Critically So

Lily of the Shadows

★★★★
Four stars out of five because this story carries so much morale and teaches a lot to its readers.

Author: ValdtRift a.k.a. Joy Destiny Eliason

Genre: Fantasy

Review:

Most readers enjoy reading when the description in a story is so vivid that it feels as though the setting is right in front of you and you're watching the whole story play out. This is the exact kind of feeling I got when I read the introduction and it is simply spectacular.

The author's writing style is truly unique and pulls you in.

When the main character, Manx, and her two friends, Vaskin and Khashmyr embark on a quest to save their Empress, they travel to the human world. This leads to a good dose of laughter as they encounter many things that they don't understand. Humor is an important part of a story and can set it apart. I found it highly enriching to the tale.

The focus of the story is on Manx's pain, feelings and thoughts (for the part that takes place on earth) and not on the quest as one would expect. However, this is exactly why the author's writing style appeals to me. It breaks free from the cliché that stories about quests should focus on the quests.

This book in particular, focuses on pain, love, trust and friendship — thus, excreting morale upon the reader. It's a joy to read a book that shares a good morale.

During some parts, I found information to be a little redundant. Though the reader needs constant reminding of certain elements, it doesn't need to be so frequent.

The title of the book (Lily of the Shadows) is figurative and very suited to the story.

The plot has a few good twists and I would like to commend the author on her excellent spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Fantasy is a wonderful genre and this book is one of the reasons why.