Title: Mere Enchantment
Author: Alicia Rivoli
Illustrator: Danijel Firak
Genre: Fantasy
Age: 10+
Pages: 392 (paperback)
Publisher: Createspace
Preston has lived his entire life secluded from the outside world. He was born and raised in a cabin on the banks of a large lake, called Mirror Lake, in the Rocky Mountains. When Preston was younger, his father would tell him stories of a fantasy world called Mere. Yet what happens if stories become reality? As a new family arrives at the cabin across from the lake, a storm blows in and the children are lured into the entrance to a secret kingdom. With no hopes of going back, they must work together in order to survive in a foreign land and help the kingdom from peril!
Mere Enchantment had a great start. The introduction was really well done and the families had a strong, believable relationship. The scenes given by the author were well described and that was what stood out. At no point in the story was I confused of the characters surroundings or what they were wearing. Sadly, I thought that the beginning could have used a little bit more pace and have gotten onto the next part of the story rather then build minimal suspense.
For the most part I enjoyed the characters. They seemed to be realistic but sometimes they made me feel like they were somewhat bipolar. The characters could bond together really well and then say that there little brothers were brats. That was excusable because aren't we all like that in our teenage years? So if you think about it, the author really did a good job with the moods and expressions of the characters. The amount were a bit useless. I believe that the novel contained way too many characters to begin with and even the parents names shouldn't had been necessary for this type of story. I had a hard time figuring out who was who and that was very confusing.
What makes a fantasy world become a fantasy world? Of course the magic does! This was a huge theme in the novel, and Alicia could not have done better! The spells and the background of the whole kingdom is very ingenious and while it still is a typical fantasy story, it contains that spark that keeps the reader from putting the book down. Even the monsters and enemies were well done and there powers reflected off of their own personality.
For my last point! I would like to point out the cover. The art work is so amazing and reflects so many scenes in the book! This is a kind of cover that attracts my attention and makes me want to read the first few pages. We give illustrators minimal credit and I would like to congratulate Danijel Firak for the beautiful art work.
Available on Amazon
Mere Enchantment had a great start. The introduction was really well done and the families had a strong, believable relationship. The scenes given by the author were well described and that was what stood out. At no point in the story was I confused of the characters surroundings or what they were wearing. Sadly, I thought that the beginning could have used a little bit more pace and have gotten onto the next part of the story rather then build minimal suspense.
For the most part I enjoyed the characters. They seemed to be realistic but sometimes they made me feel like they were somewhat bipolar. The characters could bond together really well and then say that there little brothers were brats. That was excusable because aren't we all like that in our teenage years? So if you think about it, the author really did a good job with the moods and expressions of the characters. The amount were a bit useless. I believe that the novel contained way too many characters to begin with and even the parents names shouldn't had been necessary for this type of story. I had a hard time figuring out who was who and that was very confusing.
What makes a fantasy world become a fantasy world? Of course the magic does! This was a huge theme in the novel, and Alicia could not have done better! The spells and the background of the whole kingdom is very ingenious and while it still is a typical fantasy story, it contains that spark that keeps the reader from putting the book down. Even the monsters and enemies were well done and there powers reflected off of their own personality.
For my last point! I would like to point out the cover. The art work is so amazing and reflects so many scenes in the book! This is a kind of cover that attracts my attention and makes me want to read the first few pages. We give illustrators minimal credit and I would like to congratulate Danijel Firak for the beautiful art work.
Available on Amazon
Rating: 3.5/5
3 comments:
Wait! Everyone shut up so I can stare at the cover! -.- You're right, that cover is amazing! It fits the medieval-esque theme of the book that I interpreted it from :) I'm actually one of those crazy YA fans, so I probably won't be reading this anytime soon, since it's a middle grade novel, but maybe I can force my brother into reading it. :D *begins plotting*
Eileen @ ***Singing and Reading in the Rain***
Haha Thanks for the nice comment Elieen. The Book cover is very well done. It's actually one of my favorites.
I know what you mean. I's not my level of reading either. I'm a YA fan aswell, but ever since Eragon became my favorite series I always try to find some of that old Medival typical fantasy.
Get your brother to read it! If he does we could have a little chat. I always love to discuss books I've read.
Eileen you should give it a try, then let me know your feedback. As an author, feedback helps a lot for future works. Let me know what your brother thinks if he reads it also. I agree about the cover, Danijel did an amazing job.
www.aliciarivoli.blogspot.com
Thanks!
Alicia Rivoli
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