Arrow of the Mist by Christina Mercer
Publication date: March 21st 2013
Genre: YA Fantasy
Synopsis:
Terror strikes the Celtic inspired kingdom of Nemetona when barbed roots breach the veil of a forbidden land and poison woodsmen, including 15-year-old Lia’s beloved father. Lia and three others embark on a quest to the forbidden land of Brume to gather ingredients for the cure. But after her elder kinsman is attacked and poisoned, she and her cousin, Wynn, are forced to finish the quest on their own.
Lia relies on her powerful herbal wisdom and the memorized pages of her late grandmother’s Grimoire for guidance through a land of soul-hungry shades, trickster creatures, and uncovered truths about the origin of Brume and her family’s unexpected ties to it. The deeper they trek into the land, the stronger Lia’s untapped gift as a tree mage unfolds. When she discovers the enchanted root’smaker, it forces her to question everything about who she is and what is her destiny. Ultimately she must make a terrible choice: keep fighting to save her father and the people of the lands or join with the power behind the deadly roots to help nature start anew.
Lia relies on her powerful herbal wisdom and the memorized pages of her late grandmother’s Grimoire for guidance through a land of soul-hungry shades, trickster creatures, and uncovered truths about the origin of Brume and her family’s unexpected ties to it. The deeper they trek into the land, the stronger Lia’s untapped gift as a tree mage unfolds. When she discovers the enchanted root’smaker, it forces her to question everything about who she is and what is her destiny. Ultimately she must make a terrible choice: keep fighting to save her father and the people of the lands or join with the power behind the deadly roots to help nature start anew.
Book Trailer:
My Review:
Christina’s Mercier’s book Arrow of the Mist is a book filled to the brim with adventure and world building. Creating a fantastical place called Brume, the land beyond the fog. That you feel like you experience firsthand.
I love the world of Brume. Many different lore’s were incorporated into the book but my favorite would be that of the trees. The tree lore was intriguing and sometimes slightly confusing. Only because I was trying to remember which tree was which, but it was always explained when Lia was talking about them. There was a lot of detail as to the different parts of Brume and how the sections interacted or didn’t interact with one another. Both good and bad creatures reside inside the fog and I loved learning about them.
There is a bit of mystery as we unravel the tale of grandma as Lia searches for the ingredients for the cure and many many riddles. I kept trying to wrap my head around them. Our true enemy and their intentions are not revealed until further into the book. There are many puzzle pieces that have to fit together first.
I really enjoyed the characters in this book, the romance was pretty light and barely existed. Honestly, I kind of liked it better that way. Although Lia is in love, it didn’t take over the whole story. I was glad that the adventure she went on was with her cousin Wynn. They have a sister/brotherly relationship and it was nice to not have a romance distract from everything else going on. Which not to say I don’t love a good romance but having only the small amount worked well for this book. They are on this epic mission and being that it is kind of a family legacy, it seemed appropriate that the two of them take up the fight.
This is one of those books that absorbs you in a way that you get lost in the world the author creates. So there are so many fascinating and interesting things to explore, to think about and learn about. I thought this was a good fantasy novel, light on the romance and left you with a cliffhanger to wonder what is going to happen next.
Christina Mercer writes fiction in addition to mothering two young adults, a pack of large dogs, and about 100,000 honeybees. Her varied interests prompted her to study creative writing, earn her official degree in Accounting, become a CPA, acquire a certificate in Herbal Studies, and keep honeybees. She took Writer’s Best in Show at the 2012 SCBWI CA North/Central Regional Conference and was a semi-finalist in the 2010 Amazon Breakout Novel Award Contest. You can find her at www.christinamercer.com or working as the Reviews Director at www.indie-visible.com
Author Links:
Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
Author Links:
Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter