Review by Tiny_Turtle -- Rowan Wood Legends

Mary WhiteFace · Post by **Mary WhiteFace** » 30 Jan 2019, 20:01

[Following is a volunteer review of "Rowan Wood Legends" by Olivia Wildenstein.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Rowan Wood Legends by Olivia Wildenstein is the second book in The Lost Clan series and is not meant to be a stand-alone book. Even though details from the first book are woven into this one to help the reader catch up to the storyline, you would need to continue through the series to get the best experience.

Rowan is a small town on Earth that was founded two centuries ago by the Gottwa Indians. Faeries have placed portals between their land of Naverra and Earth in Rowan, and it's where the faehunter cemetery lies. It is also the town that Catori Price calls home. Her dad is the caretaker of the cemetery, yet he has no clue as to the nature of the bodies buried there. Catori only recently learned that the faeries and faehunters were real. She also learned that she was gingawi—mixed—part faehunter, part faerie, and part human. Unfortunately, gingawi are an abomination to all species. She was told that she must choose to live her life as only one. She swore that she would never make that choice. She was what she was. However, there is the faerie and faehunter war to consider. She is stuck right in the middle with people she cares about on both sides, and she finds herself pulled in many directions and unsure of who she can trust. What makes things even more complicated is that her dad doesn't know that the fae world exists, so she finds herself repeatedly lying to him.

The family book of adsookins is called The Wytchen Tree. It was written by Catori's 99-year-old great-great-aunt Holly, and it's missing. It is a book of faerie and faehunter legends and contains many secrets that would be dangerous if read by the wrong person. Thankfully, Holly placed a spell over the book to keep that from happening. Sadly, Holly was found dead in her home and covered in a rash that the humans believed was chickenpox. Catori and Kajika knew better. Faeries always heal from human diseases. Who killed Holly, and how did they do it?

Was it Gwenelda, Catori's resurrected two-hundred-year-old faehunter ancestor? Even though Gwenelda cared about Holly, they were technically enemies. Was it the fae Ace Wood? He was seen running from the house just before Kajika found Holly's body. There are other possibilities. Many faeries have come through the portals, and Gwenelda wasn't the only hunter brought back to life.

I was a little apprehensive about starting a series with book two, but I'm happy to say that I enjoyed every moment and did not feel slighted in the least. The characters were believable and had intricate personalities. The complex relationships were easy to follow. There was magic and mystery combined with danger and excitement. There was also lighthearted humor and adventure. I liked that tidbits from the first book of the series were skillfully woven into the narrative in a natural flow that did not distract from the current storyline. I felt pretty well caught up on major events as I was reading. I found it handy that there were guides at the beginning of the book to help with character descriptions and relationships, as well as translations of Gottwa and Faeli words. I didn't need to refer to them often, as most of the characters and foreign words were explained through context.

I am rating Rowan Wood Legends 4 out of 4 stars. I could tell that great care was taken during editing. I found no grammar or punctuation errors, and I diligently tried to find one. The writing style was captivating and realistic. At times, the author mentioned events from real life when explaining a particular incident. One such incident was described as having happened before WWII. It also added to the realism that some of the characters didn't realize that there was a fae war going on around them, as would happen in real life. The explanations of strange events given to them by Catori could be believable in our reality. Don't be surprised if you start noticing little sparkles out of the corner of your eye, or if you catch yourself looking a little closer at those fireflies come Springtime.

I would highly recommend this book to all lovers of fantasy, especially those who like to immerse themselves in a story. I found myself so captivated by the reality created by Olivia Wildenstein that I didn't notice what was happening around me. I liked that most of the loose ends were wrapped up nicely by the last page, while still leaving teasers that compel the reader to continue to the next book. I could not find anything that I did not like. The narrative had me in its magical grip, and I will be reading the whole series after this review is posted.

I would not recommend this to adolescents because of the few adult situations, references and language. They did not happen often, and there was nothing too outrageous. They were just inappropriate for children. Nor would I recommend it to anyone who would prefer to live their life without the delightful experience of being whisked away to an Earth where the faerie realm is real.

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Rowan Wood Legends
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Ashiyya Tariq · Post by **Ashiyya Tariq** » 01 Feb 2019, 08:51

Though, I am not much interested in fantasy fiction but I enjoyed your review. Good character development and fine editing makes it a good choice for fantasy lovers. Thanks for this wonderful review.

Mary WhiteFace · Post by **Mary WhiteFace** » 05 Feb 2019, 11:03

Sarah Tariq wrote: ↑01 Feb 2019, 08:51 Though, I am not much interested in fantasy fiction but I enjoyed your review. Good character development and fine editing makes it a good choice for fantasy lovers. Thanks for this wonderful review.

I appreciate your comment. If you ever do want to try something new, this would be the series to read. It may be fantasy fiction, but it feels so realistic. Thank you for stopping by.