Genre: Epic
Fantasy/Adventure/Young Adult
Description:
“A ruler is betrayed and his young daughter is forced to flee or die.
Teenage Zastra is a big disappointment to her father, Leodra, ruler of
Golmeira, because she hasn't got what it takes to become a mindweaver, one of
the highly valued few who can manipulate the thoughts of others. Things get
much worse for Zastra when she is roused from her bed to find that Leodra has
been betrayed and her beloved Golmer Castle overrun with enemy soldiers. She
escapes via the castle's ancient underground tunnels, only to be faced with a
terrible choice. Hunted across the turbulent landscape of Golmeira, Zastra must
rely on her wits and the help of strangers as she tries to outrun the powerful
forces set upon her trail.”
Author:
From Marianne Ratcliffe’s author page: “I am a PhD-qualified
biomedical scientist living and working in Cheshire and have authored several
peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals. In my spare time, I enjoy
creative writing. I have had short stories published in Debut and Scribble
magazines and was a runner up in the 2010 Guildford Literary Festival Short
Story competition. In 2014, I published my first novel, Realm of Mindweavers, a fantasy/adventure story
suitable for young adults and grown-ups. Murthen
Island followed in 2015, and I have recently released the third instalment,
Return to Golmeira.
My inspiration for these books was a desire to write a different kind
of fantasy series. I wanted to create a world where women were seen as equal to
men and where same sex couples were as commonplace and accepted as opposite sex
couples. Also, I wanted to create a heroine who has no special powers. Although
there is a kind of magic in my world, called mindweaving, my protagonist,
Zastra, doesn't have mindweaving abilities, much to her dismay. And so, when an
incident occurs that turns her world upside down, she has to rely on guts,
intelligence and even a bit of luck to come get herself out of trouble. There's
no magical power to come to her rescue.”
Appraisal:
Realm of Mindweavers starts off with a nice easy pace as the characters become fully realized and the fantasy world is introduced, which is similar to earth. Zastra is an intelligent, respectful, and ambitious child. She is also a daredevil when it comes to sneaking around the castle into places she doesn’t belong. She easily befriends new-comers and bravely stands up to bullies. Zastra also loves her twin infant siblings. On her thirteenth birthday she is tested by the castle Mindweaver who looks inside her mind to see if she has the mindweaver ability. Her father is disappointed when she fails the test. This is also an ability he doesn’t possess, and he knows he is viewed as a weak king for not being a mindweaver.
The plot speeds up when the castle is overthrown early one morning and
Zastra’s world is turned upside down. Her father charges her with the twins’
safety and well-being then leads her to a concealed ancient tunnel to escape
the castle. Zastra has to live by her wits to dodge enemy soldiers at every
turn. Zastra is faced with hard choices as the plot twists. Making unexpected
friends along the way who help her elude those who seek her and her siblings’ demise.
This journey is an enchanting roller-coaster ride of emotions and tension that
will keep you on the edge of your seat.
There is a lot of captivating action in Realm of Mindweavers. As I was reading a climactic scene near the
end, I became concerned this book would end with a cliffhanger. Rest assured
that this book comes to a satisfying ending. However there is more story to be
told, and I can’t wait to read more of Zastra’s journey.
FYI:
Realm of
Mindweavers is the first book in the Tales of Golmeira series. Ms. Ratcliffe
lives in the U.K. and uses British spelling. Doh!
Format/Typo
Issues:
I came across a small number of proofing misses such as missing or
extra words, and misspelled words. As well as the right words in the wrong
position. “To go now back would put…” and “When do you think will they be
here?”
Rating: ****
Four Stars
Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Approximate
word count: 70-75,000 words
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