Moa (Moa, #1)

Jul 02, 2012 Aliaa El-Nashar rated it 1 of 5 stars

This is a rare moment - honestly, this has only ever happened one other time with ' The Catcher in the Rye' - where I couldn't completely finish the book. I tried, I honestly did, I even took breaks, which turned to weeks, just trying to be interested enough to get back into the story, and I could never manage more than a chapter a night. I stopped at chapter 5 though, I couldn't go further, I am ashamed to say, but there was nothing else to do, I couldn't continue.

I should point out that there...more This is a rare moment - honestly, this has only ever happened one other time with ' The Catcher in the Rye' - where I couldn't completely finish the book. I tried, I honestly did, I even took breaks, which turned to weeks, just trying to be interested enough to get back into the story, and I could never manage more than a chapter a night. I stopped at chapter 5 though, I couldn't go further, I am ashamed to say, but there was nothing else to do, I couldn't continue.

I should point out that there were many good things about the book, like the amount of research done for it. It got me interested in Hawaiian whether all that was said was true or not. It was very descriptive and the storyline was interesting. Plus the starts of every chapter were really interesting. It added an original touch, with the incantations that put you into the mood of the book.

However, the descriptions were too much to the extent that I lost track of the actual story. It would also get repetitive, where you get to read all the background story from Moa's point of view, then Moa would explain it to Hillary and I was just bored. Hillary didn't seem like a character I'd relate to, or even like, or want to read more about. She seemed dull, and when she talked it was dull. I think the story lacked fire, activeness, a reason to read on. The style was rather dry and mundane sadly, even though it was in the first person. I think it needed more dialogue to be stimulating enough for the reader.

The encounter between Moa and Hillary wasn't as inspired as I'd hoped. The way Moa chose to tell Hillary about what she is, I mean, come on, it felt like she was saying "hey, guess what? Before you were born, you promised to sacrifice yourself to save the portal. I'm here to cash in on that." And, if Moa only had a limited amount of time to show Hillary the truth, wouldn't she do something great and drastic to prove it instead of talking to a kid? There wasn't the required urgency.

It was a very slow read, and until chapter 5 nothing interesting had happened, the official story hadn't started yet, which made me eventually give up because I stopped reading everything else to focus on this book and frankly I have a lot of deadlines to follow through on.

Though, I should point out there was a quote I liked, so I am sharing it with you guys:

" Everyone is born with a loving heart, a soft heart. However, each soul's journey includes challenges in which humans must endure grief and loss, heartache and peril. Many humans allow these events to harden their hearts and create shells of resistance to any new experience."

Rating: 1/5
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Feb 14, 2013 Alissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, fantasy, paranormal, hawaii, mystery, re-read, all-time-favorites, awesome, best-books-ever

Hillary and Molly's great-great-great Grandfather was not a nice man. In life, he was a power-hungry, ruthless man who attempted to take over the Hawaiian Islands. When supporters of the rightful King came after him, he fled to a space between the worlds and became trapped there. Since, he has been trying to get back so he can have his revenge on the man responsible for his imprisonment. His hate has closed the portal between worlds, meaning souls needing to cross over won't be able to. If the p...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Jodie rated it 2 of 5 stars

As with other reviews I have read, I agree that this book has potential. however, the 1st to 3rd person jumps and broken writing style just makes it to hard to follow. When a story lacks depth of character and touches lightly on the theme and seems a "light " read, it really needs to flow smoothly to keep the readers interest. It just didn't work for me. I would love to see what a good editor could do with this book.

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Jun 28, 2012 Roxanne Kade rated it 3 of 5 stars

"The word, Anuenue, means Rainbow, for no one but the rainbow truly knows the location to its end."

It took me a very long time to get into this book. In fact, it took me a long time to get through it, yet it was so short ( 80 odd pages ). I can't really pin-point what it was about the story, but I often found myself becoming distracted and my mind would wonder to other things while reading. I even had to think back to parts of the book I had already read, as certain aspects of the story became c...more "The word, Anuenue, means Rainbow, for no one but the rainbow truly knows the location to its end."

It took me a very long time to get into this book. In fact, it took me a long time to get through it, yet it was so short ( 80 odd pages ). I can't really pin-point what it was about the story, but I often found myself becoming distracted and my mind would wonder to other things while reading. I even had to think back to parts of the book I had already read, as certain aspects of the story became confusing and it felt like I was trying to put together a puzzle, but the pieces didn't quite fit.

The flow of the story felt a bit rushed. I wish it had slowed down a little at times to make room for more character development. With so much going on in the story I wasn't able to build much of a connection to any of the characters. I liked that the story was told from Moa's POV, it was a nice change from the norm to have the POV change from third person to first person and back again, but with the view always being from the same character. I've never seen any other book written in this way.

The main focus of the book is about the battle for the Ancient Portal, but it is also a spiritual journey of accpetance and self-discovery. The characters are each holding onto something - anger, grief, even guilt - and as they fight their way to save Hawaii and ultimately the rest of the world, they are able to let go of these feelings. Even Moa, who for the most part is there to guide Hillary, Molly and Heidi, has her own inner journey to make. She is stuck in limbo, unable to move through the Portal, working as gatekeeper, but by the end of the book her life had changed and an entire new journey presented itself.

The little details within the story were very interesting, as were the many superstitions and beliefs of the Hawaiian people. The idea felt fresh but for some reason it just didn't deliver. I expected so much more from the story, but in the end it fell flat. It just wasn't for me.

Although there were so many things I couldn't quite get my head into while reading this book, I still believe it deserves some merit for the interesting facts, strange beings and overall uniqueness of the plot.
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Jun 25, 2012 Erica rated it 5 of 5 stars

I just finished reading “MOA” by Tricia Stuart Shiu. It’s the first in a series of books following a young 7 year old girl named Moa and another 18 year old girl girl named Hillary. After just reading this first book, I can’t wait to read the rest. I got hooked in right away and couldn’t put the book down.

Moa is what I viewed as some kind of spirit that helps souls cross over into a light, the book is written from her point of view. Hillary is a human that since she was young knew she has a powe...more I just finished reading “MOA” by Tricia Stuart Shiu. It’s the first in a series of books following a young 7 year old girl named Moa and another 18 year old girl girl named Hillary. After just reading this first book, I can’t wait to read the rest. I got hooked in right away and couldn’t put the book down.

Moa is what I viewed as some kind of spirit that helps souls cross over into a light, the book is written from her point of view. Hillary is a human that since she was young knew she has a power that others didn’t have. Many around her thought she was a witch but Hillary didn’t feel that way. She goes to Hawaii to visit her sister, Molly and Niece, Heidi for the summer. Molly recently lost her husband and is grieving but is grateful for the visit. What Hillary didn’t know about this trip was she would be saving the world from darkness. Moa comes and speaks to her in her dreams at first and soon involves the whole family. All I kept hoping was that Hillary could save the world and that everyone would be safe. So I will leave me re-cap at that and hope you will read the book to find out if they are able to do what Moa needs them to do.

Each chapter in the book gives a ritual that Hillary uses or needs to use to give her safety, cleanse her and to open up her mind. The book also pulls at your heart as you see each character, including Moa find what the meaning of their life is at this moment and see them face past hurts. I caught myself crying at some points in this book, other times holding my breath and others smiling. “Moa” really tugs at your emotions.

I would recommend this book to those ages 14 and older. It’s a quick read and full of adventure and wonder. The author’s descriptive writing allows you to really feel like you’re part of the story. She even helps through pronunciations, so you can read the book easier without trying to stumble through the words.
Like I said at the beginning, I can’t wait to read the next book in this series, “STATUE OF KU”. I know I’ll be taken on another whirlwind adventure.(less)

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Apr 03, 2012 ⚝ Ŧáẅņá ⚝ rated it 2 of 5 stars

I am finally done with the book, it took me two days to read a short book. It didn't keep me interested and I wasn't attached to the characters.

Likes
The concept of the story
The intro to the chapters where it gave the ritual ingredients

Dislikes
Everything else I believe.
--The writing felt like it was switching around a lot. Felt like it was trying to be 1st person present to 3rd person present and because of this switching feel I had to reread parts over again because it hadn't actually switched....more

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Jun 27, 2012 Naomi rated it 4 of 5 stars

As I often do when I read Young Adult books, I put myself in the place of a young reader however, at the end, put my adult reviewer hat back on.

I found this book to be delightful. It was CLEAN in language and scenery. It was a light, engaging story with enjoyable and heartwarming characters and it screamed adventure. In a period of time where we have headed into dark, almost gothic storylines are the norm or at least permeating this genre. Moa was truly a breath of fresh air. On that note, I fo...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Jenelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

View the original review in my blog: The Midnight Book Thief

The Bad and the Good
The plot. I had mixed feelings on the plot. At the first part, I was drawn in. Everything was so mysterious and unlike anything I'd ever read before. Hilary was an enigma to me, and even a bigger enigma was the narrator of the novel. I liked the way the mystery shrouded the book for the first part, and the way hints are dropped along the way. But then again, I felt that in a way, there were portions of the book whic...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Nazish Ahmed (Nazish Reads) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-read-in-2012, blog-tours, own, ebooks, reviews

I just reviewed this on my blog.
To view the full review and other reviews, click here Moa: Book 1 by Tricia Stewart Shiu

(This is for The Moa Blog Tour, and tomorrow is the last day of the tour).

Gore: No
Magic: kind of (going to other worlds and seeing ghosts, etc)
Romance: No (this is the first book that I read in a while where there was no romance in, this part at least is kind of refreshing after reading so many paranormal romances).

Action: 2 stars
Pacing: 3 stars
Plot: 3.5 stars

The story starts...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Emlyn Chand added it

Moa is not a book you read lightly. It’s a deep journey into the metaphysical as the title character, Moa, who is the keeper of the ancient portal, guides sisters Hillary and Molly along with Molly’s young daughter, Heidi, in a journey to save Hawaii and, ultimately, the world. They face troubles along the way including a long lost relative with interests of his own, self doubt, and the lingering grief of a life taken too soon. With Moa as their guide, the women encounter a number of mystical el...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Tammy K. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, angels, family-saga, ghosts, guardian-caretakers-of-children, metaphysics, wiccan, goodreads-author, young-adult-fiction, novella-17-500-to-40-000-words, read-for-review

First things first, I received a copy of this book free from the author via goodreads.com group Shut up and Read for a fair and honest review. However, I do not know the author personally.
I give this book three stars. This is a Novella 157 pages, short and easy read.
I found this Novella to be a combination of Nancy Drew meets The Ghost Whisperer meets Eckhart Tolle.
Hillary goes to visit her sister and her niece in Hawaii for her high school graduation present from her parents. Hillary's sister,...more First things first, I received a copy of this book free from the author via goodreads.com group Shut up and Read for a fair and honest review. However, I do not know the author personally.
I give this book three stars. This is a Novella 157 pages, short and easy read.
I found this Novella to be a combination of Nancy Drew meets The Ghost Whisperer meets Eckhart Tolle.
Hillary goes to visit her sister and her niece in Hawaii for her high school graduation present from her parents. Hillary's sister, Molly, and niece Heidi are grieving the recent loss of Molly's husband (Heidi's father) Steve. While dealing with her own issues (the strain of being bullied in high school), Hillary meets Moa, an ancient spirit who manifests as a seven year old child. Moa has been watching and waiting for Hillary because it has been fated that Hillary would help Moa defend an ancient portal (gateway to the other side of death). During the adventure Moa teaches Hillary about many New Age (metaphysical) practices.
It was hard for me to warm up to this book. The style of writing, stream of consciousness, third person narrative mode was not one that I am used too.
As Moa narrates she jumps from Hillary's history to her own with little separation. I found myself having to re-read sections, to locate the separate histories within the narrative.
As the book progressed and I trained myself to watch for the jumps, this was less of a problem.
In my view, this book was a new age metaphysics fiction book first and a mystery second. I do not mind reading metaphysics books. However I found that the Wiccan Practices and explanation of the metaphysical belief structure took over as the theme of the book, weakening the mystery side of the book.
I never felt pulled into the book. I tried to think of why and the only reasoning I came up with is there is too much narrative. I like to 'feel' a part of the book and to me the way that happens is to read what the characters are feeling, thinking, reasoning. Having Moa do all the explaining of Hillary's feelings seemed distant and failed to capture my attention. The end result, for me was that I was unable to relate to the main characters.
Those who I think might find an interest in this book are readers who like metaphysics, and mystery.(less)

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Jun 29, 2012 Angieleigh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, bc11-12

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of Moa from Novel Publicity as part of the blog tour. All opinions about the book are mine.

Moa is an interesting book that really captured my attention both from a reader's perspective as well as a spiritual perspective. Hillary's journey to spend time with her sister and niece would have made a great story on it's own in light of what happened to Hillary in school as well to Steve, her brother in law, but adding in Moa's story just really made this a unique...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: YA Paranormal, YA Fantasy

Recommended to Mallory Anne-Marie by: Shut Up & Read

Shelves: april-2012-reads

A smooth-reading novel packing a lot of YA wisdom, “Moa” is a good read, and a fast-paced one. In concise strokes, author Tricia Stewart Shiu paints her characters and arranges her settings and plots. Suspension of disbelief is easy and quick, and the reader settles into expecting, and then receiving, out-of-the-ordinary events and encounters. Is Hillary a witch, or isn’t she? Does her nemesis, the high school bully, level evil curses, or not? Can shirts animate? Do ancient native spirits exist?...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Tanya rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book had lots of potential to fly, but never quite made it off the ground. The characters were likeable, but had no depth.

The plot was interesting but got lost in the choppy writing style. One sentence you’re in 3rd person and the next it’s 1st person. I reread far too many lines trying to figure out who the author was referring to. If the 1st/3rd person narrative switched at the chapter, there would have been a nice flow –but midsentence, just confusing.

The storyline was very new agey and...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Carrie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-review-tour, fantasy, ya-new-adult

Moa is an interesting story about the journey to discover who you are and to accept that outcome. The overall plot was enjoyable and the descriptions of Hawaii made this a fun and light read.

Hillary is, like many teenagers, struggling to figure out where she fits in the grand scheme of life. Her interests aren’t like those of her peers, her parents don’t understand her, and her only possible role model (her sister Molly) is across an ocean living her married-with-a-child life in Hawaii. She keep...more Moa is an interesting story about the journey to discover who you are and to accept that outcome. The overall plot was enjoyable and the descriptions of Hawaii made this a fun and light read.

Hillary is, like many teenagers, struggling to figure out where she fits in the grand scheme of life. Her interests aren’t like those of her peers, her parents don’t understand her, and her only possible role model (her sister Molly) is across an ocean living her married-with-a-child life in Hawaii. She keeps to herself and focuses on what she enjoys doing: learning about meditation and the use of oils and gemstones for ‘grounding’ and setting protective barriers around herself. Based on her odd interests her school friends either bully her constantly or stay away, calling her a witch.

Hillary is given a graduation gift to visit her sister in Hawaii. Partly this trip is a vacation but it is also for Hillary to support her sister in grieving the sudden and tragic loss of her husband Steve. During the visit strange and magical events begin to unfold and Hillary becomes friends with Moa, a young child who became a spirit guide and protector of the Hawaiian Islands.

As Hillary learns, with the help of Moa, how to save the Hawaiian Islands from certain destruction her own ancestral history is revealed.

My biggest issue with this novel was the structure. There are shifts between POV from 1st to 3rd that aren’t placed very well. If it had been in alternating chapters it wouldn’t have been so jarring. When I began the book I assumed we would be in Hillary’s POV. It seemed at first glance to be her story so that made sense. But in reality it is in Moa’s POV. It starts with I assume Moa watching Hillary and determining if she is the right person to help and then jumps into an immediate 1st person POV I also assume to be Moa. I had to re-read passages to follow exactly what was going on and that distracted from the story.

I think this could have been a great book if the author had rethought her POV structure. The story itself is a great adventure and by the end (once I’d gotten the hang of the POV shifts) I was more than happy to jump into the second book of the series to see how the story continued.

I give Moa 3 out of 5 stars(less)

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Jun 30, 2012 Sangita rated it 3 of 5 stars

*Given a review copy in exchange for a honest review.

Hillary has just graduated and now she's going to Hawaii for vacation. When she lands in Hawaii her sister and her niece welcomes her. But when Hillary meets Moa, an ancient Hawaiian spirit she's twisted into an adventure. The portal is failing and Hillary needs to save it.

First of all, i love the sound of Hawaii! I have always wanted to go there. In Moa i loved learning more things about Hawaii. The description in Moa could make you see Haw...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Toni Sinns rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hillary is a follower of witchcraft. She performs charms, incantations, and meditates to enhance her powers over herself. Going to Hawaii to visit her sister should be a nice vacation from the bullies at home and provide some adventure. But she can't for see that she will meet Moa and be sent on the adventure to top all others. Finding ways to save herself, her family and Moa sends her to places she never would have imagined and teaches her things she wouldn't learn on her own.

The book can get...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Kelly/yllektra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'd give this book 3 1/2 stars. :)

Hillary is an 18-year-old-girl on her way to Hawaii to visit her recently widowed sister, Molly and her daughter, Heidi. Life has been nothing but easy for her, since she has been picked on and bullied at school, mostly by an obnoxious trio of girls, whose leader was initially her friend. Misunderstood and set aside due to the rumor that she is a witch and puts a hex on whoever she wants, Hillary has mostly kept to her self and resents the unwanted animosity fro...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Laura Hartley rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wasn't really sure what to make of Moa and it took me a while to get into it. This isn't like any other sort of fiction I've ever read before (though that's not necessarily a bad thing) and it took me a while to grasp the real concept of this novel and what it was really about. Despite this difficulty, I still found this book incredibly interesting because of the unique plot and I genuinely felt like I was learning something as I read this.

For a while now I've been looking out for other paran...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Mr. Pirkl rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, ya, fantasy

I read Moa as part of a promotional tour. The book was given to me and I can win prizes for posting an excerpt from the book, an interview with the author, and my review (which you are reading right now). If you scroll to the bottom you will see more information about the tour and contest for bloggers.
Hillary is eighteen and goes to Hawaii to visit her sister, Molly, and niece, Heidi. Molly and Heidi are dealing with the death of their husband/dad – a fact that seems like it will be more import...more I read Moa as part of a promotional tour. The book was given to me and I can win prizes for posting an excerpt from the book, an interview with the author, and my review (which you are reading right now). If you scroll to the bottom you will see more information about the tour and contest for bloggers.
Hillary is eighteen and goes to Hawaii to visit her sister, Molly, and niece, Heidi. Molly and Heidi are dealing with the death of their husband/dad – a fact that seems like it will be more important than it is, it really serves to create a touching moment later in the book and solidify Molly’s believe in Moa. Hillary doesn’t think of herself as a witch (a sure sign that she is one), yet does create spells to redirect positive energy her way and to influence events. Hillary arrives just in time to play a major role in saving Hawaii by helping Moa, the spirit of a seven-year old.
This book is billed as Young Adult (YA) but is more Y than A. I might recommend this book (if I couldn’t think of any alternatives) to a struggling reader in the 7th or 8th grades, however I’m not sure that the plot would be enough to keep their attention. I was not impressed by this book at all. The characters are flat, the plot seeks to be philosophical and deep, but rather comes off as a cheesy advertisement for a Christian afterlife under the cover of Hawaiian culture. Moa’s whole personality struck me as a caricature of the benevolent spirit, granted she is the spirit of a seven-year old, but she has been a spirit for much, much longer and that was not reflected well. The scenes that were meant to be suspenseful (Hillary racing through the town full of evil spirits that are in the guise of humans) seemed to me contrived. I was never hooked into the story.
The interview with Shiu (read it here), reveals that the book comes from personal beliefs and draws on personal experiences, including visits to Hawaii and from spirits bearing messages. (As far as I know Shiu did not save Hawaii at anytime, but that is the sort of thing people never get credit for). The interview supports the idea that Shiu really wanted to write about her metaphysical beliefs but didn’t know/wasn’t sure how to do that in a non-fiction manner. I think if the book had taken shape as a non-fiction book, drawing on her personal experiences it would have resulted in a more interesting read. Needless to say (which is an interestingly untrue phrase isn’t it?) I will not be reading the sequel.

Full post can be found here: http://talesofan8thgradenothing.wordp...(less)

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Jun 29, 2012 Naomi Leadbeater rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review, like many others leaves me a little stumped as to how to start it. Did I enjoy it? The answer to that would be a resounding yes. The problem in starting is actually more about where to start, rather than what to write. I have a ton of things I'd love to say, but at the moment I lack the ability to write them out clearly.

So instead, I think I'll light some incense and meditate. If you're another of the blog tour hosts, you'll find this amusing, because each chapter of the book has a...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Leah rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read and reviewed this book with the second book, Statue of Ku, so I'm going to talk about both of them here.

Let me kick off this review by saying something about the book covers. I actually like them. They evoke a sense of calm and peace. Although at first glance they look like generic book covers, their significance becomes clearer once you've read the books.

The books were pretty easy to read. Each book sort of had two perspectives--a third person perspective and a first person perspective....more I read and reviewed this book with the second book, Statue of Ku, so I'm going to talk about both of them here.

Let me kick off this review by saying something about the book covers. I actually like them. They evoke a sense of calm and peace. Although at first glance they look like generic book covers, their significance becomes clearer once you've read the books.

The books were pretty easy to read. Each book sort of had two perspectives--a third person perspective and a first person perspective. The first person narrations were from the perspectives of Moa (in book 1) and Ku (in book 2). I think some people got a little confused with this style, but I didn't have a problem with it once I realized it would only be Moa's or Ku's voice every time.

Moa didn't really turn out as I expected. The witchy power that was implied in the blurb isn't exactly like the usual witchy powers you read about in most fantasy or paranormal books. The powers referred were more spiritual in nature. In the book, you read a lot about light, energy and chakras. At least this part was something different from the usual powers tackled in many books. I wasn't able to follow it all though. In Moa, the major "battles" all took place in the "other" or metaphysical or whatnot world. Characters went into deep meditation and there was a lot of talk about light, chakras and stuff like that and then talk about light pushing, stuff like that. I really did not get all that. I have nothing against those, but I just felt lost. Maybe I am just used to reading about powers that occur in the "real world." I liked part of the ending but I wanted more explanations. Hah.

Statue of Ku was much better for me because of the physical "real world" action and the whole Egyptian culture component. Although it still had some of those light and chakra fighting and meditation and spiritual powers stuff. I thought some of the twists and resolutions were a little abrupt though. I can't say any more without giving spoilers. Meh.

Things I liked about the books: I liked the spells and rituals at the start of each chapter. They were pretty fun and interesting and there were times when I wanted to do them myself. I'm not sure if they are actual rituals, but I think some of them can be used as mental exercises or meditation/relaxation techniques. You can skip the funky ingredients and just get down to part where you go, "Ommm." Kidding.

Things I didn't like about the books: The whole fighting thing with inner light and chakras. The abrupt bits and twists. I feel like I need to research to get these things.

I would recommend these books for those who want a more spiritual take on clairevoyance, clairesentience, and stuff like that. If you have an interest in healing, spirituality and related things, you might enjoy this series!(less)

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Jun 30, 2012 Pooja (On books!) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Review originally posted HERE

Reading Moa felt like taking a giant leap into the metaphysical as I was confronted with a lot of elements I knew little about. Hillary meets Moa, an ancient Hawaiian spirit and with the help of her older sister and niece, they embark into a journey of rituals, healing and much more to get over her sister's husband's death and ultimately save the Hawaiian islands.

In the beginning, it felt confusing to wade through third person only to find an alternating (or parallel...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Sudeshna rated it 2 of 5 stars

The lowest I ever gave to a review copy because I couldn't finish. This is one book you ought to read with a complete sense of inner peace. Unfortunately, I'm not in that state of mind right now. May be when I am, I'll go back and read it again and get what the author is trying to say. On my first go, I could just read 20 pages or so. When I realized finally what was lacking I decided to give up. The review that I would have written could have meant injustice to the author and to her work. Sorry...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Anya rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

From my blog http://www.onstarshipsanddragonwings....

Moa by Tricia Stewart Shiu is a YA paranormal about a high-schooler Hillary who goes to visit her sister for a peaceful summer vacation in Hawai’i and ends up meeting a spiritual entity, saving the world and finding out that she does indeed have something special and magical about her.
When I spotted the recruitment for a blog tour I was excited since it seemed a good opportunity to meet more book bloggers, read a new book, help an author and m...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Anne Chaconas rated it 2 of 5 stars

When it comes to young adult books, I've almost given up on finding anything current that doesn't involve a werewolf, a vampire, or some sort of zombie. When I read the description for MOA, I was a little skeptical--there was nary a mention of a vampire, zombie, or werewolf in sight. Could it really be true? There was mention of witchcraft, but also spiritual gifts. I was intrigued.

Overall, MOA is a book with a very interesting take on the common YA concept of saving the world (or, in this case,...more When it comes to young adult books, I've almost given up on finding anything current that doesn't involve a werewolf, a vampire, or some sort of zombie. When I read the description for MOA, I was a little skeptical--there was nary a mention of a vampire, zombie, or werewolf in sight. Could it really be true? There was mention of witchcraft, but also spiritual gifts. I was intrigued.

Overall, MOA is a book with a very interesting take on the common YA concept of saving the world (or, in this case, Hawaii). In this tale, the superpowers aren't physical or destructive; rather, they are metaphysical and focus largely on healing, cleansing, and growing your spiritual well-being.

The characters are interesting and, for the most part, three-dimensional. Hillary, our heroine, is presented as the quintessential unpopular teen, member of a group of high school nerdy misfits with a series of unfortunate run-ins with the popular girls and guys. She has a unique perspective on life, and that gets her into teenage hot water more than she'd like. She also, however, has a very mature take on situations, and approaches things from a calm, zen-like state, which is refreshing; there are no histrionics with Hillary. The other two members of Hillary's family that we get to know throughout the book--her sister, Molly, and Molly's daughter, Heidi--were nicely developed. Molly radiated her perspective as the exasperated--yet willing to learn--older sister quite well, and Heidi was adorable: A brave, collected little girl who was open to spiritual journeys and possessed that remarkable childhood ability to accept that which appears to them without question. She was easily my favorite character in the book. Moa, our titular character and primary narrator, was also interesting. I won't divulge too much about her lest I give away any important plot details (obviously, the book is about her, to a degree), but I will say that her character's ultimate transformation, while predictable, fit in well with the story.

It was easy to see that the author places quite a bit of importance on spirituality, healing, chakras, and sources of inner light and peace. MOA is heavily imbued with these elements, and discussion of meditation, essential oils, rituals, cleansing, energy, incantations, and incense abound. It was an interesting take for a young adult story; however, more pragmatic readers will probably get a little tired of all the OMing and chakra talk after a while.

I had a few problems with the story, which I feel detracted from the overall tale: narrative perspective, plot development and presentation, and editing.

The book seems to hop around between first person omniscient (Moa), and third person omniscient/limited--which would be fine were the parameters of narration clearly defined and the reader able to tell which perspective from which we were being told the story. However, it often wasn't clearly defined, and this led to confusion. I ended up just always assuming that we were seeing things from Moa's omniscient perspective, but there was always a nagging little voice in my head that was asking, "But are you really? Are you really? What if you're missing something by assuming that?" It would have been better, in my opinion, had the author chosen to match up narration switches with new chapters. The linearity of the tale may have been preserved. As it ended up, I found myself having to go back and re-read passages to make sure I was getting the right impression out of them.

One thing that MOA fails to do, much to my chagrin, is build suspense. This isn't because the premise of the book is faulty--on the other hand, it is tried-and-true and has a fresh new spin--but rather because the book seems to skim over build-ups and just hop right on over passages that I think would have built up tension and suspense. Much of time I found myself at the resolution of a problem without quite knowing how I got there. A lot of this, I believe, is due to the back-and-forth in narrative perspectives. It is clear to me that the author had a very definite plot line in mind--and a solid one at that--but it just wasn't presented very well or very clearly. The antagonist--without a concrete explanation--switches a number of times in the story, and it made it hard to determine whether the primary issue the characters were tackling had been resolved. I found myself almost at the end of the book, wondering, "Wait, did I miss something? Did things get resolved? It sounds like they did, but...well, I'm not sure." And that's never a good thing. Your readers should always know where the story stands. By the actual end of the book I was sure, but only because I was at the end, and it was made crystal clear.

My final problem--and, in my mind, my biggest one--with MOA was the editing. There were simply too many errors in grammar and punctuation. It didn't allow me to read at the pace I wanted, and it stalled plot and character development. It was probably a large reason for why I felt the plot lacked suspense and build-up, and why it was confusing at times to determine exactly what was going on.

MOA was a interesting story. I wanted to love it--I really did. I think that an expansion of the story with greater detail (after all, the whole book is only 144 pages--it could handle being expanded) to really draw the reader into the plot, and a very thorough professional edit would turn this into a very enjoyable, unique tale.(less)

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Jan 24, 2013 Kate rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook

Hillary is an eighteen year old girl who is glad to have graduated, as she didn’t have the best time in high school. Due to constant bullying, she created a ritual to guard her from a girl named Krystal Sykes who continuously gave her a hard time at school. Hillary had a trip planned to Hawaii to visit her sister Molly, and though Molly’s husband Steve passed away between the time Hillary’s travel plans were set and the dates of actual travel, she was still invited and encouraged to make the tri...more Hillary is an eighteen year old girl who is glad to have graduated, as she didn’t have the best time in high school. Due to constant bullying, she created a ritual to guard her from a girl named Krystal Sykes who continuously gave her a hard time at school. Hillary had a trip planned to Hawaii to visit her sister Molly, and though Molly’s husband Steve passed away between the time Hillary’s travel plans were set and the dates of actual travel, she was still invited and encouraged to make the trip.

Hillary’s time in Hawaii is more than a simple summer vacation, as she soon learns. Moa is a seven year old girl who used to be human, but now has a very important role as an Ancestral Gatekeeper which is linked to the Ancient World. She is in dire need of Hillary’s help, as she has powers she needs to fully realize in order to save Hawaii from ceasing to exist. The plot is interesting, and I appreciate the inclusion of spirituality and the metaphysical. As the story moves along, it becomes more of a tale of self-discovery and growth, and has a theme where the characters strive to create stronger family relationships.

The beginning of each chapter offers a ritual including the necessary oils and incense, an incantation, and instructions for how to perform the ritual. I enjoy these, as they give a better sense of the metaphysical world within the novel, and more of an understanding as to the types of rituals that Hillary is performing throughout the story. As someone who strongly believes in the metaphysical, Hillary believes heavily in signs and connections which cannot be explained. Due to her own beliefs, Hillary’s relationship with Moa is intriguing. Within the novel, there is art, Hawaiian history, and words translated into Hawaiian, and each of these aspects help to make the setting of this novel more solid.

The writing itself seems to switch between first and third person, making some aspects of the novel unclear or confusing. At the beginning, I thought the story was being told from Hillary’s point of view, but I learned later on that it was not. I understand that this must be an intentional move by the author, but there may have been a less confusing way to write that into the story.

This story, along with all of its metaphysical components, was intriguing and enjoyable to read.(less)

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Mar 19, 2013 Emily L. Moir-Genther rated it 2 of 5 stars

I should say that I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review. As I writer,I keep my reviews honest.

Here's the thing: IT COULD'VE BEEN REALLY GOOD. But it feels incomplete.
The characters aren't given enough time to build their depth.
I keep being told about how they're feeling and who they are, but I don't feel that I was given the chance to see this or discover anything about them.
Ever chapter, or maybe every other chapter to be fair, the characters reach some sort of inner...more I should say that I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review. As I writer,I keep my reviews honest.

Here's the thing: IT COULD'VE BEEN REALLY GOOD. But it feels incomplete.
The characters aren't given enough time to build their depth.
I keep being told about how they're feeling and who they are, but I don't feel that I was given the chance to see this or discover anything about them.
Ever chapter, or maybe every other chapter to be fair, the characters reach some sort of inner sight about themselves and achieve a deeper peace. But they really don't work for these experiences. They're just sort of handed to them as a reward for NOT resolving these life and death scenarios that keep popping out of nowhere.
I wanted to know about these characters!!! There are great archetypes set up here that are never really expounded upon.
There are too many easily solved mass crisis.
As I stated before, the characters keep getting into these supposedly horrid situations, but it takes them nothing to solve them. They do a little chant or a prayer and wham! they're saved plus they get a reward.
Is it too much to ask for the characters to actually experience pain and hardship? OK, so Molly cries every time she sees her dead husband. Other than that, you wouldn't know she gave a hoot that her hubs kicked the bucket. Honestly, her reaction to him and the situation is no different from that of her sister's who wasn't married to the guy. I'm not feeling it people.
Something dynamic happens and then poof, it's solved. Where's the sacrifice? Where's the moment of horrible indecisiveness that makes me writhe for the pain the character? OH WAIT! There isn't one. As long as they focus their energy on one their chakras the life threatening/ world ending situation will go away.
If I'm told the character has to save the world I want to see some blood and sweat go into it!!!
There are GREAT situations set up here! They just don't go anywhere.
I feel like I'm being preached at.
Each chapter starts with a how to on a ritual that vaguely interacts with the events of said chapter. I started skipping the chapter introductions about 70% in. I wasn't aware I was reading White Witchery for Dummies. You can say that statement is ignorant,but then you're going to have to find something better to call it while still accurately portraying what I was reading.
On top of the rituals introducing the chapters, the real focus of EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER was finding a deeper sense of self or self peace or aligning your chakras. If I wanted this preached at me, I'd take a meditation class (which I have done) not pick up a work of fiction. (less)

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May 18, 2012 Hayley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: giveaways, first-reads, 2012, fantasy, magic, own, series, young-adult

Quite a good read, though not the best book I've ever read. I really enjoyed the story itself, however, I think there were a few parts of it that could be better written.

As the blub tells you, Hillary it not a witch, though everyone thinks she is. She does, however, practise a kinda of 'magic', using oils, incense, and rituals, to keep herself grounded, and to protect herself from the bullies at high school. Now it's summer, and she flies (despite her fears) to visit her older sister, Molly, and...more Quite a good read, though not the best book I've ever read. I really enjoyed the story itself, however, I think there were a few parts of it that could be better written.

As the blub tells you, Hillary it not a witch, though everyone thinks she is. She does, however, practise a kinda of 'magic', using oils, incense, and rituals, to keep herself grounded, and to protect herself from the bullies at high school. Now it's summer, and she flies (despite her fears) to visit her older sister, Molly, and niece, Heidi.

It's a nice story, with aspects of spirituality and self-healing, and family members coming together, however, the more I read, the more flawed I felt it was, for several reasons.

Firstly, there were several typos, which whilst aren't a huge deal, it does really detract from the flow of the story when you have to stop and re-read a sentence three times to understand what she was trying to say.

Secondly, the book it written in the first person present, from the view of the spirit Moa, however at point she is describing Hillary's actions in third person present. Switching between these two points of view at times in confusing, and sometimes you just don't know what's really going on .

Thirdly, the story itself, whilst honestly confused me at some points. There's a 72 hours deadline to save the Hawaiian islands, and whilst there is urgency at the start, towards the middle it shifts from saving the island to finding Moa, who went missing for reasons that I couldn't follow. Then there were the spiritual journey's the went on, which were confusing as to where they were going and why. And I'm sorry, but it was all too easy. Moa would say something like think about your negative energies and just push them out of you and - poof! - it was done. Whilst I understand Hillary was very much in tune with all of these things, she seemed to transition to these higher stages way too easily.

Oh, and seven year old Heidi, no matter how much her genetics were spiritually tuned, was WAY too smart for her age, using big words and complex ideas that no seven year old I've ever met could possibly come up with.

As I've read in other reviews, this book certainly has potential. There are more in the series (the second on which has just been realised as time of writing) and whilst I think I will read them, I hope that she's gotten a good editor, as I think a LOT of issues (not just the grammatical ones, but also some plot ones) could be sorted out with some quality editing.

Probably more of 2 1/2 stars.

Disclaimer: I did receive this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. This is not a paid review.
(less)

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$Faye {Daydreaming_Star}$

Jun 25, 2012 Faye {Daydreaming_Star} rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, rhcb-brunch

This review was originally posted on my blog on June 25th, here

The First Word.*
In an attempt for full disclosure, and because all of my reviews are honest, I have to start this review by saying that while I was reading this I honestly struggled. I simply could not get my head around the concept of the book and just after the halfway point I had to stop reading and take a step back from it. In doing that I turned to the front of the book and read the words that the author had signed within my boo...more

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title link	preview: Moa
avg rating	preview: Moa Goodreads rating: 3.19 (52 ratings)
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Moa (Moa #1)

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