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Title: The Ryn
Author: Serena Chase
Series: Eyes of E'veria #1
Genre: Fantasy/FairyTale
Audience: Young Adult
~ MY REVIEW ~
**5 stars**
Enthralling.
The Ryn
was a mixture of fairytale retelling and fantasy, with a beautiful
allegory woven throughout. I believe the retellings included Snow
White and Rose Red and
Sleeping Beauty.
The fantasy world was rich, and whimsical, and enthralling. And the
allegory very evident, taking a prominent place amidst the adventure
and intrigue of this tale.
In
The Ryn
we meet Rose, a rather independent red-headed girl of sixteen. She
lives with the Whittiers, a family who've become like parents and
brothers to her. As for her true, blood-related family, she's only
heard that her mother died and her father is unable to see her. She
has to do strange things, like dye her red hair black, occasionally
move to a whole new location and family, and is forbidden to know her
real father's name.
She's
never really questioned these oddities. Until strange things began
happening. Rumors of frightening creatures called Cobelds. A letter
from the king. A meeting with a bear-man. A poem about a girl with
jeweled-blue eyes and flame red hair ...
Is
she Rose? Or is there more to her life than she could have ever
imagined?
Truly
a stunning debut from Serena Chase. This novel had everything one
could want from a fairytale. It was so beautifully imaginative, so
fae and sweet. Yet its plot held my attention, its characters
captured my notice.
The
romance of The Ryn
was truly lovely. It started as a friendship, and grew gently in
something more. There were little moments between Rose and her knight
that were so much more than physical attraction, but rather things
that pointed to a true and deep love. It was so sweet, so beautifully
unfolded! Very much a sweet, young love story that you don't see
very much in books these days. *sigh* … what a chivalrous knight! ^_^
I
wasn't expecting much of a Christian allegory when I picked up this
novel, but I was greatly surprised. The depth and feeling of the
allegory in The
Ryn
moved me to tears more than once. It was bold, and beautiful, and
ever so heartfelt. When I say Christian allegories make things realer
than life, I mean books like The
Ryn.
What an amazing testimony of God's infinite love and power. My heart
was touched. Serena Chase fantastically wove fairytale with Christian
allegory, it was perfect, *happily smiles*
The
Ryn
is definitely an adventure. From Storytellers, to Andoven, to
pirates, to ennikkas, we never stop being surprised and delighted.
Its an epic story from beginning to end. A fight against ancient
evil. A journey to the heart of the Creator. A path to knowing
oneself and their destiny ...
I
would say the preferred audience for The Ryn
would be about 14 and up ... but I think 12 and up would be fine too.
There is a near kiss, hand holding, and talk of romantic feelings,
but that's as far as the romance goes. As for violence and gore,
there's nothing really of that. Cobelds may be a bit frightening to
younger children. All in all, for those who enjoy fairytale,
Christian allegories, fantasy, and even just historical settings and
adventures ... do try out this book!!
As
for myself, I'm excited to get started on The
Remedy
and then The
Seahorse Legacy.
I have found a series to cherish!
I've had my eye on this one for a while, but in reading the description, I felt as you did ... there probably wasn't much of a Christian allegory. I'm so glad to know I was wrong! Will definitely be reading it as soon as I can :) Thanks for the review!!
ReplyDeleteYour welcome! :) Yes, I wasn't expecting it, but there is a beautiful allegory in The Ryn. Do read it, its an exciting tale! :)
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