The four lives of Robinson Appleson (Mini-Review)

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The four lives of Robinson Appleson by Veronique Iswery Pasquet talks about...well...the four lives of Robinson Appleson. During Robinson's second life he has no memories of his first. So when he is sent to live with his grandmother, he is unprepared for the strange sights that await him. Who is the strange woman that he feels intense feelings for? Why does the strange woman allow innocent boys to die? What keeps slapping him every night?

A problem that a lot of indie fantasy books have is that the authors don't commit to the worldbuilding. Such as one series I read, the protagonist is taken to a fantasy world and yet during a celebration everything is from Earth. The author describes how amazing the clothing is but it's from Earth. Very expensive clothing but still from Earth. Pasquet does not make that mistake.

The world of this book is beyond odd and could have been bad if not for the author's commitment. Every person, creature, and odd bit of magic is made to belong to the world of the book. Reincarnation is a thing. A family is cursed to become cannibals. A powerful woman, that cursed said family, can also cast powerful spells for good.

The main problem that the book suffers from is that it should have been made into two books. The first two lives are full of intrigue, wonder, and they're connected. Robinson has to relearn who he had been and so the reader starts to flip page after page to learn the answers. When you finally learn what has actually been going on this entire time, it feels good. It feels like a proper reward for continuing with the book. While the third and fourth lives are interesting, it feels like a lot is missing.

In the third life Robinson is reborn as a jaguar. But I was confused if he was reborn on Earth as things didn't add up. Such as animals were able to breed in ways that wouldn't make sense in the real world. Then jaguars are able to move in ways that no real jaguar can. There is a point when humans are mentioned which made me confused in the first place. I would have loved to learn more about the world of that life.

Since the third life is so fantastical, I didn't know what reality the fourth life took place in. References are made to characters from Robinson's first two lives which makes me think this is supposed to be on Earth. Even if that question were to be answered, things just happen way too quick. I wanted to spend more time worrying about Robinson's true love. Would she live? Would she die? I wanted to have more time to hurt when he cheated on her.

I would recommend The four lives of Robinson Appleson to those looking for an interesting fantasy novel. I would also recommend The four lives of Robinson Appleson to those looking for a unique paranormal romance novel.