Hello dearest readers - thank you so much for taking the time to read this little story.
Before we begin, I feel the need to introduce you to this alternate world I have endeavoured to create - lovingly and respectfully - from the bones of a mostly untouched and minor branch of characters and time frame of Professor Tolkien's original work.
It is not just another "girl-falls-into-middle earth' trope (although I love those too), but a story of family, overcoming sickness, finding ones identity, and learning that it's not too late to begin again. It follows the themes of Grace, Faith, Forgiveness, Truth, and Courage amidst the beautiful background of Tolkien's creation and specifically the spiritual depth of the long-lived elves.
A lot of my research is based on The Silmarillion and various commentaries on the culture of elves; specifically the Silvan, Avari, and Sindar races. However, a lot of the cultural development of the woodland elves and the bulking out of minor characters in Tolkien's canon, e.g. Oropher, Thranduil etc, is from my own imagination and interpretation that best fits this alternate world.
The story originally was not broken into the trilogy it now exists in, but I believe it sits better as a set of three novels because it documents the growth and connection of the characters, both in canon and my own additions. The main character's take a long and treacherous journey through life and love, learning to navigate and make mistakes like the rest of us. Yes there are bad guys, yes there is magic, and of course these are elves, but it is in essence a story of life and how even the simplest of lives can make a dramatic difference in the quietest of ways.
Treat this not as a wish-fulfment novel, or a fangirl having fun frolicking in middle earth, or even just a Thranduil romance, there may be elements of those things but the story is so much deeper than that. If you are die hard Tolkien fanatics, with a love and passion for middle earth then I can assure you this book holds many of the Professor's themes and you shall be well pleased. If you are new to the fandom, or have never read or watched a Tolkien related book or movie, I can also promise that this book is for you, too. Just as Clara wakes up in her new skin, in a world she thought was a figment of an old Professor's imagination, the reader too, will navigate this new world full of wonder with her...or, that is at least my hope.