Greetings travelers of the Otherworld, and welcome to our absolute last stop of the year! We have had the absolute busiest year ever, and have been spending our time with tremendous talents, immense worlds, and compelling characters, but it is going to be spectacularly great to be closing out the year with one of our old friends in Olivia Thompson, who you might remember from a promo we looked at in early October. Well, now we’re back, for one more look for the skilled author, and one last look for the year. Read on to learn more about Child of Water: The Prequel.
In Olivia Thompson’s book, Child of Water: The Prequel, the author sets a different sort of foundation than one might find if they had read her book Child of Water: The Rousing. Indeed, the two can be read separately, giving the reader an understanding of the world that Thompson intricately carves out, yet these characters are often reflective of each other, an interesting foil for how one would act in other, strange circumstances. It’s still filled with raw emotion, some of which can be very mature, but it is tasteful and handled with the utmost respect by someone who is well aware of the position that a strong female character might find themselves in. While all of this narrative’s qualities are impressive, it is its characters that shine through, and they will have staying power long after the last page has been turned.
Yoshi Province was plagued with water scarcity. There, samurai were regional lords in name only; if their hans were in Yoshi, they lived as poorly as many peasants – all except for Daimyo Sokan Hiroyuki that is. Somehow, his land flourishes with wealth and prosperity. Has he been blessed by the kami or something else? The answer is Hiroyuki’s best-kept secret: he’s holding captive a woman who can manipulate water.
In this slow-burn romance, Aoi finds herself finally free to do whatever she wants, so long as she never leaves the land of Sokan. Yet, she’s haunted with flashbacks of her past. She’s tirelessly pursued by Hiroyuki’s immature heir, Kishomaru. And now, rumors of her powers are spreading to other clans so that her very life may soon be at stake. Through it all, Aoi is determined to remain true to herself – if she can ever come to terms with whom or what she truly is.
Child of Water: The Prequel surprises in all the best ways, subverting expectations and keeping readers on their toes. Everything feels earned though, the author clever with her craft, and deliberate in her presentation thereof. With the explosive grandeur of an anime-style story, but the impact of historical events, this tale will have wide appeal. An expressive world awaits those readers who join Aoi on her journey, and Thompson has kept up with her passion, releasing two more books in the series, with more yet to come. But it all starts with this lovely entry. Check out Child of Water: The Prequel (Female Protagonists Anime Stories) on Amazon today!