Review: Worth the read.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 13, 2011
I must admit, I have not heard of the author before, even with his other name, Joseph Robert Lewis.  Well, I am not much for sci-fi and it has been a long time since I read anything from the fantasy genre outside Tolkien.  So I went into this totally blind, not knowing what to expect.Daphne and the Silver Ash is a novella about Daphne, a 19-year-old wife and mother from Trevell.  It says in the book that she is an "unshod shoemaker".  Ironic much?  Anyway, she made her living making the best boots in Trevell.  But the town was not doing so well.  Business was slow so she took any job she could.  Her husband was Justin, a city guard.  They had a young daughter named Violet.  Trevell's fortunes were linked to a spirit tree, the Silver Ash where the nymph Bryn lived with the phoenix Serafina.  It was time for the phoenix to be reborn and Trevell to thrive again.But Serafina was scared.  Something was not right.  An enemy army was marching towards them to take over Trevell in her time of vunlerability.  It is up to Daphne to make things right.I cannot really give a full review without giving away the rest of the story and/or the ending.  With approximately 27,000 words, the story is pretty straight to the point, did not veer away from the main premise.  It took me a more or less three hours (with breaks within that time haha) to read the whole thing, so yes, I can say it is a good afternoon read.  The writing was clear and easy to understand.The author also labeled this as a fairytale.  I can see that.  It has all the ingredients... lore, undisclosed time/era, far away place, magic... except for the ending which was not "happily ever after".  (Yes, this does not have a particularly happy ending, folks.)  I have seen a review clamoring for a sequel, possibly with a happier one.  Personally, there is no need.  This is a great standalone piece.Rating: 4/5.Recommendation: I say give it a try.  Cute little story.  Everyone can find something they like about it.