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Elf Realm #1
The Low Road
When Matt and his family move to a new neighborhood, they do not realize that they've inadvertently stumbled into the middle of massive upheaval in the fairy world. With the elves' territory disintegrating and dark factions looking to seize control, apprentice mage Tuava-Li must defend her way of life - even when that means cooperating with Matt, a human and a natural enemy, as he may just hold the key to keeping the elf realm from certain destruction.
498 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
October 21, 2008
This book tells the tale of what happens when the borders between the human and faerie worlds begin to break down. The chapters alternate between Matt and his family, and the elves who occupy the woods near Matt's home. Matt's father is in the process of leveling the land in order to make room for a new housing development. Unknowingly, he is destroying a large part of Faerie, as well.
I think the dialog and language used by the elves is charming. The humans, however, speak very forcefully and without consideration. Strangely, the elves seemed more human to me than did the actual humans. Slow paced in parts, I wonder if this will hold a tween's/teen's interest until the end?
I think the dialog and language used by the elves is charming. The humans, however, speak very forcefully and without consideration. Strangely, the elves seemed more human to me than did the actual humans. Slow paced in parts, I wonder if this will hold a tween's/teen's interest until the end?
July 14, 2021
#BookReview
Book: The Low Road (Book 1 of Elf Realm Trilogy)
Genre: Middle-grade fantasy
Author: Daniel Kirk
Themes: Murder, Gambling, Terrorism, Betrayal, Friendship, Family, Politics, Environmental Conservation
My Rating: 5.0 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This series has been in my shelf for close to 2 years now and I regret not picking it up sooner. I'm still in high spirits after reading this book since it's added to my 5-star read list for 2021. Until now, I'm wondering why this trilogy remains underhyped and the author is given less recognition when his writing flair is beyond what a reader expects for a middle-grade author.
Reading the prologue of The Low Road already captured my attention since David set my mood by giving me a bird's eye view of what to expect in the plot as I flipped through the pages -- blood and gore, senseless killing, looting, and many other adult contents a critical reader won't believe are tackled in the middle-grade novel. This is just one of the untypical books specifically targetting very young readers with the aforementioned themes and while I grossed out with the idea of shredding the humans to pieces for gremlins and goblins to consume, I found it an interesting part of the plot. Just Imagine a human body being snatched away from her family for 30 years and only for her to live like a panthom because her life is no longer hers but of the one who bewitched her. What's worst is that she's being used as a weapon against her family.
The author allowed me to wander in a beautiful world he created which is just some distance away from our world connected by what the author called Cord. In the kingdom of Alfheim, Helfratheim and Ljosalfar, I met some adorable elves, fairies/pixies, trolls, fire sprites and even some ferocious mythical creatures such as gremlins, goblins and black dwarves. This is a world filled with magic led by the Alfheim Mage and her apprentice.
Elf Realm is a confirmation of what my grandfather told me when I was young -- that the world we live in is not just inhabited by humans and it's not only us who have the rightful claim to this place. There are also unseen entities who enjoy this place and it's important that we don't provoke them.
This lightly lyrical book also contains tear-jerking scenes especially on the theme of friendship. Who would have thought that it's possible for humans and other entities to be friends and their relationship can also be vulnerable to some surrounding threats. Oh, my heart went out to Anna for the very tragic experience she had been through. All those physical and psychological tortures she experienced made me think that what I'm going through is nothing than what she had.
The ending of this book is epic and tragic at the same time. 😭
I itch to read its sequel and that might be my next read.
Book: The Low Road (Book 1 of Elf Realm Trilogy)
Genre: Middle-grade fantasy
Author: Daniel Kirk
Themes: Murder, Gambling, Terrorism, Betrayal, Friendship, Family, Politics, Environmental Conservation
My Rating: 5.0 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This series has been in my shelf for close to 2 years now and I regret not picking it up sooner. I'm still in high spirits after reading this book since it's added to my 5-star read list for 2021. Until now, I'm wondering why this trilogy remains underhyped and the author is given less recognition when his writing flair is beyond what a reader expects for a middle-grade author.
Reading the prologue of The Low Road already captured my attention since David set my mood by giving me a bird's eye view of what to expect in the plot as I flipped through the pages -- blood and gore, senseless killing, looting, and many other adult contents a critical reader won't believe are tackled in the middle-grade novel. This is just one of the untypical books specifically targetting very young readers with the aforementioned themes and while I grossed out with the idea of shredding the humans to pieces for gremlins and goblins to consume, I found it an interesting part of the plot. Just Imagine a human body being snatched away from her family for 30 years and only for her to live like a panthom because her life is no longer hers but of the one who bewitched her. What's worst is that she's being used as a weapon against her family.
The author allowed me to wander in a beautiful world he created which is just some distance away from our world connected by what the author called Cord. In the kingdom of Alfheim, Helfratheim and Ljosalfar, I met some adorable elves, fairies/pixies, trolls, fire sprites and even some ferocious mythical creatures such as gremlins, goblins and black dwarves. This is a world filled with magic led by the Alfheim Mage and her apprentice.
Elf Realm is a confirmation of what my grandfather told me when I was young -- that the world we live in is not just inhabited by humans and it's not only us who have the rightful claim to this place. There are also unseen entities who enjoy this place and it's important that we don't provoke them.
This lightly lyrical book also contains tear-jerking scenes especially on the theme of friendship. Who would have thought that it's possible for humans and other entities to be friends and their relationship can also be vulnerable to some surrounding threats. Oh, my heart went out to Anna for the very tragic experience she had been through. All those physical and psychological tortures she experienced made me think that what I'm going through is nothing than what she had.
The ending of this book is epic and tragic at the same time. 😭
I itch to read its sequel and that might be my next read.
April 5, 2025
Not as interesting as I remembered from my grade school years, the art (which is superb) does 75% of the heavy lifting. The fantasy elements aren't doing much that hasn't already been done, and the dialogue is painfully trite.
January 28, 2015
“You take the high road, and I’ll take the low road…”
I happened to be in the Junior section of my local library when I spied this enormous book with an elfin face peeking out along the spine. The Low Road is the first in a middle-grade series about Matt and his family and their interactions with the Elf Realm. It’s a dark series for such a young audience – there’s plenty of violence and people frequently die. In fact in the first few pages an elf is shot, a man killed and his daughter cursed to lie alive at the bottom of a creek for thirty years. Harsh, right?
Well, this is just the sort of book I loved to read at primary school – chunky and action-packed. It has very convoluted storylines, with everyone following their own plans for domination or salvation. I’d recommend for older MG/teen readers rather than the younger ones.
Early on, the Elves and other creatures of the forest risk having their homes torn apart by Matt’s father’s housing development. I was worried this was going to turn into a preachy environmental book, but by the time I got most of the way through, I was pleasantly surprised. The story comes into its own and while there is certainly an environmental message there, it doesn’t overpower the adventure or the political wrangling.
There are beautiful illustrations scattered throughout the book, although they are slightly creepy with their enormous eyes! The illustrations are all of characters, but the writing itself brings the fairy realm to life with its sacred trees and the Cord through which the elves travel around their realm.
The interactions between the humans and elves were probably quite realistic – there’s no trust and each side is terrified of the other. It’s nice to see elves portrayed as dangerous rather than cutesy for a change, although the humans themselves came across as pushy, and I liked Matt’s sister Becky better than Matt himself. Anna’s story completely broke my heart and brought me to tears on more than one occasion! Then there’s Prince Macta and his cronies – such nasty pieces of work but they provide a fair bit of comic relief throughout the story. It’s a fantastic cast of characters.
Although there are some slower sections through the book while plans were progressing on all sides, the action-packed end of the book had me chewing my fingernails. I was so surprised by the huge cliffhanger at the end! After 500 pages I was really expecting an actual ending, but now I need to scour those library shelves to get my hands on the sequel!
5 Stars – I loved everything about this book. The action was exciting and I really cared about what was happening to every character. Get your middle-grader into this series today!
This review was originally posted on Tea in the Treetops review blog in January 2015.
I happened to be in the Junior section of my local library when I spied this enormous book with an elfin face peeking out along the spine. The Low Road is the first in a middle-grade series about Matt and his family and their interactions with the Elf Realm. It’s a dark series for such a young audience – there’s plenty of violence and people frequently die. In fact in the first few pages an elf is shot, a man killed and his daughter cursed to lie alive at the bottom of a creek for thirty years. Harsh, right?
Well, this is just the sort of book I loved to read at primary school – chunky and action-packed. It has very convoluted storylines, with everyone following their own plans for domination or salvation. I’d recommend for older MG/teen readers rather than the younger ones.
Early on, the Elves and other creatures of the forest risk having their homes torn apart by Matt’s father’s housing development. I was worried this was going to turn into a preachy environmental book, but by the time I got most of the way through, I was pleasantly surprised. The story comes into its own and while there is certainly an environmental message there, it doesn’t overpower the adventure or the political wrangling.
There are beautiful illustrations scattered throughout the book, although they are slightly creepy with their enormous eyes! The illustrations are all of characters, but the writing itself brings the fairy realm to life with its sacred trees and the Cord through which the elves travel around their realm.
The interactions between the humans and elves were probably quite realistic – there’s no trust and each side is terrified of the other. It’s nice to see elves portrayed as dangerous rather than cutesy for a change, although the humans themselves came across as pushy, and I liked Matt’s sister Becky better than Matt himself. Anna’s story completely broke my heart and brought me to tears on more than one occasion! Then there’s Prince Macta and his cronies – such nasty pieces of work but they provide a fair bit of comic relief throughout the story. It’s a fantastic cast of characters.
Although there are some slower sections through the book while plans were progressing on all sides, the action-packed end of the book had me chewing my fingernails. I was so surprised by the huge cliffhanger at the end! After 500 pages I was really expecting an actual ending, but now I need to scour those library shelves to get my hands on the sequel!
5 Stars – I loved everything about this book. The action was exciting and I really cared about what was happening to every character. Get your middle-grader into this series today!
This review was originally posted on Tea in the Treetops review blog in January 2015.
December 27, 2014
Awesome adventure book with the elves!
This was such a great opportunity for me to get back on the saddle for reading middle grade books. I love it because not only does it have lots of good characters, it's full of action and adventure!
The story starts with a bloody break-of-tradition scene which caused elves and um.. supernatural folk to run away and hide from their original home. Many years later, Matt discovers a long sought after relic .. in a.. hmm.. painful way. He's curious enough and brave enough to enter (although not really intentionally), the world of elves, treachery and magic.
Somehow, I feel like Matt isn't the only main character. There's also Tuava-Li who protects the elves' interests and keeps them out of harms way WITHOUT HURTING OTHER PEOPLE. I totally rooted for her because she always, always sides with what she thinks is good.
There are many other characters, but one elf in particular got my hackles rising.. and that's Macta! Ohmy! I swear, I was totally pissed at his character. He's one mean villain, I tell you that. There's also Jardaine with that blasted snake! They made me really root for the good characters. I guess that's also added brownie points for the author because he doesn't only know how to make good main characters, he could also make effective villains!
Anyhoo with the villains set on getting what their hearts desire and the main characters just wanting everything to be alright, all of them find themselves tangled in a big dilemma!
The elves' homeland is falling apart! How would they be able to repair it as well as the inner war that seems to be eating them?
This book follows the characters into a world of complications, fun discoveries, tricks and tricksters, victims and culprits. There were so many mysteries and so many lies. I wanted to uncover them right away, but this book will make you wait in a very good way. It will drag you into a grand adventure!
The ending promises great things for the next one too!
If you like reading about elves, trolls and fairy folk, then this one's for you! I highly recommend this to young people and to the young at heart. :)
All in all, I give this 5 fairy wings!
This was such a great opportunity for me to get back on the saddle for reading middle grade books. I love it because not only does it have lots of good characters, it's full of action and adventure!
The story starts with a bloody break-of-tradition scene which caused elves and um.. supernatural folk to run away and hide from their original home. Many years later, Matt discovers a long sought after relic .. in a.. hmm.. painful way. He's curious enough and brave enough to enter (although not really intentionally), the world of elves, treachery and magic.
Somehow, I feel like Matt isn't the only main character. There's also Tuava-Li who protects the elves' interests and keeps them out of harms way WITHOUT HURTING OTHER PEOPLE. I totally rooted for her because she always, always sides with what she thinks is good.
There are many other characters, but one elf in particular got my hackles rising.. and that's Macta! Ohmy! I swear, I was totally pissed at his character. He's one mean villain, I tell you that. There's also Jardaine with that blasted snake! They made me really root for the good characters. I guess that's also added brownie points for the author because he doesn't only know how to make good main characters, he could also make effective villains!
Anyhoo with the villains set on getting what their hearts desire and the main characters just wanting everything to be alright, all of them find themselves tangled in a big dilemma!
The elves' homeland is falling apart! How would they be able to repair it as well as the inner war that seems to be eating them?
This book follows the characters into a world of complications, fun discoveries, tricks and tricksters, victims and culprits. There were so many mysteries and so many lies. I wanted to uncover them right away, but this book will make you wait in a very good way. It will drag you into a grand adventure!
The ending promises great things for the next one too!
If you like reading about elves, trolls and fairy folk, then this one's for you! I highly recommend this to young people and to the young at heart. :)
All in all, I give this 5 fairy wings!
May 8, 2018
A debut fantasy novel by a beloved picture book author, and the first in an exciting trilogy set in the world of fairies"When Matt and his family move to a new neighborhood, they do not realize that they ve inadvertently stumbled into the middle of massive upheaval in the fairy world. With the elves territory disintegrating and dark factions looking to seize control, apprentice mage Tuava-Li must defend her way of lifeeven when that means cooperating with Matt, a human and a natural enemy, as he may just hold the key to keeping the elf realm from certain destruction. Daniel Kirk has created a mystical world that will envelop readers. A rich story peppered with illustrations that make it come alive, "Elf Realm "is a world few will want to leave.
Out October 1, 2008
MY THOUGHTS:
I finally got my hands on a copy of this book. It took me forever to find it. So... 500 pages and wow!
Dark, creepy saga that does take a long time to get into, but once hooked, watch out! Yes, it does start off a bit childish but don't let that fool you. There's a lot of gore and grotesque in this series and starts in the beginning of book one and goes from there. What a beautiful concept and soooooo many characters to keep track of. I love all the creatures, the setting and premise. I think readers expect the same type of writing that Kirk puts into his children books. DON'T!
THIS IS NOT A YOUNG CHILD'S BOOK. I think even some tweens might have trouble getting their heads around some of the violence but it's an amazing epic tale that just needs to find its following.
For myself, I adore epic tales that have childish qualities to it. These fae are small but ruthless and they hate humans because of their destructive qualities. Hellooooo, look around people to what we are doing to our world.
Why does reading about it bother so many? The settings are well structured, the magic creative and intriguing but if you are looking for a quick read, this isn't for you! I am about to begin the second book in this series and will review it shortly.
Out October 1, 2008
MY THOUGHTS:
I finally got my hands on a copy of this book. It took me forever to find it. So... 500 pages and wow!
Dark, creepy saga that does take a long time to get into, but once hooked, watch out! Yes, it does start off a bit childish but don't let that fool you. There's a lot of gore and grotesque in this series and starts in the beginning of book one and goes from there. What a beautiful concept and soooooo many characters to keep track of. I love all the creatures, the setting and premise. I think readers expect the same type of writing that Kirk puts into his children books. DON'T!
THIS IS NOT A YOUNG CHILD'S BOOK. I think even some tweens might have trouble getting their heads around some of the violence but it's an amazing epic tale that just needs to find its following.
For myself, I adore epic tales that have childish qualities to it. These fae are small but ruthless and they hate humans because of their destructive qualities. Hellooooo, look around people to what we are doing to our world.
Why does reading about it bother so many? The settings are well structured, the magic creative and intriguing but if you are looking for a quick read, this isn't for you! I am about to begin the second book in this series and will review it shortly.
October 10, 2010
Matt's father is a developer who is opening up family-owned land for a new neighborhood filled with homes he is building. The land has a mystery attached: both Matt's father and sister disappeared there 30 years ago. Their disappearance is tied to the elf population whose realm is part of the area.
Human development has blurred the boundaries of elfdom and even the kingdoms among them have begun to war among themselves. Matt and his sister Becky become a part of the treachery when Matt steps on an elf maiden's lost shoe and takes it into his home. With this act, the elves begin to enter the everyday life of Matt and Becky and simultaneously try to destroy all the machines that Matt's father brings in to clear the land.
The plot is sometimes rather convoluted as different elf kingdoms and even religions fight among themselves in the elf realm while trying to wage another war of sorts with Matt's family and humans in general.
Because the book is part of a trilogy, the ending is not a solution to the problems of Matt and his family or the elves. Why Matt's family can see the elves when no one else can is a mystery. Kirk's charcoal illustrations add to the magic of the book, but don't save it.
Human development has blurred the boundaries of elfdom and even the kingdoms among them have begun to war among themselves. Matt and his sister Becky become a part of the treachery when Matt steps on an elf maiden's lost shoe and takes it into his home. With this act, the elves begin to enter the everyday life of Matt and Becky and simultaneously try to destroy all the machines that Matt's father brings in to clear the land.
The plot is sometimes rather convoluted as different elf kingdoms and even religions fight among themselves in the elf realm while trying to wage another war of sorts with Matt's family and humans in general.
Because the book is part of a trilogy, the ending is not a solution to the problems of Matt and his family or the elves. Why Matt's family can see the elves when no one else can is a mystery. Kirk's charcoal illustrations add to the magic of the book, but don't save it.
August 30, 2010
I got ten pages into this book and had to put it down. Yes it is a YA book, in fact for the younger end of the YA readership if the style is anything to go by, but I have read some good YA books and enjoyed them thoroughly. This was not one of them.
The first problem that I had was the although I'm sure it had had a good editor, it was just really hard to read. The sentence structure was really strange and left my brain feeling disjointed.
The second problem I had was the confusingly hard to read long names, which even as an adult I had a tough time with. I have mentioned in a thread on the Sci-Fi/Fantasy forum how much I dislike the names of people and places being long and complicated or hard to understand so that you have to re-read it several times.
I didn't even get the chance to get into the story, but it seemed to me to be more fairy tale type elves and pixies and fairies rather than Tolkien or Terry Brooks' impression.
Over-all, not impressed, but I'll give three stars because I didn't get the chance to read more.
The first problem that I had was the although I'm sure it had had a good editor, it was just really hard to read. The sentence structure was really strange and left my brain feeling disjointed.
The second problem I had was the confusingly hard to read long names, which even as an adult I had a tough time with. I have mentioned in a thread on the Sci-Fi/Fantasy forum how much I dislike the names of people and places being long and complicated or hard to understand so that you have to re-read it several times.
I didn't even get the chance to get into the story, but it seemed to me to be more fairy tale type elves and pixies and fairies rather than Tolkien or Terry Brooks' impression.
Over-all, not impressed, but I'll give three stars because I didn't get the chance to read more.
December 5, 2011
On the dark side for a kid’s book, which is not necessarily a criticism. In the opening scenes a father is cut in half, and an elf is blow to pieces by a gun. However, this is what one could imagine happening when the elf and human world suddenly collides. I read the first few chapters, it really did not grab me, but I think this is a good book for a kid who can handle the darkness, and wants a complex, epic (500 pages) fantasy adventure with lots of worlds colliding and ambiguity of right and wrong.
May 3, 2009
I wanted to like this more, it has an interesting twist on the merging of the human and fairy realms, but it is very disjointed, with far too much emphasis on waging the war, and not enough on how the characters deal with everything that is going on. Some nice twists, and hopefully, the author will get it together for the sequels (this is his first novel, previously a picture book author), as I'd like to see what happens next.
January 13, 2010
This book is a bit dark in mood, discussing the evil that humans as well as elves are capable of. I enjoyed the book, and found it got better the further into the book you got. This is part of a series (which I didn't realize, I picked the book by it's cover, horrid I know), and am currently in the throes of Book 2. The illustrations are magnificent and well worth a look!
July 11, 2010
The elves are kind of stereotypical, but the book is great so far! The book is getting slightly repetetive, but I hope it speeds up, I find myself stopping and starting often. It wasn't as good as I hoped, with too many low-points for my liking, but it was written well all the same, and I will probably continue reading the series.
June 15, 2010
It has the potential as a good book, but not quite good enough. 500 pages of mainly adventure, but not the sort of book that keeps you glued to it. For me it wasn't good enough for me to read all 500 pages. It is pretty bloody and alot of people/things die. But if you're looking for an adventure book to tide you over for a while, it's good.
Read
January 16, 2012I had to return it to the library before I was done reading it because someone else was waiting on it. I can't bring myself to return to it. The complaints about weird sentence structure and the preachy message are true. I had high hopes for this book because I do like Daniel Kirk's picture books.
Read
June 5, 2012It's kind of my day to give up on books I know I will never finish. This book just took too long to get anywhere! Also, the illustrations throughout the book are super creepy looking! It took me 7 months to get through 3/4 of the book! I just now skimmed ahead to the end and confirmed my good decision to end my suffering; definitely not worth anymore of my time!
November 17, 2011
It starts off being childish, but turns impressively dark for a children's book. I haven't read many books about elves, and this book really gives us a fantastic version of them. It combines environmentalism with the medeival political drama, and the wonder fo children discovering another realm. A true gem of a book!
December 2, 2008
Okay, but nothing special. The story and the magic are filled with minor logic flaws which may spoil the story for attentive readers. Because it's the first book of a series, there is no real resolution to part of the plot, and a depressing resolution to some of the other parts.
December 31, 2008
I, personally, thought that this was just a little to gorey. All the talk about Blood and at the beginning how the author describes it, is just maddening. I had nightmares for weeks! I expect, to read the next novels.
March 24, 2012
This book was a great book if you love fairy tales because it had most of the sort of creatures in it; trolls, fairys, elves. This was a very amazing book, I really couldn't put it down most of the time.
July 7, 2009
Reminds you of the Hobbit and Harry Potter, fantasy and I'm sure there will be others because of the ending but would prefer more of Harry Potter!
December 3, 2010
I actually can't understand the book. Read the blurb... thought it would be good. Was quite disappointed
Read
December 20, 2010WORST BOOK EVER I HATED IT SO MUCH IT WAS SOOOOOO HORRIBLE
March 26, 2011
Considering the book is 500 pages I expected an ending...WAS NOT HAPPY!
June 18, 2011
This book really dragged on, which makes me sad to say because I thought it was a good concept.
July 3, 2011
A large volume, elf story. It was good until the plot became a little too unsustainable. Concepts were good, though.
August 19, 2011
fantasy with elves, humans, mages and shape-shifting!
January 20, 2012
The story dragged on for a really long time and you get more than halfway through it before the plot is revealed.
Read
August 23, 2011This was a pretty good book. The cliffhanger ending left me like "ARGGHH!!!!". I thought the elves were a bit fairylike.
October 12, 2011
has some very interesting characters...
March 5, 2020
It has plot. The characters are well fleshed-out. The dialogue is lacking, but the descriptions are beautiful. And I'm still not sure the author has ever met an eight-year-old.
This is an issue, because while the main protagonist is Matt, his younger sister, Becky, features in the story. Becky is, within the first two pages, identified as being eight years old. Becky is referred to as being eight years old. Becky doesn't act like an eight-year-old. One of the most solid things that bugged me in this book - she acts less and less like an eight-year-old as the series goes on- is that she wanted Matt to help unpack her dolls. No eight-year-old girl would let her brother touch her dolls. She acts unnecessarily babyish one chapter, then, once the plot gets going and she's featured in dialogue, she reasons things out loud in a way no one does, five-year-old, eight-year-old, or adult. Tuava-Li, who is identified as adolescent, is portrayed as the voice of reason. The book is about teenagers who go on a quest, but Tuava-Li, after being identified as young, is then portrayed more like an adult to the point where it's easy to forget she's technically at a similar level of maturity than Matt.
Also, the dialogue is flat. No one talks like anyone who has English as a first language. It's hard to tell what accent the author portrayed the elves as using. And the talking tags include "said" more often than is probably a good idea, style-wise. Overall, I didn't like the book very much.
This is an issue, because while the main protagonist is Matt, his younger sister, Becky, features in the story. Becky is, within the first two pages, identified as being eight years old. Becky is referred to as being eight years old. Becky doesn't act like an eight-year-old. One of the most solid things that bugged me in this book - she acts less and less like an eight-year-old as the series goes on- is that she wanted Matt to help unpack her dolls. No eight-year-old girl would let her brother touch her dolls. She acts unnecessarily babyish one chapter, then, once the plot gets going and she's featured in dialogue, she reasons things out loud in a way no one does, five-year-old, eight-year-old, or adult. Tuava-Li, who is identified as adolescent, is portrayed as the voice of reason. The book is about teenagers who go on a quest, but Tuava-Li, after being identified as young, is then portrayed more like an adult to the point where it's easy to forget she's technically at a similar level of maturity than Matt.
Also, the dialogue is flat. No one talks like anyone who has English as a first language. It's hard to tell what accent the author portrayed the elves as using. And the talking tags include "said" more often than is probably a good idea, style-wise. Overall, I didn't like the book very much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews