CHILDREN'S MIDDLE GRADE / YOUNG ADULT FANTASY

REVIEWS:

Review by: Jru2014 on March 18, 2016 : (no rating)
Fairalon exceeded my expectations! This book incorporates the fantasy world genre into young adult fiction. I think when I was Iris’s age, I would’ve loved reading it myself. I enjoyed it even as an adult. As an English teacher, I would recommend this to one of my students who favors fantasy. T.J. Roberts has a gift of creating a world a child would be able to relate to. In some parts, I was reminded of The Labyrinth (one of my childhood favorites.) I was also reminded of such classics as Harry Potter and Stardust. Roberts is really onto something with this book! All fans of YA and Fantasy should put it on their list!

Review by: ana209 on March 11, 2016 :
I can honestly say that I enjoyed this book. The story develops around a little girl named Iris who like most tweens her age feels awkward and different form the rest of the kids her age. She soon realizes and understands why she feels different. Her journey begins when she has to look deep within to find out who she really is and what she is born to do. It is about magic and about discovering a whole new world and understanding where she fits in. The writer does an excellent job of keeping the reader engaged and reading through the story.

Review by: Katharina Kurs on March 11, 2016 :
A delightful story wrapped in a fantastic bow ! A fun read filled with all the elements needed to captivate and enchant young readers. This story is about an eleven year old girl named Iris and how she discovers that the things that make her different from other people, are not things to be ashamed of and hidden; but rather, understood just as her Grandmother – who Iris has much in common with – did.

T. J. Roberts, is exceptionally skilled at telling this magical tale of this sweet and precocious young girl who is driven to be very brave, and explore deeply who she really is when a neighborhood boy goes missing; and despite Iris witnessing what happened to him – no one believes her.

Download this wonderful story that has all the classic elements of an epic fantasy the keeps the reader moving forward with many mystical twists and turns. The illustrations are colorful and are well-detailed works that add nicely to the story. Any fan of fantasy should download and read. both young and older reader alike!

Review by: Dannielle Swope on March 09, 2016 :
Iris is a smart, spunky 11 year old who has a mixture of good and bad experiences, which results in both bothersome traits and special gifts. This fantasy novel is very well written and engaging. The 3-D illustrations were a welcome surprise. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and will share it with some preteens in my family.

Review by: TeahMist on March 08, 2016 :
Fairalon by TJ Roberts is a well written fantasy novel for young adults. It is so rare to find well written young adult books with full color illustrations. I found the full color illustrations to be beautifully done; they really helped the reader to be able to picture the book in their mind.

The story itself focuses on Iris, an eleven year old girl; Iris has had a problem since her mother’s death with repeating almost everything she does, to make sure she gets it right, to make sure nothing that bad ever happens again. I really liked Iris as a character I felt like understood her frustration with no believing her and her desire to prove that she is not crazy to those she loves and cares about.

While Fairalon by TJ Roberts is a young adult novel and is geared towards middle school aged children it can still be enjoyed by adults. As an adult I found the book to be both captivating and intriguing the only thing I would have preferred would have been for Iris to be older, but that is one of the reasons the book is meant more for young adults than adults. I was provided a free copy of this book for review purposes.

Sarah_Fast March 06,2016
An excellent book; hard to put down. I was completely drawn into the world created by the author. Very imaginative. This book would make a great movie!

Review by: Shauna Joli on March 05, 2016 :
Amazing story of a girl named Iris, nice Illustration by author. It seems to me as real when i was reading, full of fantasy where she finds herself in a new world. I was with her all along in the story. full of mystery. A must read book for everyone. Book was beyond my expectation. (reviewed the day of purchase)

Review by: JenniferReadsIt on March 04, 2016 :
This is one of those “enchanting” novels intended for a juvenile fiction/young adult reader audience. It also features illustrations, and full color, no less-something I always appreciated as they have a part to play in carrying the story along-when I was in that age group, I always felt like periodic illustrations were necessary-not because of short attention spans, but they help provide a visual blueprint of what the author is describing, especially in the case of wild, wacky creatures. Told in the third-person narrative point of view, Iris has had a death in the family and she’s going through the motions of expected grief, but some of her accompanying actions are out of the ordinary for girls her age. Little does she know that all the things her Dad tells her she’s imagining, are leading her on a journey beyond the new home they have moved to that belonged to Iris’s deceased grandmother.

It all begins when the neighbor’s son mysteriously disappears and Iris has an idea of where he could be, as crazy as it sounds. Following her grandmother’s wisdom of always taking the high road when the stakes are high, Iris and the brother of the missing boy embark on the mission of a lifetime that includes all creatures good, bad and ugly. Iris seems jaded about other people’s motives (earlier than I did in real life) but it’s served her well when dealing with some serious monsters in Fairalon.

All in all, the prose is very well-suited for the age group recommended, and the various creatures in the story, however close they are to familiar creatures of folklore, there’s nothing cliché about them. You’re never too old to believe in magic, as Iris and her friends discover.

Review by: Jane Lavuire on March 03, 2016 :
In an attempt to put it briefly, “Fairalon” is by far one of the most creative and unique fantasy books that I have come across over the past few months. This is the first book that I have read by author TJ Roberts, so I must admit I didn’t really know what to expect at first. But having said that, I realized early on that deciding to give “Fairalon” a chance was certainly a good decision.

What I admire most about this book is how well-constructed the characters are. They are all dynamic and quite realistic in their own unique ways many of them, especially the protagonist Iris, also have very varied strengths and weaknesses that contrast with each other to overall make the characters seem very three-dimensional.

As well as this, I also must comment on the illustrations. They are excellent and contrast with the text in a way that allowed me to easily visualize the different environments and scenes of the story – it’s a great addition to the book. In summary, I enjoyed the read and I highly recommend it. I’ll be keeping an eye out for future releases by the author.

Review by: Vanessa Winter on Feb. 24, 2016 :
Fairalon is a great novel of which I do not want to spoil too much, but I will say this - It is 270 pages of adventure and fantastic events that will delight your imagination. I read it in one go. Just couldn't stop reading, because I always wanted to know how the story goes on. It is a wonderful book both children and parents can read. You will quickly empathize with Iris, as she goes on a journey that describes an issue we face too much nowadays. We belittle children for their imagination or for not being like everyone else.

Inside the book you can also find lovingly made illustrations. This is a must read for all children who love fantasy, fairies and fairytales - it is especially nice for those who are different and are being bullied because of it. I'd read this author's novels to my future children. He really knows what he is doing. Can't wait to show this gem to my little cousin, he will love it.

Review by: Kellie444 on 2/5/16:
This was such a cute story. The main character, Iris, is such a sweet and caring girl that she just seems to come to life in this book. She has these unique quirks that no one seems to understand, expect her deceased grandmother. With fairies, magic and a coming to age budding romance, the book kept my attention until the very end. Very well written and a joyful book!

Review by: Debbie Raynes on Feb. 12, 2016 :
Wow! Wow! Wow! I so loved this book, it is magical and an absolute delight to read. I love books of this genre, with fairies and magic and I must say this is one of the best I have ever read. Iris is a wonderful character and her emotions and struggles felt so real to me. I love watching her discover the truth behind her feelings and her gentle heart. The other characters made the story perfect and the detailing is spectacular. It is written with a great flow and definitely keeps your attention. The illustrations are amazing and tied it all together in a neat little package. This is my first experience with this author but it will not be my last. T. J. Roberts is a brilliant writer with an incredible imagination and I want more of his amazing mind. I recommend this book to everyone; it is an adventure for the mind and will stay in the heart for a long time. It would be a great movie.

"T.J. Roberts' fantasy novel for children and preteens, Fairalon, is an original and exciting epic fantasy. Roberts' 3-D illustrations are superb, and they work perfectly with the story to bring the characters and the marvelous world of Fairalon to life." --- Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

"An effervescent middle-grade fantasy story about accepting oneself and others....Roberts’ debut novel adeptly conveys the language, frustrations, and spirit of a preteen girl with sensitivity and humor....Wonderland-worthy characters, including ninja fairies, Bebb the Butterfly Boy, and riddle-obsessed mountains…vibrant prose descriptions… everything clicks in a page-turning climax."  --- Kirkus Reviews

"The first thing to note about this captivating fantasy is that it's liberally peppered with full-color (and well-done) illustrations that enhance its story line... Fairalon excels in a steady plot that offers several twists and turns and much insight on not just the origins of inherited traits, but choices in how power is wielded....Middle school fantasy fans will be enthralled as Iris' world expands in unanticipated directions." --- Diane Donovan Senior Editor Midwest Book Review

Fairalon, a MG/YA fantasy.

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