Book Review: The Quest for Óg

Hey everyone! I’m back! I did have a week’s absence there because… well, I got really busy that day and was gone. Then I couldn’t figure out if I should do a certain post on my blog or newsletter, and just decided to take a break for the week.

Now, normally this week I would do my “What Book Should I Read” post, however the poll has been acting up the last two months for some reason, and I can’t figure out how to fix it. At any rate, I will just be doing my book reviews from now on, on the regular schedule. But for today, I have a special book review on the book The Quest for Óg, which the author kindly sent me a copy to review! So shoutout to Camille Caliman for asking me to do this!

As always, I will be writing the first review based off the content of the book, and the second review is my personal one. This review may have spoilers, so be warned!

The Synopsis (Taken from Goodreads)

A Celtic-Japanese fairytale featuring a kindhearted giant and an abandoned girl.

In the forests of Cambrai, a caravan is on fire, with a lone girl inside. While she does escape, the flames don’t go unnoticed. Which leaves Sadira, after narrowly escaping, face to face with a giant. A giant who speaks eloquently. A giant who puts out the fire. A giant who’s in need of a favor. Being a lady of honor, she agrees, but she has no idea what’s in store for her. Because the past always has a way of clawing into the present, and everyone has something to hide. 

Journey through the forests and lands of Cambrai, as Óg and Sadira try to reclaim what was lost and restore what’s been broken.

Content Review:

Postitive Messages: As told in classic fairy tale form, the main plot can be summed up as good vs evil, and ultimately, good prevails. The main character, Sadhira, loves and respects her parents, and fights to be able to be reunited with them, recalling some of their teachings through her journey. She is willing to sacrifice her life for them, and, later on, it’s clear they are willing to do the same for her.

As for the second main character, Óg. He too is a kind man, although cursed by the Japanese version of an “evil witch”, a Kappa, to be a giant. He respects and learns from his mentor, and keeps his promise to Sadhira’s parents to find her and protect her when they are separated. He is even willing to sacrifice himself so she can be with her parents and be happy again.

Of course, like in any fairy tale, the two fall in love. But they also get the full approval of Sadhira’s parents before officially getting together. As for Sadhira, she tells Óg, while in his giant form, that she’ll love him regardless of what he looks like, showing she saw his heart, not just his outward appearance.

There are also three brothers and a sister who help Sadhira in her quest early on. All four siblings are very close and love each other dearly.

Rating: 5/5

Spiritual Messages: There aren’t many spiritual messages in this story, other than the elements of Celtic and Japanese mythology mentioned. Sadhira is called a priestess, though I’m not sure of what, and can create things with a special paper and her power. Then, of course, there are the “evil witches” of the story, Kappas, which are like Japanese imps/demons, I guess? Nothing about them was much described other than their physical appearance, and only one did something, which was described as throwing a spell or something. Nothing more than the witches in European fairy tales do.

There are mentions of gods and goddesses, temples, and meditation, but nothing is ever dwelt upon or really explained about what they are and do.

Rating: 4/5

Romantic Content: I’m very picky with romance, so I will get more into my personal opinion of the romance below. Content wise, it’s pretty clean. The two main characters share a room once, but nothing happens between them. They kiss a few times, and Sadhira dreams of kissing someone. Óg is very flirtatious off the bat. The romance also progresses really quickly, which I didn’t care for.

Rating: 4/5

Violent Content: Personally, I didn’t notice too much violent content in this story. There are a few minor battles and of course, the climax battle, where the most violence is, but it’s hardly described. Two people block a lethal blow for someone, and a building caves in, almost crushing some people.

Rating: 4.5/5

Language: I saw one Ba- word. The rest was totally clean.

Rating: 4.5/5

Other Negative Content: I will mention some things in my personal review which may be negative for some people, but content-wise, there isn’t too much. My biggest complaint with the story wasn’t even with the story itself, but the description, or more specifically, the lack of it. I couldn’t picture a lot of the scenes and setting, and some of the description given about certain things, like Óg’s giant size, for example, really confused me. But content-wise, there wasn’t anything major.

Rating: 4.5/5

Total Content Rating: 4.42/5 Stars

Personal Review:

First I must say this was a cozy read! It kept my interest and the pace was fast but not rushed. It also lived up to the promise of the a fairytale style story, and though the story was written in present tense, the author executed it very well. The plot was fun and engaging, and some sections are delightfully humorous. The plot twist was one that should have been expected in the fairy tale genre, but it still mildly surprised me, so the author did that very well too, in my opinion!

As for the story, I liked the fact that the girl had an ability to write something and it happened. I also liked the fact that Óg was actually someone she knew as a child. And I loved the three brothers and their interactions (though I’m still wondering what their names are!) And I really liked how the author had the parents approve of the marriage.

However, there are a few issues I found with the story. Most are probably because I’m a writer myself and I notice things some other people might not. The main issue I found was the setting description. A lot of times, I couldn’t see the setting around the main characters, and sometimes I couldn’t tell what was going on. The giant’s description especially threw me off. First she’s only the size of his big toe and can fit in his pocket and hand, and uses a dreamcatcher as an earring, but then another time she uses her blanket (that covers her whole body) to cover his whole forehead. If she can fit into his hand and is only as big as his big toe… it wouldn’t be that large. Also Sadhira’s physical description wasn’t given until a hundred pages into the story and it really threw off my mental picture of her. Introducing it a little earlier might have fixed this.

There are also some occasional point of view violations. Like when Sadhira is supposedly hiding in his pocket, but says Óg is putting up a good fight, how would she know if she can’t see? Also there were a lot of fancy speech tags which distracted from the writing, and a few phrases confused me, which could use a little clarifying. In all, really a good line edit and a little more setting description would make this book shine even more than it does.

I did like the main characters, however, sometimes I felt they acted a little childishly. Their responses sometimes felt unrealistically delayed, like when someone blocks a lethal blow for Sadhira, she goes through this conversation with Óg before Óg asks about the people.

Finally, the romance. I’m very picky with my romance, with some I love, but most I end up hating. I didn’t hate the romance in this story, but I felt it was odd and rushed. Especially when the two parties involved are a lone girl and a bald, green giant. It felt like they met, spent a couple days together, and then fell in love. That is a common fairy tale trope though, so maybe that’s what the author was going for.

In all, though, it was an enjoyable read, and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes fairy tales, fantasy, and Celtic and Japanese mythology.

Personal Rating: 3.75 Stars

Does this book sound interesting to you? Do you know any facts about Celtic or Japanese mythology? What is your favorite fairy tale? Let me know in the comments below! God bless! ~ Kay