The Amethyst (The Gemstone Chronicles #2) by William L. Stuart is a delightful epic fantasy that takes us, the readers, into the mythical land of Celahir, home of elves, giants and magic. Youngsters Aidan and Maggie along with their grandparents Nana and Beebop have visited this magical land before, when they helped the light elves search for the stolen four gemstones that make up the Elven Bow. This Bow allows balance and peace on Celahir, as well as creating a barrier between Earth and Celahir's realm, which ensures Earth is safe from the evil dark elves.
Episode one of this story saw the humans assist the good elves to discover the whereabouts of the first stone of the Elven Bow, the Carnelian. Now, though, the Dark Elf in the form of Naesse is causing havoc in Celahir and the barrier between there and Earth is breaking down. The team is summoned to help the elves again to find the next gemstone, the Amethyst. This time, the children's mother, Laura is roped into the adventure, as the humans set out for Celahir to find the stone and defeat the giant who is guarding it.
I found The Amethyst by William L Stewart to be an unpretentious and thoroughly enjoyable romp through fantasy world of the author's imagination. This novel is completely stand alone and there is no loss of enjoyment through not having read the first in the series (I haven't). I suspect Stuart's prime target audience is young adults and I have no doubt they will enjoy this tale immensely, with its youthful, brave and typically shy, young lead characters in Aidan and Maggie. I wouldn't dismiss it for adult readers though as it is a rollicking good jaunt through adventure and mystery. I think Stuart has hit the target spot-on with this tale and I look forward to seeing where the story leads now as they begin the search for the third stone of the Elven Bow. An excellent read and one I can highly recommend.
Episode one of this story saw the humans assist the good elves to discover the whereabouts of the first stone of the Elven Bow, the Carnelian. Now, though, the Dark Elf in the form of Naesse is causing havoc in Celahir and the barrier between there and Earth is breaking down. The team is summoned to help the elves again to find the next gemstone, the Amethyst. This time, the children's mother, Laura is roped into the adventure, as the humans set out for Celahir to find the stone and defeat the giant who is guarding it.
I found The Amethyst by William L Stewart to be an unpretentious and thoroughly enjoyable romp through fantasy world of the author's imagination. This novel is completely stand alone and there is no loss of enjoyment through not having read the first in the series (I haven't). I suspect Stuart's prime target audience is young adults and I have no doubt they will enjoy this tale immensely, with its youthful, brave and typically shy, young lead characters in Aidan and Maggie. I wouldn't dismiss it for adult readers though as it is a rollicking good jaunt through adventure and mystery. I think Stuart has hit the target spot-on with this tale and I look forward to seeing where the story leads now as they begin the search for the third stone of the Elven Bow. An excellent read and one I can highly recommend.
You can find The Amethyst, along with the rest of William L Stewart's Gemstone Chronicles saga, here on his Amazon page:
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