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The Reign of the Elements #1
The Fire Stone
Sixteen-year-old novelist Riley Carney works magic in this high fantasy adventure story brought to life by memorable, vibrant characters. The Fire Stone, the first book in the captivating Reign of the Elements series, is rooted in genuine adolescent thought and emotion throughout a journey of danger, friendship, and courage, as a group of teenagers, led by fifteen-year-old Matt, attempt to save their world. Matt knows how to shovel hay, dig trenches, and dodge his father’s whip, but when three terrifying creatures attack Matt, and he is rescued by a wizard, he kidnaps a baby alorath, and is befriended by elves, Matt’s life transforms overnight from dreary to astonishing. When he unwittingly joins a quest to find the Fire Stone, one of the elusive Stones of the Elements which have the power to destroy the world, Matt is thrust into a string of perilous adventures. He soon discovers that magic does exist and that he has extraordinary powers that can change his destiny and determine the fate of Mundaria.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 27, 2009
I gave this book 1 star for many reasons. Here are a few...
1. This book has at least ten different typos and grammatical errors. My suggestion is for the author to hire a better editor... if they used one in the first place. The author seems to enjoy using the thesaurus for almost every sentence which contain adjectives. When a single adjective would be fine, the author tries to cram in a few more.
2. In the first few chapters, there are at least five action/fighting scenes. This does not include the many, many, major plot twists. There are only a few breaks in the action that allow minimal character development. This is not a good way to structure a plot.
3. This book is pretty much a complete rip off of The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, with a few elements from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. (By the way, Christopher Paolini was 15 when he started writing Eragon.) In Eragon the main character finds a magical creature which he keeps. The dragon grows, talks, flies, increases the main character's magical powers, etc. Sound familiar? The main character in Eragon meets a mentor who is amazingly similar to Lucian. In Percy Jackson, The main character has a pen/sword that returns to his pocket whenever it is lost or dropped. Sounds an awful lot like the magical returning feather.
To end my review, this book is pretty much borderline plagiarism. It is one of the most mindless and inconceivably shallow books I have ever read.
1. This book has at least ten different typos and grammatical errors. My suggestion is for the author to hire a better editor... if they used one in the first place. The author seems to enjoy using the thesaurus for almost every sentence which contain adjectives. When a single adjective would be fine, the author tries to cram in a few more.
2. In the first few chapters, there are at least five action/fighting scenes. This does not include the many, many, major plot twists. There are only a few breaks in the action that allow minimal character development. This is not a good way to structure a plot.
3. This book is pretty much a complete rip off of The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, with a few elements from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. (By the way, Christopher Paolini was 15 when he started writing Eragon.) In Eragon the main character finds a magical creature which he keeps. The dragon grows, talks, flies, increases the main character's magical powers, etc. Sound familiar? The main character in Eragon meets a mentor who is amazingly similar to Lucian. In Percy Jackson, The main character has a pen/sword that returns to his pocket whenever it is lost or dropped. Sounds an awful lot like the magical returning feather.
To end my review, this book is pretty much borderline plagiarism. It is one of the most mindless and inconceivably shallow books I have ever read.
November 26, 2009
I can't wait for the next book in the series! This book is fantastic! It has plenty of humor, adventure and magic!
Matt is a fifteen year old boy, used to the hard work his parents force upon him. Riley Carney starts the action immediately, when the young boy is attacked by strange men, but the plot really kicks off when a mysterious man, who turns out to be a wizard, rescues Matt and tells him he has hidden talent. Matt's curiosity gets him into alot of trouble in the next few pages, when he is attacked again, this time by strange wolf-like creatures in the forest, and saved, again, by the same man. His name is Lucian, and Matt befriends him, after having some doubts about the wizard.
Riley Carney sure lays on the trouble thick! (But I'm not saying it's a bad thing; it kept the story moving fast and made it intense.) Matt gets attacked, and then he rescues a baby alorath, a cat/bird creature who is really cute but, when he grows up, quiet dangerous!
This book was a great read and I finished it really quickly. The characters were well-developed, there was plenty of humor, and lots more. I greatly applaud to the author, Riley Carney. I am glad she is my friend here on Goodreads!
Please consider picking up this book so you can read about a young boy on a quest to save his world. You won't regret it.
Matt is a fifteen year old boy, used to the hard work his parents force upon him. Riley Carney starts the action immediately, when the young boy is attacked by strange men, but the plot really kicks off when a mysterious man, who turns out to be a wizard, rescues Matt and tells him he has hidden talent. Matt's curiosity gets him into alot of trouble in the next few pages, when he is attacked again, this time by strange wolf-like creatures in the forest, and saved, again, by the same man. His name is Lucian, and Matt befriends him, after having some doubts about the wizard.
Riley Carney sure lays on the trouble thick! (But I'm not saying it's a bad thing; it kept the story moving fast and made it intense.) Matt gets attacked, and then he rescues a baby alorath, a cat/bird creature who is really cute but, when he grows up, quiet dangerous!
This book was a great read and I finished it really quickly. The characters were well-developed, there was plenty of humor, and lots more. I greatly applaud to the author, Riley Carney. I am glad she is my friend here on Goodreads!
Please consider picking up this book so you can read about a young boy on a quest to save his world. You won't regret it.
June 13, 2010
Now and then I feel the need to be swept away by magical stories, and that's when I put down adult literature and pick up a book that will allow me to become a child again. The Fire Stone was clever, well written, and a thoroughly entertaining read. Adventure and unexpected twists kept me turning the pages. I loved how the author threaded the learning of important values and friendship into a story that was action-packed and witty. And Matt, the main character, was enormously likable. There's something here for everyone, and Ms. Carney did an exceptional job of crafting a story that was as charming as it was entertaining.
November 2, 2009
I read this book after my son and daughter both recommended it - it was great! The characters are wonderful - very relatable and realistic. There is a particularly cool creature called an alorath with an affectionately biting tongue! The story moves along quickly, but it is nicely paced, never moving at such a break-necked pace that you feel you don't have time to get to know the characters. There is a subtle, but clever sense of humor woven throughout the story. Several of my kids' friends have read this book, as well, and they all seem to love it. This is the first in a series and I'm looking forward to continuing this great fantasy adventure story for young teens (and adults!).
January 1, 2010
I really liked this book! It had all the things I love about fantasy - magic and elves and creatures and really good sword fights! It was also action-packed and exciting! I liked the characters a lot and I liked the way it was written. It had just the right amount of description so I could picture everything but it didn't get too wordy like Eragon did.
June 15, 2010
Great read! Fresh, fast paced and totally unpredictable. My fifteen year old daughter and i have recommended this book to all our fellow literary junkies. I loved the Alorath! Can't wait for more :)
October 30, 2009
Lacks depth, plot not structured well, characters are lack luster, modern dialogue is out of place, some things to connect to but nothing else.
November 3, 2009
I really liked this book - it's a great fantasy adventure story with well developed, engaging characters and a coming of age story with a sense of humor and plenty of excitement.
January 8, 2010
Excellent fantasy adventure story - loved the characters!
December 17, 2009
Alright. I was told I should review The Fire Stone since I only gave a three stars. And now, I shall explain it all.
The Fire Stone was written by sixteen year old girl Riley Carney.
I was extremely excited to read this book when I borrowed it from a friend, who unlike me, enjoyed it more. When I started the book, I thought it was going to be great, and I didn't have anything else it read at the moment, so I managed to finish it.
One thing that, as a grammar freak, really bothered me about this book was ALL THE TYPOS! It didn't seem like Riley had a editor, and it just really bugged me and made the book seem less professional.
Another thing was, Ok, I'm a huge Percy Jackson, Harry Potter and Eragon fan. I'm always looking for other great fantasy series to read. And to me The Fire Stone seemed to mimic and kind of copy other authors writing ideas!
There was some interesting parts of The Fire Stone I liked. I just don't like when it seems that books copy other books that came first, like it wasn't a original idea. Make sense?
So, to wrap up my review, I don't recommend you read it, try something like Percy Jackson or Eragon instead. The Fire Stone by Riley Carney isn't nearly original enough and has horribly disturbing typos.
The Fire Stone was written by sixteen year old girl Riley Carney.
I was extremely excited to read this book when I borrowed it from a friend, who unlike me, enjoyed it more. When I started the book, I thought it was going to be great, and I didn't have anything else it read at the moment, so I managed to finish it.
One thing that, as a grammar freak, really bothered me about this book was ALL THE TYPOS! It didn't seem like Riley had a editor, and it just really bugged me and made the book seem less professional.
Another thing was, Ok, I'm a huge Percy Jackson, Harry Potter and Eragon fan. I'm always looking for other great fantasy series to read. And to me The Fire Stone seemed to mimic and kind of copy other authors writing ideas!
There was some interesting parts of The Fire Stone I liked. I just don't like when it seems that books copy other books that came first, like it wasn't a original idea. Make sense?
So, to wrap up my review, I don't recommend you read it, try something like Percy Jackson or Eragon instead. The Fire Stone by Riley Carney isn't nearly original enough and has horribly disturbing typos.
June 26, 2013
Seriously? Mundaria? As in "mundane?" Subtle much?
Anyways, your typical, derivative, cliche high fantasy. Bleh.
Anyways, your typical, derivative, cliche high fantasy. Bleh.
March 25, 2018
Pretty common themes, somewhat unique characters. There were at least 5 grammatical errors, such as incomplete sentences, which should have been caught by the editors.
May 29, 2011
This is another book from Theresa, the wonderful library technician at my school. It is the first of a series of books written by Riley Carney, a young author. When I say young, I mean she is 17 now and wrote this when she was 16. I didn't really have high hopes for the book, because I remember my experience with Christopher Paolini's Eragon series and how disappointed I was with it. I read it though, because I'm always looking for books to recommend to my students and to add to the library collection.
Now to my thoughts about the book itself. My overall reaction was 'meh'. It was ok. Carney has some great ideas, but I think they didn't really work because of her age. The thoughts were not fully formed and nothing really lived up to my hopes. There are lots of good beginnings, but nothing really ever made me sit up and go 'wow'.
One of my biggest problems with the book was the choice of language. It really read like something a teenager would write. It reminded me of what my students hand in for evaluation. It was full of adjectives, and made me want to remind her to write the action and not the description. The school I teach at offers a course called Writer's Craft, and I hope that Carney's school offers the same thing. She had a lot of potential, but I think these books maybe could have used a little aging and maturing before being published.
I hope that Riley Carney keeps writing, but this book definitely showed the age of the author.
Now to my thoughts about the book itself. My overall reaction was 'meh'. It was ok. Carney has some great ideas, but I think they didn't really work because of her age. The thoughts were not fully formed and nothing really lived up to my hopes. There are lots of good beginnings, but nothing really ever made me sit up and go 'wow'.
One of my biggest problems with the book was the choice of language. It really read like something a teenager would write. It reminded me of what my students hand in for evaluation. It was full of adjectives, and made me want to remind her to write the action and not the description. The school I teach at offers a course called Writer's Craft, and I hope that Carney's school offers the same thing. She had a lot of potential, but I think these books maybe could have used a little aging and maturing before being published.
I hope that Riley Carney keeps writing, but this book definitely showed the age of the author.
April 17, 2011
Actual rating - 3.5 stars
Considering this was written by a sixteen-year old girl, it's a fairly impressive literary work with all the elements of high fantasy--a seemingly ordinary young man who discovers he possesses magical powers, an evil being trying to take over the world, loyal companions who help him in his quest, and lots of danger and adventure.
That being said, there were also a few flaws that prevented me from awarding it more than 3.5 stars.
There was nothing really extraordinary or unique about this book that hasn't already been done before. In fact, I found there were several similarities to Percy Jackson, Eragon and Harry Potter. Samsire, although not a dragon per se, is very similar to the dragon in Eragon and the powerful wizard, Lucian, struck me as another Dumbledore. Samsire's feather that always returns to Matt and is used to call him is very much like Percy Jackson's pen/sword, Riptide. There were also several typos and editorial errors in the book, which tends to throw me off a bit when reading.
But, putting all of that aside, this was a fast and mostly enjoyable read; I finished it in one day. Riley Carney shows a great deal of potential as an author, even at such a young age, and I'm certain she will accomplish marvelous things in her lifetime as a writer.
Considering this was written by a sixteen-year old girl, it's a fairly impressive literary work with all the elements of high fantasy--a seemingly ordinary young man who discovers he possesses magical powers, an evil being trying to take over the world, loyal companions who help him in his quest, and lots of danger and adventure.
That being said, there were also a few flaws that prevented me from awarding it more than 3.5 stars.
There was nothing really extraordinary or unique about this book that hasn't already been done before. In fact, I found there were several similarities to Percy Jackson, Eragon and Harry Potter. Samsire, although not a dragon per se, is very similar to the dragon in Eragon and the powerful wizard, Lucian, struck me as another Dumbledore. Samsire's feather that always returns to Matt and is used to call him is very much like Percy Jackson's pen/sword, Riptide. There were also several typos and editorial errors in the book, which tends to throw me off a bit when reading.
But, putting all of that aside, this was a fast and mostly enjoyable read; I finished it in one day. Riley Carney shows a great deal of potential as an author, even at such a young age, and I'm certain she will accomplish marvelous things in her lifetime as a writer.
June 30, 2012
You know, the more I read this, the more it reminds me of The Inheritance Cycle and in turn, The Lord of the Rings. *sigh* But whatever, I love The Lord of the Rings, and it does have some unique characteristics of its own.
May 23, 2010
This book is similar to Aragon.
July 7, 2010
I don't feel that the characters were fully developed and the story itself didn't seemed to be completely fleshed out. I really didn't come care for the characters at all.
January 31, 2010
Great book! I can't wait for the next one in the series!
November 12, 2010
i rly lov the characters especially matt n his friends!!! i cant wait 2 read da next book
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews