Review of “Roam Within” by Maya Realm

Score: 91+/100 (9.1+ out of 10)

Roam Within: Macallah and the White World of Light by Maya Realm follows Mac (Macallah), a young orphan woman with a passion for literature and writing. Her publisher gives her a strange yet enticing assignment: to spend five weeks on a fishing vessel and to write about what she learns. She is also giving a mysterious old diary full of affirmations, words of wisdom, and revelations to read along the way.

What begins as a pleasant, eye-opening adventure takes a dramatic turn for the worse as the captain's leg becomes gangrenous after being wounded by a hook, something which may threaten his very life. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew is engaged in completing a huge and difficult catch, and Macallah is the only one left who can treat and save the captain!

In this tense, life-and-death moment they exchange words and secrets which are sure to catch the eyes and hearts of the reader.

Darn! The author had us, then lost us.

This was cropping up to be a very good, inspiring story about a young woman's journey to self-discovery. The romantic aspect of it was also pulling on our heartstrings. There was a sense of adventure, exploration, and wonder. There was tension and a real sense of danger.

And then... that was lost.

It was just inexplicably cast to the side in exchange for a mellow, disjointed, existentialist second-half. Somehow, this book goes from Macallah being an unlikely hero aboard a sailing vessel, forming a strong and meaningful relationship/emotional connection with Jake and his father, to exploring her sexuality on an island following some relatively random, unplanned encounters with the likes of Wayans and Zaku. Why?

Well, we know why. It's because the author wanted the book to be different and unconventional.

It's stated that their writing “may not appeal to the logical, conditioned mind.”

And that's ok, be as wild and original as you want, but it's the reader's right to also feel a little cheated of the satisfaction that should've come from the initial plot. You can choose to have a plot that goes off the rails, to introduce new characters, and to confront new themes, but just don't be surprised when your readers—who were already immersed in where the plot was going—to get whiplash when you change directions on them.

It's also because the author really wanted to talk about certain things like gender roles and LGBTQA+ issues. That's fine! That's cool! But... what happened to the exciting, thrilling seafaring adventure you were bringing us on? What happened to the relationship with Jake? The only thing we liked about Wayans is that they sexually fulfilled Mac, but beyond that, they weren't nearly as compelling as Jake, a character who was already developing and blooming like a flower in the spring. Why cut away abruptly and switch the focus to Wayans? What emotional connection do we have to Wayans? It's certainly not as powerful as the one we had with Jake.

At least Zaku is somewhat interesting as a character, albeit somewhat out of place. We do appreciate that Zaku is apparently non-binary or trans after wrestling with their identity for years. It's interesting that they developed a whole video game to help them (and others) to escape. However, again... what happened to the exciting, thrilling seafaring adventure you were bringing us on? Seriously! Wasn't it supposed to last five weeks? How are we now magically on land, magically safe from harm, magically magical, and chilling out with people who love and are fulfilling our every need? What happened to the danger? The suspense? The tension?

This book looked like it was going to be a Moby Dick-like seafaring adventure in which a lone woman—a fish out of water—is stuck at sea with grown men who have conflicting passions and ideologies. The setup was great. The characters were compelling. The tension was palpable. Lives were at stake. Then, it was as if the author just decided to write a different story entirely, completely derailing the good thing they had going.

How did we go from a dude almost dying aboard a ship called Dragon Balls (by the way) to talking about Tia Valiah's “heavenly” pies. What happened to the plot? What happened to the structure? What happened to the pacing? What happened to the flow?

Now, with all that said, this is still a good and worthwhile book. It just isn't as great as it could have been had the author just stayed focused.

The writing is, at times, extraordinary! Truly!

Here are some of our favorite lines:

“Whatever one creates in one's own mind cannot be forcefully changed.”

“He has his path, just like you have yours.”

“Everyone ripens at their own speed.”

“...full as the ocean and empty as air”

It is also nice for those who are trans or non-binary to have characters they can relate to.

Check it out on Amazon!