Book Reviews
Full Book Reviews
More to be updated and added! I'm finding more book reviewers.
"I am so impressed with Aquila Goh’s writing and stunningly beautiful prose that elevated the spiritual-philosophical fantasy books to unbelievable heights."
By S.G. Blaise, Multiple Award-Winning Author of The Last Lumenian Sci-fi Fantasy Series (Her 2 books are available on Amazon Kindle!)
The Eternal Reflection Volume One consists of four books with a gorgeous cover. The writing style is florid and evocative. These books were such a pleasure to read. Each book flows wonderfully with an immense world building, tremendous philosophical depth and layered plot—all merged into one masterful volume of stories.
Ni’vim is a female avian humanoid of the Sha’reena race whose POV we follow most of the time, alternating with other characters’ POV that is clearly marked in the beginning of each chapter. Ni’vim’s character arc progresses in each book, going from innocent and powerless to a strong hero, leading her people to safety by the end of book 4.
In each book there are 5-7 arcs the readers can track with a multitude of characters like Bebiu, Ni’vim’s childhood friend or Ni’vim’s father Seg’niu, Tema and Shanyrria, just to name a few. Many plot lines were introduced in each book (like the creature Qeazor, the portals and the White Malady) and I really liked how the author wove them together and gave explanations to each. I especially enjoyed watching Ni’vim and Shanyrria learn from their past mistakes, traumas and overcome them, showing such personal growth.
There are beautiful illustrations throughout the books. They can be also found on the books’ website, which provides invaluable explanations of the overarching themes, philosophies and even plot summaries to help the reader immerse themselves deeper into the fantastic world of The Eternal Reflection. The website is a truly worthy companion to the books.
I am so impressed with Aquila Goh’s writing and stunningly beautiful prose that elevated the spiritual-philosophical fantasy books to unbelievable heights. It is abundantly clear that the author has spent many years honing his craft to perfection, creating a wondrous world that showcases his love and passion for these stories. It was a pleasure to read volume one with these four books. I would highly recommend it to all spiritual-philosophical fantasy lovers who enjoy epic character and theme driven stories!
"Aquila Goh is one of the most creative and intelligent, newly emerged writer that shakes the literature scene of Singapore."
Muhammad Amirul Amru, TCK Publisher novel award nominee, and acclaimed author of First Under Heaven & A Song for Zenith.
Aquila Goh is one of the most creative and intelligent, newly emerged writer that shakes the literature scene of Singapore. His novel discusses themes not commonly read in many books and although it may not be appealing for all, the book gives an important insight to philosophical ideals, suggestions, and themes that may leave the reader thinking. I think that is his goal from my perspective and his answer to an ever-changing world. The only issue I have with his work is that it is extremely long, longer than some works that I enjoy and wish for a physical copy to be distributed in volumes which to my knowledge has not yet been done. Overall, reading this work and still reading, discovering this masterpiece is certainly an eye-opening experience. Indeed, one can say that this is his magnus opus.
Here's What Preliminary Reviewers Have to Say So Far!
Not the full reviews yet, but these are some feedback I've gotten so far. I'm waiting on book reviews from several consecutive sources. The evidence is in the compiled screenshot below (some names made anonymous per their wishes):
“Your prose is amazing. Extremely evocative, vivid, and a rather visceral quality which reminds me of the style of Patricia McKillip.”
From a Singaporean fantasy novelist I worked with, by coincidence, via the same Reedsy coach (talk about fate!).
“Omfg, that book is definitely intense like seriously some deep thought within it … I love it for sure. I feel it’s very enlightening and the deep process of which your mind can comprehend the words in this book is absolutely mind blowing … dude your mind is something else I didn’t even realize you are this deep.”
From an affluent American reader.
“I’m amazed at your writing. It has the blend of fantasy and spiritual, yet inspirational. I believe you can draw in all the readers who love this kind of books. You are already a good writer.”
From a Singaporean writer.
“Your writing is beautiful and artistic, I love it! [...] I like your prose, poetry, and spiritual wisdom. [...] Astoundingly high standard [...] your book is topnotch!"
From a Singaporean novelist, ASEAN scholar, and translator of the Sutras to English. She found the Buddhist themes very similar to her own philosophy. She likewise found them very deep and accurate. Will update more testimonies from her. She has many more laudations.
“The integration of the verse is also very nice. I always like reading poetry.”
From a late-teenager.
“God damn, it flows so well. Nice pacing!”
From a British writer.
"I love it, it's very unique to other books I've read. Part of it is the word choice you don't see, and there's also a part I can't really explain. It really is captivating to read. I'll be honest, I'm reading through it slowly because it makes books more enjoyable for me, and your book is super great for that because of how thought-provoking it is. As for plot, I think what I have read was well thought out and seems to leave certain parts out to make it even more interesting."
From a late-teenage reader.
"I like it so far, it's not a hard read."
From an avid reader of many books, especially Stephen King's works.
"It's been a while since I've read fantasy because at some point I realized that fantasy is a lot more targeted to younger audiences and seems to have less mature themes (I am aware of Game of Thrones, but because of their length and the apparent inability of George R. R. Martin to finish the series, I never started reading it. Because of that, I switched to reading mostly sci-fi but The Eternal Reflection has changed my view on fantasy as a genre. While many fantasy authors still don't explore more mature and complex topics as much as in sci-fi, The Eternal Reflection has really been one of my favorite books this year because it tackles psychological and spiritual themes with tact and an easy-to-understand approach that still leaves plenty of room for reflection and exploration by the reader."
From a late-teenager. Great news, because it means my works are accessible.
"Well-written with good plot development. Very deep lessons."
From the dean of a local well-known Singaporean law school.
"It's very, very, very good. I liked it so much so far."
From a Twitch streamer during her voice stream - not in the screenshot of evidence
"Excited about this series!"
An Advance Review Copy reader.
"I just wanted to let you know I've finally had a chance to go more in depth with your book and it's really fantastic! I love the spiritual/philosophical theme. I think your background in sociological studies is perfectly paired for something like this. Your quotes, wisdom and philosophy are ingrained with this masterpiece [...] You literally perfected this. Everything from the message, the artwork and just the entire package. The marketer needs to know this is a diamond in the rough. Also, I think it's genius that you made this into a fictional story, but at the same time allows you to explore different through processes flawlessly."
A well-known Twitch streamer.
"Loving your book so far. I am really enjoying getting to know the lovely young lady who is embarking on finding meaning for her life. She seems to represent a lot of us who want to feel there is more to life than mundane restrictions that have [been] placed on us by our societies. I look forward to learning more of her journey and the importance of her tattoos."
An Advance Review Copy reader.
"I have honestly loved the way it has been written. Several of the philosophies have helped me during moments of self-doubt and anger."
An Advance Review Copy reader.
"So far I am enjoying all the complexities of the characters very interesting[ly]. Our heroine is strong and I am looking forward to see how all her gifts will get her through all the battles against evil and hoping to find her growing for herself and what she will pass on for her own peoples' customs in the future. So far it seems like it would be a great source for a visual experience if it were ever made to be a screenplay experience. That may be getting ahead, but all the descriptions, hieroglyphic type languages, and excitement of the battles would be quite interesting to see."
An Advance Review Copy reader.
"It's a very in-depth story but it was [a] very interesting and wonderful story."
An Advance Review Copy reader.