Allon by Shawn Lamb (Creation House)
Back cover blurb: Long ago, the land of Allon was a paradise until the fall of the Guardians paved the way for the rise of the Dark Way. King Marcellus now controls the land as his forefathers did, with an iron fist and the help of the evil spirit, Dagar. But an ancient prophecy speaks of a time to come when the Guardians will return and Allon will be restored – led by its rightful heir.
At 16, Prince Ellis is forced to flee the life he has known, pursued by the king’s soldiers. With help from two mysterious strangers he meets in the forest, he must find a way to defeat the evil forces and prove himself worthy to be king if Allon is to have any hope of salvation. Along the way he will face trials that will test his character, his wisdom, his courage, and ultimately, his heart.
Allon is a magical tale of adventure, destiny, and faith that you won’t soon forget.
My review: Years ago, I read fantasy tales fairly often and usually enjoyed them. I’ve read a bit of fantasy more recently, but freely admit that part of why I wanted to read and review Allon is because I thought my son might want to read it. I knew Allon would be clean, but still wanted to know what it was about before handing it off to my 11-year-old. Plus, now we’ll have something fun to discuss once he starts reading it. 🙂
I had a little trouble getting into the story up front, but that might be because I had to shift to a fantasy world mindset and get used to oodles of characters with fairly odd names. The further I got, the more I enjoyed it, so I was eager to pick it up once I got through the first couple of chapters.
Allon begins with Ellis being snatched away from the regular life he’s always known and thrust into a world of danger, hiding, and running for his life. That is, he’s running until his protectors can tell him the truth of his birth and prepare him to fight for his rightful place as heir to the throne of Allon and the hope of peace the people have been longing for. Mentors and supporters of all shapes and sizes help Ellis along the way – everything from men he’s known all his life to a girl who communicates with animals to Guardians that Ellis always thought were just legends. Add a former King’s Champion as Ellis’s personal trainer, evil Shadow Warriors on a rampage for the dark spirit Dagar, and a young woman who wants to win Ellis’s heart – but who will change Allon’s destiny forever if she does – and you have the makings of a grand story.
Truth be told, I never did quite keep all the characters straight, but I didn’t care (and that’s probably because my mind’s not what it used to be LOL). I just let Allon sweep me along for a tale of heroism and coming of age (with a touch of sweet romance) and enjoyed the ride. If you enjoy fantasy or midieval tales (or have a child who does), then Allon is a great choice for your reading time.
For more info, visit www.allonbooks.com. You’ll find an excerpt from the book, sketches of the main characters, an interactive map of Allon, and more. A very cool site to visit!
You can purchase a copy of Allon here. And if you’re looking for other fantasy-type titles for teens, here’s a good starting point.
If you read (or have already read) Allon, I’d love to know your thoughts. Happy reading!
Thank you for participating in the blog tour and for your honest review. Your stating it was hard to keep the characters straight is one I’ve heard often. I gave my publisher a list of characters (mortals & immortals) to put in the book for readers to refer to, but due to page constraints,I had a choice, the list or the map. I chose the map. Next time I will insist upon the character list and forgo the map if I have to.
Again, thank you.
Well, thanks for letting me be part of the blog tour. I agree that a character list would’ve helped me, but we all know that choices have to be made at presstime and you can’t always include everything. The map was a great thing to have, so it would be hard to choose between the two. I don’t envy authors who have to make those kinds of decisions! Allon was still a good read and I know my son is going to love it!