- Author: Angela Myron
- Publisher: Patchwork Press
- ISBN: 9781927940082
- Genre: Fantasy, Children’s
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Ennara was born with a caul and is considered to be good luck for sea voyages. Because of this, she is at risk of being kidnapped and so hides the tattoo on her arm that marks her as a caul child. She has also never been outside her village, Hogin, until the wizard Tork takes her on a mission to retrieve a special enchanted item so he can destroy the shadespawn, demon like creatures that hate light.
This is truly a Children’s Fantasy book. It isn’t meant for all ages, but parents/adults will enjoy reading it to kids who haven’t learned to read yet, and while I won’t be reading the next book in the series, I’m sure most children will want to. They’ll love the variety of characters and the fast paced excitement of Ennara’s, and her friends’, adventures. The story reads a bit like a children’s version of a D&D game. Ennara and her best friend Kithe stock up on supplies such as healing potions, they find armor, weapons, and other equipment along the way, and there’s even a fire elemental (My wide-eyed response: “Oh, no! That can’t be good!”). What keeps this from being an all-ages book are some of the events happening a little too conveniently, and the “boss fight” of the story, when they go against the Fallen Druid, is wrapped up too easily. Also, there is a lesson of team work that reads a little too much like an 80’s after school special.
All in all, this is a 4 star book. I greatly enjoyed most of it, and I would buy it for children ages 4-10. It’s especially a good choice if you’re trying to encourage a child to read more, or if you’re tired of reading the same old stories every night at bedtime.