Whom Ever This May Concern:
I wish I could tell you the contents of this book were purely fictional. That I, Adela Arthur, was just a normal sixteen year old from Portland and that dragons, giants, elves and mermaids were just myths. I wish these were legends shared from crazy old grandparents to crazy old grandparents around campfires. After all, that is what I used to believe.
I never would have thought they lived on the other side of our mirrors in a world called Cielieu. But they do…
I never would have thought there were humans, better known as Volsin that lived among them with the ability to create light from a single thought. But there are…
I never would have thought I was one of them… But I am…
I am the last Arthur and I was brought to the human world after a Volsin, filled with greed, began to strip the light from our kind.
The human world was supposed to be a safe haven… but he’s found us and the only way to stop him is to go back to Cielieu and begin training as a student in the Elpida Castle of Light.
Like I said I wish the contents of this book were purely fictional and not my life…
ADELA ARTHUR
Release date: July 26th 2013
Purchase: Amazon | B&N
Review:
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book has gotten a lot of controversy. People are upset because it has a lot of similarities with that of Harry Potter. If you go into the story knowing that, then it is more enjoyable than if you are blindsided by it.
Some similarities in McCole's book:
Her World
There is a magical world, Cielieu, in addition to the real world. There's a school in the new world that teaches students how to use their light (It's not magic, but light. Light does the same thing that magic would do though.) At this school there are four houses. There are many mythical creatures that live in Cielieu.
Her People
There's a bad guy in the world that is attacking and killing the people. Everyone is afraid of the bad guy and don't like to say his name. The bad guy can get into Adela's mind, so she must learn to block it. Adela is supposed to be one of the only people who can stop the him, so everyone in Cielieu is fascinated with her.
See the connections? There are more similarities, but I'll let you discover those when you read the book. Now, some of the good differences.
I like the "light" concept instead of magic. The people use it casually-- to get around, to assist with needs, or just because they feel like it. There are so many possibilities that the characters can use this for.
Adela forms a love/hate relationship with a guy. He's a member of a different house than Adela. McCole creates good chemistry between them and Adela's interactions with him are enjoyable to read.
Adela was raised by her grandfather in a loving environment. He's supposedly blind, but readers (and Adela) soon find out the truth of what he is. Nice twist!
The beginning of the book has a bit of action. It's where we see the first traces of magic in the real world and where we find out the background info of what happened to Adela's parents. Adela finds out a bit of her heritage and wants to know what they died to protect. It was a great start to the book.
After the dramatic opening chapter, the next chapter has the main character turning 16. She is given a car and drives herself to school-- no DMV trip to get her license or any adult supervision. In fact the DMV wasn't even mentioned in the days following Adela's birthday. Yes, this is a minor thing, but someone should have edited that or handled that detail. Luckily, when she enters Cielieu, that stops becoming an issue.
As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, this has Harry Potter similarities. Tweens, teens, and adults can enjoy it. If you enjoyed the concept of Harry Potter, then give Adlea Author and the Creator's Clock a try.
About author Judyann:
Judyann is a lover of Books, Florence + Machine, The color Teal, Asian Food, Chocolate, Pandas, and The Rain. She's also a fan of writing in odd places like in bathtubs, under staircases, in a tree, or maybe zoo.
Judyann was born in Montreal, Canada and a few years later her parents moved home to the States where she's currently attending College.
Find Judyann: Website Twitter @judyannmccole
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