Review: A Dryad Adventure
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 28, 2012
Ian or the mighty Finn to his friends is eighteen and well on his way into the world, he'll graduate from high school and has a great life ahead of him but he has to survive the rest of the school year first. Erik Parmely a wannabe skin head and the school bully is Ian's constant nemesis throughout the book. Erik and his cronies try and make Ian's life a living hell with constant harassment towards Ian and his friends. Such is the life Ian Finn Morgenstern who is the central character in The Dryad's Kiss by R. Scott Vankirk. This is a fictional tale that falls into the genre of fantasy.Ian is portrayed as  an intelligent kid with a good head on his shoulders and  genuinely tries to make his way through school and life but he's intelligent, kind and stands up for the other picked on students. He also enjoys science and hangs out in science lab with other nerds and that additionally makes him and his friends a target for the school bully. Ian has a fantastic imagination as well, he loves the world of fantasy and steeps himself in his dreamed up fantasy world of Illyria whenever he can. In his world of Illyria he creates the adventures of the inhabitants of Seru including the seductive Dryads. Ian's Dryads (or more commonly known as wood nymphs) are alluring and sexy, wear very little clothes and are magical creatures.Starting with one fateful day after saving a beloved old oak from being cut down Ian starts his journey into a magical fantasy world with the Dryads he is so smitten with. However another event in the story (the discovery of a Barrow mound or a burial mound and its attempted removal unleashes an ancient force that further propels Ian and his family and friends into the fantastical world where the lines between the fantastic and real become somewhat blurred.I enjoyed reading The Dryad's Kiss it is a well written fantasy story that adeptly combines the elements of fantasy, adventure, and a teen coming of age story into a good fantasy story. Also there are some sexual elements in the story as well therefore this is not a fantasy story for a young reader. The scenes are written in vivid detail which helps to bring the story into full focus and makes the story all the more enjoyable to read.  I particularly enjoyed the natural way the characters interacted with each other. Also the fantasy element was well put together and was not over done as some fantasy stories can be. I recommend reading this book to any mature fantasy reader.