Title: The Unfettered Child
Author: Michael C. Sahd
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: August 28, 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Her tribe is shattered. Her parents are gone.
When eight-year-old Samara faces the capture of her tribe, an unimaginable power awakens within her. Even as this magic threatens to consume her, a disembodied voice intervenes, offering guidance and helping her control these newfound abilities.
Meanwhile, Samara’s father chases his wife’s captors across an unfamiliar terrain. But can Orin find his wife in time to save her? Will Samara learn to control her power and reunite with her family? And who is the mysterious entity traveling with her?
Why This Book
The Unfettered Child is the only book for which I have two reviews on this blog. As a self-published book, it initially fell into the category of self-published books where the writing just wasn’t great. (And probably like other reviewers of self-published books, have received some interesting comments back from the authors that have required ignoring because of that poor writing. Though I’d like to note that wasn’t this author.) Whenever I rate a book a 3 or lower, and whenever I lay out exactly why, I always worry about what the author will think of what I had to say. I’m thin skinned that way. But I was pleasantly surprised by Michael C. Sahd, who not only had some nice words about my review, but also went back and revised The Unfettered Child based on several reviews, and definitely made it a much better book. Prior to working with Sahd, I’d encountered some interesting authors, but I’m thankful to Sahd and his book for making me believe there are authors who can handle negative comments and improve their craft. I like to believe this is one author who really wanted to put the best story he could out into the world, and I’m so thankful to authors who do that.
Reviews
My review: “My biggest issue had been with Samara. Even though she’s eight, I felt her character never seemed to develop and complained she cried too much to get out of difficult situations. While I still felt she cried a little too much, it did think the crying was better placed. Or maybe the writing was just tighter so it felt like it belonged. I was also finally able to see the bits of growth she made. With more complexity to the writing, it was easier to see her as more than just a child.”
Tranquil Reader gave this 3 stars, saying “There was the odd occasions where this story seemed a little bit directionless – but once things started coming together; the book became interesting.”
Rae’s Reading Lounge said “This was a fun story with many elements of various magic. It was a unique fantasy that had a young girl at its center, and Sahd made it work.”
The Caffeinated Reader gave rated this 3.5, saying “Sahd gives us an intriguing world, and he casually gives us world-building without going too deeply and this works for the purpose of this story which at its heart is about a few characters and the connections they have, with each other and with magic in some way.”
Purchase Links
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Check out all the other books featured this month on The Curated Bookshelf.
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