[ZGF]⇒ Download The Harp of Elvyth The Long Ears Legacy Book 1 eBook Debbie Daley

The Harp of Elvyth The Long Ears Legacy Book 1 eBook Debbie Daley

Download As PDF : The Harp of Elvyth The Long Ears Legacy Book 1 eBook Debbie Daley

The Harp of Elvyth The Long Ears Legacy Book 1 eBook Debbie Daley

When you're discussing elves, mythical creatures, magic, portals and hidden worlds it's a bit hard to address "authenticity". But, regardless of the fantastical elements, your story really does need to be authentic. The eleven year old heroine has to sound and act like an eleven year old girl. School bullies have to be upsetting. Sadness and a stiff upper lip when your Dad doesn't contact you on your birthday have to be honestly presented and honestly felt - otherwise none of the fantasy parts matter.

This book does a stunning job of introducing, and making us care about, a lonely strange little girl and her loving, protective grandmother. And the girl, Lizzie, is a tremendously attractive character. She's sort of a cross between an idealized Disney Cinderella character and a normal eleven year old. So, she runs home with joy, hugs grandmother, feeds the birds in the garden and plays with her dogs. You can practically see Snow White dancing and patting the dwarfs on the head. But she is also excitable, lonely, unsophisticated and sometimes saddened by a sense of being different and, in a way, abandoned. What a great and interesting heroine. Spirit and prudence; hope and disappointment; love and loss; confidence and uncertainty - what complicated emotions and feelings to weave into a middle grade fantasy tale.

And Lizzie's adventures are related in a restrained and assured manner. By that I mean that there is no frantic hocus pocus, no rush to hurry up and get us amongst the fantasy creatures. The author takes the time to draw us in to Lizzie's story and to lay the foundation for her fantastic adventures. And along the way there are calm and observant grace notes that add depth and charm to the story. (For example, every book like this has the heroine being bullied at school. This is the first time I've read the school teacher's musings about how she'd like to actually catch and punish the malefactors. Every book has a strange invitation to a mysterious adventure. But here the scene in which Lizzie and her grandmother open and read the invitation to visit Elvedom Castle Hotel brims with excitement, caution and a certain wariness that seems very right. That's what I mean about the book having a certain groundedness that makes the fantasy that much more fun.) And, much of the writing is just touching or evocative, without being forced or overwritten. The description of the night when Lizzie was born and her mother died is simple, honest, direct and heartbreaking, without a touch of false emotion.

The upshot is that sometimes you get rip-roaring fantasy; sometimes you get elegant writing and craftsmanship. It is unusual to get both at once, and fantastic to find it tied up as nicely as this is. (For what it's worth, the Amazon site has the "Click to Look Inside" feature enabled for this book and the excerpt is quite lengthy. If you are at all interested, the sample will give you a very good sense of this book.)

Please note that I found this book while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. I have no connection at all to the author or the publisher of this book.


Tags : The Harp of Elvyth: The Long Ears Legacy - Book 1 - Kindle edition by Debbie Daley. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Harp of Elvyth: The Long Ears Legacy - Book 1.,ebook,Debbie Daley,The Harp of Elvyth: The Long Ears Legacy - Book 1,Fiction Fantasy Contemporary,Juvenile Fiction Fantasy & Magic

The Harp of Elvyth The Long Ears Legacy Book 1 eBook Debbie Daley Reviews

I wish this book was part of a series, I would read them all.

I am writing this sentence because more words are required to submit my review (Ugh).
When you're discussing elves, mythical creatures, magic, portals and hidden worlds it's a bit hard to address "authenticity". But, regardless of the fantastical elements, your story really does need to be authentic. The eleven year old heroine has to sound and act like an eleven year old girl. School bullies have to be upsetting. Sadness and a stiff upper lip when your Dad doesn't contact you on your birthday have to be honestly presented and honestly felt - otherwise none of the fantasy parts matter.

This book does a stunning job of introducing, and making us care about, a lonely strange little girl and her loving, protective grandmother. And the girl, Lizzie, is a tremendously attractive character. She's sort of a cross between an idealized Disney Cinderella character and a normal eleven year old. So, she runs home with joy, hugs grandmother, feeds the birds in the garden and plays with her dogs. You can practically see Snow White dancing and patting the dwarfs on the head. But she is also excitable, lonely, unsophisticated and sometimes saddened by a sense of being different and, in a way, abandoned. What a great and interesting heroine. Spirit and prudence; hope and disappointment; love and loss; confidence and uncertainty - what complicated emotions and feelings to weave into a middle grade fantasy tale.

And Lizzie's adventures are related in a restrained and assured manner. By that I mean that there is no frantic hocus pocus, no rush to hurry up and get us amongst the fantasy creatures. The author takes the time to draw us in to Lizzie's story and to lay the foundation for her fantastic adventures. And along the way there are calm and observant grace notes that add depth and charm to the story. (For example, every book like this has the heroine being bullied at school. This is the first time I've read the school teacher's musings about how she'd like to actually catch and punish the malefactors. Every book has a strange invitation to a mysterious adventure. But here the scene in which Lizzie and her grandmother open and read the invitation to visit Elvedom Castle Hotel brims with excitement, caution and a certain wariness that seems very right. That's what I mean about the book having a certain groundedness that makes the fantasy that much more fun.) And, much of the writing is just touching or evocative, without being forced or overwritten. The description of the night when Lizzie was born and her mother died is simple, honest, direct and heartbreaking, without a touch of false emotion.

The upshot is that sometimes you get rip-roaring fantasy; sometimes you get elegant writing and craftsmanship. It is unusual to get both at once, and fantastic to find it tied up as nicely as this is. (For what it's worth, the site has the "Click to Look Inside" feature enabled for this book and the excerpt is quite lengthy. If you are at all interested, the sample will give you a very good sense of this book.)

Please note that I found this book while browsing freebies. I have no connection at all to the author or the publisher of this book.