An Elemental Spirit. A fairy who should not be a mage. An Unmaker. And an untrained human Guardian who stands between…in the Shadowlands.
The Guardian is the first in the Shadowlands Series, and follows the story of Aria, a fairy princess who fights for her rights to wield the magic in her veins, even though females in her realm have never been mages before. This is also the story of the human teenage boy Tavin, who is seeking a cure for his sister Moreanna’s illness. Tavin sets out for their grandparents’ home in Teilenheim, Germany, believing that powerful magic can be found there.
Aria lures Tavin into the Shadowlands claiming there is a book there that holds the answers to his sister’s illness. Tavin, half in love with the beautiful fairy, follows her gladly. Their adventures include fighting Madame Caveat, a giant spider, being captured, and fighting magical battles.
Probably the best character in the book is Mya, the huge sentient tree that is Aria’s friend and also houses for the royal family. Altogether the novel is a fun feat of imagination and the plot holds together very well.
On the negative side, the novel needed some solid editing both for point-of-view consistency and sentence tightening. A closer eye on formatting by the publisher would also have been to advantage.
I first heard about this novel when the author was interviewed at International Christian Fiction Writers in January. I contacted her and received a copy for the purpose of review. Opinions, as always, are mine alone. This book will be available on February 14, but can be pre-ordered now.
C. J. Gosling lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, with her husband Jason. She’s an artist and singer/songwriter as well as a novelist. Her life is a patchwork of colourful experiences: from leading tours upon a historical sailboat in Nanaimo harbor to working for Union Gospel Mission where she helped teens and at-risk children work to escape the destructive cycle of drugs and poverty. Her books are inspired by her unique experiences and driven by her passion to see young people rise above difficult circumstances to become the best that they can be.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by valeriecomer, Cheryl Schenk and Rusty Biesele, Charity Gosling. Charity Gosling said: Latest review. Once again good stuff. I've always got more to learn. 🙂 https://valeriecomer.com/?p=1922 […]