I recently finished reading ‘The Night Ones Legacy” by Gwen Bristol.  I recently met Gwen through WordPress (her site is gwenbristol.com) and have thoroughly enjoyed her posts.  I enjoyed her book even more.  I highly recommend this book from a blossoming author and I left the following review on Amazon:

Right from the beginning, you are pulled into this magical world and given a clear idea of Lily, the heroine of the story. It was the 12-year-old Lily who kept me reading until the very end because she is an amazing character. I’ve read a lot of fantasy books with children as the protagonists and many times they come off as tiny adults instead of actual children. Yes, Lily has moments of surprising maturity and insight that one would expect more from an older character. Yet, there are many times that she is resistant to what she has to do and incredibly stubborn about not doing it just like one would expect from a 12-year-old. This immaturity doesn’t magically wash away during the book, but slowly fades as events unfolded. So, you get to see Lily gradually change from an insolent, stubborn child into a brave, thoughtful girl.

The world is detailed in such a way that you can get a clear sense of Lily’s surroundings. This is most notable in the opening scene of her dancing in the rain. It is a natural storm, but something about the way it’s described and Lily’s thoughts on it makes the storm seem magical. For me, this set the theme in my mind that this world is beautiful and everything has a sense of wonder and magic in it.

If I had to say one thing that disappointed me then I would say that I wanted to see more non-plot interactions between the characters. The story is very fast-paced and direct in that it rarely moves off-track from the major plot. It’s a great plot to stick to and it helps you learn about the culture and history of Lily’s world, but it is rare that the characters talk about anything else. I will admit that this is nit-picking and personal preference since you see and hear everything through Lily. That kind of perspective does limit the type and amount of side conversations you can use. For example, the characters who are in love wouldn’t include Lily in their escapades or even tell her much about it. So, I guess I’m undoing my own argument here.

In the end, this is a fun and exciting book that would be great for anyone that is 12 or older. It definitely would be enjoyed by young adults.

Here is a direct link to the Amazon site where you can purchase her book in either Kindle or Paperback form:

The Night Ones Legacy