Cover reveal for Ariella Moon's The Beltane Escape

The Beltane Escape by Ariella Moon

(The Two Realms Trilogy, #1)

Publication date: February 2016

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Cover design by: AMDesignStudios

Synopsis:

Lady Fenella, ever surrounded by guards, knows only responsibility and duty. She believes Merlin and the Lady of the Lake are myths, Gran’s warnings about Fairy are superstition, and Fairy was invented to make children behave.

But then Gran brands her, Lord Argonshire kidnaps her, and the Lady of the Lake makes her a pawn. The Highland heiress must betray her newly betrothed and fend for herself when she dives into a wormhole to save her cousin. She lands in a part of Fairy even fairies avoid, and joins forces with Talfryn, a half-Viking/half-Fairy.

Fenella must use her wits to find her cousin, free the Lady of the Lake, and reach the wormhole in Glastonbury by Beltane. Nine days to unshackle herself from a sorceress, prevent a war between rival clans, and decide in which realm—and with which lad—she truly belongs. Oh, and The Most Powerful Wizard stands in her way.

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About the Author:

Ariella Moon draws upon her experiences as a shaman to create magical Young Adult fiction. Her Two Realms Trilogy is a medieval fantasy adventure series with romantic elements. The Teen Wytche Saga is a series of sweet contemporary paranormal romances. 

Ariella spent her childhood searching for a magical wardrobe that would transport her to Narnia. Extreme math anxiety and taller students who mistook her for a leaning post, marred her youth. Despite these horrors, she graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at Davis. Ariella lives a nearly normal life doting on her extraordinary daughter, two shamelessly spoiled dogs, and an enormous dragon.

Ariella loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at:

http://www.ariellamoon.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ariellamoon.author

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5807574.Ariella_Moon

Merlin: The Lost Years

Merlin: The Lost Years is the first installment in the Merlin Saga by T. A. Barron. The prologue is written in the third person, while the rest of the novel is narrated in the first person by a 12-year-old Merlin, or as he is called throughout the novel, Emrys.

The opening lines of the story remind the reader of the popular scene when an arm rises from the water holding Excalibur.

Emrys washes up on a shore, alone at first, and has no memory of who he is and how or why he got to this place. He notices a beautiful woman also washed up on the shore and wonders if she could be his mother but feels she is too beautiful to be so. They are attacked by a wild boar and saved by a stag.

This, slightly strange, beginning is explained after a few chapters.

Emrys is not convinced that this is his real name and is unsure if the woman, Branwen, is his mother. Throughout the novel, he tries to find out who is he is, who is parents are and where he belongs.

Emrys has powers but when he uses them, they result in more destruction than intended and he learns to fear them. Throughout the novel, Emrys considers using his powers several times but remembers the promise he made to Branwen to never use them in addition to the painful memory where he loses his eyesight.

Despite being narrated in the first person, the novel moves at a fairly quick pace. Though the parts about Emrys remembering the painful memory of using his powers are frequent and feel repetitive “the smell of burning flesh...” is repeated several times.

The idea of the “lost years” is resolved in the end, where Emrys, and the reader, come upon some startling revelations.

I liked Barron’s use of the giants and how size does not matter. Shim is adorable, especially in the way he speaks “but I is!”, “certainly definitely absolutely” and “very very very scared” just to name a few instances. The first meeting with Shim is beyond enjoyable.

Merlin: The Lost Years is a journey of self-discovery and is a good start to the world of young Merlin (Emrys). And I look forward to reading the second part of the saga, titled The Seven Songs.

Overall rating: 3 stars.