Excerpts from early reviews of Kaimira: The Sky Village.
The Sky Village is the soaring debut to Monk and Nigel Ashland’s new young adult series, Kaimira.
I loved the imagery of the Sky Village. The colorful hot air balloons seemed so full of life that they made the contrast with the barren Las Vegas even more apparent. At first I was much more drawn to Mei’s story, but over the course of the book I really connected with Rom. His devotion to his sister and his determination to do anything to save her was very touching.
- Bookish Ruth
If you love to read novels with complex, unusual and well-realized futuristic societies, you will likely enjoy The Sky Village. It’s clear that Monk and Nigel Ashland put real heart into developing a believable and intricate world. The episodes in the Sky Village itself were my favourite parts of the story. I could really imagine this huge floating city drifting above the Chinese landscape. I’m sure that there will be many fans Rom’s plotline, as the demonsmithing scenes are dark and thrilling. This is a story for guys and girls, for anyone who loves tales of adventure and other worlds.
- Guys Lit Wire
This was a great sci-fiction, futuristic book. It immediately pulled me in and wouldn’t let me go. It’s thought provoking and the characters feelings are great.The characters felt real and you couldn’t help caring for them or wanting to smack them on the head sometimes.When Rom was fighting in the arena you couldn’t help gasp with horror or cry out when Rom was hurt. The writing was amazing. If you like sci-fiction books or books set in the future then you will love this book. The Sky Village was an exciting, adventurous, amazing first book in a series of 5.This was a great debut from Monk and Nigel Ashland I can’t wait for the sequel to come out. The ending left me wanting more.
- Bookluver-Carol’s Reviews
Kaimira, book one, was a very satisfying read. Satisfying, because it was exciting. Satisfying, in a sense that you want more. And satisfying, it was above your expectations.
Minkster’s Blog
Charles Dickens meets Star Wars in this tale of brave waifs battling nightmarish evils in a future world. It’s a story rich in visual imagery, derring-do and doing-the-right-thing. While the parts of the story gave me the creeps, it’s a good read for kids who aren’t afraid of the dark, especially those who relish a creative story.
- Carol Fahey, Teacher
For an action adventure book it delves into emotional states quite often. Even though more descriptive than most books for this age group I think that the pace fairly flew and would be able to keep the attention of any child who had a fascination with anime, fantasy, and heros taking on monumental, adult tasks.
- Rurik Reviews
I found this novel to be fascinating and thought-provoking. After reading how the beast and machine elements are blended with humanity in Mei and Rom I began to see these elements in balance and in conflict within myself. When I am trying to get my little ones organized and out the door on time for work in the morning I feel the beast rage rising
in me and struggle to bring cool mek intelligence to bear.
- a wrung sponge
I was captivated by the idea of the sky village itself and I often found myself turned back to the two-page illustration of all those hot air balloons and the people sliding between them on ropes hundreds of feet above the earth. The story itself alternates between Mei in the sky village and Rom in the scary underground world beneath Las Vegas, where he battles mechanical beast demons in a life or death game. While I found myself identifying with Mei, I can see how other readers will find themselves absorbed by Rom’s struggles.
- brighton book bloggers
The Sky Village is an exciting story with likeable main characters. The writing was engaging and the changing viewpoints kept things interesting.
- tardis, LibraryThing
The Sky Village is a unique fantasy with rich world building. Monk and Nigel Ashland have created two fascinating cultures, each of which shows elements of their root cultures. The Sky Village is a lovely concept, a city made of balloons tied together and floating above China. The culture of the Sky Village is an interesting mixture of traditional Chinese elements with unique elements unique to an airborne society. I particularly loved the nuptial rituals. The caves under Las Vegas, by contrast, have a culture steeped in greed and gambling that seems appropriate to their location.
The characters are also interesting, varied and colorful. The two protagonists are likable, sympathetic, and quite human: they make mistakes and they fail, sometimes with disastrous consequences, but they are both courageous and caring, and try to make up for their mistakes.
- Wands and Worlds
In Sky Village, the Ashlands combine elements of future story, fantasy, survival, adventure, identity, and culture. The series reminds me a bit of Philip Reeve’s Hungry City Chronicles (Mortal Enginesand the like). Although Reeve’s series is aimed at a slightly older audience than the Kaimira series, both grapple with ideas about Otherness and possible ways of interacting with those who are different from ourselves.
- Library & Literary Miscellany
…any child or adult fan of Sci Fi/Fantasy should find something of interest in this series, and I will definitely be looking out for the next book in the series.
- A Reading Life
Monk and Nigel Ashland’s The Sky Village oscillates between pulse-raising action, and heartfelt takes on grief and loss. Both primary characters are richly written, and the emotional travails Rom and Mei face come across in sharp paragraphs and gripping situations. The depth of familial love is captured perfectly as Rom helps his sister construct puppets modeled after their parents, and Mei relishes her time with one of her mother’s pets.
Though a teen series, Rom and Mei wrestle with adult situations as both must save those around them by recognizing and controlling their newfound genetics. Throughout The Sky Village profound questions are raised, such as a futility of progress in science, the price of power, and what differentiates man, beast, and machine. The Sky Village is an exciting new entrance into the children’s literature world, and a worthy contender.
- BriMeetsBooks.com
A dazzling start to what promises to be a sensational new series, The Sky Village hosts a likable and sympathetic cast of characters, an exciting and fast-paced plot, and a wonderfully rich and believable setting. Occasional illustrations compliment the story nicely by allowing for better visualizations of this fantastical world and its inhabitants. While I enjoyed almost everything about this book, I especially liked the descriptions of Mei’s life on the balloons. The Ashlands have created a unique landscape that spoke to the child in me. I could see the sky walkers dancing across ropes from balloon to balloon as Mei watched breathlessly. It was a stark contrast to the dark underbelly of Las Vegas that served as home to Rom and his sister, Riley.
Geared toward middle readers, I think even adult fans of science fiction and fantasy books will be pleased with The Sky Village. I’ll definitely be looking for the second installment, when hopefully we’ll be introduced Lizard Girl, another Tree Book owner we’ve yet to meet.
- Traci’s Book Bag
Tags: kaimira, reviews, the sky village
On Friday there was a bit of a twist, when the stop was 
