Review: Realms of Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 13, 2013
I was given this book in return for an honest review.  This book is set in a world full of powers, different realms have different powers, the people look different, the climate is different,  etc. The Helians are the mistrusted ones, they control fire and have a history of double crossing the other realms, so the others avoid the Helians at all costs. The remaining realms work well together though.  When the realms get invitations from the king of the Helians, inviting them to his realm, on the guise of letting go of the past and getting to know each other, they are mistrustful but still go. The main characters are Roxy, a fairly unlikeable, royal brat who thinks she's better than everyone else, and her frienemy Cyn, who her mother wants her to marry, and who is worse than Roxy. In the other main realm is Jazz, who was found abandoned as a baby, nobody knows where she came from, but she looks different than the others of her realm. Her best friend is Brae, he is a royal and will be heading to the Helian realm. Good thing too, because Jazz has a secret she is trying to hide. The other two realms are Brizan and Sephan, they don't come into play much in this story except on the sideline. Trouble is brewing because the Helians do have an ulterior motive and if they succeed with their plan, they will rule all the realms. It's up to Jazz, who begins having vivid nightmare visions of what is going to happen, to warn them. With the help of Brody, another Arcan friend, she sets off for the Helian realm to try to stop her visions from becoming a reality. Roxy, the Helian royal, is warming up to Brae and once he has been warned by Jazz, Roxy will have to make a choice, go through with the plan, or help a new friend. In the meantime, Jazz is discovering that she is developing powers, powers that make no sense, for they aren't exclusive to any realm. The realms each have their own powers, fire, water, air, etc. Her powers are different and she is conflicted as to what this means, so she keeps it from everyone. In the end it will come down to Roxy and Jazz, will they be on the same side, or will they have to battle with each other, and who will win?  I think the story itself was interesting and the characters were well developed. The only thing I had trouble with was there were times when I found myself lost and had to backtrack a bit at the beginning, because each chapter is from a different realm's perspective. Once I got further into the book, it was much easier to follow. I find myself wanting the next book because I want to find out more about where Jazz came from and the extent of her powers and how her friends will react to them. I want to see where these characters and the story goes. This book is perfectly acceptable for teens and adults.