Official Review: -Queen of the Quantum Realm

[Cristina Chifane]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "-Queen of the Quantum Realm" by Rhonda Denise Johnson.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Queen of the Quantum Realm by Rhonda Denise Johnson is an excellent novel for both teenagers and a more mature audience who would certainly appreciate the exquisite blending of fantasy and science. Although this is book one in the Nanosia series, it could be read as a standalone novel since the denouement ties all the loose ends together and delivers a satisfying conclusion. The originality of the book springs from the incredibly well-designed juxtaposition of two seemingly contradictory worlds. The world where humans and mages live in harmony runs in parallel with the micro-world of Nanosia, the realm of subatomic particles like bosons, fermions, positrons, electrons, and gamma rays.

The story starts with 14-year-old Jawan, who lives in Hadley Town as the apprentice of Myrlo, the great earth mage. He has not seen his parents in eight years and dreams of being reunited with his family. When the purple plague hits their small town, all Jawan can think about is finding a cure. However, his master urges him not to forget his upcoming exam on quantum physics and the elements controlled by the five mages.

Taking advantage of Myrlo’s absence, Jawan overcomes his fear and plunges deep into Nanosia, a world one-billionth his normal size. In order to survive and return with a cure, the boy needs to remember his lessons in quantum physics because this realm is like nothing he has seen before. If Hadley Town is struggling against the purple plague, Nanosia is affected by the irregular behavior and even disappearance of many elementary particles. Could there be a connection between the events in the two distinct worlds? What can Jawan do to thwart both Lord Elveston’s diabolical plans in his own world and Antipan’s mischievous ploys for Nanosia and the Queen of the Quantum Realm?

Young adults and teens will quickly relate to Jawan and his close friends, Loby and Zap. Taking into account the valuable lessons Jawan learns throughout his adventures, we may as well consider this book a coming-of-age novel. From a hesitant boy with a stuttering problem, Jawan turns into a confident teenager who boldly fights for truth and justice. Apart from the protagonist, the author also does a great job with the secondary characters. As pages add up, you become accustomed to Loby’s bravado, Zap’s cowardice, Itch’s foolishness, or Lord Elveston’s tantrums. There are two strong female characters too: Cintella and Queen Quanta. Even if I liked the way the author described their fascination with the dark side, I wish they were more actively involved in the action. My suggestion is for one of the future books in the series to solely concentrate on Cintella, who looks like a very promising character.

My favorite parts of the novel were those related to the worldbuilding of the Quantum Realm. The visual imagery is highly picturesque. I could virtually imagine the fermions and bosons spinning and orbiting in a majestic choreography of matter and energy. Both the order in Nanosia and the disarray in the Realm of Chaos are equally enchanting. The novel has interesting allegorical meanings about the consequences of the thirst for absolute power and the unexpected beauty of diversity. Reminiscent of the Lilliputians in Gulliver’s Travels, the subatomic particles in the Quantum Realm acquire personalities of their own and are endowed with human feelings and desires. Simple vocabulary and explanations make quantum physics seem like a piece of cake. The disoriented photons Chip and Bit, the obsessed positron Gelic, the devious Antipan, and the dangerous Negatron populate a vivid world that lures you in with many unanswered questions about the mysteries of subatomic life.

I am rating Queen of the Quantum Realm 4 out of 4 stars due to the good character development and the wonderful worldbuilding. The PDF version of the book had more than 300 pages that were well-edited, considering that I found less than 10 errors. They were mainly typos and punctuation mistakes like missing blank spaces or extra commas. I am recommending the novel primarily to young adults and teens with a penchant for adventure and fantasy. No matter if you are into science or not, those scenes relying on quantum physics will be a delightful read. As far as I am concerned, I am anxious to go back to Nanosia in Fire Master, the second book in the series.

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-Queen of the Quantum Realm
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[NetMassimo]

This novel seems interesting, and some scientific elements are among the parts that can make it enjoyable to adults as well. Thank you for your great review!

[SunVixen]

Look like very interesting book. Thank you for great review!

[Maxwil1]

The book looks good so far. It gives an insight of what a poor boy went through, to find his family, battle with the curate of plague and also the exams await for him.
This is a time when we show strength in overcoming our befalling challenges.
It's indeed a great book

[Tonika632]

Fantasy and science mixed together is perfect choice for me. I think that I will love this book. Great review!