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Myth
Shogun Saban dreams of becoming a woodsman like his grandfather; to fly between the trees and listen to their stories. But his father wants to keep him rooted on the ground and far away from his childhood friend, a girl of the sea named Madigan who can control the elements.Beyond their little corner of the world, an evil has sprouted and is quietly spreading; corrupting its victims and marking them with eyes full of shadows. When it reaches their sleepy hometown of Shrunken Hollow, Shogun and Madigan search for the origin of the darkness – but the answer lies in an old myth about a place that only exists in dreams. With the aid of the forest and the sea, Shogun and Madigan must unravel the myth before the darkness takes over their world – and themselves.
- GenresFantasy
234 pages, Paperback
First published July 25, 2016
20 people are currently reading
938 people want to read
About the author
Erin Ritch
10 books58 followersA storyteller since a child, Erin Ritch holds Associates degrees in both English Literature and Broadcasting. She graduated with honors in Film Production from Vancouver Film School, where her script "Neighborhood Watch" was chosen for production.
In 2015, Erin started a writer's blog titled "There are No Wyverns in this Story." The name was in reference to her penchant for writing fantasy (though her stories had an intentional lack of dragon-like Wyverns.) The blog developed into No Wyverns Publishing, a small press dedicated to all things indie.
Erin has written for two local newspapers with a focus on non-profits, small businesses, resources for women and children, and local history. Her essays have appeared in Oregon Home Magazine and The Manifest Station.
She lives in a rural town of 600 people with her husband, two small daughters, and an Irish Terrier named Arthur Pendragon.
In 2015, Erin started a writer's blog titled "There are No Wyverns in this Story." The name was in reference to her penchant for writing fantasy (though her stories had an intentional lack of dragon-like Wyverns.) The blog developed into No Wyverns Publishing, a small press dedicated to all things indie.
Erin has written for two local newspapers with a focus on non-profits, small businesses, resources for women and children, and local history. Her essays have appeared in Oregon Home Magazine and The Manifest Station.
She lives in a rural town of 600 people with her husband, two small daughters, and an Irish Terrier named Arthur Pendragon.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 16, 2019
This book was so promising at the start! But unfortunately, it failed to deliver. And it's not just that, it triggered the crap out of me. It took me 7 months to get back to it and finish it. I have to say, that quirky cover really doesn't convey how dark this book is.
Myth has incredibly great world building - to the point where you feel like the world is so much fuller of all of these secrets - and the author is simply not telling you everything about it because it would make for five books. That's a wonderful side of this story, but it's also sort of its downfall - because it focuses on the world but so much, it forgets the plot. Speaking of the plot... I wasn't sure where it was headed up to halfway through the book, and even then when it was 'uncovered', I still felt like all the sequences are jumbled and they just don't make a coherent story. Then there's also that attempted romance. Or rather, just proclaiming love without any real... Love story. I'm confused.
I will admit I wasn't paying enough attention after halfway through though, because after maybe a third of the book (or less) the senseless violence and murders start. Some of them do drive the point home (hatred for people different from you, witch hunts and all that), but at the same time I felt like it was too much and the source of it all wasn't explained too well in the end. I think the story would have been better and wayyyyy less triggering without at least half those deaths. Or at least the last one. Ugh. Why. I had almost abandoned the book because of this.
Anyway, the story is quite promising, so maybe it just failed to deliver for me. So if you like dark fantasy, you might enjoy it!
I got this as a freebie in a giveaway.
Triggers:
Book Blog | Themed Bookstagram | Quick Update Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
Myth has incredibly great world building - to the point where you feel like the world is so much fuller of all of these secrets - and the author is simply not telling you everything about it because it would make for five books. That's a wonderful side of this story, but it's also sort of its downfall - because it focuses on the world but so much, it forgets the plot. Speaking of the plot... I wasn't sure where it was headed up to halfway through the book, and even then when it was 'uncovered', I still felt like all the sequences are jumbled and they just don't make a coherent story. Then there's also that attempted romance. Or rather, just proclaiming love without any real... Love story. I'm confused.
I will admit I wasn't paying enough attention after halfway through though, because after maybe a third of the book (or less) the senseless violence and murders start. Some of them do drive the point home (hatred for people different from you, witch hunts and all that), but at the same time I felt like it was too much and the source of it all wasn't explained too well in the end. I think the story would have been better and wayyyyy less triggering without at least half those deaths. Or at least the last one. Ugh. Why. I had almost abandoned the book because of this.
Anyway, the story is quite promising, so maybe it just failed to deliver for me. So if you like dark fantasy, you might enjoy it!
I got this as a freebie in a giveaway.
Triggers:
Book Blog | Themed Bookstagram | Quick Update Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
November 2, 2016
I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
I had something of a mixed and complicated reaction to this book. At first, I was unimpressed with the writing; I still have an issue with it. But as the book developed, it drew my attention anyway, with a compelling story and some beautifully bittersweet moments. I still think the writing is chopping, but nevertheless, it occasionally comes up with lyrical moments that are very powerful. The story needs, I think, a tighter focus, but it also has some depth to it.
I do think the mingling of modern-day and a world out of time does not work well. The elements such as the bus and train kept bouncing me out of the story. I also didn’t really get very well Shogun’s forest order – I would love to have had just a bit more understanding of who they were and why they were there. That is, I think, a problem with the author’s work – it seems that many things were implied rather than explicit. The ending was, for me, especially this way – I would love to have a better understanding of exactly what happened at the end; it also seemed to be implying something that the author clearly knew, but did not effectively communicate to the reader. However, bringing the story full-circle was nice. Overall, I am glad I had a chance to read this book, and might well look into the author’s works in the future.
I had something of a mixed and complicated reaction to this book. At first, I was unimpressed with the writing; I still have an issue with it. But as the book developed, it drew my attention anyway, with a compelling story and some beautifully bittersweet moments. I still think the writing is chopping, but nevertheless, it occasionally comes up with lyrical moments that are very powerful. The story needs, I think, a tighter focus, but it also has some depth to it.
I do think the mingling of modern-day and a world out of time does not work well. The elements such as the bus and train kept bouncing me out of the story. I also didn’t really get very well Shogun’s forest order – I would love to have had just a bit more understanding of who they were and why they were there. That is, I think, a problem with the author’s work – it seems that many things were implied rather than explicit. The ending was, for me, especially this way – I would love to have a better understanding of exactly what happened at the end; it also seemed to be implying something that the author clearly knew, but did not effectively communicate to the reader. However, bringing the story full-circle was nice. Overall, I am glad I had a chance to read this book, and might well look into the author’s works in the future.
August 30, 2016
Not my usual go-to genre, but I love this book. Ritch is a true story weaver. And the tapestry of the Myth is a beautiful tale of courage, adventure, love and redemption. This is a story I will enjoy revisiting over and over.
September 7, 2016
Great start to this series. Interesting and complex characters, with very unpredictable plot lines and a cool world. Love her magical thinking and blend of the old and new.
She kept me guessing and wondering what would happen next. I'm excited to see what Ritch is working on next.
She kept me guessing and wondering what would happen next. I'm excited to see what Ritch is working on next.
May 8, 2017
What awesome and unique writing style! Really love this edgy and new fantasy, elemental magic and romantic tension. The dust sprite is my fav!!! As well as Meadowsweet! :) Myth has a wonderful blend of shadow and light. Really awful things happen to the characters, yet they find goodness enough to persevere. Great job!
September 2, 2018
Pros: incredibly atmospheric prose and wonderful word pictures
Cons: no internal rhythm and rhyme to make each episode satisfying; we float from incident to incident and the why is somewhere between vague and nonexistent
Cons: no internal rhythm and rhyme to make each episode satisfying; we float from incident to incident and the why is somewhere between vague and nonexistent
May 10, 2020
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow.
When I finished Myth, I was a little disappointed in the lack of character. But after thinking about it for a while, I realized that that isn't the point of this book.
The book I was expecting was more like the books we read all the time. The characters have depth and their actions and emotions move the whole book. But I was looking at it the wrong way. This book is not a portrait. This book is not one of those pictures that tells a story. This book is a landscape with people on the sides of the mountains. They are there and they add the character to the landscape but the true painting is the mountains and ocean and forests.
This book does have characters and it does have a plot but the real book is the atmosphere, the prose. Everything is personified, has feelings and actions, from dishes to fish. Metaphors make this book what it is. The language builds the world for characters and actions but the world is not theirs. This book is about the world and about its language and it's beautiful.
I'm getting a hard copy.
Wow.
When I finished Myth, I was a little disappointed in the lack of character. But after thinking about it for a while, I realized that that isn't the point of this book.
The book I was expecting was more like the books we read all the time. The characters have depth and their actions and emotions move the whole book. But I was looking at it the wrong way. This book is not a portrait. This book is not one of those pictures that tells a story. This book is a landscape with people on the sides of the mountains. They are there and they add the character to the landscape but the true painting is the mountains and ocean and forests.
This book does have characters and it does have a plot but the real book is the atmosphere, the prose. Everything is personified, has feelings and actions, from dishes to fish. Metaphors make this book what it is. The language builds the world for characters and actions but the world is not theirs. This book is about the world and about its language and it's beautiful.
I'm getting a hard copy.
August 25, 2016
I received this book for free in exchange for my honest reviews and opinions from Story Cartel
* non-spoiler review *
Overall, I really liked Myth by Erin Ritch! First of all, I really liked the world in which the story took place. I think that it is very creative and well thought out, and interests the reader from the very beginning. I loved seeing the world from the characters eyes as the book progressed.
I also really liked the different characters in this book, especially Shogun and Madigan. I thought that they were both unique and seemed like real people. I also felt like I was their with them through the entire book.
Overall, I really liked this book and recommend it! It was very magical and a good fiction book. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
* non-spoiler review *
Overall, I really liked Myth by Erin Ritch! First of all, I really liked the world in which the story took place. I think that it is very creative and well thought out, and interests the reader from the very beginning. I loved seeing the world from the characters eyes as the book progressed.
I also really liked the different characters in this book, especially Shogun and Madigan. I thought that they were both unique and seemed like real people. I also felt like I was their with them through the entire book.
Overall, I really liked this book and recommend it! It was very magical and a good fiction book. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews