Posted on  21/12/2020 14:22:47

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Power, betrayal, intrigue and magic, all in a quest to reclaim a kingdom, complete with twists and a lot of backstabbing ASOIAF style.



For a mere 130 pages, Tales of Elhaanai manages to deliver all the above mentioned and more.

It starts with a bang and keeps on moving, at a very fast pace, plunging the reader into a highly entertaining and practically unputdownable tale.

'The desire for power is the root of all evil and betrayal is the currency to get and keep it, by any means necessary. The one with the most strength and faith, be they good or evil, will be the victor. Join Alric and his family as they walk the path to destiny.'

High Priestess and Queen of Elhaanai, Alanna Bear-Claw dies while trying to save her unborn son, Aldric. More exactly, she dies while performing a magical spell that swaps her unborn son with the dead unborn child in the womb of another woman. And 16 years later, that woman will confess to a child she grew as her own, that he is not only the son of another, but also the rightful heir of an usurped throne.
That is how Aldric's journey will start, on a quest alongside his family. To not only reclaim a throne but also become the hero he was meant to be.

The plot is downright fabulous. The magic is intriguing and the themes are great. I never saw lots of the twist coming and that end was awesome with a capital A. I absolutely loved all of these!

Then why a 3 star you ask?
Because of the execution. The wordbuilding is confusing at times and very sparse at others. Both background and setting are not quite enough to allow the reader a proper understanding of world and whereabouts. And the POV shifts are not always clear. All this could be due to the shorter page count and fast pace, as well as the larger amount of characters we get to meet, but it does detract from the tale.

All in all, Tales of Elhaanai is a fast paced action filled adventure that may appeal to any YA fan out there.
And I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Check out this book and more of Nicole Thomas here.