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Lunch » Tags » Books » Reviews » The Chronicles of Elydir: Silverdream & Bloodfire

The Chronicles of Elydir: Silverdream & Bloodfire

1 rating: 3.0

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Publisher: CreateSpace

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Pleasingly different protagonist drives this fantasy chronicle

Jan 2, 2012

by SheilaDeeth
posted in Friends and Fans of Fantasy

Rating:

First in the Chronicles of Elydir fantasy series, Brenda Wyn’s Silverdream and Bloodfire is peopled with well-thought-out characters and set in nicely imagined parallel worlds with plenty of breadth and depth. Wheel-chair-bound college student Amanda Jennings makes an intriguing protagonist, the wheel-chair nicely bound into her character and informing hopes, dreams and decisions. Magic is equally bound into the character of young Prince Kelvan who struggles to prove himself fit to save his people, just as Amanda seeks to prove her worth by searching for a book of magic spells.

When a curious synchronicity causes Amanda and the prince to switch places, there are not just worlds to be saved but lives to be set right. Amanda can walk and run in Kelvan’s world while Kelvan lies helpless in hers. But each must learn to trust their boundaries and their freedoms, with duty to friends and family just as real in either world. Eventually each must rely on unlikely alliances of friends, while learning the meaning of duty and honor.

The novel has a deeply detailed feel, mixing fast action with lots of backstory, nicely told mythology, photographic scene descriptions and slow introspection. The dialog is very complete and believable. And the friendships, human, Halfling and dragon, ring pleasingly true. My favorite character is the conflicted shape-shifter-for-hire, always slightly wiser and kinder than he seems and very nicely drawn, and my favorite scenes are when the complex societies and history of Elydir begin to be clear.

With low-key romance, youthful adventure, and nicely played ethical dilemmas, this is a well-plotted young adult tale giving lots to enjoy and even more to think about.

Disclosure: I was given a free copy of this novel by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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