Another fantasy shoutout this week with 'Journey to the Kovu Territory' by AnnaKosten The first thing that will grab you about this one is its excellent cover image that tells you all you need to know: this is a story featuring one of fantasy's lesser represented creatures - griffons!
More specifically, it's a story about Jane – a girl who lives in a sanctuary with several sentient griffons in a far off land. The opening chapters concern her relationship with the griffon she's most bonded to (Flame) and the others she's surrounded by – each one with his or her own distinct personality. There's a tendency in fantasy to reduce wondrous creatures to simply pets, vehicles, or mounts for humans (looking at you, Game of Thrones!) but not so in this story. Here, there's a sophisticated social system and relationship dynamic between all the griffons that Jane is surrounded by – whether it's the maternal, compassionate Fire Feather (who also acts as the sanctuary's cook), the brooding, and untrusting Blackout, or the wise Elder Greystone. We see Jane interact with each of them as a human who can sometimes feel out of place but nonetheless is both a loyal and brave guardian of the skies.
Jane's relatively peaceful life is interrupted, however, by an urgent mission: she must take her sister, Princess Olivia, to the territory of the vicious Kovu and negotiate a peace between their kingdoms. Startled, anxious, but a little excited, Jane and Flame take off on a quest that will see them soar through the skies of their realm, scale treacherous castles, and do battle with the nomadic warriors of the Kovu themselves.
It's a strong premise, and what makes this tale even more engaging is the writer's command of sentence structure – short, laconic sentences have been employed that grip the reader from the opening chapter to the most recent release. Sky battles and engagements between griffons and humans are told with nail-biting detail, and you'll find yourself pushed to click on and continue the story with the wealth of strong cliffhangers you'll see at the conclusion of every chapter. It's difficult to pull off this effect of keeping the reader engaged over several battles in more than one chapter, but the editing of this story manages to keep pace with your expectations every time.
The story is currently ongoing and every chapter only gets more exciting. Jane and Flame's relationship is one not between master and pet, but between equals that complement each other well. If you've read my work you know I'm a big fan of animal-human camaraderie and you'll find that here whenever Flame cracks a joke to cheer Jane up or Jane cuddles her friend in the small moments of respite they have on their journey.
Take to the skies and follow these adventurers because their quest has only just begun! You can find the story here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/307680649-journey-to-the-kovu-territory
YOU ARE READING
Milestones and Visions
Non-FictionA breakdown of both milestone celebrations on Wattpad and a place to see concept artwork and images that inspire me (and might even prove helpful in your own writing!) I also will be sharing some writing activities I've found useful, so check these...
