Showing posts with label wizardry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wizardry. Show all posts

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Ennara and the Book of Shadows by Angela Myron


Title: Ennara and the Book of Shadows
Author: Angela Myron
Publisher: Patchwork Press
Rating: WORTHY!


DISCLOSURE: Unlike the majority of reviews in this blog, I've neither bought this book nor borrowed it from the library. This is a "galley" copy ebook, supplied by Net Galley. I'm not receiving (nor will I expect to receive or accept) remuneration for this review.

This is a really short novel and a very easy read, aimed at middle-graders. Once again we’re with Ennara Gaern, but this is a year on from her activities in Ennara and the Fallen Druid which I've also reviewed today. I didn't like this novel as well as I did the first one, but it was a decent read, and I have to say that I was laughing out loud at the opening chapters where Ennara accidentally creates a zombie pansy plant. That just really hit my funny bone and I could not stop laughing at this thing and its behavior and Ennara's ineffective struggles to cope with it. That, for me, made the whole novel worthwhile reading.

This novel is even more reminiscent of Harry Potter even than was the first one was: we have under-school tunnels, griffins, maps, and a quest which Ennara and her buddies must complete to save the city of Galdurlan (Gelderland anyone?!). Ennara is in school, and she has a female and two male friends, plus a female version of Draco Malfoy, and snotty teachers with whom to contend. Kithe Fontaine, her best friend since childhood, is back. Gevin Zoric returns - on shore leave from his ship conveniently in time to join them on their adventure. Fortunately the weird "love" interest between these two characters is played down significantly in this novel. Newcomer Cinne Keilmos makes up the foursome. She also has magical powers.

After finding themselves - the heroes of the previous novel - unceremoniously expelled from school, Ennara and Kithe start to realize that the "Fallen Druid" isn't quite as dead and gone as they had initially believed. He's orchestrating a take-over of the Druids who run the school, to use it as a back-door to taking charge of the whole country, and it’s up to the fearless foursome to stop him, which of course they do.

Like I said, I did not find this as entertaining as the first one - hilarious zombie pansy episode aside. That was classic, but after that it fell a little bit flat for me. I have to confess that unlike after reading the first volume, I don’t feel any compulsion to continue with this series now that I've finished this volume. I am, however, sure that it will appeal to the intended age range so I have no problem rating this as a worthy read.


Ennara And The Fallen Druid by Angela Myron


Title: Ennara And The Fallen Druid
Author: Angela Myron
Publisher: Patchwork Press
Rating: WORTHY!


DISCLOSURE: Unlike the majority of reviews in this blog, I've neither bought this book nor borrowed it from the library. This is a "galley" copy ebook, supplied by Net Galley. I'm not receiving (nor will I expect to receive or accept) remuneration for this review.

This is a novel which owes a lot to Harry Potter, so if you liked those books - the early ones in the series specifically, then you will love this one. I liked it very much, although it's a bit young for me. It's aimed at middle-graders, or pre-young adults as I call 'em, bless their little cotton wands....

The story centers on 11-year-old Ennara Gaern, who was born a chosen one - she had a dragon tattoo forcibly stenciled onto her hand (shades of Harry Potter's lightning bolt mark!), and has been trained throughout her life by her aunt to use magic. One night when trying to bring the cow back into the barn on the farm where she lives with mom and dad, she finds herself stalked by a shadespawn - a creepy night creature, once human, which sucks the life out of the living if it can get 'em. Shades of dementors!

Before she knows it, Ennara is on a mission with wizard Tork, leaving her family behind and leaving her village for the first time ever. She's pursued by lifelong friend Kithe Fontaine, who mistakenly thinks she's been kidnapped, so he joins the party, and soon they're joined by Gevin and a sea-cat named Smoos. The three-some are left at a loose end when Tork is overpowered by magic, and they must continue the mission - to visit the sunken city, find the corpse of the Dark Druid, and retrieve the magical Sword of Gisilfrid which will end the Shadespawn curse - without his help.

It turns out that this is stuff and nonsense because it's Ennara who ends the curse, not the sword - although the sword helps, and perhaps she would never have been able to do what she did had she not made that journey and learned to work with her friends, new and old.

This novel was rather simplistic and deus ex machina for my taste, but despite it being a but young for me, it was solidly written, entertaining, and within its own world, realistic, so I have no problem recommending it for the age-group for which it was intended, and I moved right on to review the sequel, Ennara and the Book of Shadows.