Elfkind

Elfkind #1

by Catherine Cruzan

Lariel has lived a life of privilege and protection all her life, cherished daughter of the king of Tallen. But all of that is taken from her when the king's own commander of the guard turns against her family and kills her father. On the run and in exile, alone and afraid, she finds refuge with the elves and discovers in herself a heritage previously unknown: she is Elfkind. Not fully human, and with the gifts that come with it, magic to be harnessed and new skills to be learned. Trained and tested, Lariel is determined to regain her throne and free her people. But will her new skills and powers be enough to defeat the darkness waiting for her?

Genres: Fantasy

300 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2014

About the author

Catherine Cruzan grew up in Minnesota, but Southern California has been her home since she was a teenager. She currently shares quarters with a spirited yet cuddly blue celestial parrotlet named Jasmine.

After graduating from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, she has worked as a structures engineer for several major aerospace corporations in the Los Angeles area.

Catherine’s interest in books began as a child with a voracious appetite for reading. She fondly recalls piling onto her parent’s bed with her two brothers while her mother read the Chronicles of Narnia, Treasure Island or Black Beauty. She moved on to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings as a young teenager, and Fantasy stories remain her favorite to this day.

Her writing career started with poetry and short stories published in the school newspaper. As an adult, she writes character driven Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction short stories and novels. Her writing education includes Long Beach City College creative writing courses and the UCLA Writers Program.

Some of her other many interests include Steampunk, Victorian London, motorcycles, fencing and weaponry, archery, and Tribal Style dance.

Reviews

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars. There were some pacing issues with this story. I felt like it was jumping around a lot. But I really loved the characters. Lariel took things in stride. But I adored the ending. It was just perfect.

[Kenia Sedler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elfkind is a refreshing coming-of-age story--refreshing in that it is from the perspective of a female protagonist, and so it offers a unique point-of-view not often seen in literature. The novel explores two fundamental elements of the human condition, love and loss, in a way that both lifts you up and pulls at your heart strings all at once. The lens through which the elves perceive the world is incredibly fascinating as well…one wonders what it would be like to physically see individual people surrounded by auras, the colors of which vary from person-to--person and seem to indicate who they truly are at their core. I was also in awe of the idea of immortal beings exhibiting fundamentally human emotions such as jealousy or hatred (emotions, you would think, immortal beings would evolve above with all their immortal experience and accompanying wisdom...but then they wouldn't make for such fascinating characters if that were the case!). The strong character development serves as proof of Catherine Cruzan’s strong skills as an author and story teller.

Ellyndar, and the whole world inside of Elfkind, is a beautiful world richly painted with words that will inevitably move you, making it a truly enjoyable reading experience.

[Leslie Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bursting at the seams with adventure and romance, Catherine Cruzan's debut fantasy novel truly delivers. Elfkind is, at its core, a coming-of-age story in which a young woman must cope with the sudden and devastating loss of a life of wealth and privilege. She is saved from certain death by a mysterious, beautiful man and his comrades. They turn out to be elves, and young Lariel is fascinated. She feels a connection to them, and to their leader in particular, but she doesn't know why. What the nature of that connection is, and how Lariel learns and grows as a person provides one of the driving themes of the book. Love and loss are also integral themes. From its harrowing beginnings to its bittersweet but ultimately satisfying conclusion, Elfkind provides readers with a well-crafted, delightful story.

[Teressa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elfkind was a good fantasy story although I found it difficult to stay with the plot at times. I eventually got lost in the story and just sat back and enjoyed the parts that spoke to me. It was relaxing once I stopped trying to analyze it and figure out the details. It had great flow.

This story had all the elements for a good fantasy and it was very good. I really liked the female protagonist Lariel and the quest she went on. Catherine Cruzan did a great job writing this epic journey.

About the narrator: Andrea Emmes did an outstanding job with the characters in this audiobook. I could always tell who was speaking. She went above and beyond my expectations with this one. I was very impressed and can highly recommend this for a great listen.

Audiobook gifted in exchange for review.

[LaSibila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lariel es princesa del reino de Talon. Una mañana, el Rey es traicionado por su propio ejercito y ella huye. Acostumbrense a que esté a un paso de la muerte en cada capítulo. Lo bueno, es que descubre que su madre era elf, y tiene algunas cualidades paranormales que se desarrollan durante la historia, sumada a su compasión y deseo de salvar a todo el mundo, me recuerda a la versión guerrera de Blancanieves. Sin embargo, a pesar de todos los elementos de magia, las piedras roja, verde, azul y negra, los monstruos, la cultura elf, los animales que hablan ... toda la historia parece apurada y poco homogenea, muchas cosas sin forma definida, muchos personajes, sin ton ni son. EL FINAL: es indescriptiblemente cruel y no tiene sentido, ni siquiera para una primera entrega.

[Sharon kadlec · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have so many mixed emotions about this book that I just cant possibly write a review other then to say I really liked it the book left me sad at the end. I still so mixed up about it