Official Review: The Summerlark Elf by Brandon Draga
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Official Review: The Summerlark Elf by Brandon Draga
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Summerlark Elf" by Brandon Draga.]
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The Summerlark Elf is a light fantasy tale about an Elvin girl named Enna who is taken in by human parents after her mother dies at her birth. Sadly, the country where she grows up forbids Elves, or magical folk of any sort to live there, so her parents have to hide her nationality of birth. They manage to keep her incognito until an incident in town that threatens her father.
She, without knowing how, does an arcane spell in front of the guards which knocks them down. She and her father are thrown in jail along with a dwarf and a Halfling and a Half Elf named Erasmus. The Half Elf and the Halfling were originally looking for Enna to collect a bounty on her. However, after they realize that the Elf they are looking for is a young girl they are less willing to turn her over to the scum that is looking for her.
Enna and Erasmus are secreted away by an arcane mage Elf who everyone thinks is dead. He teaches them a bit about Elvin magic and spells. But he too has a less than savory agenda and the girl and the Half Elf escape.
Her father has been set free because he had little part in the scuffle. The dwarf and the Halfling escape as well and meet up with Enna and Erasmus and they all escape together. However, on the way, they get caught up in a scuffle in the throne room where the king is being held hostage by a man who also works for the ones who are looking for Enna. In the process of getting out of that, they save the king and help to change his mind about magic folk.
Enna is taken home by her new friends and after a heartfelt reunion and seeing the grave of her birth mother she decides that she must know more about her heritage. Thus starts the sequel where she and her three friends set out on this quest.
I really enjoyed reading The Summerlark Elf. I liked the characters and the story was fun. I enjoyed the world of the four kingdoms. There is a lot of possibilities for the future books to build on.
I feel however that the plot could have been stronger and better written. It was too predictable and too much like many other fantasy stories I have read. I found nothing that set it apart or made it unique. Plus it ended a bit abruptly and maybe a little too conveniently. It was hard to believe that a girl who had just got home to her beloved parents would turn around and leave the very next day for parts unknown, at least not without more motivation. I was a little let down in the end, even though it ended on a happy note.
I give The Summerlark Elf 3 out of 4 stars. I took off one star for the reasons sited above. I would however recommend this as a light read for anyone who loves fantasy and can’t get enough of it. Elves, dwarves, kingdoms and magic, who could need more than that?
***
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She, without knowing how, does an arcane spell in front of the guards which knocks them down. She and her father are thrown in jail along with a dwarf and a Halfling and a Half Elf named Erasmus. The Half Elf and the Halfling were originally looking for Enna to collect a bounty on her. However, after they realize that the Elf they are looking for is a young girl they are less willing to turn her over to the scum that is looking for her.
Enna and Erasmus are secreted away by an arcane mage Elf who everyone thinks is dead. He teaches them a bit about Elvin magic and spells. But he too has a less than savory agenda and the girl and the Half Elf escape.
Her father has been set free because he had little part in the scuffle. The dwarf and the Halfling escape as well and meet up with Enna and Erasmus and they all escape together. However, on the way, they get caught up in a scuffle in the throne room where the king is being held hostage by a man who also works for the ones who are looking for Enna. In the process of getting out of that, they save the king and help to change his mind about magic folk.
Enna is taken home by her new friends and after a heartfelt reunion and seeing the grave of her birth mother she decides that she must know more about her heritage. Thus starts the sequel where she and her three friends set out on this quest.
I really enjoyed reading The Summerlark Elf. I liked the characters and the story was fun. I enjoyed the world of the four kingdoms. There is a lot of possibilities for the future books to build on.
I feel however that the plot could have been stronger and better written. It was too predictable and too much like many other fantasy stories I have read. I found nothing that set it apart or made it unique. Plus it ended a bit abruptly and maybe a little too conveniently. It was hard to believe that a girl who had just got home to her beloved parents would turn around and leave the very next day for parts unknown, at least not without more motivation. I was a little let down in the end, even though it ended on a happy note.
I give The Summerlark Elf 3 out of 4 stars. I took off one star for the reasons sited above. I would however recommend this as a light read for anyone who loves fantasy and can’t get enough of it. Elves, dwarves, kingdoms and magic, who could need more than that?
***
Buy "The Summerlark Elf" on Amazon
Buy "The Summerlark Elf" on Barnes and Noble
Latest Review: "Desolate" by Stephanie Binding
