‘Himagus’ by Kerat Jhaj —BOOK REVIEW

About ‘Himagus (Himagusian Chronicles book 1)’ by Kerat Jhaj::

Genre: Fantasy; Supernatural; Romance

A planet called “Himagus”, had been planning to take over Earth and terminate mankind for decades. And when that did happen it was all because of two Himagusians, one a werewolf and the other a magus, who had lived on Earth for seven years to complete this task. But as they both fell for one human girl, they kept her alive.
And now it’s up to her, to attempt bringing humans back, take her revenge on these Himagusians or admit she’s in love and live happily ever after.

I have also reviewed these other titles by Kerat Jhaj:
Shigatrus (Himagusian Chronicles book 2)

Himagus is something I have NEVER seen before. There are a lot of stories that take fantasy beings (such as demons, gods, vampires…) and turn them into science fiction by giving an intelligent explanation of how they work, but Himagus does the opposite. The story introduces us to an alien race that is, in fact, what we attribute as supernatural rather than the usual ‘oh gods are just a race of beings whose technology we don’t understand.’ They are actually magical, which by the way magic is also a great power of theirs.

The book begins with a demonic massacre straight out of a scary movie, the main character (Kylie) having been spared due to a strange, almost ‘love at first sight’ type scenario. It then progresses into her trying to come to terms with what happened (what IS happening) as her logical emotions conflict with her illogical ones. While learning about the violent aliens who have invaded Earth, Kylie discovers in the most bizarre ways that even in a world of darkness, light is not so easily quelled.

The aliens’ culture is another fresh take that Himagus presents. We’ve all seen the ‘warrior’ races in scifi books/shows where violence, stoicism, or apathy prevail over all else. However with the Himagusians, their world quite literally runs on evil. It was like taking all the worst aspects of every culture to have existed in real life, mixing them together, and amplifying their negativity.

While applying the theme of advanced alien races viewing humanity as cockroaches to be exterminated, only to learn love, compassion, or even fun from our complex race, it also shows that these wildly different beings never inherently lacked the capability for such positivity. It was simply their aggressive upbringing and traditions that trained them to be as they are. That in itself is a very strong message.

At parts, the author’s writing style does feel a bit unrefined, but it is not enough to detract from the enjoyment of the story. Take into consideration (read the acknowledgments) that they were a ninth grade student when first taking on this book project, and there really is no room for criticism. Overall, it was well-done and extremely unique. I’m greatly looking forward to the sequel, especially with the twists toward the end of the story (no spoilers lol).

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(Also available on Barnes & Noble)

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(Also available on Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million)

Kerat Jhaj can be found on:
Twitter @KWriterK
Instagram @selfportraitrani
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~Sahreth ‘Baphy’ Bowden