Flute of the Wind Queen by Eisah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fun and easy to read.
Flute of the Wind Queen is the debut story of Leander, a teen-aged Naggian whose greatest dream is to follow in the footsteps of his hero, Tevias, and become a reknowned treasure hunter. The story opens with Leander sneaking (not so stealthily) into a theater basement hoping to find the lost Flute of the Wind Queen, a treasured relic of his country which disappeared when a neighboring country invaded.
But his inexperience and a crashing fall from rotting scaffolding quickly attracts the attention of one of the actresses, who decides to let him go after a brief encounter. They meet up again a short time later by chance and decide that the flute must have been looted by the Geuranian army. Leander decides to risk a foray into enemy territory, and on a whim Ellora, the actress, decides to help him get there.
My favorite things about this story are the close calls, rookie mistakes and lucky breaks that Leander experiences. He's an imperfect hero just starting on his chosen path, so he isn't handed success. I also enjoy how he comes to understand that the world isn't all black and white, right and wrong, when he meets an irreverent Geuranian soldier who reveals that the "enemy" attacks on his city weren't completely unprovoked as Leander had always assumed they were.
I also enjoyed the illustrations. They were well done and complimented the story without distracting from it. One only one picture didn't quite match the vision that the words evoked in my mind. I won't say which due to spoilers but it didn't synch with my interpretation of what was going on.
Overall, the Flute of the Wind Queen is a quick, fun read. There are lessons, but they aren't too deep or heavy handed. And, Leander is a likable fellow who I wouldn't mind following in future installments.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fun and easy to read.
Flute of the Wind Queen is the debut story of Leander, a teen-aged Naggian whose greatest dream is to follow in the footsteps of his hero, Tevias, and become a reknowned treasure hunter. The story opens with Leander sneaking (not so stealthily) into a theater basement hoping to find the lost Flute of the Wind Queen, a treasured relic of his country which disappeared when a neighboring country invaded.
But his inexperience and a crashing fall from rotting scaffolding quickly attracts the attention of one of the actresses, who decides to let him go after a brief encounter. They meet up again a short time later by chance and decide that the flute must have been looted by the Geuranian army. Leander decides to risk a foray into enemy territory, and on a whim Ellora, the actress, decides to help him get there.
My favorite things about this story are the close calls, rookie mistakes and lucky breaks that Leander experiences. He's an imperfect hero just starting on his chosen path, so he isn't handed success. I also enjoy how he comes to understand that the world isn't all black and white, right and wrong, when he meets an irreverent Geuranian soldier who reveals that the "enemy" attacks on his city weren't completely unprovoked as Leander had always assumed they were.
I also enjoyed the illustrations. They were well done and complimented the story without distracting from it. One only one picture didn't quite match the vision that the words evoked in my mind. I won't say which due to spoilers but it didn't synch with my interpretation of what was going on.
Overall, the Flute of the Wind Queen is a quick, fun read. There are lessons, but they aren't too deep or heavy handed. And, Leander is a likable fellow who I wouldn't mind following in future installments.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
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