Review: Intricately written fantasy masterpiece!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 19, 2014
In A Myth to the Night – Part 1, author Cora Choi cleverly crafted a fantasy world where mystery unfolds at every turn. It follows the story of Hugh Fogg, a young monk from the Order of the Crane who died in the 1615 massacre skillfully planned by the enemy known as the Order of the Shrike. Hugh comes back as as a phantom that roams the Stauros Island, which was now transformed into an elite University where students are promised a position of power upon graduation. Despite the massive changes in Stauros, Hugh vows to keep the prophetic myth of the Slayer of the Shadow fear alive. His eagerness has landed him in deep trouble when students he interacted with start to vanish without a trace.Let me just say that the young adult fantasy genre has had a resurgence, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, readers like me are given more of the same thing. So, it’s refreshing to have a unique story rich in imagery and intricately pieced together. The main character is engaging and well developed, and so are the supporting characters. There are  some dystopian concepts (tyranny, oppressive authority, etc.) that were injected into the fantasy world, which is quite clever, but perhaps a little complex for younger readers. The real feat is in combining all these without confusing the reader. Book 1 ends in a cliffhanger, but hints on a bigger and perhaps more dangerous adventure. The series has the potential to be a huge bestseller if the author breaks the mold further and does not fall too much in the trappings of its genre.