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 […]
“Ether Realms: Saving Korvath” by Latrell Veal
I recently had an online conversation with some fellow professional editors, worrying about how to help a writer who had two separate points of view in his book, both of them first person. In other words, the story was all in “I” pronoun, but in alternating chapters the “I” switched to the other person. One […]
“The Discovery of Geminus” by Neil Orint
This is a YA Fantasy of epic proportions. It involves three friends who enter a magical alternate reality where they are required to develop into heroes to save the locals from evil. This new world encompasses a polyglot mixture of historical eras, including West Coast Indigenous legends, steampunk technology, sasquatches, and 16th Century Conquistadors who […]
“Ironborn” by Andrew Cavanagh
“Ironborn” is a fun, action-filled YA Fantasy novel that does not quite live up to its hype. Publicists should not toss the names of Terry Pratchett and Joe Abercrombie around lightly; raised expectations are the main cause of one-star reviews. Setting that aside, this is a reasonable book of its kind, full of quirky but […]
The Soulburn Talisman” by David McIlroy
This is a great YA Fantasy novel based on the common plot of children who are snatched from their normal lives and find themselves in a different, magical world where they must survive. Action begins immediately, with horrendous fog monsters, claustrophobic tunnels, a beautiful sorceress and a mysterious voice that speaks into their minds. From […]
“Shadow Cast” by Rachel Meenan
This is a young adult Fantasy that I am having trouble connecting to a specific age group. In general, it is well structured, with the layers of conflict set up neatly, most of them coming directly from the personalities of the individuals involved. The plotline is complex, involving reasonable problems with difficult solutions. The main […]
“The Collar and the Cavvarach” By Annie Douglas Lima
Here we have a YA Fantasy, set in an imaginary society which is uncomfortably akin to ours but allows slavery. This leads to good thematic material, backed up by subtle and realistic mental conflict in both main characters. The slave is trying to be a good slave, while at the same time plotting to free […]
“Lost in the Vast” by Chelsea Thornton & Travis Brown
This series is a modern YA take on Indiana Jones, an Alternate Reality about three twenty-somethings who act more like teenagers. Of course, that’s the target readership, so no one will complain. The writing style pops with colour and detail, appropriate to the jungles and ruins in which the action takes place, although it goes […]
“Madness” by Paityn E. Parque
All right! Finally, we have a novel of the Video Game Fantasy genre that is still, at the bottom, a novel. The key point is that the author did not concentrate on the game but on the characters. This is an author writing a book for her readers, not a gamer trying to attract the […]
“Red Blood” by Kaitlin Legaspi
Now that I have finished this book, I feel rather disappointed. At the beginning, I thought I was reading a pleasant, light YA fantasy. Rather too feel-good for an adult reader, in fact. There seemed to be too much time spent building up the characters and stroking each other’s egos while the readers wanted to […]