sufficient.  At the very least, leave some room for the reader to brainstorm their own ideas about what is going on before explaining.  

Evie's thoughts seem elementary for her age.  I didn't notice much mental development between young, recently adopted Evie, and sixteen year old Evie.  Her thoughts don't seem any more elaborate, and her emotions are very defined, which also adds to the perception that Evie isn't a fully developed 16 year old character. It's possible that this is done to maintain her "innocent" image (which is pertinent to the plot), but, in my opinion, she can be innocent without sterilizing her thoughts and emotions of all hints of teenage behavior. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and, like I mentioned, it was a good mental break after my last novel.  I will certainly read (and review) the sequel at some point.  I think A.S. McMillen is a promising new author, and I'll certainly look into any books she puts out in the future.  

My next book will be another Owlcrate book, The Ones We're Meant to Find, by Joan He. Remember to let me know if you'd like to be added to the email address list and get content notifications in the future!

Thanks for reading and, as always, let me know what you thought of the book or my review in the comments!

Dana