C. S. Einfeld

Neverdark is a delightfully entertaining, occasionally thrilling and all around slice of faerie heaven. The only thing that threw me off was the computer animated illustrations (sub-par) and while entertaining I would have preferred to see fully realized versions of the characters in their environment. But it does allow this fantastic piece of work to stand apart from most of its genre.
The prose is beautifully rendered, the characters unforgettable and the subtext message about our own misuse of the world very chilling.… (plus d'informations)

A delightfully written story about the faeries that live in an enormous and ancient oak. This charming fable is suitable for young children, although it does use a few long words. The theme seems to be over-exploitation of resources, along with the traditional "little guy against the word". It is a simple quest narrative - heroine gets give quest, makes trip across the world (in this case, the tree), makes a few friends, meets a few foes, achieves goals. There are no real surprises, no unusual twists and, unfortunately, there is a prophecy. However, the setting is intriguing enough to be somewhat original and since the character is obviously very small, it does take on a whole new perspective.

The characters are amusing, and well developed. They all have distinct personalities - from the fierce little firefly to the slightly loco Mexican crow and the dialogue is witty and fun. It would be quite fun to read aloud. The villain too is a nice change - he's not so much evil as extremely single-minded and determined.

Bugbears - Einfeld has an obsession with ! exclaimation marks. I've heard one should not overdo them in a novel, and I know now why - they just feel wrong. Like the writer is forcing certain ideas into your face. Also, the posessive use of "its" on occasion is accompanied by an errant '. But not consistently, highlighting that clearing the author knows how to correctly use grammar... but sometimes forgets. A bit of a more thorough proofread could have improved the experience!

There are little illustrations too, always a treat in an ebook, but alas due to formatting they are also pretty small making them hard to discern.

Still, a cute and engaging read. I want a pet firefly!… (plus d'informations)

Read a chapter a night to my kids and I have to admit it sucked ME in too! It's SO amazing!! I won't be surprised if it hits bestseller status. It's completely enchanting, meaningful, and the voice is classic, timeless, endearing. There was even a scene that nearly had me in tears. GREAT emotion! This book was brilliant all the way through, nothing short of that! This was a joy to read, the kids loved it, and I did, too! This is a classic in the making! Princess Fiera is the perfect fairy princess character. She has spunk but she's sweet. She makes a good role model! The whole world of Doru is brilliant and the language is just so ... AH I can't do this book justice with my review. Just try a sample and you will see what I mean about the voice. All the Kingdoms are so cleverly named, the conflict is so perfect, it's just a fun, fact-paced read. And it's extremely well-edited, thank goodness, as that seems to be rare in ALL books these days. It was nice to be able to just sit back and enjoy. I can't express enough how much I loved this and how highly I recommend it. It is one of my all time favorite children's novels now, and I haven't said that in a long time!… (plus d'informations)