Kristina Schram

I quite liked The Wrath by the same author but this book despite its interesting premise turned out so bad and disjointed its hard to believe the two books were written by the same author.

The plot makes it out that we are to follow the main character as she finds her way from our modern world to this gothic village but that is far from the truth. The reader is instead introduced to the story after she has already lived there for several years and developed a reputation for being a source of information. It was very confusing and I think would have made more sense if the reader got to explore this world alongside her.

There is also a bisexual supporting character in this wich I would have been fine with (diversity) if not every scene they were in had them make sexual innuendos,namedropping who they slept with and constant mentions of their cleavage.

Its so puzzling to me how an author can write a perfectly fine book and then write this.… (more)

Just as Alice falls down the rabbit hole and finds a wonderland, so does Lavida Mors find a buried world hidden from earthly eyes just below her feet. This book is the first in what I hope is a long series of books telling the tales of Anaedor. Anaedor is a wonderful world filled with all of those mythical creatures we were told do not exist but really do. Lavida finds herself the key to the survival of these wild and strange creatures. She does not want this responsibility but as in all great adventures, she has no choice. She only hopes that she, and her friends, will live through it!… (more)

This YA fantasy genre book is the story of Lavida Mors who is sent by her Dad to an old family home to attend a nearby public school. There she discovers Anaedor, a world underground populated with strange beings. An old prophecy links her closely with the fate of that world, telling of somebody with her name being the One, a person with special powers to lead the world of Anaedor into the age-old fight between good and evil.
The story is fun. The creatures Lavida meets in the caves and tunnels are loosely based on our magical fairytales, changed slightly into something darker and more dangerous, sometimes nearly human, sometimes quite demonic but always with a pinch of humour. Two friends of Lavida get trapped underground with her and the trio enters the world of magical adventure together, starting the battle against the forces that are trying to take over the dark world and killing Lavida to stop her from fulfilling the prophecy.
This book is well written and fast paced, pure fun to get immersed in. The Trolls, Blendars, Amorals and all the other strange and wonderful creatures are well described and appear thoroughly real, the world above is here and now, somewhere in today’s America and not once does the narrative leave us confused. There are no holes and no edges in the flow of the tale; I enjoyed every page of it. It is easy to read without being simple, nothing too frightening – just the right amount of thrill. With more books in the series this could help fill the gap in the young adult literary world that the end of Harry Potter left.… (more)