Victor, a sun fairy prince of Solandia should enjoy a carefree life. But from an early age, he finds himself very busy. He learns complex magic and martial arts. He's even taught how to live in a human world. That's because his parents, King Godfred and Queen Magenta, know about a mortality spell that was cast on their son on the very day of his baptism. A dark, hooded figure with eyes that burn like coal is to blame. Victor's parents know that on his thirteenth birthday, their beloved son will be forced to leave Solandia and live with humans, perhaps never to return. To find an antidote to the spell cast upon him as an infant, Victor must retrieve the mysterious sun orb, a source of magical power now in the hands of the dark, hooded figure. As he sets upon his quest, a war between the forces of light and darkness erupts. Good fairies wage battles with bad fairies, even as the power in their wands fades. Enter a world of magic, and join the fairy prince as he fights for family, love, and friendship in Victor and the Sun.
PROFESSIONAL REVIEW:
By Bettie Corbin Tucker, Author, Publisher
Independent Professional Book Reviewers (Reviewer's Choice/5-stars)
In reading Victor and the Sun Orb by Amy Nielsen, I was immediately hooked by the intriguing prologue and knew that young readers would keep turning the pages until they reached the climatic ending. Also, they will be watching for the sequel to this book which entertains with an imaginative and magical storyline.
Although Victor and the Sun Orb is appropriate for children who are 8 to 13 years of age, I believe older children will also be captivated by Prince Victor, the son of Queen Magenta and King Godfred. These royal parents are the highly admired leaders of Solandia, a place inhabited by sun fairies with supernatural powers that enable them to fly, use magic wands, and become invisible to those living outside of their dominion.
The author, obviously very gifted, has crafted a dramatic adventure with a magical storyline that brings the characters to life with vivid description and appropriate dialogue. I enjoyed the personality of Prince Victor who definitely has no problem in expressing his likes and dislikes as a prince growing up in a castle where everything seems to be perfect. Of course, he has no knowledge or concern about the Sun Orb which powers all of Solandia. Without it, there would be no supernatural powers, and he, his parents, and the other sun fairies would not survive.
When Victor reaches the age of 10, he learns that a curse had been placed on his life shortly after his birth. Unless the curse is broken, the prince will become a human at the age of 13, facing mortality. He must live outside of Solandia in order to survive. Though his parents use all their resources to discover who placed this curse upon him, they are unsuccessful. And so, as caring parents, they begin to prepare Prince Victor for life as a human, trusting his training—seven lessons—to Master Tyrus, the retired Minister of Defense of Solandia. One of Victor’s lessons concerned the knowledge of the Sun Orb and its magical powers.
On Victor’s thirteenth birthday, he leaves home to begin his life as a human where he enjoys the company of a special friend named Annika. When the Sun Orb is stolen, Queen Magenta and King Godfred, with a large presence of warriors, travel to Fallen Island in search of the Sun Orb. However, their magic is growing weaker and weaker without their source of power, and the odds of success are not in their favor. Prince Victor also travels to Fallen Island to rescue Annika who has been kidnapped. What follows is an incredible battle of good versus evil. Although the good fairies receive some surprising help, there is tense fighting and much to overcome if Solandia is to be saved. Surely, readers will want to know the outcome of this battle as well as what happens to Victor. Will he become a fairy again and who is the dark hooded figure who placed the evil curse upon him in the first place? Expect the unexpected!
Readers will be fascinated by the many mythical creatures and will want to read this book over and over again. My eleven-year-old granddaughter was instantly hooked by the storyline and then enjoyed telling the story to her younger brother. Victor and the Sun Orb is wonderfully entertaining with important lessons to be learned. I highly recommend it.
