Review: A Thought Provoking but Extremely Entertaining Read!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 8, 2012
Arieana's brother is killed by her own people in a world not their own. She is forced to break an ancient law and cross the veil into the human world, to find her brother's soul. Once across the veil, she finds out that there are others from her world who want to destroy the human world, as they blame the humans for the devastating storms which are tearing her world apart.Ariana is forced into an unlikely alliance with Sorien Jacobs, an archaeologist who has been sent to the Atacama Desert after the untimely death of his friend and mentor. Together they must work together to gather the clues to stop the renegades and save mankind, before time runs out for both worlds.This is a beautifully woven story, which tells of two worlds that live side by side. There is Ariana's world, which is peaceful. The people use magic and work in harmony with nature. Then there is Earth, filled with humankind who exploit the natural resources and are damaging the environment with their machines. The two worlds are separated by a magic veil. When Ariana's brother is killed by her own people on the human side of the veil, she defies the law so that she can retrieve her brother's soul.Ariana is a fantastic character. She wields magic that is extremely powerful and dangerous. I certainly wouldn't want to get on to her bad side! However, she loves her brother very much and seeks revenge on his murderers. When she crosses the veil and meets Sorien, she finds out that the elders in her world had not been entirely truthful about the past. She also finds out that her brother had a secret too.This story has a powerful message about how humans are basically killing the planet with their greed for more of Mother Nature's resources; Mother Nature is trying to restore the balance by creating powerful storms. These are the storms that are affecting Ariana's world. However, there is also interwoven into this message a fantastic fantasy/mystery/adventure that kept me hooked. It is not a very long story, as there are only 183 pages, but R. G. Porter has created a mixture of fact and fiction that thoroughly entranced me, and made me think. I am now looking forward to reading the remaining books in this series, as I am dying to know what happens next! I highly recommend this book if you enjoy a good fantasy story with a dash of mystery and adventure mixed in with the paranormal.