Book Review : The Key of Kilenya By Andrea Pearson

I am excited to get the chance to review Andrea Pearson's new book THE KEY OF KILENYA. I love her amazing imagination and still wonder how she was able to come up with so many fantastic creatures and detail to scenery and location as she wove her story together. I was in awe at how well she developed them to the smallest detail.

Synopsis:
When two vicious wolves chase fourteen-year-old Jacob Clark down a path from our world into another, his life is forever changed. He has no idea they have been sent by the Lorkon—evil, immortal beings who are jealous of powers he doesn’t know he possesses—powers they desire to control.The inhabitants of the new world desperately need Jacob's help in recovering a magical key that was stolen by the Lorkonand is somehow linked to him. If he helps them, his life will be at risk. But if he chooses not to help them, both our world and theirs will be in danger. The Lorkon will stop at nothing to unleash the power of the key—and Jacob's special abilities.


My take:
This story is about a 14 year old boy named Jacob who has lived his entire life in the shadow of his older brother Matt. Matt is Jacob's hero and in Jacob's mind, Matt is everything he isn't. Popular, courageous, easy going, smart, athletic and the list goes on. It is about how Jacob comes to find out for himself that he is every thing his older brother is and more. As he discovers this, he is able to move himself out of his brother's shadow by being forced to shine in the light on his own as he learns to rely on his own wit, skills and abilities that require him to be all the things Matt is in the face of real dangers.


I love how Jacob learns to have confidence in himself and that as he learns about who he is and what he can accomplish he realizes how much he has to offer and that even though he still admires his brother, he is now more on equal footing with him by the end of the story. I love the self discovery he goes through and the feelings of doubt he overcomes as he meets each new obstacle.


This is a perfect book for all ages! It is entertaining and filled with great mystical beings from another world. Andrea takes great care to paint the picture of this new land with words and the images pop vividly in your mind, as you can see in technicolor the world and creatures she has created. It was fun to see what new things Jacob would run into along the way of finding the Key or new obstacle he would have to figure a way to overcome, and sometimes it was one and the same.


This is a great book to read as a family together, or to spend a few hours alone just immersed in another world. It is clean and fun and full of great perilous adventures that keep you wondering to the end how will certain things turn out, only to find you must wait until the next exciting installment of the series. I love Andrea's amazing imagination and how she created a unique world that was fun to explore with Jacob. I know you will enjoy the fun as well.


Hurry and get your copy of Andrea Pearson's The Key of Kilenya by clicking here. And check out Andrea's website here to learn more about her great series!

Disclaimer: while I sometimes receive copies of books to review, my opinions are and will always be my own.

Book Review : The Peasant Queen by Cheri Chesley

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Cheri Chelsey's debut book The Peasant Queen, where a simple farm girl discovers that even the humblest of peasants has the power to change the world.

Cheri's writing style is fast and fun, and you feel like your eyes just fly down the page, and that the pages turn themselves.

The story is about a young woman named Krystal who enjoys being in charge of her choices until suddenly she isn't anymore. Her brother makes a choice for her that makes her want to run away. In the act of doing so, she is kidnapped and magically transported to another kingdom far from her home. There a tyrannical king wants to take Krystal's hand in marriage, and the throne which belongs to another. Krystal's deep sense of independence rises up to thwart King Gregory at every turn. But still he yearns for her, even when her heart is snared by Jareth, the rightful heir to the throne. But King Gregory still will not relent. In a world where magic binds and the unexpected happens, Krystal is forced to choose between her heart and her desire to protect an entire kingdom. It is wonderful to see the twists and turns that make you want to keep reading until the very last page.

Cheri's characters were fun, interesting, rich with life and I was left wanting to know them even better. King Gregory was one of my favorite characters in the story. It's not often I am so drawn to the antagonist. It's funny but I found that I was half in love with him half way through, even though he is the villain. There is something about him that draws the reader to almost root for him, even though he is evil. He was handsome, lovable and deeply in love with Krystal . Cheri portrays that passion very well, you feel his yearning. I wanted him to be understood, and maybe desire to change and be better, you see so much humanity inside his evil streaks.

Krystal, the heroine, she was strong, feisty and courageous. She knew herself, and knew what she wanted and was never afraid to go after it. Even when it meant she would have to sacrifice things that she held dear. I loved that she never gave in and always found a way to keep her ability to choose, no matter the circumstances she found herself in. I admired her ability to stay true to her principles.

I found that Jareth, the prince, was lovable, but I wished I could get to know him better, but still I loved his determination to fight against the odds. He was determined to save both Krystal and the kingdom, and made sure that he cared for those in his charge.

The struggle for the throne in the story was filled with intrigue and strategy, made stronger by the power of choice no matter the circumstances surrounding it. It is a reminder that we are always free to choose how we will act in the face of both our trials and our triumphs. I felt that Cheri portrayed that with all her characters as they made vital choices and grew as a result of the decisions they made. Cheri did a beautiful job of showing us how we can be resilient no matter the situation.

The Peasant Queen is the first of a trilogy and I look forward with eager anticipation the next parts of the story. To get a chance to delve into the world of Fayterra once more, and to escape into a world where fantasy and dreams collide. There are some questions left unanswered that I hope will be answered. I wanted to know more about the magic and how it worked. To know how it affects people who do not possess it. I look forward to learning more about why it was so vital for Krystal to become queen, and I am excited to see more use of magic and what role it plays in the next books.

I would recommend The Peasant Queen to anyone who wants a fun fantasy story, with a bit of romance, some sword play and magical abilities set in medieval times. This story is a clean romance and is appropriate for all ages. I highly recommend you visit Cheri's web site here. There are a lot of fun things to see there! You can receive your own copy of The Peasant Queen by clicking here. Don't miss this wonderful story, you won't be disappointed. I wasn't!

Disclaimer: Although I sometimes receive copies of books to be reviewed it in no way influences my opinions, they are and always will remain my own!