did not finish. Though the premise is unique, i am no longer in the YA audience and I did not care for where the story was going.

whew! i really liked this book. it's a great fantasy read and i can see why many people love it. however, something about it didn't click for me—something was missing or felt off from the start and i can't really put my finger on it.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm so glad I read this story. A friend had mentioned it to me, and it turned out to be stellar. Unique, powerful, and very engaging, this is my first read by Anna Tan, but hopefully won't be my last.

Wow. This one has been a five star read for me from the start. The language is lyrical, beautifully written, and immerses you into the world and characters with ease.

The descriptive writing slowly reveals the story, without feeling like you're getting chunks of expositions. The characters feel natural and fleshed out, each with their own growth and experiences. With lush world building without drowning you in details, it pulls you in visually without affecting the pace of the story. The specific culture and language is fascinating - there is a glossary of terms for anyone who might struggle, but the story introduces you to each word very naturally.

We see everything from the point of view of Mikal, and experience his struggles and emotions as each story point unfolds. At times it's easy to be frustrated with him, the same way characters around him are, or to question his actions or those of Yosua. Yet Mikal grows and learns through the awful experiences, and his development feels honest and realistic. I loved his relationship with Yosua (which I felt implied a queer mlm bond but was never said outright) and the dual nature of their lives.

A key focus for the novel is an exploration of faith and religion, the journey of Mikal's belief and the struggles of keeping true even in the darkest times. I'm not a religious person myself, but I didn't feel it was preachy or pushy towards the reader. It was just a beautiful glimpse of the experiences of a person of faith and in their world, how staying true that faith has its rewards.

I believe this is part of a trilogy, so I will absolutely be keeping an eye out for the rest. I'm saddened to see so few reviews for this novel, as I found it really impressive, engaging and such a thrill to read. It's not all that long either, so I'd recommend it to anyone wanting a shorter fantasy read, but I'd encourage anyone looking for thought-provoking, exciting read to give Amok a try!

Although the write the book had amazing writing and amazing world-building for me it was just a miss. I've been reading slump lately and I was hoping this book would bring me out of it however I think this was just the wrong book for me at this time but like I said I really enjoyed the world-building aspects of the book and the writing was beautifully done it was just the wrong time for me to read this book. I might come back and try again when I'm not in a slump because I think I'd really enjoy it but as of right now, just not for me.

The world-building of this Nusantara-set novel is exemplary, seamlessly incorporating elements of all the cultures that meld and mingle in Malaysia and its neighbors to present a truly fascinating fantasy world. The main nation is Terang, a collection of three city-states, each with its own mystical focus. Suci, the holy city, is known for a priesthood that not only heads the worship of Kudus but is also gifted with the ability to instantly communicate over long distances. Impian is a town of lawmakers and historians, where the blessed have the ability to read the thoughts of others. And Maha, the capital, is headed by a Sultan who's gifted with the divine Amok Strength which overflows from him to his people, granting them supernatural might to back their military prowess.

The Sultan as this book opens is a widower named Simson, whose courting of the neighboring kingdom of Bayangan's Permaisuri is causing considerable consternation among the religious. Bayangan is a state of breakaway Terangans who refused to worship Kudus. Sultan Simson put them down some decades ago, taking hostages from their royalty and upper classes to ensure their fealty. His son Mikal is fifteen and has yet to come into his own Amok strength despite fervent prayers to Kudus and lengthy martial training sessions. As a result, Mikal spends most of his time outside the gelanggang sulking about not having the mystical powers to back up his training. He's caught off-guard by what seems to him his father's sudden interest in remarriage, and by the suddenly cagey behavior of his own body servant Yosua, a boy his own age who was born of Bayangan hostages in Maha.

When Permaisuri Layla finally puts into motion her long-simmering plan for revenge on Terang, Mikal finds himself taken prisoner and shipped across the straits to Bayangan. There, he's left to the care and mercies of Yosua, who turns out to be far more than a simple serving boy. The friends will have to do everything in their power to reverse the acts of the cruel Permaisuri Layla, while trying to find a way to preserve their friendship and break the murderous cycle of vengeance between the nations that claim them.

Anna Tan has put a lot of thought into creating an entirely original fantasy world that incorporates the values, beliefs and cultures of Malaysia (I laughed when I figured out what "ayell" stands for.) The amount of flavor available to those who speak Malay a/o are already familiar with the area is extremely rich, tho sometimes a little too on-the-nose: by the time we get to the woman named Bintang being called a guiding star by one of the characters, I was like OKAY, this is less sly than verging on the painfully literal. Otherwise, I loved this setting so much, with its rich overtones of current societal norms blended with the distinctive flavor of historical tales.

What I did not love was Mikal. My God, that child. Entirely self-absorbed and entitled, even his relationship with Kudus is all "why aren't you giving me what I want?" I get it, Nusantaran royalty throughout history has been more renowned for its folly than good works, but expecting me to sympathize with this kid is a tough ask, especially when he's such a douchebag throughout. Granted, he does make the right choices at the end, so he's not a bad kid just... really privileged and spoiled and not too bright. Ms Tan's writing really leans into that, for some reason, instead of his actually good qualities, submerging his (quite good actually) martial instincts in self-doubt and spending less time on his political awakening and sense of mercy than on his extremely belabored religious crisis and sense of having been betrayed. There's a good, sympathetic character here but he's so obscured by all the pondering and angst that it's really hard to give a damn.

This is Anna Tan's first novel, and possibly the first of a series. I'm really hoping she writes more in this setting but chooses less irritating characters to focus on. Also, the older I get the less enamored I am of the idea of hereditary monarchy, especially when the basis is divine right. But I've always believed that faith without works is dead, so.

Amok by Anna Tan was published June 1 2021 by Teaspoon Publishing and is available from all good booksellers.

"What is faith but a vapour? It is the hopes and dreams you place in hands other than your own, whether those hands belong to another human or some being that claims to be god."


Wow.

Tan is a supremely talented storyteller. I don't even know where to begin this review because there was so much that blew me away. The best advice I can give you is, if you're looking for a fresh and well-written fantasy story, add this to your TBR pile.

The plot revolves around Mikal, a prince whose kingdom has been razed and people have been captured by a hostile force. Forced into servitude, Mikal must watch his father, the former sultan, lose his Amok powers and wither away while his people suffer endless beatings and torment at the hands of their new masters. The story is told in first person, and we spend the entirety of the book inside Mikal's mind, seeing his fears, frustrations, and emotions first hand. After a life spent in devotion to his god, Kudus, the being who grants the Amok powers, Mikal is frustrated that he has not yet been able to tap into these strengths, and throughout the story becomes more and more angry that his god has not yet provided salvation for his captured people.

Mikal is similarly betrayed by his servant, closest companion, and brother in all but name, Yos. He spends much of the novel torn as to whether to place his faith in Yos, who insists he is loyal only to Mikal and is only trying to help free him.

Mikal struggles to believe anyone is truly on his side and trying to help him, from Yos to his father to the nascent rebellion to Kudus himself. This was such a fascinating journey to witness, and the protagonist is beautifully ambiguous. I frequently shifted between feeling bad for him to being angry with him and back again. I think his frequent hypocrisies and shortcomings are much more realistic for a fifteen-year-old placed in such a dire situation than many of the other adolescent fantasy protagonists I have read. Additionally, his journey to blindly believe a god and his constant frustration at the lack of deliverance is a fantastic reflection of the struggles of faith and religion.

This was a very fast read; once I began I couldn't put it down. At surface level, it is an edge of your seat fantasy adventure in which a deposed prince must win back his kingdom. Yet at its core, it is a beautifully written reflection on the complexities of faith.