Review: Wind and Fire

Wind and Fire

Cheryl Landmark

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Release Date: May 2010

Publisher: Asylett Press

Pages: 232

Author Site: http://www3.sympatico.ca/cheryl.landmark/

My Rating: 3/5

Source: Received from author for review

Synopsis:

[from goodreads.com]

Zardonne, Master of the Dark Rift, has ripped a hole in the fabric of Tellaron and invaded with an army of hideous demons. Oblivious to the dangers and evil brewing beyond the borders of the quiet Ardis Valley where she lives, nineteen year old Tenya toils through a life of dreary loneliness and drudgery plagued by strange, disturbing visions, yearning desperately for the beautiful mother she had not seen since she was three. Her life is abruptly turned upside down when she is abducted in the middle of the night and sent on a perilous journey that will test her courage and the fledgling powers buried deep within her. For not only does she discover that her missing mother, Elea, is a powerful sorceress able to control the forces of the wind, Tenya also learns that she herself possesses a singing power that manifests itself as white fire throughout her body. Can she find her mother, and the strength to use her own powers, in time to save Tellaron from the evil Demon Master? Her world depends upon it.

Review:

The synopsis above describes the plot of the story really well so I’ll limit the details in my own summary. Nineteen-year-old Tenya starts out as a weak and fragile character as she struggled through her daily life. Her father was drowning himself, literally, in his depression while her step-mother acted more like a slave-driver than any kind of mother figure. Tenya does show some backbone when she finally breaks and decides to stand up to her step-mother. But her actions come with a heavy price when Tenya finds herself abducted by an old hag of a woman and her frighteningly huge companion in the middle of the night.

Tenya has always been plagued by dreams filled with fiery demonic images that leave her scared and confused. She soon finds out that these visions are part of a set of powers that she possesses deep inside. She also learns that the mother she hasn’t seen since she was three has magical powers as well and is better known as the Mistress of the Wind. The Mistress has been held captive by Zardonne, an evil entity bent on controlling the entirety of Tellaron, for the past sixteen years. After being rescued by a small courageous man, Tenya sets out with him on a dangerous journey to free her mother and bring down Zardonne in the process.

Wind and Fire is an epic quest novel that also has a coming-of-age theme as Tenya matures and grows into a strong, brave, and independent woman. Although the time frame is really short, Tenya’s character completely changes throughout her journey. After discovering her powers and realizing that she’s a part of something much bigger than herself, she is determined to save her mother and the people of Tellaron. She really steps up and puts on a brave face despite the fear she feels inside. I think a lot of readers will warm to Tenya’s personality and spirit.

There is a lot of magic and action in the book. The world-building is pretty good considering the length of the novel. I think a map of Tellaron would have been an excellent addition to the reading experience, but one can certainly do without. The character development could have been focused on a little more in my opinion. I really enjoyed following Tenya’s journey with Sindril as her companion, however I wanted a little more of who they were as characters. Some of the writing was a little dry and I would have enjoyed more interactions between the main characters. I understand the point of the novel was the quest to free Elea (Tenya’s mother) and to destroy Zardonne, but that seemed to be the only goal with no additional details. But all in all, Wind and Fire was a very enjoyable read and I think a lot of readers will enjoy it.

P.S. (cover talk)

I like the fact that Elea and Tenya’s respective powers are portrayed on the cover but that’s pretty much all I like about the cover.