Title:
One Realm Beyond
Series:
Realm Walkers #1
Author:
Donita K. Paul
Genre: Teen Fantasy
Rating:
Craft—4, Content—4,
Overall—3.9 out of 5 stars
Excerpt
from “Raising a Ruckus,” Chapter 1 of One Realm Beyond:
Cantor straddled the thick tree limb suspended less than three feet over his favorite fishing hole. He’d fished from this spot for more than eighteen years, from the time he could barely straddle the fat limb ’til now, when the tips of his sandals almost brushed the surface of the clear, cold water. He watched the small fish circling below him, waiting for the big one just as he had been taught. His fishing mentor, Odem, probably took him fishing here before he was out of diapers. Cantor wouldn’t want to share the limb now. Though the tree had grown with him over the years, he didn’t think the branch would hold the weight of two grown men. He wasn’t eager for a bath in the frigid water from the mountain’s runoff.
Cantor straddled the thick tree limb suspended less than three feet over his favorite fishing hole. He’d fished from this spot for more than eighteen years, from the time he could barely straddle the fat limb ’til now, when the tips of his sandals almost brushed the surface of the clear, cold water. He watched the small fish circling below him, waiting for the big one just as he had been taught. His fishing mentor, Odem, probably took him fishing here before he was out of diapers. Cantor wouldn’t want to share the limb now. Though the tree had grown with him over the years, he didn’t think the branch would hold the weight of two grown men. He wasn’t eager for a bath in the frigid water from the mountain’s runoff.
Still
and patient, Cantor waited for the large carp he called Bully to rise and push
the other fish out of the way. A sprinkle of thumb-sized chunks of bread
floated on the water. One of the smaller guppies darted off to the side, and a
huge, open mouth appeared under the surface. The fish snapped up a sodden
crust.
Cantor
hurled the stone in his hand.
A teenage boy sets out to find a dragon companion—the first
step in becoming an official walker between realms—and gets more than he
bargained for.
One
Realm Beyond introduces us to a new fantasy world, separate from
Ms. Paul’s other books. However, the story is still marked by the
same quirky, off-beat characters and humorous twists found in all of
Ms. Paul’s books.
At the same time, this book also exhibited stronger
plotting. No, it’s still not a suspenseful page-turner. I did not expect—or
necessarily want—it to be. But the storyline gels cohesively, moving you
forward at a steady pace.
Perhaps due to this, the book has a slightly darker
undercurrent. This causes some of the whimsy to be lost, which I have loved in
earlier books. This isn’t necessarily a good or bad change, but it is
definitely different.
Also the end didn’t resolve as well as I like. While I know One Realm Beyond
is only the first book, it is also possible to finish a story with a cohesive
completion while leaving the ending wide-open for the next book in the series.
Instead, this novel feels like it merely stops.
But this is a small defect—if it can be called a defect at
all—and it is one which will be solved somewhat with later books.
Content:
Like the craft, One
Realm Beyond presents typical content for a Donita K. Paul book.
There’s no sexuality, and even the romance thread is very low-keyed at this
point. I wasn’t aware of any explicit swearing or other language concerns.
Violence does exist, but most of it occurs off the page with only broad-stroke
results shown.
Magical elements, expectedly, are very strong again. The supernatural
is primarily attributed to natural giftings, non-human characters, or objects
with special powers, which are handled much like our science’s technology. The
way this is handled doesn’t seem to be a problem, but those with a high
sensitivity to the supernatural should exercise care when considering whether
to read this book.
The spiritual threads rely heavily on clear allegorical
parallels to the real world. As a result it is not uncommon for the characters
to talk about God, His precepts, and what it means to serve Him. The concepts
of allegiance to God and learning to appreciate others in all their strangeness
are two threads running through this book.
Summary:
One Realm Beyond
is a fun adventure
with quirky characters. Some caution recommended for those with high
sensitivity toward magic and the supernatural, but otherwise a good read for
preteens to adults.
Rating:
Craft—4, Content—4, Overall—3.9 out of 5 stars
Mike Coville Pauline Creeden
Vicky DealSharingAunt Carol Gehringer
Rebekah Gyger Janeen Ippolito Jason Joyner
Carol Keen Krystine Kercher Emileigh Latham
Jennette Mbewe Shannon McDermott
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews
Rebecca LuElla Miller Joan Nienhuis Nissa
Donita K. Paul Audrey Sauble James Somers
Jojo Sutis Jessica Thomas Steve Trower
Shane Werlinger Jill Williamson Deborah Wilson
1 comment:
Good review.
Post a Comment