Review of "Elements of Growth" by Keynin Battle

Score: 88/100 (8.8 out of 10)

Elements of Growth by Keynin Carl Battle is the energetic, over-the-top, imagination-stuffed sequel to Elements of Change, a previous OCA-winning novel.

And when we say “over-the-top,” we mean that with both affection and a raised eyebrow.

This is not a quiet fantasy novel. This is far from a super duper serious grimdark epic where everyone speaks in riddles, broods under a blood-red moon, and questions the moral burden of kingship for 600 pages. Nope. This is a magical adventure where Keith Cottam can fly, bake with fire magic, chill banana pudding with ice magic, ride a rare white dragon, summon a shadow wolf, save kingdoms, earn noble titles, impress royalty, and somehow still find time to make pizza for everyone.

Honestly? Good for him.

Elements of Growth picks up with Keith continuing his journey through a magical fantasy world filled with elves, vampires, goblins, lizard folk, trolls, demons, fairies, dragons, rulers, nobles, villains, magical artifacts, and enough dramatic entrances to make a professional wrestling promoter proud. Keith and his friends travel across different kingdoms, learning about each culture while facing new dangers connected to the Dark Undead and the looming threat of Lord Valac.

The best thing about this book is also the thing that makes it so ridiculous: it is pure wish fulfillment.

Keith is basically living every fantasy-loving kid’s dream. He has powerful magic. He has loyal friends. He has a cool familiar named Ash. He gets a majestic dragon named Sora. He has noble girls, princesses, demons, vampires, fairies, and classmates constantly admiring him. He is praised by kings and queens. He is trusted with major missions. He makes food from his world and everyone loves it. He plays songs on his MP3 player and suddenly the whole fantasy world becomes a jukebox musical with dragons.

It is absurd.

It is also kind of delightful.

This book understands something very simple about fantasy: sometimes readers just want to escape. Sometimes readers want to imagine a world where kindness is rewarded, bullies are humbled, friends stay loyal, food brings people together, villains are obvious, and the hero actually gets to feel special. Elements of Growth leans into that completely. It is not embarrassed by its sincerity, and that gives the book a strange, scrappy charm.

Keith remains the emotional center of the story. Everything orbits around him. Catherine, Lulu, Violet, Olivia, Ellie, Shayla, Sora, Ash, the student council, several rulers, and eventually entire nations seem to treat him as the main character of existence.

Which, to be fair, he is.

But this does create one of the book’s biggest problems: dramatic tension takes a serious hit. Keith is so powerful, so admired, and so frequently rewarded that it can be hard to believe he is ever in real danger. The book does try to address this a little more than before. Keith suffers from magic depletion, he gets pushed to his limits, and there are moments where the supporting cast has to step up and fight. That helps. It shows growth. It shows an attempt to make the world feel bigger than Keith.

However, the story still has a major Gary Stu problem. Keith can do almost anything the plot needs him to do. Need a rescue? Keith can handle it. Need food? Keith can cook it. Need magic? Keith has it. Need courage? Keith gives the speech. Need someone to impress a princess, tame a dragon, lead classmates, save captives, inspire warriors, and get promoted to Viscount? Keith, Keith, Keith, Keith, Keith, and Keith.

Again, this is fun. But it also means the book often feels less like a suspenseful fantasy adventure and more like a magical victory parade.

The supporting characters are likable, though many of them still exist largely in relation to Keith. Catherine’s affection, Lulu’s bubbly energy, Violet’s loyalty, Olivia’s sisterly attachment, Ellie’s softness, Shayla’s royal drama, and Sora’s devotion all add warmth to the story. We especially appreciated the sense of found family surrounding Keith, Olivia, Violet, Ash, and Sora. There is a genuine sweetness there. The scenes involving food, home, music, and family memories give the book its heart.

Keith’s MP3 player remains one of the more amusing and noticeable recurring details. It is tied to his great-grandma, which gives it sentimental value, but it also makes the story feel very reminiscent of Guardians of the Galaxy at times. When Keith starts using pop songs like “Life is a Highway,” “Wannabe,” and “September” in this magical world, the result is bizarre, funny, and occasionally charming. It is also very, very random.

The villains remain less successful. Lord Valac and his generals have a theatrical Saturday-morning-cartoon quality that makes them hard to take seriously. When Valac starts introducing his entourage of evil companions, it feels like Skeletor assembling a fantasy boy band. That can be entertaining, but it does not exactly make him terrifying.

The book is at its best when it focuses on movement, friendship, spectacle, and cultural exploration. Keith and company visiting different kingdoms gives the story a fun, episodic adventure structure. The goblin kingdom, lizard folk village, troll kingdom, vampire kingdom, fairy kingdom, and dwarf kingdom each add something colorful to the world. Battle clearly enjoys building this fantasy setting, and that enthusiasm comes through.

The lizard folk storyline with Zosk has a nice emotional core. The white dragon sequence with Sora is one of the more memorable parts of the book. The vampire dance, fairy kingdom material, dwarf kingdom conflict, and final heroic recognition ceremony all add to the sense that Keith’s world is expanding.

That said, the writing itself remains rough around the edges.

The prose is straightforward, sometimes too straightforward. Emotional beats often happen quickly. Dialogue can feel stiff. Action scenes sometimes read like turn-based video game combat: one character attacks, another blocks, someone uses a spell, someone counters, then someone launches another spell. It is clear what is happening, but the rhythm can become mechanical.

There are also moments of unintentionally funny phrasing, abrupt transitions, and scenes that could use more polish. Battle has a big imagination, but the execution still needs refinement. The book would benefit from deeper internal conflict, more varied sentence structure, more organic dialogue, and villains who feel like a genuine threat rather than obstacles waiting to be defeated.

Still, we have to give credit where credit is due: this book has personality.

A lot of books are technically cleaner but much colder. This one is messy, sincere, colorful, goofy, heartfelt, and completely committed to its own fantasy playground. It has dragons. It has food magic. It has friendship speeches. It has magical races. It has nobles, dances, villains, chosen-hero energy, emotional family memories, and a shadow wolf familiar. It is doing a lot, sometimes too much, but it is never boring.

Ultimately, Elements of Growth is not a polished masterpiece of fantasy craft. It is not subtle. It is not especially tense. It is not always graceful. But it is fun, earnest, imaginative, and full of heart.

This is wish-fulfillment fantasy with dragon wings, pizza ovens, pop music, and a hero everyone loves.

And honestly?

There is absolutely an audience for that.

This is a flawed but charming sequel that delivers exactly what its fans are likely looking for: friendship, magic, dragons, heroic victories, and a whole lot of Keith Cottam being Keith Cottam.

Check it out on Amazon!