Sorrel knows what she must do. Enter the Kingdom of Malinas to rescue her people from slavery. It should be easy. But the Kingdom of Malinas harbours evil…
After an argument with her mother, Sorrel returns to her home in the Vale of Malinas to find the forest burned and her people taken into slavery.
She knows who has taken them. The Lamya! The same people who invaded the Kingdom of Malinas over a hundred years ago and turned it into a place of barren land and dark deeds.
Sorrel must leave her home in the Vale to find an army to aid her. With only her best friend, Little Cloud, by her side, Sorrel must face many dangers - a crazed Lamya guard, fire-breathing dragons, the mysterious grey wraiths known only as the 'Grey Men' and the Leader of all Lamya. Lord Corrinus. A man who has a past connection with Sorrel.
The fate of the Kingdom of Malinas rests in her hands.
Excerpt
The Kingdom of Malinas will be great again someday, Cloud, and it won't be the Lamya who make it so.
Professional Reviews
Front Street Reviews
Reviewed by Ann Marie Chalmers at Front Street Reviews.com
The Lamya have not invaded the Kingdom of Malinas for over a hundred years but when Sorrel grows up she still wants to be a warrior and fight against the historical enemies of her people the Elani. Arguing with her mother and Brother one evening Sorrel runs off. She returns to her home in the Vale of Malinas to find everything burned and all the inhabitants dead or taken into slavery. After all this time the Lamya are a threat again and it is left to Sorrel and a few other survivors to save her people.
In order to fight the Lamya Sorrel has to travel away from her home and find an army to help her. With her best friend Little Cloud by her side the journey is long and dangerous. Sorrel and her friend face a Lamya guard, 2 dragons and a mysterious wraith on their adventure but that is nothing compared to the pink-eyed Leader of the Lamya of Malinas called Corrinus and there is also Millicent to watch out for.
The fate of the Kingdom of Malinas rests in Sorrel’s hands. Will she manage to defeat Corrinus and have her people released from slavery? Will the Lamya people stand in her way or help? This is a story of good versus evil and is something young readers can really get their teeth into. Not as childish as the ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ or as hard as ‘Lord of the Rings’ this new world is perfect for teenagers, young adults and even grown ups who have read Maria Snyder’s ‘Study’ series.
With some extraordinary characters and creatures this is a great work of fantasy. Of course this tale has many messages to send us. Do not judge people by their race, to work as a team and to be strong when needed etc. and it is told so well and has a great storyline that will hook readers from the start. Potter fans may find this of interest if they are willing to go to the Vale of Malinas instead of Hogwarts.
The author originally wrote ‘The Kingdom of Malinas’ when she was 17 years old. It has been altered since then but this first book is only the start of what promises to be a great trilogy and maybe even more? The second part is called ‘The Empress Graves’ and will be the next release from this author with the final part ‘The Barbarians’ Key’ promised in the future.
Read Between the Lines
Review by Frances Moldaschl at readbetweenlines.co.uk
'The Kingdom of Malinas' follows Sorrel from her beginnings in an almost nomadic society, to her prophesised place as warrior leader of the Elani people. Comparable to the 'Lioness Rampant' series by Tamora Pierce, or even Stan Nicholls's triology, 'The Nightshade Chronicles', the narrative is quick without being hurried and the descriptions detailed without being laboured. Tett manages to create a rich world for her characters and explores her well-thought out universe without losing the reader in pages of unnecessary explanations - a problem which is wide-spread within the fantasy genre. That said, there are points when the very black and white, good vs. evil, rivalry between the Elani tribe and the Lamya establishment could have been further explored. The book is intended for a younger audience so this is, perhaps, a moot point. Still, I felt that reasons behind the Lamya conquest were lacking, but I'll reserve further comment until I've read the next two books in the series - I hope to be pleasantly surprised.
I debated with myself for a long time whether or not I should comment, however, I feel it necessary to point out that this book was published through Lulu, a self-publishing website (click the picture above to visit the shop). The professionalism with which the book has been presented is excellent - it's been well proofread and the story flows nicely without any jarring or anachronistic scenes, which speaks volumes about Tett's writing. To my mind, this book should have been picked up by the 'Point Fantasy' franchise but then, that's their loss, I suppose. I honestly believe that this book has great potential.
Had I been twelve years old when I started reading this story, I think it would have been amongst my favourites. Warrior girls, dragons and talking wolves were the type of thing I used to get into trouble for day-dreaming about when I was meant to be learning fractions. To have them all provided for me, ready woven into a proper high-fantasy story would have been more pleasure than my little adolescent mind was able to handle.
N.B. I will be passing this book along to a reader in the intended age-group and will let you know his thoughts.
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