Author: M.L. Sawyer
Release Date: January 28th, 2011
Publisher: Smashwords
Pages: 277
Format: Electronic Copy
Acquired: From Author
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4 Stars
Darci is your average every day sixteen year old girl who plays basketball and lives in an ordinary country town. Her life changes forever as she is 'accidentally zapped' to the land of Nahaba by the apprentice wizard Taslessian.
Within hours of her unexpected arrival, both teens are thrust into a dangerous journey to the cave of Grisham the Great, who will hopefully be able to send her home. When they get there however Darci soon finds out that there is no such things as accidents and that their journey is only just beginning.
It's been a long time since I read fantasy, and not fantasy in the sense of our world full of monsters or starcrossed lovers, but in the sense of actually getting away from our world and into some place new and exciting. And this story was the one.
One thing I will give this story is that it is full of action. Even in the first pages you already get the feeling that something big is going to happen. There is so much going on it's like a race is going on to see how much stuff can happen at once.
It holds to the classical fantasy story, where you have the main character who is thrust into an unknown world and has to find her way back home through a long journey that has her encountering friends and foes on her path to getting home.
I felt like the whole story line between Darci and Taslessian was a little obvious, though the added love triangle did add a little something to the story.
What I felt was wrong? I felt like some of Darci's reactions weren't very believable. Personally, if I were in her shoes I would not be as easily accepting of the things around me as she was, either that or she's more adaptable to her surroundings. Anyways, I just felt like everything was moving too fast and that she took everything in like it was just another day. I'll admit there were moments when even Darci was a little hesitant, but still.
And then in the beginning when Belderon did what he did for Darci, also had me a little skeptical.
But I love the originality, I love the world, and I have a soft spot for these characters. The ending was a little surprising, and you can keep a look out for the sequel.
Adventure, romance, fantasy, creativity, and mystery surround this tale. It is a never ending ball of excitement.
