Allon by Shawn Lamb

Synopsis:~

ALLON is a fantasy tale about a kingdom groaning under the oppressive rule of King Marcellus. Yet the King is also enslaved - to the evil spirit Dagar. The entire citizenry of ALLON holds fast to the prophecy that a new ruler will come, brought by the Guardians. He will bring peace. He will bring justice. He will bring love.

"He" is teenager Prince Ellis, an exile from ALLON who faces trials to prove himself able to rule ALLON and return it to glory. Ultimately, Prince Ellis must defeat Marcellus and the power behind the throne before ALLON can be restored.

ALLON - a magical tale of adventure, destiny, and faith.

My take:~

Shawn Lamb's Allon has all the ingredients of a fantasy adventure ~ a heroic prince, an evil power, mythical creatures, a perilous journey, romance, danger and faith parallels. I appreciated the effort put into this story but a more simple approach would have made for an easier to follow story. A multiplicity of characters and overly complex storyline left me feeling a little confused in the first half of the book. The second half picked up the pace and the loose ends are brought together in a climactic finish. Aimed at a young audience, I hope the subsequent stories flesh out many of the positive themes introduced in Allon, with a less complicated approach.

With thanks to Glass Road Public Relations for my review copy

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Ryann Watters and the King's Sword by Eric Reinhold ~ EJ's Take

I am delighted to introduce my latest guest reviewer, my 10 year old daughter, EJ, along with her first review. When this book arrived, EJ's eyes lit up and three days later she was done! Proud mum, that I am, I think she has done a fantastic job!

Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword is a fantasy story written by Eric Reinhold. It is about a 12 year old boy named Ryann Watters, who is paid a remarkable visit by the Archangel Gabriel. Gabriel gives Ryan three supernatural objects, a ring, a staff and a horn. They may seem like regular objects but they aren’t.

The class bully, Drake Dunfellow, is visited by a dark angel who provides him with a cloak, a persuasion ring, a bow and a set of arrows. This sets both boys on an adventurous journey.

Ryann soon travels through a portal to the majestic land of Aeliana and is sent on a quest to find the King’s sword with the help of his friends from Earth, Liddy Thomas and Terell Peterson, and some new friends from Aeliana. He is pursued by Drake, who uses his ring to persuade some Aelianans to support his evil quest.

I was captivated by the book due to the descriptive language and the way Eric Reinhold created the characters with their individual personalities. The book starts with illustrations and descriptions of the main characters which were fascinating, together with a data page to record the powers or meanings that you find in the book about Ryann’s gifts. I enjoyed this interactive page. I stayed up late reading it as I couldn't put it down and that's a fact! I highly recommend this book to readers 10 to 14 years of age, but this exciting adventure novel would appeal to anyone. I am looking forward to reading about Ryann's further adventures.

Now available from Creation House

Guest reviewer:~ my eldest daughter, EJ