Nā Akua follows down-on-his-luck protagonist, Grayson (Gray) Park, after he is stood up at the altar on his wedding day. What is supposed to be a beautiful honeymoon for two in Maui following the ceremony soon turns into an unfortunate party for one, which leaves Gray frequenting the bar at his resort and attempting to avoid women. That attempt does not go quite as planned, however, because in the middle of another drink, Gray soon meets Hi’iaka. She is beautiful, slightly cryptic, and her life is in serious danger—a danger from which she needs a reluctant Gray to save her. Hi’iaka’s fate is left in Gray’s hands, and that sets into motion the largest and most unbelievable adventure of his life. It is an adventure that leads him to a new companion, Polunu, and a journey which forces Gray to confront the gods, both good and evil, of Hawaiian mythology.
Nā Akua has a laundry list of strengths, the first being the humor, which is prevalent throughout the story, yet subtle in a way that does not try to downplay the stakes of Gray’s adventure. Clayton Smith has an undeniable ear for dialogue that comes through strongly on every page as Gray and Polunu share light banter and when Polunu explains the details of Hawaii’s rich history. The dialogue not only makes Gray and Polunu entertaining to read about, it also makes them realistic in a way that allowed me to relate to these characters and become invested in their journey early in the book.
The second strength is the sheer scope of Nā Akua and what Smith is able to accomplish in such a short number of pages. The author does not present Gray as the typical hero. He is an average person who is self-deprecating, cynical, and a bit of a pessimist. His reluctance to help save Hi’iaka does not magically disappear over the course of his journey. It is a constant issue of concern for Gray throughout the novel, especially when he starts butting heads with some of the dangerous Hawaiian deities, and Smith does an excellent job of balancing Gray’s concerns and genuine fears with his heroic actions. That being said, there are several moments where the story falls into the tropes of an adventure story and does little to hold the suspense that was previously created. Though the outcomes of some of Gray’s tasks were predictable, it did not make reading them any less enjoyable.
The setting of Maui becomes its own complex character. The tasks on Gray’s adventure pull him out of the safety of his somewhat touristy resort and into the depths of the beautiful Hawaiian landscape. I knew next to nothing about Hawaiian mythology going into this book, but the wonderful thing about it was that I was craving more history and lore by the end of it. The narrative is steeped in history, with a mythology that was seamlessly woven through the story and dialogue without it seeming over-the-top or inauthentic.
Gray and Polunu make an unlikely yet cohesive team as they face one largely impossible task after the other to save Hi’iaka. Gray approaches them in a way the Everyman might, which in turn makes the reader root for him every step of the way.
