The Town of Mohaba

Volume 1, Death

Children - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
258 Pages
Reviewed on 08/12/2017
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Nazanin Marzban is a Canadian author who spends her time placing her superhero, Death, into unforeseen twists. She is a graduate of Simon Fraser University. Back in 2013, Nazanin’s novel captured the attention of Star Wars’ Agent. This is when she began to believe her dream was only one footstep away from reality. Following this awakening event, Nazanin enrolls in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. This is when she starts to turn her fiction from a dull sci-fi to romance transforming into a series. Nazanin fondly recalls her childhood as passing through bookstores imagining her novel on the bookshelf.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Sefina Hawke for Readers' Favorite

The Town of Mohaba (Volume 1: Death) by Nazanin Marzban is a children’s science fiction fantasy novel that would appeal to a mixed audience of tweens and teens who enjoy magical and supernatural stories. Mohaba was once a magical town, but now it is known for its gloomy weather and the danger of the evil souls known as the Devols that grip the residents with fear. Those that live in Mohaba cower in their homes and only survive due to the brave few that leave their homes to provide groceries to the residents. Yet, there is hope as Death and his allies seek to find the secret to destroying the evil creatures. Will Death succeed in freeing the people from their everlasting torment or will Death fail and leave the people without life after death.

The Town of Mohaba (Volume 1: Death) by Nazanin Marzban has a well-chosen cover that showcases some of the book’s plot elements without giving away any spoilers. I found the beginning of the book to be rather slow, but after a few chapters the pace picked up quickly. The idea of having Death not as an abstract concept, but instead as a character was intriguing to me and I was unsure if I would like it or not. However, as the author did a wonderful job in writing Death, I found that I came to really like Death as a character; Death in this book reminded me a bit of Death in the Tale of Three Brothers in the Harry Potter series. Overall, I have to say that I enjoyed reading this book and I would have truly loved it as a teenager!


Ali Entezariun

"The Town of Mohaba - Part 1 - Death", keeps the reader engaged and yearning for more. This is a well written fantasy novel that beautifully creates the scene for the reader and allows you to travel through the mind of the author and become part of the story. I look forward to reading the full series soon.

Ellie May

I'm intrigued and curious. From the brief summary, I noticed the story is told by Death. He seems to be a superhero as opposed to a scary beast who takes lives. I can't wait to see how it plays out.

Nidia T

Good story. I enjoyed reading it. The author has done a great job drawing in the reader. I can see this story doing well, good luck.

Ako Mirayy

For the fourth time, I've read it (The Town of Mohaba). It was eloquently written.

Dr Minoo Alemi

“Town of Mohaba” is very thought-provoking. It reminds me of some countries like Syria. The author eloquently describes the story and the place that the event happened. In fact, the use of expressive and descriptive language created moods, built tension and described emotions.

As I was reading it, I could imagine myself there. It shows one’s power of writing. I look forward to reading the rest to see if the characters that were set off overcome the obstacles they face along the way and can get peace, beauty, and security back to the city.

Anonymous

I believe this is the second novel by the young author Nazanin Marzban, and it is even more captivating than the first one. One cannot help but get pulled into the plot even after reading just a few paragraphs. There is a sense of doom and sadness in the starting paragraphs. It almost felt as though the author herself lived in Mahaba and experienced the evil like Devols.

I, also, shared the gloom of Mahaba and felt a strong urge to root for its people. It is not easy to grab the readers so quickly and have them personalize the circumstances in the plot. In that respect, the young author writes like a veteran storyteller.

This is a good book and has the potential to be adapted as a Screen Play for a big budget movie like Star Wars.

Joy

I am very excited for the novel to continue. Good and Evil and the many paths were taken. What paths will be chosen? I enjoyed reading it and could not put down after the first few pages.

Carol Vorvain

It is a great excerpt from an author with lots of potentials. I enjoyed this though-captivating intriguing story. The author has done a great job at keeping the readers hooked. I cannot wait for the next book to come out.

Afsaneh M

The Town of Mohaba, a treat for young readers, satisfies one's fantasy and desire for good to win over evil. You can feel the narrator's deep emotions. You can guess he is a male who has a big role to play and responsibility. The author does a superb job creating the background of the town without going too much into details. It is not easy to create a town that hasn't existed before. I now believe it does. You can tell that a lot of time was put into creating it. Well done! It is not easy to get readers hooked. I'm finding myself wanting to find out what is going to happen next. I can't wait to read it when it becomes available.

Simmy

As evil holds reign over a town desperately seeking to regain its happiness, you begin to picture the scenery of this enchanting town. You can feel the emotions of the people mourning for their joy as they cry in melancholy which in turn evokes vivid emotions within the reader. Despite this being a fantasy, the themes of good vs. evil and the innate desire for freedom are relatable. I personally think this story appeals to a varied audience and can connect with people from all walks of life.

Like the comments made above, I have many questions that I can’t wait to explore and have answered. Why couldn’t they protect the town of Mohaba? Who are these spirits that reside here? What will be the fate of this town and the characters involved? Why did the Devols possess Mohaba and how? Will this story become more tragic or will righteousness prevail? I anticipate a magical and thrilling twist. As an avid reader and fantasy genre fan, I can’t help but wonder if this could become the next ‘Harry Potter’ of the reading world. I’m anticipating reading this story in its entirety!

Unknown

What a wonderful story, it could be talking about what is going on in the Middle East today with the Devol being today's rise in evil in that area. The story is well written and draws you into the dark world of the Devol. I wanted to read more to find out if the beautiful town of Mohaba would rise from the Devol and return to its former beauty.
Lovely story

Anonymous

I totally agree with the comment before and likewise want also to find out if Mohaba will indeed rise from the Devol and return to its previous beauty? Great Story.

Mike

I am a huge fan of Si-Fi/Fantasy type books and movies like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Hobbits, princes Bride and etc, same as billions of other people, which is the reason that the above-mentioned books/movies made millions/billions of Dollars. I consider myself a very good judge of books that have made it big and therefore, I believe that this book is headed the same direction as the others.

Furthermore, many people who live in unfortunate parts of the world that are tormented by unworthy rulers, war, crisis and etc that causes them to flee their own homes and country will relate to this book tremendously in many different ways, which will draw them closer to the town of Mohaba and embarrass it with devoted emotions.

When I started to read it (even though I was at work) I could not stop reading it till the end, therefore, I am impatiently waiting to receive the real book to read it completely to see what happens at the end.
My hat's off to the writer and I wish them all the best in their future pursuits and successes. I am %100 positive that this book will make it big.

Sara S.

I really enjoyed reading the description of the town and the people in it. Really excited to read more and find out what will happen next in the series to come.

Reza Moham

My congratulation to Nazanin for writing this wonderful fantasy story. I am sure this story can be an amazing story for making an interesting film.

Afsoon Marzban

I like this book. People who are interested in fantasy and mystery fiction will most probably be interested in reading it.

An2nys

I am very amazed by the story. In my opinion, "The Town of Mohaba" is phenomenal. I enjoyed the surprising scenes in this fantasy book. While reading, I found I could not focus on my other work. I wanted to know what was going to happen in the next part. The author did an amazing job of keeping you on your toe. I was left to feel attached to the entire story. I became curious about each creature. I am happy to know that this story is a series. She did a great job making the characters seem real. Nazanin, you are a very professional writer. I admire you and I love your book so much. I can tell that you have been writing for a long time. I am anxiously waiting for the next Volume to read.

Aparna Preethi

A story packed with magic and mystery in a world of spirits is far from our thinking. One such tale which unfurls the life of spirits after their death, with the impact of magical realism is, “The Town of Mohaba” by the author Nazanin Marzban.

‘There is no denying that there is evil in this world but the light will always conquer the darkness’ - Idowu Koyenikan

As mentioned earlier, this tale is not a usual read which will be known from its start. More precisely, when we come to know who the protagonist is!! ‘Death’ yes, you heard me right. The beauty is that the protagonist Death, Mahboo, in the long run of the tale will reveal his identity by himself for the first time only to his love, Mohabat, which is thoughtful.

A Short Glimpse Over the Tale:

Mohaba, once being an exquisite town with their natives and Angelious spirits, has then turned devilish. The darkness has crept into the town and the people are frightened for their lives. This is all because of the evil spirits, Devols, which have captured Mohaba. They surrounded the castle, Jewl, which seems to have many treasures hidden inside. But the Angelious spirits are unable to find what makes the Devols to protect the castle. Devols, with their evilness, surround the place and blocks the pass of light and happiness into the town. Each native is afraid about their life while the spirits and immortal souls, with Death and Buddha leading, prepare themselves to fight against the Devols.

While the main plot takes its course, the sub-plot emerges introducing the main characters, the immortal souls, Buddha, Mohabat and few others like Alo Hopi, Matin Heshmat, Delorah, Heshmat sisters, Neyolah, Heyoolah are introduced as the story unfurls. The immortal spirits, Mohabat as a warrior, Buddha as a wise spirit, Angelious spirits, other creatures, wizardly and sorcery activities will make one wonder. The affection of Death towards Mohabat, the way he holds his emotions, the purity of love and care are incredible.

‘Whatever is done for love always occurs beyond good and evil’
- Friedrich Nietzsche

These lines are proved towards the end with Mahboo in the past life of Mohabat.
The story is filled with so many twists and turns holding suspense and mystery at its peak. The color plays important role in differentiating good and evil. The darkness goes with evil, while the light stays for light. The tale has been penned in such a way that even the minutest movements of the characters are remarkable.

Will good win the battle? What has happened towards the end? What is the past of Mohabat? With a turn of each page, you will be lined with anticipation, each will raise a question and the answers will astonish you.

The story will never fail to entertain the reader and the author, Nazanin Marzban, has penned it in such a way. The language is delightfully simple and the words are picked tastefully. Tale holding a picturesque narration will make you get along with the tale with no trouble. The unimaginable things, unpredictable happenings, peculiar characters, idiosyncratic backgrounds and the unique plot of the tale has made the first part of the book, conquering!!

The Town of Mohaba – Never known ‘A Tale of Death’ will entertain me to this extent.

Nima Irani

I noticed this book on Instagram with a dragon on the cover shelved along "Game of Thrones." I'm a huge fan of that series and the dragons are my favorite part of it. I have started reading, "Death" on iBook. It is a fast-paced read, which is what I like. I'm mostly intrigued by the story being told by Death himself. I came to read the reviews on this book. I came across this page. I am getting the feel of "Harry Potter" too although the story is quite unique. I then went to read about the author. I found her bio on Amazon. It is interesting how her book, perhaps because of death, became noticed by "Star Wars." My three favorite fantasy and sci-fi stories all in one. I haven't finished the book yet. But, I do hope there is a second one coming out soon.

Tushar Chauhan

An absolute delight!!!