How to Survive your Pokémon Journey by blazekid01trainer

Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy/Miscellaneous/Parody

Chapters Reviewed: 2 Chapters

Update Schedule: Irregular

How to Survive your Pokémon Journey is about a girl name Shyma who moved to the Hoenn Region and is starting her Pokémon Journey. Since there are only two chapters, that's all I can really say about the plot. There are many directions the writer could take with this story.

It's not uncommon for people in the Pokémon universe to just walk through homes without thinking twice about it. When Shyma visits Brendan's house for the first time, she is welcomed to walk in and find him. Right away, Shyma feels a bit odd about this, finding it strange that she can just roam around. I loved reading this because if anyone were to say to just go down stairs to find someone her age, that would've seemed out of place. This realistic uncertainty and reaction was very enjoyable to read.

Shortly after, Brendan is introduced. There could've been no better introduction for him as it shows his quirkiness and kind personality. I loved the twist that Brendan isn't just the boy next door, but is an inventor as well. Adding some sort of hobby rather than making him the son of the Pokémon professor was very refreshing to read as well.

While I enjoyed the characters in this book, there were a few things that could be fixed. The first thing that sticks out to me is the spelling. Pokémon names—whether you type them through Wattpad, Google docs, Word, or nearly any kind of medium besides paper—will always be said to be a misspelling. It doesn't help that Pokémon names are odd too. I'll admit, Torchic does seem like there should be a "k" at the end, since chick is spelled with a "k", but that's not how you spell it. My advice is to edit these misspellings as they're very consistent, making it noticeable, but it's an easy fix that can be done.

There are also some formatting errors that should be looked at. From what I've learned from every creative writing/English teacher I've had, it's that whenever a new character is speaking, their dialogue shouldn't share the same paragraph as the previous speaker. Each character's dialogue should have their own paragraph to indicate this. Luckily, this doesn't happen often, but it's something to watch out for as it does pops up every now and then.

Other than formatting errors and misspellings—something that is easily fixed through editing—this book is off to a promising start. It's too early to see other potential problem areas in the story, but the characters are definitely enjoyable to read. I can see where the "comedy" genre really comes into play in this story as Brendan and Shyma overreact and interact with the events that happen to them.

After reading and reviewing the book, I'm so happy to say that blazekid01trainer has agreed to do an interview to talk more about her book.

JunieWeathers: Now, one of the many things I loved about this book was the characters. They're very lovable and very funny. Is there any character you enjoy writing in this story? If so, why?

blazekid01trainer: Really!? Thank you! The one I enjoy writing the most is Brendan because he is predictable while being unpredictable. I always surprise myself writing stuff I wouldn't have imagine writing with him and most of all I enjoy myself while writing Brendan. I let my craziness loose when it comes to him.

JW: He was one of my favorite characters as well. Brendan in this story is very unique in the sense that he's known as just the professor's son, but is an inventor as well. Was there anything that sparked this idea?

Blaze: Well... I don't exactly remember what made him become an inventor. In fact, Brendan, being how he is, started off with a dream where he created a hover board for personal use as well as for Shyma and Wally. Next thing I remember, my dream somehow made him become a self- proclaimed mad scientist.

JW: That is very interesting. What is the hardest part about writing?

Blaze: Since I dream of It, putting it into words is the most difficult. Finding the right way and words to convey the atmosphere and each character's personality and point of view is a real challenge. But describing the surroundings and battles is something I'm not very good at so it's the most difficult.

JW: I can see where that can be difficult. What is your favorite part about writing this book?

Blaze: The characters themselves, I guess since I do my best to make their personality unique and funny.

JW: That's my favorite part about this book as well. Thank you for allowing me to interview you about your new book. If you love books about Pokémon journeys that take place in Hoenn, then this book may be a great start.

UPDATE: The author is now @blaziken01trainer , and you can find this book through this account.