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Vreeland
In every school, there is always one exceptional individual who stands out from the rest of the crowd.
Seventeen-year-old Anton knows this all too well. Creative, sensitive, and musically-gifted, he possesses an intangible quality that draws both the admiration of young girls and the ire of teenage boys. Teased since grade school for his slightly-pointed ears, and tormented in high school because of the long, brown hair he’s grown to cover them, he finds solace in a world of fantasy where his unconventional nature is not only welcomed, but desired. While at summer camp, the other boys pull a cruel prank that drives him into the woods, terrified and injured, and he stumbles into a deep hole where he falls into an altered state of consciousness; or does he? When he awakens, he finds himself in a most unusual, delightful place, surrounded by five charming, female, fairy-like creatures. “This is Vreeland,” explains Titi, a most captivating winged beauty. As the seed of love sprouts and grows between Titi and Anton, it is eventually discovered that he is, in fact, the son of the Great Architect, whom the Vrees revere. As the prophesied Chosen One, Anton is therefore destined to rescue the Queen of Peace from her captor—the malignant Drakon, Lord of the Weets. But how will this be accomplished? What hidden strength must be realized within Anton to see this mission fulfilled? And will he ever return to the realm from whence he came?
Seventeen-year-old Anton knows this all too well. Creative, sensitive, and musically-gifted, he possesses an intangible quality that draws both the admiration of young girls and the ire of teenage boys. Teased since grade school for his slightly-pointed ears, and tormented in high school because of the long, brown hair he’s grown to cover them, he finds solace in a world of fantasy where his unconventional nature is not only welcomed, but desired. While at summer camp, the other boys pull a cruel prank that drives him into the woods, terrified and injured, and he stumbles into a deep hole where he falls into an altered state of consciousness; or does he? When he awakens, he finds himself in a most unusual, delightful place, surrounded by five charming, female, fairy-like creatures. “This is Vreeland,” explains Titi, a most captivating winged beauty. As the seed of love sprouts and grows between Titi and Anton, it is eventually discovered that he is, in fact, the son of the Great Architect, whom the Vrees revere. As the prophesied Chosen One, Anton is therefore destined to rescue the Queen of Peace from her captor—the malignant Drakon, Lord of the Weets. But how will this be accomplished? What hidden strength must be realized within Anton to see this mission fulfilled? And will he ever return to the realm from whence he came?
- GenresFairies
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
About the author
Gabriel Strump
1 book9 followersHi. I am Gabriel Strump. I'm a business owner, philosopher, musician, and the author of Vreeland.
I live in the Midwest. I am an amateur gardener. I love to cook. I love to read. I love to write. I love to make music.
I play violin, piano, organ, and keyboards well. I play other instruments too, but not so well. I also sing.
I have spent years reading and studying books about philosophy, religion, spirituality, psychology, success, history, esotericism, faeries and other elementals, angels, music, and much more. It is impossible for me to write without including this knowledge somehow, somewhere.
The fairy tale, Vreeland, has many secrets of the ages hidden throughout. It does not restrict itself to one philosophic viewpoint, but rather encompasses many, sometimes in tongue-in-cheek fashion, yet with true parallels to the original moral lessons of each viewpoint. There are, however, in my opinion, certain TRUTHS, which exist in most all philosophies or religions. You will find many of these in this simple story, if you look for them. But, even if you don’t, you may still be influenced by them.
The story is cute, and appropriate for all ages. It includes a love story, good versus evil, traditional family values, and an emphasis on creativity.
The faeries in this story, called Vrees, do not have dark features like many of those recently trending. Instead, they are meant to represent one’s highest, most ideal thoughts.
The enemy, then, are evil thoughts.
The story possesses a certain charm that I believe will warm your heart.
I live in the Midwest. I am an amateur gardener. I love to cook. I love to read. I love to write. I love to make music.
I play violin, piano, organ, and keyboards well. I play other instruments too, but not so well. I also sing.
I have spent years reading and studying books about philosophy, religion, spirituality, psychology, success, history, esotericism, faeries and other elementals, angels, music, and much more. It is impossible for me to write without including this knowledge somehow, somewhere.
The fairy tale, Vreeland, has many secrets of the ages hidden throughout. It does not restrict itself to one philosophic viewpoint, but rather encompasses many, sometimes in tongue-in-cheek fashion, yet with true parallels to the original moral lessons of each viewpoint. There are, however, in my opinion, certain TRUTHS, which exist in most all philosophies or religions. You will find many of these in this simple story, if you look for them. But, even if you don’t, you may still be influenced by them.
The story is cute, and appropriate for all ages. It includes a love story, good versus evil, traditional family values, and an emphasis on creativity.
The faeries in this story, called Vrees, do not have dark features like many of those recently trending. Instead, they are meant to represent one’s highest, most ideal thoughts.
The enemy, then, are evil thoughts.
The story possesses a certain charm that I believe will warm your heart.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 19, 2015
I enjoyed this book much more than I initially thought; however after I started reading it I couldn't put it down. Vreeland is a magical place where the main character Anton falls in love with a fairy named Titi, the fairy world mirrors our own and is full of adventure and true love. The romantic interests and developments are so enduring. The illustrations are charming and added to the enduring qualities of the book.
The story has a lovely message; one that we all could learn from the message that true love does indeed conquer all. The book sparks something within the reader, a desire for peace, love and a nurturer of all things living. I would highly recommend this book to a friend.
The story has a lovely message; one that we all could learn from the message that true love does indeed conquer all. The book sparks something within the reader, a desire for peace, love and a nurturer of all things living. I would highly recommend this book to a friend.
May 26, 2015
one of the most adorable things i have ever read.
January 31, 2016
Vreeland is a very cute novel!
This novel is an interesting one, since I would not label it as a story you read to children, yet it's not exactly Young Adult material either. It seems to be placed somewhere inbetween the two, since there is romance and fighting that seems more along the lines of Young Adult, but the plot line seems very childish, like something I would read to a six year old.
I did find this novel extremely hard to read. The author types out the accents of the characters, so letters are not meant to sound like how they are supposed to sound. For example, V is an F. Vreeland is Fairyland. Vood is food, avraid is afraid, vree is very, vavorite is favorite. H is an R. You'he is you're, wehe is were, they'he is they're. Drakonfly is dragonfly. There are many more examples in the book, those are just some I pulled from the text. And then there is the word cree, which I still don't understand which word it is. And then sometimes, on top of these letters, the rule wouldn't exist anymore. There wasn't consistency.
Reading these words over and over did not make it easier to understand. I'd go back to the novel and be confused as to what they were talking about, and by the time I understood what all of the different letters meant I was tired and had a headache.
I also found the plot line to not have a good flow. I couldn't figure out what the actual plot was. Usually there is a beginning, a conflict, a solution and then an end. There didn't seem to be a real big conflict or a solution, the story just seemed to exist. It seemed like a story someone would make up to tell a child, with no distinct plot line but just random babbling. But, with the romance and fighting scenes, it seemed to be pushing the PG rating so it would go into Young Adult novel for those scenes.
I did enjoy this novel though. Despite all the problems it had, it was a very cute novel! Although, I would more likely read the novel to a child rather than suggest it to a friend. It seems like a book that would be much better suited in the manga or anime world, or even as a picture book! The story would fit much better with more pictures than just the few in it! It could bring children lots of joy!
Overall, it was an okay read. I wasn't entirely impressed with it, and I love novels about fairies and fantasy and make believe!
Two out of five stars! The novel was hard to read with the mix matched letters, the hard to follow plot and the confusion over what age group it should be read to.
I received this novel for free through Goodreads First Reads.
This novel is an interesting one, since I would not label it as a story you read to children, yet it's not exactly Young Adult material either. It seems to be placed somewhere inbetween the two, since there is romance and fighting that seems more along the lines of Young Adult, but the plot line seems very childish, like something I would read to a six year old.
I did find this novel extremely hard to read. The author types out the accents of the characters, so letters are not meant to sound like how they are supposed to sound. For example, V is an F. Vreeland is Fairyland. Vood is food, avraid is afraid, vree is very, vavorite is favorite. H is an R. You'he is you're, wehe is were, they'he is they're. Drakonfly is dragonfly. There are many more examples in the book, those are just some I pulled from the text. And then there is the word cree, which I still don't understand which word it is. And then sometimes, on top of these letters, the rule wouldn't exist anymore. There wasn't consistency.
Reading these words over and over did not make it easier to understand. I'd go back to the novel and be confused as to what they were talking about, and by the time I understood what all of the different letters meant I was tired and had a headache.
I also found the plot line to not have a good flow. I couldn't figure out what the actual plot was. Usually there is a beginning, a conflict, a solution and then an end. There didn't seem to be a real big conflict or a solution, the story just seemed to exist. It seemed like a story someone would make up to tell a child, with no distinct plot line but just random babbling. But, with the romance and fighting scenes, it seemed to be pushing the PG rating so it would go into Young Adult novel for those scenes.
I did enjoy this novel though. Despite all the problems it had, it was a very cute novel! Although, I would more likely read the novel to a child rather than suggest it to a friend. It seems like a book that would be much better suited in the manga or anime world, or even as a picture book! The story would fit much better with more pictures than just the few in it! It could bring children lots of joy!
Overall, it was an okay read. I wasn't entirely impressed with it, and I love novels about fairies and fantasy and make believe!
Two out of five stars! The novel was hard to read with the mix matched letters, the hard to follow plot and the confusion over what age group it should be read to.
I received this novel for free through Goodreads First Reads.
May 20, 2015
I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.
Very cute! This is the story of 17yo Anton, a teen who just doesn't quite fit in. Preferring books and music over sport, and keeping his hair longish to cover his elf like ears, Anton was always the target for bullies.
After one such bullying incident at Summer camp, Anton finds himself in a strange place, Vreeland, surrounded by 5 beautiful girls, each with a tiny waist, pointed ears, dainty wings and incredible beauty...
Journeying through Vreeland, Anton meets all sorts of strange and wonderful Vrees, various other creatures, and some not so wonderful Weets.
This book is beautifully written, easy to read, even with the odd Vreeland spelling/pronunciation (it's pretty easy to follow along with once you figure it out). The story itself is relaxed, while still captivating and entertaining. The images and detail to the formatting of various parts was cute and enjoyable.
I had 2 small 'problems' with the book... One, I found it quite predictable, from very early on I guessed the location of Vreeland, and secondly, Anton's lack of concern for finding his parents and returning home. Given that the target audience is tween/teen, neither of these things would have crossed their minds (for the most part). Nor do these 'problems' detract from the story in any way. For these reasons I have not removed stars from my review.
This is one I'll be encouraging my 11yo reluctant reader to pick up, I think it's a story she'll enjoy as much as I did, and can definitely see my 9yo and 17yo book worms devouring this very quickly.
Well done Mr Strump, great work, and thank you for the opportunity to read your book.
Very cute! This is the story of 17yo Anton, a teen who just doesn't quite fit in. Preferring books and music over sport, and keeping his hair longish to cover his elf like ears, Anton was always the target for bullies.
After one such bullying incident at Summer camp, Anton finds himself in a strange place, Vreeland, surrounded by 5 beautiful girls, each with a tiny waist, pointed ears, dainty wings and incredible beauty...
Journeying through Vreeland, Anton meets all sorts of strange and wonderful Vrees, various other creatures, and some not so wonderful Weets.
This book is beautifully written, easy to read, even with the odd Vreeland spelling/pronunciation (it's pretty easy to follow along with once you figure it out). The story itself is relaxed, while still captivating and entertaining. The images and detail to the formatting of various parts was cute and enjoyable.
I had 2 small 'problems' with the book... One, I found it quite predictable, from very early on I guessed the location of Vreeland, and secondly, Anton's lack of concern for finding his parents and returning home. Given that the target audience is tween/teen, neither of these things would have crossed their minds (for the most part). Nor do these 'problems' detract from the story in any way. For these reasons I have not removed stars from my review.
This is one I'll be encouraging my 11yo reluctant reader to pick up, I think it's a story she'll enjoy as much as I did, and can definitely see my 9yo and 17yo book worms devouring this very quickly.
Well done Mr Strump, great work, and thank you for the opportunity to read your book.
May 7, 2018
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
GOOD JOB, MR. STRUMP! YOUR WORDS HAVE PAINTED A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE IN MY HEAD. I did not expect to actually enjoy this book but it sucked me in and soon I felt like I was right there beside the characters experiencing their adventures along side them. I am positive Vreeland will stay alive in my mind for quite sometime. This book could easily become the next hit thing. I would not be surprised if I one day see an animated Anton and Titi on television and little plastic replicas of them in the toy department.
At summer camp Anton runs off into the woods after the other kids play a horrible prank on him and make fun of because of his pointy ears. He falls into a hole in the ground and finds himself in a place called Vreeland. He finds that many things here are the same as home only on a much larger scale, a cherry tomato that won't even fit through the front door. He encounters many different types of people, some have wings and pointy ears, others are short and as round as they are tall, there are even some that have fins and live in the water (mermaids but that's not what they are called). He is instantly drawn to a fairy like girl name Titi and soon finds himself falling in love with her. Anton is believed to be the Chosen One who is prophesied to save the Queen of Peace from the evil Lord of the Weets.
I recommend this book to people of all ages who enjoyed books such as Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan etc.
GOOD JOB, MR. STRUMP! YOUR WORDS HAVE PAINTED A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE IN MY HEAD. I did not expect to actually enjoy this book but it sucked me in and soon I felt like I was right there beside the characters experiencing their adventures along side them. I am positive Vreeland will stay alive in my mind for quite sometime. This book could easily become the next hit thing. I would not be surprised if I one day see an animated Anton and Titi on television and little plastic replicas of them in the toy department.
At summer camp Anton runs off into the woods after the other kids play a horrible prank on him and make fun of because of his pointy ears. He falls into a hole in the ground and finds himself in a place called Vreeland. He finds that many things here are the same as home only on a much larger scale, a cherry tomato that won't even fit through the front door. He encounters many different types of people, some have wings and pointy ears, others are short and as round as they are tall, there are even some that have fins and live in the water (mermaids but that's not what they are called). He is instantly drawn to a fairy like girl name Titi and soon finds himself falling in love with her. Anton is believed to be the Chosen One who is prophesied to save the Queen of Peace from the evil Lord of the Weets.
I recommend this book to people of all ages who enjoyed books such as Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan etc.
September 19, 2015
Since I have grandchildren and want to encourage them to read, I occasionally pick up a book which looks appropriate for kids. This one caught my eye because of both the title and the charming artwork on the cover, and the author's premise. All of the Oz books were great favorites of mine, so a tale of a magical place sounded like a journey I would enjoy sharing with my grandkids. The book was an absolute delight. The great descriptions of Anton's adventures ... everything he experienced in this magical place where he suddenly found himself .. are excellent, and you see, feel, taste and touch this lovely place. Just as I felt I had settled into being in Vreeland for a while, the story took an unexpected and surprising turn which was skillfully written, and the ending I found very satisfying. Magical places can have villains and bad folks in them and sometimes the good must battle the evil. Mr. Strump writes these scenes extremely well and I was cheering for the good folks. Magical places can also have glorious endings, and this one didn't disappoint! Kudos to the author. I recommend this book for children who enjoy being read to ... and older children who can read the book themselves. While my purchase was Kindle, I will definitely get a hardcover at some point for the little folks in my family to better enjoy the great illustrations.
December 20, 2015
I've been neglecting my indie author reading lately, just not enough hours in the day. Here is my review of Vreeland, by Gabriel Strump. Vreeland is first and foremost a fairy story with a moral, in the tradition of all the best fairy stories.
Anton is a teenage boy who is bullied for being different. While at summer camp, and running from bullies, he falls into a hole and finds himself in the magical realm of Vreeland.
Vreeland is a land where proportions make no sense - strawberries are huge, peas are the size of bowling bowls. It is a delightful land, beautifully described by the author. All is not perfect however, and Anton must overcome his lack of belief in himself to help his new friends.
While there is romance, it is handled in an innocent manner suitable for younger readers. The whole book is written with an enchanting innocence, which is reflected in the old fashioned style of the charming illustrations.
This is a lovely book, a sweet tale that charms and an underlying moral of self worth. I recommend this book to readers of all ages who enjoy books such as Alice In Wonderland.
http://www.amazon.com/Vreeland-Gabrie...
Anton is a teenage boy who is bullied for being different. While at summer camp, and running from bullies, he falls into a hole and finds himself in the magical realm of Vreeland.
Vreeland is a land where proportions make no sense - strawberries are huge, peas are the size of bowling bowls. It is a delightful land, beautifully described by the author. All is not perfect however, and Anton must overcome his lack of belief in himself to help his new friends.
While there is romance, it is handled in an innocent manner suitable for younger readers. The whole book is written with an enchanting innocence, which is reflected in the old fashioned style of the charming illustrations.
This is a lovely book, a sweet tale that charms and an underlying moral of self worth. I recommend this book to readers of all ages who enjoy books such as Alice In Wonderland.
http://www.amazon.com/Vreeland-Gabrie...
March 7, 2016
I enjoyed the engaging world created by Gabriel Strump. The story follows Anton, a clever and creative teen who is bullied and teased by others. Following a particularly frightening episode at camp, he awakes to find himself in a strange place where beautiful little creatures can fly, one can catch a ride on a bumblebee and a tomato is the size of a house. There are parallels with his home and his parents and neighbour in his new world. As the Vrees learn about him, Anton learns more about himself. He is accepted and respected in Vreeland, but their lives are not without danger. The Weets pose a serious threat to the Vree way of life. Can Anton help them get back their peace?
The Vrees have an interesting quirk of speech but it doesn't take long to catch on. Anton's journey drew me and finally kept me turning the pages to a totally satisfying ending.
The Vrees have an interesting quirk of speech but it doesn't take long to catch on. Anton's journey drew me and finally kept me turning the pages to a totally satisfying ending.
April 29, 2016
Vreeland is a sweet fairy tale for readers of all ages, I enjoyed the story of Anton and his arrival in Vreeland where he meets creatures and fairy folk (Vrees) of all different kinds that come in all different colours shapes and sizes. He finds himself falling love with Titi a Vrees who helps Anton along with her sisters to find his way around Vreeland. The story has a few twists to keep you reading to the end including a battle to save the Queen but it leaves you to make up your own mind of what is real and what is make believe. I did have a hard time sometimes with the conversations between the Vrees and Anton because the Vrees tended to speak in a muddle so a child might get a little confused when reading those parts of the story but apart from that it was a lovely story.
April 5, 2016
Anton a 17year old gets bullied, he has slightly pointed ears, long hair, and plays the flute (extremely well). from the first page I was hooked, hoping Anton would overcome this bullying. It's clear he's been through a lot with the bullies and I felt so sorry for him! I seriously wanted to cry for him!
It's a magical, heartwarming story!
It's lovely to see how he's accepted into Vreeland and finds love!
It's a very well written book, I actually really enjoyed it!
It's a magical, heartwarming story!
It's lovely to see how he's accepted into Vreeland and finds love!
It's a very well written book, I actually really enjoyed it!
September 26, 2015
Great story with many life lessons
In this story the characters become other characters; as real life meets a fantasy one. The main character, Anton learns many lessons about life, himself, family, and love as the story progresses. Through this new wisdom, his character is majorly transformed. This is a very creative and unique story that people of all ages can enjoy and learn from.
In this story the characters become other characters; as real life meets a fantasy one. The main character, Anton learns many lessons about life, himself, family, and love as the story progresses. Through this new wisdom, his character is majorly transformed. This is a very creative and unique story that people of all ages can enjoy and learn from.
July 14, 2015
This would make a great animated movie. I love the world building in this book. This book sucked me in from the first page.
March 27, 2017
I loved this book. There were a lot of themes in this story that reminded me of other stories that I'd read. The author very creatively created a beautiful world. I loved the dialogue and how some of the characters couldn't say pronounce the letter R. I had to reread some of the words, so that was also a bit of a stumbling block. I really loved the ending. The book overall was a rollercoaster ride, especially the second half.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews