Goose Reads 2023! (Closed)

Week 36 - Mythic Kingdoms

Week Thirty-Six - September 3rd - September 9th

Title: Mythic Kingdoms 

Author: wera_nyooms (won't let me tag for some reason)

Genre: Chick Lit

Number of Chapters: 32

Completed? Yes

Link (Added as an in-line comment):

Blurb:

The release of the newly developed headset, known as SoulDive, reignites interest in virtual reality massive multiplayer online role-playing games (VRMMORPG). Mythic Kingdoms (MK), a recent game offered on the new console, provides players the opportunity to traverse fantastical worlds inspired by mythologies around the world and interact with artificially intelligent characters that behave like real people.

The game's fun comes to a halt when everyone ends up trapped in the game. With the "log-out" button disabled, the only way to escape is to complete MK's one hundred and fifty levels. To make matters complicated, players learn that in-game deaths will leave them in a permanently catatonic state.

Mai Chongrak is among the thousands of players trapped in MK and is determined to overcome the game's challenges. When she first logs in, she notices she has an ancient grimoire in her inventory called the "Book of Fate" that no one else seems to have. It contains the history of MK's worlds, but also serves as a powerful spell book to the first mage, the Enchanter. With her guild, they uncover a sinister plot concocted by an evil organization known as Venomous Hearts, who have captured the hearts of the Goddesses of Light in order to conquer MK and break out of the game to wreak havoc on reality.

Mythic Kingdoms" is a virtual reality gaming novel inspired by KINGDOM HEARTS and the light novel, SWORD ART ONLINE by Reki Kawahara.

Goose's Thoughts:

We've reached Week 36, September is upon us, and the videogames are starting to fight back and push our knowledge of Greek mythology to the limit!

I absolutely love the integration of Green Mythology throughout this story and how the sperate myths all weave together throughout to create the videogame levels our characters follow. It was really fun to see the myths come to live, but to also help solve them in the case of Orpheus and Eurydice. The reader doesn't need to know about the myths in order to follow the story and Wera does a great job of interweaving the story of the actual myth into the main narrative without it taking away from the story itself. 

Our main character, Mai, is an interesting one to say the least. Before she finds herself stuck in the Mythic Kingdom's game, we get a small snapshot of her life at home. We don't see too much, but it's enough to establish her relationship with her mother, grandmother and brother. This really adds a lot to her character since most of the time she comes across as being quite cynical which makes a lot of sense when you see how she was raised. 

The cynicism she displays strongly juxtaposes her character with those in her Guild once we enter the world of Mythic Kingdoms, specifically, Braeden. He shows a lot of trust and kindness to the NPCs in the game and to the members of the Guild, including Mai who is less then impressed with him. Although he seems like a decent guy, Wera manages to leave us questioning whether his motives are legitimate. There are several instances where his behaviour left me questioning whose side he was on and just what his motives were.

Wera's descriptions throughout the story are amazing and I loved seeing the world come to life. She goes into so much detail about each character description, and setting that they leap of the page, especially those in game. The details she offers help to set the mood of the overall story as well, and I especially like the descriptions given when our characters enter the Elysian Fields. 

If you're looking for a story that really plays into mythology, and one that will leave you with a lot of questions that you desperately want answers to, then this story is for you. It's so beautifully crafted throughout and each chapter will leave you wanting to know what happens next and just where our Guild will find themselves.

Thank you for writing such an amazing story, Wera!

-Goose