This is a YA Fantasy novel that will probably appeal to a rather narrow readership. There is not enough external action for many readers, and the bulk of the conflict is interpersonal or internal.

For the first part of the book, the plotline holds its own, with good physical conflict, balanced by the usual social tussling between teenagers. However, if one ignores this childishness, they are a fun group, with lots of good-natured banter and honest feeling between them. The inciting incident is heartbreaking, the flight from authority is tense, and the gathering of the team for the journey works well.

Unfortunately, the point of view of the story is shared out between the two main characters, and it is difficult to figure out what character trait is being shown by which brother.

Word usage and sentence structure could use some polishing. Awkward phrases like, “Their voices had loudened,” are peppered through the text.

The story is peopled with realistic individuals showing in fine detail how people speak and move, demonstrating qualities of even incidental characters. The setting descriptions are thorough as well: lots of imaginative detail, well-laid out. This is good writing, easy to enjoy.

And  then they visit the elves, and the tension just fades. Part of the reason is that the Prophesy takes over. The inevitability of the prediction cuts into the suspense, and a lot of time is spent making the backstory fit with the present. The only conflict is the constant misgivings of the main characters, and nothing else really happens. A farcical crowding of all the parties into one small room does little to entertain us.

We keep reading, waiting for the climactic action scene, but it never happens. The last hundred pages or so have little external conflict, and the only serious battles are internal to the characters. Fear is a good part of the conflict for any story, but it has to be backed up by action involving what the characters are afraid of. Fear itself is not enough to drive the story, especially when the characters  make little progress in their fight against it.

I’m hesitant to tag the target readership for this tale, because I’m not sure that the intellectual level of the ideas matches with the maturity of younger readers who enjoy the lighter passages and are willing to accept the plot weaknesses.

A promising story that doesn’t come through in the end.

Three Stars