Man of the Mountain

A wonderful, character-driven fantasy featuring a world with a deep history and wonderful worldbuilding along with a trans main character whose personal journey is the very soul of the narrative.

-The BookLife Prize

BookLife Prize - 2023

Plot/Idea: 8 out of 10

Originality: 9 out of 10

Prose: 8 out of 10

Character/Execution: 10 out of 10

Overall: 8.75 out of 10

Assessment:

Plot/Idea: The Path to Vihaan is a slowly-paced tale following the life of the elf Vihaan as he explores his identity and learns long-held secrets about his world that could change absolutely everything.

Prose: Lyrical prose paints a fascinating world while dialogue elevates the story, providing a wonderfully handled aspect of characterization. The narrative flows seamlessly through Vihaan's childhood, teenage, and young adult years, never once falling into an awkward time jump.

Originality: A fantasy adventure unfolds when the young Vihaan, already struggling with his parents accepting that he is a boy who simply happened to be born into a female body, finds himself accidentally bonded to an ancient, magical weapon of unparalleled power-a soul Hilt. Worldbuilding unfolds naturally, crafted through the Vihaan's own discoveries and the memories of the ghost Theia.

Character/Execution: Main character Vihaan is treated with immense love and care, his personal journey and character development propelling the story forward. Readers will find themselves quickly invested in Vihaan along with the more minor characters he meets, all of whom prove major influences on both the plot and Vihaan himself.