I love a good epic fantasy adventure and this is a fun one for young readers. I found the book covers enticing when I met Nicholas and Alison Lochel at a convention, and I was impressed by the work ethic and dedication of these two friendly and hard-working authors. The striking artwork is by illustrator, Minna Sundberg. The story is a traditional fantasy tale, with two young boys embarking on a quest to |
rescue their kidnapped sister from a sinister hooded stranger.
Along the way, there are encounters with many fearsome beasts and the brothers are joined by other fighters. They travel to many places, including an elven forest, inside a volcano mountain and through icy mountains.
Some of the situations were familiar fantasy scenarios and there were some original moments as well. The best part for me was the race on motorised surfboards through artificially-made waves. There are also elements of Steampunk, (spoiler alert) with a machine that sounded very much like a car, but is powered by dragon saliva. Some really cool ideas there and I'd love to see pictures of them. I did enjoy the dragons and couldn't wait for them to take flight. Best line in the book was 'Stud muffin' LMAO!
Along the way, there are encounters with many fearsome beasts and the brothers are joined by other fighters. They travel to many places, including an elven forest, inside a volcano mountain and through icy mountains.
Some of the situations were familiar fantasy scenarios and there were some original moments as well. The best part for me was the race on motorised surfboards through artificially-made waves. There are also elements of Steampunk, (spoiler alert) with a machine that sounded very much like a car, but is powered by dragon saliva. Some really cool ideas there and I'd love to see pictures of them. I did enjoy the dragons and couldn't wait for them to take flight. Best line in the book was 'Stud muffin' LMAO!
I feel the book could do with structural tweeking and more character development, but overall I really enjoyed it and will look out for another book signing to get the next book in the series. Book 2 is also out now and book 3 due next year. Well done N & A Lochel. Available on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1uVFGOq |