Review of "14 Hours of Saturn" by Mike J. Kizman

Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)

Author Mike J. Kizman has mastered the art of subtlety!
He has taken mundane everyday people and scenarios, like those found in 14 Hours of Saturn and Afternoon Rebecca, and made them engaging, interesting, and intriguing.

His work is proof that you don't need superpowers, magic, dragons, werewolves, flashy lights, and explosions to tell an interesting story with compelling characters.

14 Hours of Saturn really exemplifies this. It's not a book about a superpowered girl from a royal bloodline who fell in love with an alien-werewolf prince and has some special prophesied destiny to unite all the tribes of the galaxy against a dark lord. It's just the story of a girl. A normal, everyday girl from Indiana who has a turbulent and fascinating relationship with her older sister.

This girl's name is Saturn (Saturn O, to be exact), so named because her father, Michael, loved astronomy and was sick and tired of having the most common name in America growing up. He decided to think outside the box and name his daughters after celestial bodies. Saturn has an older sister named Venus, and their relationship is the heart and soul of this book.

We've read A LOT of books about siblings.

There was Secrets in the Mirror by Leslie Kain, James & Elle by Casey Rae, Freeing Teresa by Franke James, The Pact by Lisa Darcy, and A Thousand More by K.S. Lynn (to name a few). All of them were impactful and interesting in their own ways, but the Saturn-Venus dynamic in 14 Hours of Saturn stands out in a completely different way—a far more subtle way.

Saturn and Venus are simultaneously loving siblings and fierce rivals who can't stand each other sometimes.

Saturn lives a lot of her life in Venus's shadow. Venus is the obnoxious show-off of the two, always needing to be seen, acknowedged, and celebrated. Meanwhile, Saturn is far more interested in arts and crafts, using those as her primary forms of expression (along with a budding love for advertising later on).

In contrast, Venus sees herself as the art, often wearing skimpy clothing and striving to draw the attention of all the boys (and be the envy of the girls). She needs to be the center of attention all the time, and she almost always needs to be acknowledged as better and superior (somehow) than Saturn. This creates a lot of animosity, resentment, and tension between the two sisters.

And what makes a story interesting?
Tension.

But it never comes across as over-the-top or overly severe. The stakes never seem so great that they're hard to take seriously. The world isn't ending. No one has a terminal illness. There really isn't a life-or-death/do-or-die angle to this book. It's always subtle, it's always calm, and yet it's somehow never boring.

This book's strength lies in how relatable and likable Saturn is. Saturn is one of the most relatable characters we've seen. Even from her introduction, she does and thinks little, subtle things that are familiar to a lot of us. For example, she instinctively tries to dip her toast in her eggs only to find the yolk’s already firm and the “dip” dream is a no-go. She shrugs, laughs at herself, and keeps eating. That tiny beat--plans vs. reality, and rolling with it--sets the tone for the whole day.

From there, it’s the little rituals: a quick, quiet prayer (not long enough to let the latte go cold), hunting for the perfect window seat, fiddling with a coffee stirrer like it’s a lucky charm. Speaking of prayer, it's also funny how her mom uses prayer as an opportunity to indirectly judge and lecture her daughters. That seems like something a devoutly Christian mother might do.

Saturn also adopts a stray cat named Muffin, and she has no idea what she's doing as a first-time cat owner.

None of this is epic. It’s ordinary in the best possible way. A rainy Saturday turns into a gentle referendum on who she’s becoming: kinder, braver, a bit more anchored. That’s why it works. Saturn’s life isn’t exploding; it’s unfolding--one imperfect egg, one stirred latte, one rescued cat, one awkward conversation at a time. And somehow, that feels like a win.

Another thing we found relatable is how she started reading her sister's magazines for the advertisements rather than the core content. She becomes fascinated with ads and advertising, something which carries on into college and her professional career.

While Saturn isn't this extraordinary person in terms of wealth, fame, notoriety, or power, her passion is infectious, especially for her arts and crafts. We are constantly reminded about her "craft sticks" (which most of us would call popsicle sticks), and it's somehow never annoying. In fact, it's both funny and compelling to hear her think and talk about them all the time. To her, they're more than popsicle sticks. To her, these craft sticks are the equivalent of a pitcher’s favorite glove or a golfer’s go-to 7-iron. We also get the sense that her craft sticks ground her and empower her, to an extent.

They go back to a moment in her childhood in which Saturn, after being repeatedly told to make her arts and crafts exactly like Venus (do it "right"), actually deviated and impressed their mother.

We actually see her become bolder and bolder and bolder with increasing confidence, all the way to the point where she seems to be in total control during a job interview. This is impressive considering how she always seemed to be in Venus's shadow during their childhood.

While this book doesn't have a villain or antagonist in the traditional sense, there are some antagonistic figures and forces. Venus is arguably the primary antagonist of the book, serving as Saturn's rival and the bane of her existence. At the same time, she isn't evil or cruel. She can be mean, controlling, annoying, and very judgmental. It always seems like Saturn can't go anywhere or do anything without Venus criticizing it (or her).

Some of Saturn's boyfriends also become antagonistic, especially the pushy star football player who spreads rumors that she cost them a big game.

Another antagonist in the book is the Mayor, who is clearly corrupt. It seems like he gets funding for huge public projects which don't seem to live up to their billing. It's implied that he might be pocketing some of the funds. He is also responsible for driving Saturn's family off their property to build a train line.

Speaking of which... it's interesting how that kinda comes back into play when Venus uses that same train line to transit to and from her college. One of Saturn's ex-boyfriend's, the superhero-obsessed Teddy, also returns and has a really touching, sentimental moment that serves to redeem him. Oh, and there's even a cameo by Rebecca from Afternoon Rebecca, which was nice to see.

It's awesome how connected and cohesive this book feels. Everything seems connected, like parts glued together in one of Saturn's crafts.

There are other very special moments in this book. Arguably the best is when Saturn finally asks her father if they can use his telescope to find the planets Saturn and Venus.

This is a really sentimental book about family, siblinghood, and personal growth.

Check it out on Amazon!