Moa by Tricia Stewart Shiu

Author: Tricia Stewart Shiu
Publisher: Human Being Publishing
Published: February 1st 2012
Pages: 146
Format: Paperback
Source: Gifted from Author
Add it: Goodreads, Amazon, The Book Depository


Summary: 

Hillary Hause is not a witch. But, everyone in her conservative small town thinks so. When she is given a trip to Hawaii for graduation, this energetic eighteen-year-old anticipates adventure but gets more than she bargained for when Moa, an ancient Hawaiian spirit, pays her an unexpected visit.


With the help of her older sister, Molly and her seven-year-old niece, Heidi, Hillary embarks on a journey in which she not only saves herself, her family and Moa, but also the Hawaiian Islands. In the end, she learns to accept herself and her spiritual gifts warts and all.

three out of five hearts

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 book, “if you see it, it is so… if you believe it, it is so…”, and I instantly realised that I was reading the book wrong. I was looking at it too literally, expecting it all to make sense in my world when actually it is a spiritual book. It is a book that carries with it a strong message written between the lines and the story itself is just an interesting tale to help carry that message. As soon as I took a step back from it all, I found myself enjoying the book a lot more. I could finally appreciate it for what it actually was; a beautiful and touching read.

Humanity.*

The characters in this story are all so lovely and I loved to read them. I found that Hillary was a really interesting character who had a long journey to go through. It was great to see how history had made her become the person she was and how the present was shaping her to be a new person in the future. She may not have been the perfect person, but she was willing to change for the better and that was such an admiring thing to read. She wasn’t totally accepting of it all at first and I felt that this really helped to make her character feel more rounded as it was how one would expect someone to react in that situation. I am definitely looking forward to reading more about her and seeing where else she will take us.

I adored Heidi. She was so smart and curious and charming and she just made me smile when I saw her. She was brave and was more accepting of everything because she was younger. I loved that about her but I also loved that she helped to coax her mother along but knew when to take a stand. I found her to be an admirable character. I also really liked Moa. She had the body of a seven-year-old but it was clear that she had a lot more wisdom than that. She was helpful and protective and just a really great character to read. She just really made the book that much more enjoyable to read and I adored the journey she went on throughout the book and am honestly looking forward to seeing a lot more from her.

The only character that I struggled with was Molly. I’m not exactly sure what it was about her but I just couldn’t get myself to like her. She also went on quite a journey and it was interesting to get to know more about her but I don’t think we saw enough of her past to understand where she was in the present. I think it would have been nice to have seen some of her relationship with her sister or her daughter a bit more to understand why they were the way they were in the book. There was just something about her that irked me the wrong way, unfortunately.

The Other Side.*

While it took me a while to come around to it, to fully get my head around it all, I really liked the concept of the spirits in this book. I liked how it outlined everything out and how different things came into play at different times. I found it all to be really intriguing and different. Even when I was confused and found it difficult to read, I still couldn’t put the book down because I was just too curious about it all. I wanted to know more, I wanted it all to be fully explained to me. It was a great technique to get the readers’ attention and it helped to make the book more enjoyable throughout. If I was a believer, it would be nice to believe that there were spirits as nice as Moa out there.

I really liked the way that each chapter began, I found it really interesting and I liked how it gave you a slight insight into what the chapter will bring without giving too much away. I also liked the journey that the entire book took you on. It was a unique storyline that really caught my attention and I know that reading the next book in this series is something that I am looking forward to doing.

The Power of Air.*

While it did take me a while to understand what the book was trying to say, I have to admit that I immensely enjoyed what this novel was trying to say. I love the idea that we are in control of our own lives and the things we see. It isn’t what we see but how we look at what we see that makes all the difference. Some people will look at the ocean and just see water while some people can look at the ocean and see all of their hopes and dreams, they can see a journey or an adventure but it is all in their perception. How we perceive the world is the only thing that keeps us original and unique. I also like that this story had a lot about inner peace, of letting go of the regrets from the past because it has come and gone and as much as we may hate it, it has shaped us into the people we are today. 

Caution.*

Before I finish up this review, there is one thing that I must tell you all. This is a novel that changes between third person and first person. It was due to this changing of tenses that I was confused for a while at the beginning but I found that once I got it in my head as to what was happening, it was easier to understand. If you find it difficult to read books that continuously changes between “I” and “She” (for different characters), then this probably won’t be the right book for you. However, if you’re looking for something original and unique and are up to the challenge that this book could present then this book is definitely one that you should pick up and try.

Rainbows End.*

All in all this was a lovely short novel that I did enjoy. It took a while to get into but once I was there, I truly enjoyed this novel and would easily recommend it to others. I loved the messages in the text, I loved the spirituality of it all and I am most certainly eager to read the next book in the series to see where it will all end up. This is a tale that will capture your heart and make you rethink things around you and it may, if you’re lucky, even make you feel happier about yourself and bring forth an inner peace that you may have forgotten about. It is definitely one that I would suggest you read, especially if spiritualistic books are your type of thing or if you’re just looking for something that is a little bit different. In those instances, Moa is definitely the book for you!

* all sub-titles are chapter titles in Moa and therefore credit for them goes to Tricia. *

Faye

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About Moa: Eighteen-year-old, Hillary, anticipates adventure as she embarks for trip to Honolulu, but gets more than she bargained for when Moa, an ancient Hawaiian spirit, pays her an unexpected visit. Get it on Amazon. 
About Statue of Ku:  The second book in the Moa Book Series, “The Statue of Ku” follows Hillary and Moa as they jet to Egypt on the Prince’s private plane to reclaim Moa’s family heirloom, the inimitable statue of Ku. Get it on Amazon. 
About the author: Tricia Stewart Shiu combines her addiction to the written word with her avid interest in the healing arts and all things metaphysical in her novels Moa and Statue of Ku and looks forward to finding new ways to unite her two loves. Visit Tricia on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads. a Rafflecopter giveaway