Looking for a Last Minute Christmas Gift?Book of the Month – “Everlasting”

Every month, I will do my best to read and review one book (non-fiction, fiction, poetry, etc.) from an up-and-coming author. These authors are often times my friends and fellow bloggers. They “gift” me their books and in return I offer up 100% honest and genuine reviews. If you would like for me to feature your book, please see my original post on the matter here: Now Offering: Book Reviews.

Book of December: Everlasting

Author: Valerie Cotnoir

Brief Summary

There once were two magical lands: Memiana, the home of the humans, and Orutia, the home of the fairies. It was hoped that the union of King Zechariah of the humans and Queen Crystal of the fairies would bring the two lands together into an era of peace. Alas, it was not to be. This book follows the life of King Zechariah’s and Queen Crystal’s daughter, Mertia. Mertia is the only hope of reconciliation between the two broken lands, but there’s only one problem. No one knows that the princess is still alive, not even Mertia herself who grows up unaware of her own heritage. However, once she learns the truth, she can never return to her former ignorance. Mertia must make alliances with humans, elves, dryads, and fairies alike if she even has a chance at overcoming the new King and reclaiming her throne.

Review & Star Rating

Valerie Cotnoir does an amazing job in her book at bringing back the classic fantasy fiction genre. In our current young adult novels, fantasy can mean just about anything. We have epic fantasy, like Eragon, with its royalty, magic, and dragons, and we have modern-day fantasy, like City of Bones, with its cell-phones and mystic rune powers. In her novel, Cotnoir invites her readers to journey back in time to the era of Grimm Brother fairy tales with her classic fantasy that involves magic, fairies, dragons, evil royal uncles, and yes, even true love. While the ending may have been a bit expected, I think that it adds to this genre. We reread fairy tales, not because we expect to be surprised, but because of their classical nature that continuously draws us in. Likewise, readers may guess at the ending to Everlasting, but they will love it all the same! There is just something about this book that reminds me of when I first sat down to read a collection of fairy tales.

Recommendations

In particular, I highly recommend this book for young adolescents (middle school/lower high school). The writing style is engaging enough to stimulate their brains, but simple enough that they will be able to understand and follow along on their own. They will love the play on the classical fairy tale and appreciate the new twists and turns.

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