Hello awesome readers. Today I have a review for you for a full-blown-novel! Woohoo, about time! I know I haven’t been reading and reviewing as much with my little one up and walking around now but I’m making the best of sheltering in place by reading as much as I can. She’s never been good about napping but I’ll be getting as much reviewing done as I can while she sleeps! Today’s book is a children’s fantasy novel that any age could enjoy. I wish I could show you a picture of the paperback as well as a lovely carnelian stone but sadly they are packed up in storage because the lockdown caught us mid-move! That’s a whole-nother story, for now enjoy the following review!

The Gemstone Chronicles
Book One: The Carnelian

Author: William L. Stuart
Category: Fantasy, Children’s Chapter Books, Family, Action-Adventure
Suitable for: All ages, Ideal for 8+
My Rating: 4 Stars
Format Read for Review: Paperback and Kindle e-book provided by the author.
Pages: 315

Description: When Aidan and Maggie find a fairy cross while rock hunting with their grandfather, it’s just an oddity. When they discover an elf imprisoned in the stone and free him, Dark Elves attack the siblings and their grandparents, forcing them to flee to Celahir, magical home of the Elves.

They quickly find themselves on a mission to return home and maybe even help restore a little light to the world along the way.

In Short: This is a sweet, action-packed story that even though it’s fraught with danger it has a warm feeling overall. You’ll be transported to a fantasy realm where mythical creatures exist and must be outsmarted and defeated using newly discovered magical powers. Overall, I enjoyed this book and am glad I read it. It had a solid conclusion while also leaving a lot more story to be told in the rest of the series.

“Accepting a gift honors the giver.”

Pros: The characters feel very real. They each have their own personality and feel very rooted in reality even when they’re in Celahir. Despite our age difference I related the most to Nana. We both have sweet husbands who are Navy veterans and just like her my goal would have been getting my (grand)kid(s) back the safty of our world. The family is full of love and that is a huge ongoing theme that will lighten your mood and make the read feel like a real pleasure. They consistently work as a team to overcome terrifying odds and always forgive each other for their mistakes. The information about the different gemstone’s, their properties, and the way they gave the characters unique magical abilities was really interesting and constantly evolving. If you like fantasy novels about magical lands inhabited by elves, and gemstones awakening hidden powers, you’ll want to check this series out!

“If an elf dies before fulfilling their purpose, their life is considered a failure.”

Cons: My only complaint is that it could have been trimmed down a little with editing. Some phrases are reused enough times for it to be noticeable. Some scenes were repeated as a character relayed what happened to another character that missed the action. For the reader, it wasn’t necessary and could have been summarized to avoid being redundant. The upside of this would be for children working on reading comprehension skills it gives them more of a chance to catch all the details of an event while practicing their reading skills.

Author’s Official Site
William Stuart on Twitter

Read the whole series, get it here.

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