Published By: Castle Garden Publications
Released : 14th September 213
Details: Paperback from author for honest review, 308 Pages
RATING : 4.5 DAVID & JONATHAN STARS!
Blurb: Goodreads
Abby is an ordinary girl haunted by dreams of an ivory castle, blood-thirsty monsters, and a striking stranger.
Working as a babysitter for a family of mythology lovers in wealthy Newcastle Beach, California, she struggles to define herself among the elite class while trying to make sense of her strange visions. Upon meeting David, the doppelgänger of the mysterious young man in her dreams, Abby’s life is changed forever.
Encountering the queen of Cai Terenmare, a magical kingdom in a parallel world, Abby learns of an evil lord hell-bent on usurping the throne, the murder of Cai Terenmare’s king, the Solas Beir, and the kidnapping of the Solas Beir’s infant son.
As the kingdom struggles to endure, the queen shows Abby the full extent of her destiny. She must convince her mysterious crush, David, that he is the lost heir. While braving attacks from the dark lord’s sadistic minions, David must realize his true identity and return to Cai Terenmare to claim his throne before time runs out, lest the evil that was temporarily locked away be unleashed, threatening to destroy both the kingdom and all of humanity.
BOOK REVIEW by Michelle :
I totally dug this book. This is a very clean read that any school library would want on their shelves.
I love the cover of this book, it really is true to the story line.
Melissa gave me a really great story that is very well written and very smoothly told. I am in two minds if it is middle grade or YA genre. My reasons, the main characters are eighteen and up, but the story is an appealing fantasy for younger readers.
The story is told from two worlds, the human world and Cai Terenmare. Melissa has a wonderful imagination that kept the pages turning. I loved all the characters names and I loved the back of the book contains, ‘Places and Terms’. I realized I had been pronouncing a character’s name wrong by the time I had finished. It is worth a look.
There were some great scenes that visually looked awesome in my head when reading. The smashing of mirrors would look spectacular on the big screen.
Queen Eulalia’s babe has been stolen and her King assassinated.
Like any mother would, Queen Eulalia goes after her stolen babe and finds herself trapped in the human world until she can reopen a portal to get herself and her now grown son back.
Poor Queen Eulalia got the wrong end of the stick on a magical spell and she is trapped, but she has the help of a faithful frog named Fergal the Valorous. He can get himself back and forth between the worlds giving Cael and herself information.
Time is of the essence. Once David turns 23 yrs old the villain of this story can take over Cai Terenmare , claim the throne that is rightfully David’s .
Bit hard to claim your birthright when you have been stolen as a babe and now live with adopted parents who have no idea about David’s heritage or any knowledge of the world he is from. He has no clue who he really is.
The ever loyal Cael goes on a quest to find the Sign of the Throne. The piece of the puzzle needed to get his Queen back into her own world.
I really like Cael. A brave, loyal character who has a thing for the Queen.
Abby is a wonderful character I liked very much. She is a sitter for the Buchans. I really liked their whole family. Riordan ( that would be the chappy I was pronouncing wrong the whole book) is a fun character, he likes to wear a kilt. He would be such a great dad to have, he has a great heart and dares to believe in what a lot of parents wouldn’t.
Jonathan Reyes is a great character. He is Abby’s best friend. He likes the ladies but he is always there for Abby. Me thinks he is a bit confused about whether he likes Abby as a bff or more.
I am a huge fan of Jon’s. I really connected with his character. He is funny and loyal.
Her relationship with Jonathan Reyes had quite literally begun the day they were born - their mothers bonded in the maternity ward, and gave birth within hours of each other.
It was a matter of chemistry - Jon was charismatic, but he could be a little too wild.
Queen Eulalia’s babe has been stolen and her King assassinated.
Like any mother would, Queen Eulalia goes after her stolen babe and finds herself trapped in the human world until she can reopen a portal to get herself and her now grown son back.
Poor Queen Eulalia got the wrong end of the stick on a magical spell and she is trapped, but she has the help of a faithful frog named Fergal the Valorous. He can get himself back and forth between the worlds giving Cael and herself information.
Time is of the essence. Once David turns 23 yrs old the villain of this story can take over Cai Terenmare , claim the throne that is rightfully David’s .
Bit hard to claim your birthright when you have been stolen as a babe and now live with adopted parents who have no idea about David’s heritage or any knowledge of the world he is from. He has no clue who he really is.
The ever loyal Cael goes on a quest to find the Sign of the Throne. The piece of the puzzle needed to get his Queen back into her own world.
I really like Cael. A brave, loyal character who has a thing for the Queen.
Abby is a wonderful character I liked very much. She is a sitter for the Buchans. I really liked their whole family. Riordan ( that would be the chappy I was pronouncing wrong the whole book) is a fun character, he likes to wear a kilt. He would be such a great dad to have, he has a great heart and dares to believe in what a lot of parents wouldn’t.
Jonathan Reyes is a great character. He is Abby’s best friend. He likes the ladies but he is always there for Abby. Me thinks he is a bit confused about whether he likes Abby as a bff or more.
I am a huge fan of Jon’s. I really connected with his character. He is funny and loyal.
Her relationship with Jonathan Reyes had quite literally begun the day they were born - their mothers bonded in the maternity ward, and gave birth within hours of each other.
It was a matter of chemistry - Jon was charismatic, but he could be a little too wild.
Enter David Corbin the twenty two year old hunk with the Harley Davidson.
He is rather delicious.
Abby finds herself on her own mission and she isn’t immune to David.
David’s family have expectations for his future and he is torn between what he wants. Little does he know that it is all about to change.
A nicely woven together fantasy where two people from two different worlds find each other.
A peaceful existence will always be challenged by a villain who will look for a way to get what he wants.
A beautifully descriptive book filled with imagination ,brave gorgeous lads, ravens, black cats, shadows, nightmares, dreams, a Nixie, a Queen who won’t give up on her son, and a love that was inevitable, making for a great start to Melissa’s trilogy.
But will it be a fairy tale ending?
Michelle
This sounds like a great fantasy adventure. I've heard a lot of people say it's hard to decide if its YA or middle grade. It's sounds cute no matter what though :)
ReplyDeleteHey Jesse,
DeleteI first saw this book on your blog. Melissa approached me and I am reading # 2 in a couple months. Think of this book as more than cute. It has a great storyline. David being 23 yrs old doesn't act like a young kid * waggles eyebrows* :D
Mich
Hmmm sounds very MG to me. I don't think I'll be reading this however, the premise does sound really good, very Riordan.
ReplyDeleteBraine
Hey Miss B,
DeleteIt's actually more YA than MG. It's a combo. The main characters are all the YA but the fantasy creatures pulled me into the MG. You have to remember Harry Potter was a 10 or 11 yr old kid with Hermoine etc but the story appealed to such a wide range of ages. That is how I explained it to hubs :D
xx