"Ms. Thompson has a real gift for character analysis." #Kindle #BookReview
Pterripus: The Awakening
by Kristl Thompson
Genre: Fantasy
Book Synopsis
Buthania waits for the child of Earth to choose her destiny... Between our world and theirs, a storm threatens the veil that binds them. Fate has decided there is only one who can restore the balance...she just doesn't know it yet. How can Lilly be the key to their salvation when she can barely control the dangerous magick within her, magick she never knew existed? There are those who carry the knowledge of her potential, and those who would stop at nothing to prevent her from reaching it. Until now, Her Majesty Dagana has been still, preparing in secret for the coming war, awaiting the day her adversary will arrive to be trained by the great Masters, when the forces of dark and light will collide. Beliefs built from childhood will combine with those never imagined to create an understanding that will prepare Lilly for her destiny, bridging the gap between what was...what is...and what will be.
Description from Amazon
Sharon's Rating
Sharon's Review
This magical tale follows the adventures of Lilly, a child born of the Earth, whose destiny lies elsewhere, in a world called Nostobirum. On her fifteenth birthday, she is whisked away to an unfamiliar place to learn who she is, and what she must do to protect not only Buthania, (that world's biggest land mass) but Earth as well. She must fulfil her destiny according to ancient prophecy. A great deal of responsibility is dumped on her teenage shoulders, and she carries that burden willingly, even though she doesn't really believe that the prophecy pertains to her.
This story is captivating. I could immediately relate to the characters, because they are so fleshed out in their descriptively visual clarity, that they are almost three dimensional. Ms. Thompson has a real gift for character analysis. The reader watches Lilly grow and mature as all teenagers eventually do, but she has to deal with a whole new world which she is expected to save, somehow. A looming evil threatens to overcome her newly adopted homeland, and she trains to do battle with it. On her journeys she meets unicorns, ogres, faeries, a phoenix, some harpies, a detestable Queen, and yes, even a pterripus.
There is so much information thrown at the reader initially that it is confusing at first. Then again, it is also confusing to Lilly, which I think is the whole point. The confusion is resolved bit by bit, and Lilly's questions are answered in time, as she learns patience in the process, right along with the reader. The plot line dips and eddies, soars to the summits of happiness, then plunges to the depths of despair, and Lilly has to deal with all of it. Luckily, she has a great deal of help along the way, which teaches her the value of friendship, loyalty, and courage.
If I have any problem at all with the story, it's a small one concerning continuity and credibility. The use of magic is inconsistent. Magic is used for something once, but not another time for the same thing. A garden is weeded, and a house cleaned manually when it was unnecessary. A rabbit was killed and cooked without being skinned, gutted, or even cleaned – yuck. I would expect Lilly to object, given she grew up in a modern society, but she didn't. All in all though, I really liked this book. The author showed amazing ingenuity. I liked that — a lot.
Disclaimer: May not be appropriate for children due to violence.
