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livingalifethroughbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I had fun reading this book and I smiled so much. There are fantasy books that are one mishap after another but this book is more relaxing. And then there’ll be excitement and back to normal again. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. It’s a quest! I cannot wait for the next book. I wonder how many are there in this series. At least 3, I would venture to guess and when they come out, I’ll be in line to read them.
bibliosass's review against another edition
4.0
I received an advance review copy for free via BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book is a GEM! < yes I am being punny on purpose.
PLUS - bonus this genius work of art is by an independent author: Christian Sterling
"Spend too much time worrying about how you will be remembered and you will forget to do anything memorable at all"
I love books that have a bunch of sassy/smarta** characters. This book was on point with the sarcasm, many moments I snorted ( getting a weird glance from my husband) or laughed out loud.
I love how this book puts 6 complete strangers together to guide and protect a wizard through his journey to find his 4 magic stones. The places they travel and journey through sound so beautiful... even the scary parts.
I cannot wait to read the next books/book in this storyline!
This book is a GEM! < yes I am being punny on purpose.
PLUS - bonus this genius work of art is by an independent author: Christian Sterling
"Spend too much time worrying about how you will be remembered and you will forget to do anything memorable at all"
I love books that have a bunch of sassy/smarta** characters. This book was on point with the sarcasm, many moments I snorted ( getting a weird glance from my husband) or laughed out loud.
I love how this book puts 6 complete strangers together to guide and protect a wizard through his journey to find his 4 magic stones. The places they travel and journey through sound so beautiful... even the scary parts.
I cannot wait to read the next books/book in this storyline!
jenniferforjoy's review against another edition
2.0
Thanks to Christian Sterling and BookSirens for providing a free copy for review!
After a lot of work and rallying, I finally finished this. Far too many writing issues and missed plot opportunites for me to enjoy this, unfortunately. Shows promise, but needs some finishing work.
See full review and more here!
Recommended: nah
It felt too cookie cutter, like a practice story that was given the major path to follow and then filled in with the corresponding characters and events. Also in dire need of some basic proofreading / editing.
My definite biggest issue with this book: the sheer number of incorrect usages of words, incorrect grammar, and the generally weird and inconsistent writing style. For example: in the beginning, it felt excessively formal and forced into that "old" sort of medieval style of talking ("She was auburn of hair") that didn't read naturally and at times was straight up confusing as to what the heck was meant. That style also was inconsistent, with that extreme formality being paired with wizened wizards saying "Huh?" and "Yeah."
That said, I might actually pick up the SECOND book to this series, because I feel like after this first attempt, a lot will be learned and improved upon. Lots of potential, but also lots of room for improvement.
After a lot of work and rallying, I finally finished this. Far too many writing issues and missed plot opportunites for me to enjoy this, unfortunately. Shows promise, but needs some finishing work.
See full review and more here!
Recommended: nah
It felt too cookie cutter, like a practice story that was given the major path to follow and then filled in with the corresponding characters and events. Also in dire need of some basic proofreading / editing.
My definite biggest issue with this book: the sheer number of incorrect usages of words, incorrect grammar, and the generally weird and inconsistent writing style. For example: in the beginning, it felt excessively formal and forced into that "old" sort of medieval style of talking ("She was auburn of hair") that didn't read naturally and at times was straight up confusing as to what the heck was meant. That style also was inconsistent, with that extreme formality being paired with wizened wizards saying "Huh?" and "Yeah."
That said, I might actually pick up the SECOND book to this series, because I feel like after this first attempt, a lot will be learned and improved upon. Lots of potential, but also lots of room for improvement.
secretsofabookworm's review against another edition
4.0
I would like to say a huge thank you to Christian Sterling for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
What did I think?
I very much enjoyed reading this book and it somewhat reminded me of when I read The Edge Chronicles. The many vivid descriptions transported the reader into the book and made the reader feel as if they were on the quest with them. I loved how every character was portrayed uniquely and Sterling was able to incorporate humour, romance as well as fantasy and action.
Head over to my blog to read the rest of my review on Into the Wildbarrens (The Gems of Elsana)!
https://secretsofabookworm.home.blog/2019/06/02/book-review-into-the-wildbarrens-the-gems-of-elsana-by-christian-sterling/
What did I think?
I very much enjoyed reading this book and it somewhat reminded me of when I read The Edge Chronicles. The many vivid descriptions transported the reader into the book and made the reader feel as if they were on the quest with them. I loved how every character was portrayed uniquely and Sterling was able to incorporate humour, romance as well as fantasy and action.
Head over to my blog to read the rest of my review on Into the Wildbarrens (The Gems of Elsana)!
https://secretsofabookworm.home.blog/2019/06/02/book-review-into-the-wildbarrens-the-gems-of-elsana-by-christian-sterling/
bargainandbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I was given a copy of The Gems of Elsana: Into the Wild Barrens from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Fantasy is such a fantastic genre, and also one where it’s entirely hit or miss. For me, this book was a HUGE hit!
We follow our young wizard Falin across Elsana as he searches for four Gems that will help him control the elements and increase his wizard powers. With the help from his six champions he tries across an incredible landscape meeting foes of all shapes and sizes. The build up for the second novel has me sucked right in, while we get some closure and happy feelings at the end of this book.
This story of determination, love, friendship and understanding is well written and beautifully described. I get a real Lord of the Rings/Hobbit meets Xanth kind of journey and I am absolutely not complaining about that! Tolkien and Anthony are
Some key elements I loved:
The creation story and the “religious”/“evolution” style stories were really well done. I get these stories made it believable and relatable to the real world, which I love in a fantasy novel.
I love that this is not an entirely male trek and that we have some strong female characters along side of the men.
Red and Jimmy are absolutely great, while all of the champions and Falin have their own personalities and traits I like I really found these two to be my favorite right from the start.
The sarcastic and silly banter between our characters made it easy to connect with them all.
Bujijis. I am tempted to put this under elements I didn’t like, but they were so well written I was tempted to back away from the book in order to not give myself nightmares.
I honestly cannot wait for the next instalment in this series.
Fantasy is such a fantastic genre, and also one where it’s entirely hit or miss. For me, this book was a HUGE hit!
We follow our young wizard Falin across Elsana as he searches for four Gems that will help him control the elements and increase his wizard powers. With the help from his six champions he tries across an incredible landscape meeting foes of all shapes and sizes. The build up for the second novel has me sucked right in, while we get some closure and happy feelings at the end of this book.
This story of determination, love, friendship and understanding is well written and beautifully described. I get a real Lord of the Rings/Hobbit meets Xanth kind of journey and I am absolutely not complaining about that! Tolkien and Anthony are
Some key elements I loved:
The creation story and the “religious”/“evolution” style stories were really well done. I get these stories made it believable and relatable to the real world, which I love in a fantasy novel.
I love that this is not an entirely male trek and that we have some strong female characters along side of the men.
Red and Jimmy are absolutely great, while all of the champions and Falin have their own personalities and traits I like I really found these two to be my favorite right from the start.
The sarcastic and silly banter between our characters made it easy to connect with them all.
Bujijis. I am tempted to put this under elements I didn’t like, but they were so well written I was tempted to back away from the book in order to not give myself nightmares.
I honestly cannot wait for the next instalment in this series.
sometimesleelynnreads's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to BookSirens for this free copy.
I had to speed read and listen to this book fairly quickly to get through this before the deadline (today!) but I think I did it! I’m sorry, BookSirens! I’ll do better, I swear. I still enjoyed it regardless.
Falin the Wizard is the main guy in the whole group. Wizards are born every one thousand years, and there are always only ten at a time. Falin spent his first twenty years of existence on Wizard Island, learning the craft and preparing for his quest to find the Gems of Elsana, which will enable him to control the elements and become a full fledged Wizard. As he gets introduced to his Champions on his quest, he has come to love them as if they were his children, wanting to make sure he does his duty to protect them from harm as long as they are supporting him – and longer.
Avatar vibes, anyone?
Read the rest of my review on my blog Sometimes Leelynn Reads
I had to speed read and listen to this book fairly quickly to get through this before the deadline (today!) but I think I did it! I’m sorry, BookSirens! I’ll do better, I swear. I still enjoyed it regardless.
Falin the Wizard is the main guy in the whole group. Wizards are born every one thousand years, and there are always only ten at a time. Falin spent his first twenty years of existence on Wizard Island, learning the craft and preparing for his quest to find the Gems of Elsana, which will enable him to control the elements and become a full fledged Wizard. As he gets introduced to his Champions on his quest, he has come to love them as if they were his children, wanting to make sure he does his duty to protect them from harm as long as they are supporting him – and longer.
Avatar vibes, anyone?
Read the rest of my review on my blog Sometimes Leelynn Reads
mazi_marvel's review against another edition
4.0
4/5 ⭐
First of all, I would like to thank the author, Christian Sterling, for sending me an ARC of his book to review. All opinions are my own.
"Only a fool demeans the character of an entire race based on the reputation of its minority.
Throughout this book, we follow Falin, a young wizard, who is on a quest to gather the Gems of Elsana. To accompany him, a group of six champions will go with him on his journey to help him and protect him. I liked most of the characters in this book but my favorite has to be Red the Freelander. He's witty and sarcastic. I love that. This book also had a The Hobbit kind of vibes and it was really entertaining to say the least.
I also liked the writing style. It is clear and easy to read with lots of memorable quotes and passages (I'm thinking about the princess and the dragon moment). There's also a lot of humor and banter between the characters, which reinforces the fun in the story. There are serious moments too, but I found myself laughing more than once.
However, I felt like another round of editing would help make the book better. It's only an ARC so typos are bound to exist still, but there is still room for enhancement in my opinion.
As a conclusion, if you are looking for a fun book about friendship and adventure, this might be the one for you! It is a great first installment and it is quite promising for the future of the series!
First of all, I would like to thank the author, Christian Sterling, for sending me an ARC of his book to review. All opinions are my own.
"Only a fool demeans the character of an entire race based on the reputation of its minority.
Throughout this book, we follow Falin, a young wizard, who is on a quest to gather the Gems of Elsana. To accompany him, a group of six champions will go with him on his journey to help him and protect him. I liked most of the characters in this book but my favorite has to be Red the Freelander. He's witty and sarcastic. I love that. This book also had a The Hobbit kind of vibes and it was really entertaining to say the least.
I also liked the writing style. It is clear and easy to read with lots of memorable quotes and passages (I'm thinking about the princess and the dragon moment). There's also a lot of humor and banter between the characters, which reinforces the fun in the story. There are serious moments too, but I found myself laughing more than once.
However, I felt like another round of editing would help make the book better. It's only an ARC so typos are bound to exist still, but there is still room for enhancement in my opinion.
As a conclusion, if you are looking for a fun book about friendship and adventure, this might be the one for you! It is a great first installment and it is quite promising for the future of the series!
lauren716's review against another edition
4.0
https://laurenbodiford123.wordpress.com/2019/07/21/the-gems-of-elsana-review/
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