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The Ninja Kat
Velcro: The Egg Hunters
The epic conclusion to the Ninja Kat's journey. Following Tails Mask's widespread fiery attack that had brought an abrupt end to the Polluted War, the world has fallen into chaos. And in the ensuing confusion, many key players have gone mysteriously missing, including the villainous Tails Mask, as well as our hero, Velcro the Ninja Kat herself.
Having now seen just how powerful and dangerous Magic can be in the wrong hands, war has once more been reinvigorated, as a new military faction known as the Phoenix Corps has arisen with the express task of eradicating all remaining Magicians the globe over, and have set their sights on those harboring solace in the Country of Rath. And meanwhile, several bands of bounty hunting Egg Hunters have also set out in order to cash in on the heads of the Magicians that have gone into hiding.
The Red Easter has passed. The Egg Hunt begins now!
Having now seen just how powerful and dangerous Magic can be in the wrong hands, war has once more been reinvigorated, as a new military faction known as the Phoenix Corps has arisen with the express task of eradicating all remaining Magicians the globe over, and have set their sights on those harboring solace in the Country of Rath. And meanwhile, several bands of bounty hunting Egg Hunters have also set out in order to cash in on the heads of the Magicians that have gone into hiding.
The Red Easter has passed. The Egg Hunt begins now!
182 pages, Paperback
Published October 14, 2020
1 person want to read
About the author
Chris Widdop
10 books3 followersChris Widdop grew up with his cat, Velcro. And together, the two would constantly escape into the fantasy world that was their vivid imaginations, where they took part in many adventures. Now, as a young, new writer, Chris wants nothing more than to share those adventures with the world.
When he's not working on his writing, he enjoys watching movies with a critical eye and voicing his opinions on them in his movie review blog. He's a big film buff, and has begun work on his own film projects.
He also reputably likes chicken. Chicken is delicious.
When he's not working on his writing, he enjoys watching movies with a critical eye and voicing his opinions on them in his movie review blog. He's a big film buff, and has begun work on his own film projects.
He also reputably likes chicken. Chicken is delicious.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 21, 2020
As every sequel picked up relatively where the last installment concluded, The Polluted War asks enough open-ended questions about the next phase of Velcro’s journey. The Red Easter left all of her friends in various locations and in the throes of heated one-on-one-battles, letting everything that they fought for burn down seemingly for good. As the country hangs in the balance the end of one war and the origins of possible another, there's time now to ask what is peace and how can that be accomplished instead. Similar to not necessarily starting where the last book left off, Widdop starts to thread new ideas of what it means to start over. I expected The Egg Hunters to pick up where it left off, but it defies a lot of expectations by not necessarily letting the same battle continue on forever.
Since the plot consistently set Velcro and her allies in motion to thwart evil schemes, The Egg Hunters features a new crew rising to take the place of The Devil Corps but it doesn’t feel like its repeating the origins of the war Velcro and her friends just faced. One of the common threads of the series so far was its theme of war and how it divided or united the characters – how it affected their decisions and actions to cast revenge or avenge friends and family, or believing in a cause that turned out to be nothing but empty promises. Without war so much at the forefront as much as it was in the past, this book is able to slow down more. This next part of his world seems like it has another fight up his sleeve of his characters, but it’s also more reserved than the one that came before.
In many ways, this final book feels like a return to the start of the series when we were first introduced to Velcro and she was just starting to expand her knowledge and use of magic. After the previous books explored the feud with her brother Charlie and the training to become a masked vigilante, she’s now able to try to understand her own role with the resurgence of pro and anti-magic rhetoric, and as well as what she can do with magic now - to cast revenge for what happened with The Red Easter, to end magic for good, or save her friends by staying in the shadows. Since I’m trying to avoid spoilers, I’ll just say her discovery of how her disappearance had an impact on the world, and how her mythos continued after she was seemingly gone, was a real treat to see the typical defeated hero thrust back into their world of saving turned on its ear. Widdop’s always managed to create good backstories for his wide range of characters and ramping up all the stakes between them. With that part now taking more of a backseat, he’s able to continue building his heroine and give her a heartwarming and emotional end to her arc.
While Widdop definitely shows a gift for expanding Velcro's story, it is difficult to depart with how the story began and continued to tread for the past few books. Since the beginning, a lot of supporting characters, locations, and origins of magic were introduced and explored - a fair portion of them earned their own backstories and raised the stakes in overall the story. In contrast, The Egg Hunters really dials it back from that approach. Many of the minor characters might have just been smaller cogs in the whole wheel, but they kept the whole machine well-oiled and running. Their disappearance or just the allusion of what happened to them fits the story he was telling. But on the other hand, it's difficult to feel like their arcs matched up to hers as completely and satisfyingly.
Velcro: The Ninja Kat series offers a fun adventure for readers wanting to look for a unique short set of books to dive into but offers a complete world. Sometimes it’s difficult to get involved in a series because the ending doesn’t always live up to the hype. But Widdop’s story expands and never loses sight of his ideas. Each installment added a new action-packed layer to his world-building and made the battle for magic (or against it) worth it. I enjoyed reading the series and to see the story conclude for now.
Since the plot consistently set Velcro and her allies in motion to thwart evil schemes, The Egg Hunters features a new crew rising to take the place of The Devil Corps but it doesn’t feel like its repeating the origins of the war Velcro and her friends just faced. One of the common threads of the series so far was its theme of war and how it divided or united the characters – how it affected their decisions and actions to cast revenge or avenge friends and family, or believing in a cause that turned out to be nothing but empty promises. Without war so much at the forefront as much as it was in the past, this book is able to slow down more. This next part of his world seems like it has another fight up his sleeve of his characters, but it’s also more reserved than the one that came before.
In many ways, this final book feels like a return to the start of the series when we were first introduced to Velcro and she was just starting to expand her knowledge and use of magic. After the previous books explored the feud with her brother Charlie and the training to become a masked vigilante, she’s now able to try to understand her own role with the resurgence of pro and anti-magic rhetoric, and as well as what she can do with magic now - to cast revenge for what happened with The Red Easter, to end magic for good, or save her friends by staying in the shadows. Since I’m trying to avoid spoilers, I’ll just say her discovery of how her disappearance had an impact on the world, and how her mythos continued after she was seemingly gone, was a real treat to see the typical defeated hero thrust back into their world of saving turned on its ear. Widdop’s always managed to create good backstories for his wide range of characters and ramping up all the stakes between them. With that part now taking more of a backseat, he’s able to continue building his heroine and give her a heartwarming and emotional end to her arc.
While Widdop definitely shows a gift for expanding Velcro's story, it is difficult to depart with how the story began and continued to tread for the past few books. Since the beginning, a lot of supporting characters, locations, and origins of magic were introduced and explored - a fair portion of them earned their own backstories and raised the stakes in overall the story. In contrast, The Egg Hunters really dials it back from that approach. Many of the minor characters might have just been smaller cogs in the whole wheel, but they kept the whole machine well-oiled and running. Their disappearance or just the allusion of what happened to them fits the story he was telling. But on the other hand, it's difficult to feel like their arcs matched up to hers as completely and satisfyingly.
Velcro: The Ninja Kat series offers a fun adventure for readers wanting to look for a unique short set of books to dive into but offers a complete world. Sometimes it’s difficult to get involved in a series because the ending doesn’t always live up to the hype. But Widdop’s story expands and never loses sight of his ideas. Each installment added a new action-packed layer to his world-building and made the battle for magic (or against it) worth it. I enjoyed reading the series and to see the story conclude for now.
January 9, 2021
Ninja Kat Review
Recap (in case you have a memory like a sieve like I do)
Book 5 - After the big battle where the forces of good get their asses handed to them, We skip ahead. Instead of a Devil Corps, there’s now a Phoenix Corps. Same song, different verse. Magic users v. Non Magic users.
Meanwhile Velcro just heads off to the other side of the world in a quest to cut off magic at its source: the eggs. Also to join a theater troupe for a bit, because reasons.
The war side of things takes us back to characters from the first four books and catches up with them. But really, it’s Velcro’s travels that matter since she’s the only one that can go up against the big bad.
Good - decent final boss battle. Felt earned and appropriately epic. A few characters get their own stories wrapped up nicely.
Bad -
Recap (in case you have a memory like a sieve like I do)
Book 5 - After the big battle where the forces of good get their asses handed to them, We skip ahead. Instead of a Devil Corps, there’s now a Phoenix Corps. Same song, different verse. Magic users v. Non Magic users.
Meanwhile Velcro just heads off to the other side of the world in a quest to cut off magic at its source: the eggs. Also to join a theater troupe for a bit, because reasons.
The war side of things takes us back to characters from the first four books and catches up with them. But really, it’s Velcro’s travels that matter since she’s the only one that can go up against the big bad.
Good - decent final boss battle. Felt earned and appropriately epic. A few characters get their own stories wrapped up nicely.
Bad -
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2020
An epic conclusion to the story of Velcro, the Ninja Cat. The story follows Velcro and her allies as they fight to bring peace to the country of Widows. A new military order has risen from the ashes of the Devil Corps, the appropriately named Phoenix Corps, and is on a mission to capture all Magicians to protect the world from another cataclysm like the one unleashed by the master Magician Two-Tails.
While her friends prepare to face off against Phoenix Corps, Velcro travels in search of the source of Magic in hopes of gaining the training and strength needed to put an end to Two-Tail’s atrocities, and prevent any more magical despots from rising in her place.
The story is told in clear language and vivid descriptive passages. This book showcases one of the things I like most about the series as a whole, and that’s its ability to be written for a younger audience without talking down to them or underestimating their ability to grapple with deep questions that don’t always have definitive solutions. The story explores issues of power, justice, responsibility, control of knowledge, how legends and myths are born, and the pursuit of peace.
What started out as a quest for vengeance becomes something much bigger that has the potential to reshape the world. A fitting end to the saga of Velcro that shows how much Velcro, and her understanding of the world and responsibility to it, has grown.
While her friends prepare to face off against Phoenix Corps, Velcro travels in search of the source of Magic in hopes of gaining the training and strength needed to put an end to Two-Tail’s atrocities, and prevent any more magical despots from rising in her place.
The story is told in clear language and vivid descriptive passages. This book showcases one of the things I like most about the series as a whole, and that’s its ability to be written for a younger audience without talking down to them or underestimating their ability to grapple with deep questions that don’t always have definitive solutions. The story explores issues of power, justice, responsibility, control of knowledge, how legends and myths are born, and the pursuit of peace.
What started out as a quest for vengeance becomes something much bigger that has the potential to reshape the world. A fitting end to the saga of Velcro that shows how much Velcro, and her understanding of the world and responsibility to it, has grown.
December 30, 2020
A fitting conclusion to an action packed series. It's purrfect for the early teenage demographic who likes shonen, action/adventure or just a complex narrative with many moving parts told simply. I'm glad to have been on this journey since (near) the beginning.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews