Book : The last of the Firedrakes
Genre : Fantasy
ISBN : 1940014700
Pages: 410
Type : Review Copy.
Literary Awards: USA Best Book Award
Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Avalonia is a dangerous land ruled by powerful mages and a cruel, selfish queen who will do anything to control all seven kingdoms—including killing anyone who stands in her way.
Thrust headlong into this new, magical world, Aurora’s arrival sets plans in motion that threaten to destroy all she holds dear.
With the help of a young fae, a magical pegasus, and a handsome mage, Aurora journeys across Avalonia to learn the truth about her past and unleash the power within herself. Kingdoms collide as a complicated web of political intrigue and ancient magic lead Aurora to unravel a shocking secret that will change her life forever.
Farah lives with her husband and three children in their family home in Mumbai, India. She has a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Mumbai. Her first novel is The Last of the Firedrakes, Book 1 of the Avalonia Chronicles.
Genre : Fantasy
ISBN : 1940014700
Pages: 410
Type : Review Copy.
Literary Awards: USA Best Book Award
Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Summary
16-year-old Aurora Darlington is an orphan. Mistreated by her adopted family and bullied at school, she dreams of running away and being free. But when she is kidnapped and dragged through a portal into a magical world, suddenly her old life doesn’t seem so bad.Avalonia is a dangerous land ruled by powerful mages and a cruel, selfish queen who will do anything to control all seven kingdoms—including killing anyone who stands in her way.
Thrust headlong into this new, magical world, Aurora’s arrival sets plans in motion that threaten to destroy all she holds dear.
With the help of a young fae, a magical pegasus, and a handsome mage, Aurora journeys across Avalonia to learn the truth about her past and unleash the power within herself. Kingdoms collide as a complicated web of political intrigue and ancient magic lead Aurora to unravel a shocking secret that will change her life forever.
Excerpt
For a second that felt like a
lifetime, everything stopped; I felt like I was floating in nothingness. Then I
blinked, and, when I finally opened my eyes and focused again through the tears,
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
I found myself standing at the
mouth of a small cave situated on a hill and overlooking a quiet, moonlit
valley. On my left, a dark forest stretched out as far as the eye could see,
treetops glistening silver in the light of the full moon. The hills around us
undulated into wildflower-filled meadows that lay sleeping in the dewy night.
Far down in the valley, I could see
a little village, its lights twinkling in the distance. To my right, a
waterfall splashed playfully into a small river that ran down into a lake, next
to which the little village was built. The moon here was fuller and larger than
I had ever seen it, and the night sky was awash with a fantastic array of
glittering stars.
Had I passed through the tapestry?
Where was I?
I looked around, disbelief clouding
my judgment. I was still trying to get my bearings after that strange moment
when I had been inside the tapestry and nowhere at the same time. It gave me a
funny feeling, as though I had been lifted out of my own consciousness and then
put back into my body.
A warm breeze brushed past my face
and played with my hair. Gonewere the cloudy grey mist and the cold, nipping
wind of the English countryside. I drew in a sharp breath—the air was crisp and
clear, sweet smelling, and fresh. The moonlit valley was filled with fruit
trees, wildflowers, and rolling meadows.
“How did we come here? Where are
we?” I asked, still confused.
“You really are ignorant,” said
Oblek, glancing at me. “I take it your uncle didn’t tell you anything?”
I shook my head and looked down.
Oblek had tied my hands with a rope he had with him while I was still dazed and
looking around. It was humiliating, and the rough ropes cut into my wrists,
rubbing them raw every time he pulled me forward.
I had to find some way out of this.
And, at the moment, the only thing I could do was discover more about where I
was. Then, when I got an opportunity, I could escape and find my way back up to
the cave on the hill, where we had arrived out of the tapestry.
But then what?
Christopher was probably dead, and
Aunt Arianna would doubtless blame me for everything since I had disappeared at
the same time. I had no idea what to do. I didn’t really want to go back, and,
now that my adoptive parents were dead, I had nothing to return to.
I was starting to panic. I had
nowhere to go, and my mind was imagining an array of horrible outcomes of my
kidnapping. My palms had become sweaty, and my racing heart was thundering in
my chest as I half-walked and half-ran, desperately trying to keep up with
Oblek’s giant strides.
“Why are you doing this?” I pleaded
with my kidnapper.
But Lord Oblek said nothing. He
didn’t even look at me. He just kept walking ahead and dragging me along behind
him, with no more explanations as to what he was planning to do with me.
I was terrified, and I had no idea
if I was going to survive this. But I tried to be brave. Maybe I could talk my
way out of this?
“You do know that this is called
kidnapping?” I said, trying to reason with Oblek.
He didn’t bother to answer.
“What will happen to me now?” I
squeaked, my voice breaking, as I tried not to cry.
“Queen Morgana will decide what is
to be done with you,” said Oblek, finally.
Queen Morgana! The woman from my
dream? It was not possible that this, too, was a coincidence. It must be the
same Morgana, the one who had tried to kill my real mother.
Who the hell was she?
Suddenly all of this seemed
extremely scary. I hoped that I was still dreaming and that there was no way I
had actually traveled through a magical tapestry into some strange land. It all
seemed very exciting in books. But actually being kidnapped and then hauled
around like an animal, traveling deep into a land I knew nothing about, was not
my idea of fun.
I had to get away from this
horrible man, and fast.
Review
The book is about a girl named Aurora who is an orphan
staying with her uncle, aunt and their not so humble daughter Cornelia.
Aurora’s life takes an unexpected turn when her uncle decides to sell her away
to some eerie person called Lord Oblek. Within a flash she is into a magical
world of Fae and Mages. Against her will she has to put up with oblek to stay alive
and find out why she was captured by him. In a chain of events she discovers
her real self while always landing in some sort of trouble, but is always
rescued by the mystery man of the kingdom “The Black Wolf”. Through her journey
she finds a good friend in Kalen, the little fae and Rafe, the black wolf
himself.
Then there is Pegasus, the beautiful flying horse with whom
she can talk to through her mind. Later Aurora joins the School of Magic at
Evolon, which helps her in way to have a purpose for her life and teaches her
great use of her abilities. She discovers various things which help her to a
lead in her life. All this while her life is still in danger as Morgana wants
to kill her once and for all. Into the other world she realizes things aren’t always
simple sometimes you have to take adverse steps to achieve your goal and emerge
as a victor.
The Book is beautifully written, it kept me hooked from
start to end. The lead of the book, Aurora is a character with a hell lot of
courage as she puts up with her aunt and her egoistic cousin after the death of
her birth parents and adoptive parents, even when she is into other world the
courage that she shows is immense and her determination to give justice to her
parent’s lives is to look for. She is stubborn at times doing stuff that she
has been warned not to. Risking her life because she cared for the people
around her. Her transformation from an
ordinary girl to a warrior and a princess is amazing.
The author has given complete justification to every character
and the writing is straightforward and to the point. Not once you find that any
character is pulled into the story for no reason. The description of the events
happening in her life, the magic everything is described beautifully. The
detailing of every event is too good. Even the food has been described so
beautifully and so are the magical strikes. The description of the surrounding
in the book is so amazing that you actually feel that you’re in the seven
kingdoms of Avalonia. Not once the book goes out of line. The ending of the
book is abrupt, but then you never know what is in store for the reader’s until
the next book comes out.
Final verdict: If you love reading fantasy you’ll definitely
love the book. And if you haven’t tried reading fantasy books give this book a
try, I am sure you won’t be disappointed.
Note: Do not compare this book with Harry Potter, Read it
with an open mind. Since both the books are very different and beautiful in
their own way.
Rating :4/5 *
About the Author
For Farah Oomerbhoy, writing is a passion and reading her solace.
She is a firm believer in the fantastic and magical, and often dreams of living
in Narnia, Neverland, or the Enchanted Forest.
When she was pregnant with her first child ten years ago, a story
popped into her head she could not ignore. “I was at my grandmother’s house,
and as I looked at the image of a beautiful forest with a castle in the
distance on a tapestry hanging on the wall, I imagined myself being whisked
away into another world,” she said. It was at that moment the world of
Avalonia, with its powerful mages and fae and the evil Queen Morgana, was born.
Farah Oomerbhoy’s debut novel, The Last of the Firedrakes, was released in the
summer of 2015.
Farah lives with her husband and three children in their family home in Mumbai, India. She has a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Mumbai. Her first novel is The Last of the Firedrakes, Book 1 of the Avalonia Chronicles.
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