NZ Kaminsky's Blog - Posts Tagged "metaphysical-fantasy"
Reviewed by Readers’ Favorite: 5 stars
"Sense of Home by NZ Kaminsky is an emotionally interwoven tale of literary fiction and mystical realism that beautifully explores themes of resilience, loss, family, and inner strength. The author does a great job of vividly expressing the experiences of Tyra, the young protagonist. I felt as if I was experiencing every mystical event through her eyes. The key theme is about losing one's homeland, both internally and literally, and having to rediscover one's sense of belonging all over again. Through dreams that merge reality and the supernatural world, this story paints a clear picture of the profound impact of grief and estrangement on a person's life. It is a reminder to readers that inner hurt can sometimes reshape a person's identity and even transform that individual from within. This compelling book is ideally suited for readers who enjoy reflective-style storytelling with a trace of the surreal. I fell in love with it, and you will, too.
In NZ Kaminsky's Sense of Home, young Tyra’s journey starts in calamity when dangerous beasts destroy her tranquil life in Azure. Ripped away from her once vibrant homeland, Tyra and her family become nomads, forced to survive in harsh, foreign lands and towns like Marigold and Moonvine. As they travel to these bleak lands, Tyra grapples with loss and estrangement. Slowly, the world begins to feel less like her home. Forbidden books and supernatural beings offer her a path forward, and in time, she discovers a magical doorway to the unknown. As Tyra matures throughout the story, her ability to travel to enchanted worlds increases, mirroring her inner turmoil and hopes to regain her sense of identity and meaning. Through dreamscapes and inner reflections, she gradually uncovers her true power, which has been dormant inside her all along. But is this power strong enough to fully heal her and guide her to where she ultimately belongs?"
Reviewed by Richard Prause for Readers’ Favorite
In NZ Kaminsky's Sense of Home, young Tyra’s journey starts in calamity when dangerous beasts destroy her tranquil life in Azure. Ripped away from her once vibrant homeland, Tyra and her family become nomads, forced to survive in harsh, foreign lands and towns like Marigold and Moonvine. As they travel to these bleak lands, Tyra grapples with loss and estrangement. Slowly, the world begins to feel less like her home. Forbidden books and supernatural beings offer her a path forward, and in time, she discovers a magical doorway to the unknown. As Tyra matures throughout the story, her ability to travel to enchanted worlds increases, mirroring her inner turmoil and hopes to regain her sense of identity and meaning. Through dreamscapes and inner reflections, she gradually uncovers her true power, which has been dormant inside her all along. But is this power strong enough to fully heal her and guide her to where she ultimately belongs?"
Reviewed by Richard Prause for Readers’ Favorite
A Sense of Home Receives 5 Stars from the Reedsy Discovery Team
Must read 🏆
Beautiful Evocative Magical Realism Novel About Lucid Dreaming, Creativity, Imagination, and Existentialism
N.Z. Kaminsky’s novel A Sense of Home: The Land of the Great Lakes lives up to its name. Once you open this beautiful lyrical book and fall into this bildungsroman of a young girl experiencing an ethereal, evocative world of lucid dreams, creativity, and imagination you will feel like you are coming home.
Tyra Blair lived in the city of Moss in the parallel world of Azure. It is much like our Earth with similar history, pop culture, and problems. One of those problems is war. When soldiers and their trained beasts attack Moss, Tyra and her family are forced to go into hiding in the town of Marigold, which is beautiful, but the people there are cold and unpleasant. In exile, Tyra's parents implode as her mother Scarlett becomes depressed and her father Logan retreats into alcohol. Tyra is forced to become self-reliant while dealing with trauma, nightmares, and aching loneliness. She can only find comfort in books and nature.
One day, she meets Koda, a friendly squirrel. He guides her to a mirror where she can visit her favorite books and stories. This experience opens up a brighter, lucid dream world. Her lucid dreams appear throughout her life as she grows and deals with many personal issues of loss, fighting parents, unemployment, unsatisfying romances, separation, war, tyranny, and death. These lucid dreams help her survive and dream of the day when she will leave it to join The Land of The Great Lakes. Not Minnesota, it is a fabled land of thought, imagination, and beauty that can only be reached by invitation.
This book is one that grabs readers' attention and holds on, causing them to remember the little details long after they are done, particularly Tyra's lucid dreams. They are definitely the highlights of this book.
Tyra and Koda’s trips into books delight any bookworm. The dui Lady Death trying to con her godson doctor into letting her kill his patient. A man confronts and is ultimately consumed by his Shadow Self..Grandfather Frost warms an abandoned maiden and many more. Through these experiences, Tyra is immersed into worlds of imagination, courage, adventure, and escape. The characters aren't content to wallow in loss and self-pity like her parents. Instead, they persevere and fight with strength, cleverness, and kindness. In doing so, they challenge the status quo and reshape the world. Through them, Tyra is inspired to find ways to reshape hers.
The book journeys aren't the only situations that Tyra's lucid dreams conjure up. She is able to befriend fantastic creatures like a pair of adorable furry monsters who would not be out of place in a Muppet special. She communicates with the deceased who send her wisdom that they were unable to when they were alive. They offer guidance on her path through signs, riddles, and visions. Her dreams not only provide an escape from a troublesome existence but gives her the means to survive it and aspire towards a greater path.
The best book to compare A Sense of Home to is another one that I recently read, The Art of Agony by Amy Felix. They are both coming-of-age stories about young women exploring the inner depths of their minds to survive during dismal, dark times, but the executions are polar opposites.
The Art of Agony is about Eva, the protagonist, becoming aware that the world is a dark, meaningless place, even her own mind can't be trusted, and no one cares about how she feels. In A Sense of Home, Tyra's mind is opened to more enlightened possibilities. She sees a world beyond the one in which she lives that gives her a sense of purpose and a more meaningful existence.
While The Art of Agony is a more cerebral, introspective perspective, A Sense of Home is a fuller, more evocative, ethereal, and more intelligent perspective. It is one thing to come to the realization that life is hard and everything is stacked against you, but it is another to admit that but to find some meaning, purpose, and value in it anyway. That's why in some ways A Sense of Home is more mature than The Art of Agony, which, while excellent in exploring angst and the source of it, can also be lost in, overwhelmed by, and consumed by that same angst. Why bother doing anything at all if nothing matters? Why bother writing about it?
A Sense of Home tells us that what we dream about, long for, hope for, create, inspire, love, and bring to life is enough of a reason. If we are only a spark in this vastness in the universe, then we might as well find something that isn't harmful and gives us contentment and some kind of pleasure about being alive.
Beautiful Evocative Magical Realism Novel About Lucid Dreaming, Creativity, Imagination, and Existentialism
N.Z. Kaminsky’s novel A Sense of Home: The Land of the Great Lakes lives up to its name. Once you open this beautiful lyrical book and fall into this bildungsroman of a young girl experiencing an ethereal, evocative world of lucid dreams, creativity, and imagination you will feel like you are coming home.
Tyra Blair lived in the city of Moss in the parallel world of Azure. It is much like our Earth with similar history, pop culture, and problems. One of those problems is war. When soldiers and their trained beasts attack Moss, Tyra and her family are forced to go into hiding in the town of Marigold, which is beautiful, but the people there are cold and unpleasant. In exile, Tyra's parents implode as her mother Scarlett becomes depressed and her father Logan retreats into alcohol. Tyra is forced to become self-reliant while dealing with trauma, nightmares, and aching loneliness. She can only find comfort in books and nature.
One day, she meets Koda, a friendly squirrel. He guides her to a mirror where she can visit her favorite books and stories. This experience opens up a brighter, lucid dream world. Her lucid dreams appear throughout her life as she grows and deals with many personal issues of loss, fighting parents, unemployment, unsatisfying romances, separation, war, tyranny, and death. These lucid dreams help her survive and dream of the day when she will leave it to join The Land of The Great Lakes. Not Minnesota, it is a fabled land of thought, imagination, and beauty that can only be reached by invitation.
This book is one that grabs readers' attention and holds on, causing them to remember the little details long after they are done, particularly Tyra's lucid dreams. They are definitely the highlights of this book.
Tyra and Koda’s trips into books delight any bookworm. The dui Lady Death trying to con her godson doctor into letting her kill his patient. A man confronts and is ultimately consumed by his Shadow Self..Grandfather Frost warms an abandoned maiden and many more. Through these experiences, Tyra is immersed into worlds of imagination, courage, adventure, and escape. The characters aren't content to wallow in loss and self-pity like her parents. Instead, they persevere and fight with strength, cleverness, and kindness. In doing so, they challenge the status quo and reshape the world. Through them, Tyra is inspired to find ways to reshape hers.
The book journeys aren't the only situations that Tyra's lucid dreams conjure up. She is able to befriend fantastic creatures like a pair of adorable furry monsters who would not be out of place in a Muppet special. She communicates with the deceased who send her wisdom that they were unable to when they were alive. They offer guidance on her path through signs, riddles, and visions. Her dreams not only provide an escape from a troublesome existence but gives her the means to survive it and aspire towards a greater path.
The best book to compare A Sense of Home to is another one that I recently read, The Art of Agony by Amy Felix. They are both coming-of-age stories about young women exploring the inner depths of their minds to survive during dismal, dark times, but the executions are polar opposites.
The Art of Agony is about Eva, the protagonist, becoming aware that the world is a dark, meaningless place, even her own mind can't be trusted, and no one cares about how she feels. In A Sense of Home, Tyra's mind is opened to more enlightened possibilities. She sees a world beyond the one in which she lives that gives her a sense of purpose and a more meaningful existence.
While The Art of Agony is a more cerebral, introspective perspective, A Sense of Home is a fuller, more evocative, ethereal, and more intelligent perspective. It is one thing to come to the realization that life is hard and everything is stacked against you, but it is another to admit that but to find some meaning, purpose, and value in it anyway. That's why in some ways A Sense of Home is more mature than The Art of Agony, which, while excellent in exploring angst and the source of it, can also be lost in, overwhelmed by, and consumed by that same angst. Why bother doing anything at all if nothing matters? Why bother writing about it?
A Sense of Home tells us that what we dream about, long for, hope for, create, inspire, love, and bring to life is enough of a reason. If we are only a spark in this vastness in the universe, then we might as well find something that isn't harmful and gives us contentment and some kind of pleasure about being alive.
