Find the Girl, A Fantasy Novel Five-Star Review

 Find the Girl, A Fantasy Novel

 Find the Girl by Donan Berg immerses us in the whimsical story of Eta Dorcas. Eta’s world opens with a shocking discovery; after a trip to local caves with her grandma and younger sister Daria, Eta’s fingers suddenly begin to glow a bright blue. This shocks her – but she’s even more surprised to find that a creature has snuck into her backpack and escaped the cave with Eta and her family. We learn that the creature is a weasel who once lived as Eighteenth-Century Sailor, trapped in his animal form by a vicious curse.

 Find the Girl takes a magical turn into an expansive world where anything is possible. Eta and Ian, the boy-become-weasel, are suddenly entangled in a quest to free Ian from the curse that’s been put upon him by Greek seafarers. This quest leaves him with three important words: find the girl. We travel around the world and through time with the protagonists as they encounter different trials and creatures, challenging them to discover a cure for the curse before time runs out.

 This book was such a fun read. Eta’s voice is entertaining and joyful despite the strenuous trials she faces, and I loved seeing this magical world from her perspective. The bond she forms with Ian felt genuine and touching, and I found them both to be nuanced characters with relatable emotions among the fantastical setting. I enjoyed that the story left some open avenues where future tales could develop further from this intricate and well-constructed universe.

 I found the world presented in Find the Girl so unique. It was unlike any fantasy stories I’ve read previously, and I loved the specialized voice that came along with this brand-new view. However, I did find the beginning confusing as we’re thrust into this magical world without much description. Berg makes up for the heavy information by providing, detailed fantastical occurrences later in the story, as we meet new characters who give more context to the universe that’s been constructed.

 If you’re looking for a joyful and inspiring story that’s great for all ages, Find the Girl is your next perfect read. The story emphasizes how special it is to embrace wonder and change. It shows that when we care for one another and have the passion to help them, we might discover beautiful corners of the world along the way.

Literary Titan/Thomas Anderson

Literary Titan is an organization of professional editors, writers, and professors that have a passion for the written word.

Mystery versus Suspense. A writing Tip.

 Mystery versus suspense.

 Let’s differentiate the two in simple terms.

 Mystery concerns the past. There’s a body. Whodunit? This is a prime mystery example.

Suspense, on the other hand, concerns the future. What will happen? Who will be hurt?

 Your major character is about to lift a lid on a box.

 Is this mystery? Yes, if the box contains a clue.

Is this suspense? Yes, if the box has a poisonous snake ready to bite. But, and here’s the crucial point about suspense, the character must have an inkling a peril lurks.

How does that happen? Well, the writer could say the character faces death. But come on. That’s sophomoric, at best. There needs to be a build-up. The character’s boss may deal in poisonous snakes and this box returned from Egypt when the boss did. While the box may not say a poisonous snake is enclosed, perhaps the stamp of A.S.P. Co could be a foreshadowing? Maybe if the boss returned from the western USA, the character hears a rattle inside the box.

 The point for writers is: even if the character does not suspect to be hurt, the reader must be aware of potential adverse consequences for suspense to be created.

The reader must envision the possibilities. If the hero stands on the edge of a cliff, there’s no significant possibility he may fall, even die. If the hero stands there and a villain rushes towards him, the reader can assume the villain may push the hero. And, if that happens? The hero is in danger.

 As it has not yet happened, suspense can build. Add in a few other details, like the villain’s shout “you’ve breathed your last” or the hero’s foot slipping on a loose rock that cascades to the canyon floor below and there’s suspense.

 If you skip all that and a park ranger comes across a dead body on the floor of the canyon, well, we’re now dealing with mystery.

 Choose your approach. Yes, an unidentified villain can cause suspense by creating the death of a hapless individual and allow the story to migrate into a mystery.

This is a conscious choice. An author may choose. Yet, mystery and suspense live separate lives.

Visit Author Donan Berg at Award winning books .