The Gemstone Chronicles Book One: The Carnelian (Kindle Edition)
The Gemstone Chronicles, Book One is an enjoyable read that works for any age group. A set of grandparents and two teenagers form the family group that gets involved with magic when they least expect it. Beebop, the grandfather, loves rock hunting, something he shares with his grandchildren. They find an odd rock which ends up in the shed, only to reveal an elf that has been trapped inside for 200 years. They agree to help the elf find his way back through a portal to his land. One the way, they encounter the Drow, a group of evil elves. It turns out that there are now light elves and dark elves, and the tensions run high. The elf Council is rife with conflict and betrayal. Some gemstones, via the elf that had been trapped in the rock, have gone missing from a powerful sword, and the family have to restore these to save themselves and the elf. They run into many enemies, especially an evil kelpie that does everything to destroy them, but they find magical powers they never knew they had. A great adventure, and the characters are well drawn.
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I'm not sure I understand the purpose of the first paragraph of every chapter having font that is not only bold but larger than the rest. I will say one thing it is unique and I won't likely forget the author's name - so bravo on setting yourself apart from the rest of the pack!

There is a lot going on in this young adult fantasy - even the chapters are longer than I personally am used to. Reader who like to read by chapters should leave themselves an extra bit of time. The story is worth the effort. ( )

Book Cover/Title - My publisher says that a book title helps sell a book. I'm not sure if this title would be a selling point, but it certainly fits the nature of the story. The picture on the cover also depicts the story, as it represents the Elven Bow, and the four gems that were stolen from the bow. 4 feathers.

Characters - The biggest problem I had with the characters, was, I couldn't tell which one was supposed to be the main one. Since it's a book written for young adults, I assumed it would be either Aidan or Maggie, but I think it ended up being Beepop. But, Aidan and Maggie had their share of saving the day, and causing problems, as they slowly learned their powers. I just felt it was Beepop that the story really revolved around. BTW, I love the name Beepop, and I wish I'd had a grandpa like him. I thought the characters were well-developed, even the elves and other mythical creatures. 4 feathers.

Plot/Story line - This isn't actually an original story line as there are numerous books and movies about crossing over a barrier to a fairy world. Our history is rich with these types of tales. But, the story was presented well, and at a good pace. Of course, knowing this was Book One, you knew nothing was going to happen to the small group of adventurers, so no plot twists there. 4 feathers.

Editing/Formatting - There were some missing words, and a lack of commas, which I see all the time in indie books. A good editing would resolve this problem, plus help with some of the sentence structures. 4 feathers.

This was an enjoyable book, and I think young adults & older adults will like this story. I'm curious at what transpires to drag the children and grandparents back into another adventure. I give it 4 feathers. ( )