Arrow of the Mist Christina Mercer review

Arrow of the Mist Christina Mercer review

Middle Grade Fantasy; YA Fantasy
Terror strikes the Celtic inspired kingdom of Nemetona when barbed roots breach the veil of a forbidden land and poison woodsmen, including 15-year-old Lia’s beloved father. Lia and three others embark on a quest to the forbidden land of Brume to gather ingredients for the cure. But after her elder kinsman is attacked and poisoned, she and her cousin, Wynn, are forced to finish the quest on their own.

Lia relies on her powerful herbal wisdom and the memorized pages of her late grandmother’s Grimoire for guidance through a land of soul-hungry shades, trickster creatures, and uncovered truths about the origin of Brume and her family’s unexpected ties to it. The deeper they trek into the land, the stronger Lia’s untapped gift as a tree mage unfolds. When she discovers the enchanted root’s maker, it forces her to question everything about who she is and what is her destiny. Ultimately she must make a terrible choice: keep fighting to save her father and the people of the lands or join with the power behind the deadly roots to help nature start anew.

My oppinion:

The book has lovely cover indeed and very originated this days.

Lia is a strong character with a headful and beltful of balms and cures.She is not perfect, as she has an impulsive temperament and growing sense of power, which requires effort and mastery on her part. As barbed roots breach the veil of a Brume (the magical land forbidden land)to Nemetona and poison woodsmen (also her beloved father and grandpa). She must cross the dangerous veil to Burme, from which no one came back, in order to find a cure. She is ready to do that and much more to save her father and her land as shadows are getting closer and closer. On this magical quest she will also find a great friend in her cousin and also first affection.

In Brume we find many wondrous creatures like dwarfs, unicorns, water nymphs and faeries. The descriptions are so vivid that it enable you to pictures them in your mind.

The world also boasts a rich lore, in which every tree tells a story, and it’s a lore that Lia knows by heart thanks to her beloved grandmother’s Grimoire. I really liked the use of a book-within-a-book to further enhance the feeling that this realm that Lia called home was a real place, complete with its own legends. True to the Celtic lore, Lia seemed to have an incredible memory, she was easily page in her mind the right reference when the need arise.

Between others themes like: strength of belief, truth, and the meaning of power, I think that "family" is one of the major. Lia's family is a close-knit group, and Lia’s bond with her grandfather and grandmother was particularly strong. Strong is also, her relationship with her cousin Wynn(which accompany her all over Brume) and toward his talented sister when she hear about it(of course she must come to live with us).

It is very refreshing to find characters that are neither cynical or jaded it is also contribute to my recommendation for a younger readers than YA.