Review of Ela Green and the Kingdom of Abud
Posted: 02 Mar 2022, 16:30
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ela Green and the Kingdom of Abud" by Sylvia Greif.]
Wouldn't it be exciting to experience the real magic in our everyday lives? Would you travel to another magical world if you only knew how? Eleanor Green has discovered the way. The only downside is that this discovery brings responsibility. Is it more than the young girl can bear?
The only person who calls her Eleanor is her uncle Archibald. To others, she is Ela, a schoolgirl from Switzerland. Ela has always had a sense of adventure running through her veins. Not only that, but she seems to have a unique understanding of nature. Summer holidays are over, and another semester at Waldegg Boarding School is about to begin. During the summer holidays, she has found a bracelet from her grandmother's desk. Moreover, she has discovered something special about this old but shiny thing. It has turned out to be a passage to the magical kingdom of Abud.
Ela soon finds out that she is not the only one interested in this little bracelet. There seems to be danger lurking in every corner, and Ela needs a trustworthy ally. She reveals her findings to uncle Archibald. They go on a suspenseful and life-changing mission together. What does Ela discover during her passage? You'll find out this and much more by reading Ela Green and the Kingdom of Abud by Sylvia Greif.
This book is a fantasy adventure and a coming-of-age story for young adults. It is also the first installment of a trilogy. The author's love for nature shines through from the pages of this book. Some indications of essential themes, such as the human race destroying the earth or climate change, can be recognized. I utterly loved the characters Sylvia Greif created. They are pretty simple but fit well with the desired target group of this book. For example, Ela was almost like any other curious and lively fourteen-year-old girl. However, uncle Archibald was a better match for an adult reader's liking, and he quickly became my favorite. The author did not describe his looks too precisely, but my imagination created a picture of an odd but friendly scientist with a Beethoven hairdo. His presence always made me smile.
The beginning of the book was tedious. The author used a lot of space to explain the story's background. These explanations were probably necessary, but the implementation was not something I could see fitting for young adult books. If I had trouble following the complex descriptions, younger readers might give up reading the book. In addition, the plot seemed very straightforward and one-dimensional, although the author left a few stones unturned for later and offered quite a cliffhanger at the end. When the events finally started rolling, I was carried away by the moment's suspense. My guess is if the targeted audience manages to wade through the first half of the book, they will find the second part delightful.
After considering all the details mentioned above, I rate this book with 3 out of 4 stars. It did not earn a perfect rating because of the dull complexity of the beginning. Another detail I could not overlook was that this book had more than ten errors. I doubt Ela's adventure will ever become one of the classics, but it is a cute story. Besides, who knows what surprises the sequels will reveal.
Ela Green and the Kingdom of Abud will find its audience from girls aged 12 to 15 years who have developed a liking for nature and magical stories. This book is a safe choice to give to the youngsters. It does not include foul language or adult scenes. Furthermore, adults who like simple fantasy stories might enjoy the time spent with this book.
******
Ela Green and the Kingdom of Abud
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Wouldn't it be exciting to experience the real magic in our everyday lives? Would you travel to another magical world if you only knew how? Eleanor Green has discovered the way. The only downside is that this discovery brings responsibility. Is it more than the young girl can bear?
The only person who calls her Eleanor is her uncle Archibald. To others, she is Ela, a schoolgirl from Switzerland. Ela has always had a sense of adventure running through her veins. Not only that, but she seems to have a unique understanding of nature. Summer holidays are over, and another semester at Waldegg Boarding School is about to begin. During the summer holidays, she has found a bracelet from her grandmother's desk. Moreover, she has discovered something special about this old but shiny thing. It has turned out to be a passage to the magical kingdom of Abud.
Ela soon finds out that she is not the only one interested in this little bracelet. There seems to be danger lurking in every corner, and Ela needs a trustworthy ally. She reveals her findings to uncle Archibald. They go on a suspenseful and life-changing mission together. What does Ela discover during her passage? You'll find out this and much more by reading Ela Green and the Kingdom of Abud by Sylvia Greif.
This book is a fantasy adventure and a coming-of-age story for young adults. It is also the first installment of a trilogy. The author's love for nature shines through from the pages of this book. Some indications of essential themes, such as the human race destroying the earth or climate change, can be recognized. I utterly loved the characters Sylvia Greif created. They are pretty simple but fit well with the desired target group of this book. For example, Ela was almost like any other curious and lively fourteen-year-old girl. However, uncle Archibald was a better match for an adult reader's liking, and he quickly became my favorite. The author did not describe his looks too precisely, but my imagination created a picture of an odd but friendly scientist with a Beethoven hairdo. His presence always made me smile.
The beginning of the book was tedious. The author used a lot of space to explain the story's background. These explanations were probably necessary, but the implementation was not something I could see fitting for young adult books. If I had trouble following the complex descriptions, younger readers might give up reading the book. In addition, the plot seemed very straightforward and one-dimensional, although the author left a few stones unturned for later and offered quite a cliffhanger at the end. When the events finally started rolling, I was carried away by the moment's suspense. My guess is if the targeted audience manages to wade through the first half of the book, they will find the second part delightful.
After considering all the details mentioned above, I rate this book with 3 out of 4 stars. It did not earn a perfect rating because of the dull complexity of the beginning. Another detail I could not overlook was that this book had more than ten errors. I doubt Ela's adventure will ever become one of the classics, but it is a cute story. Besides, who knows what surprises the sequels will reveal.
Ela Green and the Kingdom of Abud will find its audience from girls aged 12 to 15 years who have developed a liking for nature and magical stories. This book is a safe choice to give to the youngsters. It does not include foul language or adult scenes. Furthermore, adults who like simple fantasy stories might enjoy the time spent with this book.
******
Ela Green and the Kingdom of Abud
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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