Review: Alora by Tamie Dearen

Alora: A Young Adult Fantasy--Medieval/Urban (The Alora Series Book 1)  by Tamie Dearen
Publication: February 2014, 238 pages
My Source: I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinion is my own.

Description:
Alora is a normal fifteen-year-old girl who lives on a ranch in rural Montana. Her biggest excitement is the upcoming school dance. Until one day while taking a shower, she sees an image that almost seems real. A boy, with long brown hair and the most intense green eyes she’s ever seen.

Little does she know that this vision is only the beginning of a great adventure. That her life will be forever altered as she discovers another realm, a strange world of magic and gifts, where a man full of evil power will use any means possible to capture and control her or else to end her life.

Alora must decide whether to hide in the relative safety of her Montana home or risk everything to fulfill her destiny and defend a home she never knew existed. Though despised for their youth, Alora and her friends, mark the beginning of a new era in Laegenshire.

Alora is a book of powers and magic, good and evil, fighting and valor, and love that conquers all. Where urban fantasy and medieval fantasy merge, there we find the adventures of Alora. 

My Review:
I thought this was an entertaining and creative fantasy. I'm not into really heavy fantasy, but this one was the perfect balance. Alora is a seemingly normal girl...until she sees the vision of a face while in the shower. That was just the beginning of a new way of life for Alora. I liked the way she took this new adventure all in stride. I loved the way the story and realms were woven together to create a story of magical powers, bravery, loyalty, true love, and good versus evil. The book ended in a way that leaves the door wide open for more.

Alora didn't balk at the new powers that she discovered. She seems to embrace her new life. There were times when I would have been scared to death to have been in her position, yet she didn't balk at all. I love the faith in humanity that kids have and the way that Alora and her friends, especially Beth, just believed everything without any doubts, when all of the adults were in denial, was great! 

I loved the spark that occurred between Alora and Kaevin and all that ensued because of it. The bond they had was almost comical at times because of the way they just had to be together, much to everyone's dismay. I could just see the eyes rolling. I have a daughter a year younger and I'm afraid I would be rolling my eyes, too, if she came in and told me that she found her soul mate at 15 years old. But it was soooo romantic!

I'm excited to see where this story will go from here. There's so much that can happen in all aspects and it'll be fun to follow the adventure to see where it goes.

Content: Clean!
language--one or two words
violence--a battle scene (stabbings, torture, death, fighting), but not too graphic. Definitely PG-13 or less.
romance--a boy sees a girl in the bathtub, but nothing is described; a boy and girl are in bed together, but nothing happens and both are fully clothed; kissing--lots of kissing, but it's not descriptive.

 

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About the Author:
I don't really write romance novels. I write PG rated Romantic Comedies and Young Adult Fantasy. I love writing. I also love playing musical instruments, singing, song-writing, and painting. My day job involves a bit of sculpting and carving.

I live with my very romantic husband of thirty-one years. Although our daughters are grown and married, we've never had an empty nest. The house is constantly full of young people. Some are temporary residents. Some come to share meals or swim. Some just come to hang out. But the constant flow of young folks in and out of the house brings joy and excitement to our home and inspiration for writing.

I met my husband as a freshman in college when I acted out of character on a whim. One night in the library lobby, I spied a cute guy with his first name written on the back of his shirt. I called out his name. When he approached to talk to me, I pretended that I'd met him before, asking about his classes and how he liked college. To my surprise and delight, he also pretended that he knew me, but of course he didn't know my name. We continued this false relationship for two months. Each time we saw each other, an event that occurred three times per week at the cafeteria, he would pretend he knew me. Meanwhile, all of my friends were careful not to reveal my name to him. When he finally admitted his ignorance of my name, he was astonished to learn the truth. And the rest is history.

Contact me on Facebook at Author Tamie Dearen or on my webpage at tamiedearen.weebly.com
I'd love to get your feedback whether you love my books or hate them. I believe you're never too old to learn.