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Reiyalindis
Vaelon Sahani s destiny is about to confront him face to face and her name is Reiyalindis. To save their home from an unspeakable darkness, Reiyalindis, Vaelon, and their new allies form an unlikely band of adventurers who must put their prejudices aside to battle the evil confronting them. With shocking discoveries, bursts of humor, and danger around every corner, Reiyalindis is a thrilling fantasy, full of suspense, that will keep you guessing to the very last page.
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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106 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 2, 2010
I loved the story line of this fantasy book. Dave brought it home from the library and it sat for 2 renewals till I finally decided to give it a try. Glad I did. Surprised how much I like it (so I guess you can't always tell a book by it's cover). I agree that some of the dialogue was for a younger group...in fact I think it fits in the young adult category better. But their quest to rid the world of the ghost people and the resulting adventures of good verses evil pull you in.
February 10, 2015
First of all, I would like to say that I enjoyed this novel tremendously. It was very entertaining and was a delightful read.
Unfortunately, there are a few points with which I have issues. First of all, I will delve into that dangerous ground of judging a book by its cover. Sadly, the cover of Reiyalindis is the very thing to drive away the audiences most likely to enjoy the novel. The cover practically screams FEMINITY, but the contents are completely contrasted with its cover. For instance, although the girl on the cover is A main character, she is not THE main character. The person whose story is directly told is named Vaelon Sahani, and he is undoubtedly masculine. Also, the action is incredibly violent. It is especially at parts such as when one group of people is killed with molten iron (!!!) that I have to ask, "Where do the glitter and the pink lacy dress on the cover come into the picture?" The answer is (a) there is no such dress in the book, and (b) the story is a high adventure. It is definitely not a "girly" book.
I made my brother read it, and his comments were basically the same as mine: it is shockingly violent for a book with a picture of a princess on the cover. Here is where my objection to the cover comes in; I would recommend this to teenage boys, but the problem is, what teenage boy who likes fantasy and violence will pick this up? I am a girl, and I don't like carrying it around because of the uber-feminine picture (as gorgeously done as it is!). I cannot imagine many teenage boys willingly picking this book up.
On a purely stylistic level (unrelated to cover bloopers), I generally liked the story; it seemed fairly original. My main objection is that Reiyalindis, the little girl, is often too innocent and sweet for any reader to like. Whenever she speaks, she seems uncommonly old AND young for her age. She apologizes all the time, she knows practically nothing, but she knows a lot of upsetting stuff at the same time. While this is of course part of the plotline, she is still somewhat annoying.
Unfortunately, there are a few points with which I have issues. First of all, I will delve into that dangerous ground of judging a book by its cover. Sadly, the cover of Reiyalindis is the very thing to drive away the audiences most likely to enjoy the novel. The cover practically screams FEMINITY, but the contents are completely contrasted with its cover. For instance, although the girl on the cover is A main character, she is not THE main character. The person whose story is directly told is named Vaelon Sahani, and he is undoubtedly masculine. Also, the action is incredibly violent. It is especially at parts such as when one group of people is killed with molten iron (!!!) that I have to ask, "Where do the glitter and the pink lacy dress on the cover come into the picture?" The answer is (a) there is no such dress in the book, and (b) the story is a high adventure. It is definitely not a "girly" book.
I made my brother read it, and his comments were basically the same as mine: it is shockingly violent for a book with a picture of a princess on the cover. Here is where my objection to the cover comes in; I would recommend this to teenage boys, but the problem is, what teenage boy who likes fantasy and violence will pick this up? I am a girl, and I don't like carrying it around because of the uber-feminine picture (as gorgeously done as it is!). I cannot imagine many teenage boys willingly picking this book up.
On a purely stylistic level (unrelated to cover bloopers), I generally liked the story; it seemed fairly original. My main objection is that Reiyalindis, the little girl, is often too innocent and sweet for any reader to like. Whenever she speaks, she seems uncommonly old AND young for her age. She apologizes all the time, she knows practically nothing, but she knows a lot of upsetting stuff at the same time. While this is of course part of the plotline, she is still somewhat annoying.
June 10, 2010
I read the other reviews and I didn't even notice the "umms" as I read. I also found it very easy to get into from the start. I'm not a harsh critic and I knew the author so I was just interested in reading the book. Reflecting on the comments, I wonder how many of our heros speak sometimes in less than noble language. I did find it a bit like Lord of the Rings, but different enough to be interesting in its own right. I read it in a day or so and didn't want to put it down until I finished and found out what happened. I also am really bad about skipping to the end and knowing what happens. I didn't do that with this one because I wanted to see how the story unfolded. Again, like I said, I am not a very harsh critic. I just enjoy a good story.
January 6, 2014
Being a picky reader is hard. Book after book promises a good, clean, engaging plot, and then falls short in at least one of those areas.
Not so with this book!
Reiyalindis is a high-fantasy story told with a modern-fantasy flair. The band of protagonists are ALL lovable characters, and the plot kept me guessing and turning pages. I kept holding my breath, just waiting for the one predictable plot twist or breach of morals that would sending the book crashing down. It never came. This book is the perfect blend of suspense, humor, adventure and heartache. I loved every word if it, and cannot recommend it highly enough.
Not so with this book!
Reiyalindis is a high-fantasy story told with a modern-fantasy flair. The band of protagonists are ALL lovable characters, and the plot kept me guessing and turning pages. I kept holding my breath, just waiting for the one predictable plot twist or breach of morals that would sending the book crashing down. It never came. This book is the perfect blend of suspense, humor, adventure and heartache. I loved every word if it, and cannot recommend it highly enough.
August 4, 2011
It was good, not $17.99 good, but I got it at the church bookstore where it's on sale for $2.99. A customer came in several weeks ago and totally came unglued when she saw this book on sale...she went around begging until an acquaintance gave her the $3 to buy the book! She caused such a ruckus I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Again, it was good. A first book by the author, not a bad first try. The usual formula of assembling characters for a quest, but with some original ideas too.
September 29, 2012
Reiyalindis was a fantastic read. I loved the action it brought, the combinations of characters that brought it to life, and the prophecy that grew to be true by one young elf girl, Reiyalindis. Such a great book that any one could enjoy if you love science fiction and fantasy.
December 21, 2009
:D
poor koan :(
poor koan :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2010
I really liked this book. I hope that Cory Poulson writes more about her and her adventures. My daughter is reading it now and so far she likes it also.
August 11, 2011
I found this book to be a well spun tale
Read
May 27, 2020(Note: mild spoilers)
While I do think that there is a redeemable core to the book and it has some fun elements, I had to stop reading about 100 pages in and skim. This book came across as more of a rough draft. If a good editor friend had reviewed the manuscript before publishing, I think this book could have done much better.
The main thing that I feel would strengthen the story is a focus on characterization.
The first thing to throw me off was the dialogue. Everyone talks like a gaggle of high schoolers, complete with a lot of "ums, yeah's, and okay's." Now I don't know the etymology of everything, but I do know that "okay" came from the re-election of President Van Buren in the mid 1900's stemming from his nickname "Old Kinderhook" and a twist on the spelling of "all correct" to "oll korrect." (Sorry for the tangent,) but while it is very common in modern English dialogue, it felt very out of place in a fantasy world.
The characters are flat, and don't change or progress. Aside from everyone speaking the same, most of their temperaments are also the similar. There was a passage when one character knocked on a door, expecting a friend, and was instead told by a stranger that they were out and to come back later. The response (from a common elf) is "Oh. Uh . . .sure. Okay. See you then." and it occurred to me that any member of the party would have responded the same way in a similar situation, with the possible exception of Koan, who was probably my favorite character. And while the group has representatives from all the sentient races of the world, there are no prejudices to overcome, no issues that need to be worked out, no real flaws that get in the way. They get together and go on a quest with the ease of a D&D campaign manager trying to get the ball rolling.
There seems to be no difference between common elves and humans, with the possible exception (I'm assuming) of pointed ears. I don't recall ear shape ever being mentioned. We are told how to feel about the characters; rarely shown. We know that the young high elf (Reiyalindis) is supposed to be sweet and endearing because we're told that she gives sweet and endearing expressions or words, not because she does something and we come to that conclusion naturally, and the same goes for the other characters in their respective traits. They're all fairly nice, but then they also have no problems testing poisons on the "ghost people" who are mentioned early but don't make an appearance until page 74, and never really get the descriptions to help them make sense to me. Why are they called ghost people if they're solid to the touch? And if they turn out to be drifting spirits from another race?
Plenty of things happen, but not all of them contribute to moving the core part of the plot forward. (Ie: the problems / kidnapping at Cobane).
There is also a surprising bit of violence as the plot progresses, and part of me felt that it was a bit much and sometimes awkwardly handled.
I still think that the story shows promise. It would be interesting to see a rewrite/second edition, or even to see what would happen if a graphic designer got their hands on it. I love a good fantasy. I agree with those that said the cover is misleading and makes it look like some sort of romance. It needs a band of adventurers on the cover, ready to do battle. I still think completing a book is no mean feat.
While I do think that there is a redeemable core to the book and it has some fun elements, I had to stop reading about 100 pages in and skim. This book came across as more of a rough draft. If a good editor friend had reviewed the manuscript before publishing, I think this book could have done much better.
The main thing that I feel would strengthen the story is a focus on characterization.
The first thing to throw me off was the dialogue. Everyone talks like a gaggle of high schoolers, complete with a lot of "ums, yeah's, and okay's." Now I don't know the etymology of everything, but I do know that "okay" came from the re-election of President Van Buren in the mid 1900's stemming from his nickname "Old Kinderhook" and a twist on the spelling of "all correct" to "oll korrect." (Sorry for the tangent,) but while it is very common in modern English dialogue, it felt very out of place in a fantasy world.
The characters are flat, and don't change or progress. Aside from everyone speaking the same, most of their temperaments are also the similar. There was a passage when one character knocked on a door, expecting a friend, and was instead told by a stranger that they were out and to come back later. The response (from a common elf) is "Oh. Uh . . .sure. Okay. See you then." and it occurred to me that any member of the party would have responded the same way in a similar situation, with the possible exception of Koan, who was probably my favorite character. And while the group has representatives from all the sentient races of the world, there are no prejudices to overcome, no issues that need to be worked out, no real flaws that get in the way. They get together and go on a quest with the ease of a D&D campaign manager trying to get the ball rolling.
There seems to be no difference between common elves and humans, with the possible exception (I'm assuming) of pointed ears. I don't recall ear shape ever being mentioned. We are told how to feel about the characters; rarely shown. We know that the young high elf (Reiyalindis) is supposed to be sweet and endearing because we're told that she gives sweet and endearing expressions or words, not because she does something and we come to that conclusion naturally, and the same goes for the other characters in their respective traits. They're all fairly nice, but then they also have no problems testing poisons on the "ghost people" who are mentioned early but don't make an appearance until page 74, and never really get the descriptions to help them make sense to me. Why are they called ghost people if they're solid to the touch? And if they turn out to be drifting spirits from another race?
Plenty of things happen, but not all of them contribute to moving the core part of the plot forward. (Ie: the problems / kidnapping at Cobane).
There is also a surprising bit of violence as the plot progresses, and part of me felt that it was a bit much and sometimes awkwardly handled.
I still think that the story shows promise. It would be interesting to see a rewrite/second edition, or even to see what would happen if a graphic designer got their hands on it. I love a good fantasy. I agree with those that said the cover is misleading and makes it look like some sort of romance. It needs a band of adventurers on the cover, ready to do battle. I still think completing a book is no mean feat.
February 2, 2020
This was a thrilling page turner! I’ve know Cory Poulson for a few years now and never imagined the depth and breadth of his imagination! Reiyalindis is engaging from the first page! I came to know and love the characters early on and was quickly invested in their quest and distressed by their plight. If you like fantasy I think you’ll love this complex twisty tale. Well told Cory! Well told!
May 1, 2019
I can never put this book down. I am often taking it off the shelf and reading my favorite parts!
January 16, 2021
Not my usual type of boo, but pretty good.
December 4, 2025
This was my second time reading it, and it’s been a while! It was an entertaining book, and once you get into it it’s quite a page-turner. I’d say, easy read.
May 18, 2015
Let me start by saying this was my absolute favorite fantasy book from when I was about 12 or 13. My copy is somewhat beaten up because of how many times I've read it. Back then, I thought this was the epitome of fantasy literature. When I picked it up again a few days ago, I began to realize how it doesn't quite measure up to my memory. Don't get me wrong, the story is still good. However, Reiyalindis reads more like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign put to paper than an innovative high fantasy novel. The characters are enjoyable, but they are built on overused fantasy tropes and stereotypes. Despite all of this, Reiyalindis is still an enjoyable read, especially if you're looking for something light.
January 21, 2010
Wow. I have this thing where no matter how bad a book is, I have to keep reading to find out what happens. I don't know if I've ever started a book and just stopped reading without at least skimming through and reading the end. I couldn't make it past the first 30 pages of this. The kingdom's most decorated elven warrior keeps saying things like "Uh..." and "Um..." It was like it was written by a junior high student as an English assignment. And the plot: it's your generic "Our motley assortment of heroes sets off on a journey to save their world", but said heroes don't have any compelling reason to set out--they just go at the word of a little girl they've never met before. Ugh.
October 4, 2010
I thought that it could have been a really great book, but it wasn't written very well. I gave it three stars because I really thought that the story was good, but it just wasn't well written, I also thought that the supposed climax of the story, was a bit anti-climatic. Also, I felt like the author just had to somehow put romance in the story, and just stuffed it in the last few chapters. I thought that the book was just to long and that they were trying to stuff to much information into the last about third of the book, maybe he should have just done two books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2012
This was really the Dick & Jane version of a fantasy epic with little descriptive language and little character depth. Not to mention our motley heroic band conquered not one, not two, but three impossible tasks! All in the space of the last 3 or 4 chapters.
See the hero.
See the hero pull out his sword.
See his friends come to his aid.
Hear the sorcerer shout his threats.
See the hero & his friends conquer all.
And they all lived happily ever after. (sigh)
PS - It has occurred to me that my Dick & Jane comparison may be dating me. :-)
See the hero.
See the hero pull out his sword.
See his friends come to his aid.
Hear the sorcerer shout his threats.
See the hero & his friends conquer all.
And they all lived happily ever after. (sigh)
PS - It has occurred to me that my Dick & Jane comparison may be dating me. :-)
February 3, 2016
This book, for me, was a pretty big let-down. I enjoyed the fun of the storyline, and enough of the characters were nice enough to care about, but Reiyalindis herself I wasn't fond of. I never felt like she served much of a purpose beyond bringing the group together at the beginning, and, if anything, detracted from the overall appeal of the story with her (again, my opinion) irritating personality. Other than her, I didn't really have a beef with any other character, protagonist or antagonist. It's safe to say I likely won't be re-reading this in the future, though.
June 30, 2014
Okay so this book doesn't even get one star. It was horrible. Not good plots, not good characters, nothing good about it. :( Also, this author doesn't know how to write at all! I mean I am only a teenager and it's pretty sad that I can tell he is not talented in writing. I mean he doesn't use any adjectives really to describe the characters' surroundings. Very bad book. Total waste of time. Never read! I am very surprised that this author could even get this book published.
January 8, 2010
I guess this is my non-loving fantasy side coming out but I didn't love this book. I did not love the torture descriptions and the gore. I did find myself feeling very tenderly for the young character, Reiyalindis, and I thought the other characters were interesting and varied.
hard-dnf
June 5, 2011I thought this looked cute and interesting...but I was dead wrong...I hardly EVER quit reading a book, but this just wasn't interesting. Usually I have to at least find out what happens...nope, I wasn't even that interested.
June 2, 2013
One of my students suggested I read this. I did. It was ok. The author needs to focus more on details and give us more. I was left hanging and could not create a very good picture in my mind due to lack of detail on characters and events.
July 20, 2013
Fast paced so you don't sit around waiting for things to happen. However, it was slightly annoying that the mystery of it all was hinted throughout the entire thing making it just annoying that we as the reader didn't know till the end. Not suspenseful waiting, just annoying.
September 25, 2013
It was an interesting take on the relationships of Elves, man, half breeds, etc. I liked how he held things back to keep the reading wondering.
Read
March 21, 2010I really like this book. It is a little bit difficult to get into at the beginning, but if you make it past the first 30-40 pages or so it gets really good.
June 11, 2010
my fave. line from this great book is " a woman needs to be told she's beautiful or she will seriosly start to dout it "
June 4, 2010
I really wanted to like this book. It's actually a great story idea, but the writing for a fantasy book was terrible. The elves and warriors spoke like junior high kids..."Uh, I don't know...um..."
April 29, 2010
It was a really cute fantasy novel involving the most unlikely of characters. It seemed like the action scenes should have had more action/description, but aside from that it was pretty good.
September 29, 2010
Great book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews