Snow City

 

I was provided a print copy of Snow City by G. A. Kathryns for review.

Our heroine, Echo Japonica, wakes up in the city (Snow City) of her dreams and fantasy. The story follows her integration into the city and the discoveries she makes about herself and her dream world along the way.

At first I thought; "okay a Twilight Zonie kind of story, I'm in". I was disabused of that idea rather quickly. The depth of this book is extraordinary. Author Kathryns mastery of the written language is so powerful. She is able to bring the reader both the heartbreaking and heartwarming experiences of the characters. There are books that transport the reader and then there are books, and Snow City is a stellar example, that transform the reader. We become a participant (benign) in the story, we experience not just witness . It is a story of relationships, agape love, the power of music and so much more. 

As I avoid spoilers, I will share that Echo meets and befriends characters who take us in very non-traditional directions (not from a social justice view) that are refreshing and uplifting.

The story often highlights various music pieces being played by Echo. I am in fact listening to the most predominant piece as I write this: Bach's Chaconne in d minor on guitar (beautiful). Our author obviously has musical talent as well as story telling talent.

Suffice to say I did not expect to be drawn so completely into the story. I found it at times soul-shatteringly heartrending and at other times so powerfully uplifting. The book contains 16 chapters. I only point this out because at the conclusion of chapter 13, I thought the story felt complete. I was so wrong. 

I could have gone on and said "nice book" at that point, but our author had other ideas. She took the story to such a level beyond a simple ending that stunned me as a reader. As I continued, I found myself saying; "wow" over and over again. I enjoy a lot of books but it is not often that I find myself  so strongly affected. Snow City knocked me out. Thank you G. A. Kathryns for such a moving experience. Enjoy!

Mike