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Reviewer: hummingberd; She/her; Millennial; Arundel, ME. USA

Rating: 5 

What I liked: The wicked good character development + witty snark are top notch and lend themselves to a story line that keeps the reader curious and engaged.

The story line combines culturally relevant banter with the mind bending exploration of TAP’s new age perspective on social constructs providing the reader with an abstract experience in reconsidering the status quo.

What I didn’t like: The book is entertaining and very readable but is geared toward a very specific audience of young adults. While it wasn’t painful or unenjoyable to read and the overall concept is relevant across many generations, the prose and style may prove to create a limited audience. This is not per se a negative – it was an intended goal of the book. It simply limits the audience reach.

Other thoughts: I’d love to see a version of the story that happens parallel to this one but from a different age group’s perspective. That would tie in nicely, open up the opportunity to introduce TAP concepts to a broader audience, and provide an exciting opportunity for conversation among multiple generations.


Reviewer: CalmNSense - NY, USA

Rating: 5

Superbly capturing this generation's tone and ideals, THE PLACE finds its balance between action and intrigue as it paints a bigger picture! 

If within every story, there holds a deeper meaning, then THE PLACE by Nancy Osa holds one of the deepest of them all: Hope. Told from a younger generation's viewpoint, this novel of revelation and discovery sparks a yearning for wanting more; for ourselves and for humanity as a whole.

A tale as old as time; the world in mortal peril as its fate rests in the hands of a limited few individuals. Yet somehow Nancy Osa has a way to make the fantasy genre feel fresh and relatable as these five students wrestle between their regular lives and being whisked away to something more than a mystical world.

THE PLACE is a very short page-turner that I couldn't put down. The drama of school, colliding with the issues of the real world. It's filled with nuanced characters with rich backgrounds, the only unfortunate thing was that this book did not go more in depth with each one. It leaves you wishing for more, so I look forward to what may come next!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in engaging stories. Whether it be for schools to encourage a deeper conversation in students, or for the general public, in hopes that the message behind it gives incentive to all generations to act together.

Luckily, I have found that there is a lot more to read on the conversation after finding the inspiration behind THE PLACE, known as TAP, a community focused on the betterment of humanity, and the steps we can take to get there.

I can't wait to see where Nancy Osa takes the Hot Five! Leaving the novel with more questions than answers almost seems to be the point in its conclusion. I know I left the book feeling like there was more that I could do to make a difference, and I hope it inspires others to do the same!