It's Book Review Wednesday, the day when I bring you books you would be foolish to miss out on! Today's book is brought to you by Jen Redmile, a fellow JEA author, my amazing editor, and a brilliant writer in her own right.

Children of When (Book 1): Florissa

Leah, Raff, and Belle have been raised in separate “foster-homes” until they turn fourteen. On that day, the law states they must leave everything for an unknown future. When they are magically transported to another world, they discover not only each other, but a prophecy that has waited 1000 years for their arrival. To fulfil the prophecy, they must find and reunite three missing pieces of an ancient amulet, and in the process learn to control and use their unique Gifts. Dark forces conspire to prevent the resurrection of the amulet, and the journey becomes one of survival. Turning fourteen was NOT supposed to be this hard!

My Review: 4 Stars

If I had to define this book, I would say it's Harry Potter meets Chronicles of Narnia meets Lord of the Rings. It has elements similar to all of those books, so it's a safe foray into the more familiar aspects of fantasy. The writing is solid, with only the occasional grammar and punctuation error. I noticed that there are quite a few "Australianisms" in the book--I enjoyed them, but for those not familiar with the lingo, it may be a bit hard to understand. I had one worry about the book: How well-defined is the magic system? The magic seems to do all sorts of things, but I hope the author has a way to explain/define/delineate the magic of the world (according to Brandon Sanderson's "Laws of Magic"). Other than that, it was a book I enjoyed, one definitely catered toward Young Adult audiences, and worth a read.

Here's a Taste:

“Belle, look out!” Leah screamed, as she raced towards her. Belle looked around her wildly, but she was looking everywhere but down. Raff pulled his knife from his belt as he ran towards her, watching in horror as the long slimy tentacle wrapped itself around her ankle. He reached her just as she toppled backwards, screaming as she was dragged towards the water. He dived forward, and severed the slimy appendage, pushing Belle back away from the edge. Hot, bile green liquid spurted from the flailing tentacle. Raff groaned as the centre of the pool began to bubble and froth. Of course the slimy appendage was attached to something much bigger! The water surged upwards, and a hideous creature rose from its depths, a high-pitched keening sound spewing from its voluminous mouth. Countless more snake-like tentacles lifted out of the water around it, waving madly in the air, before lashing out towards where the children huddled in terror. Within seconds, the tentacles had found their target, latching onto an arm or a leg, intent on dragging their helpless victims towards the water, and certain death. Raff knew his knife was useless. He needed…and suddenly he knew what he needed to do. He closed his eyes, and concentrated on building the perfect weapon, shaping and moulding it in his mind. His eyes flew open, and he looked directly into the creature’s single eye, floating above its gaping mouth. He threw his arm forward, feeling the familiar jolt as the fireball hurtled towards the hideous creature. The ball of flame hit the monster’s slimy flesh and exploded. The keening noise grew louder, and then spluttered into silence, as the flames engulfed it.

About the Author:

Jennifer Redmile grew up on the beautiful northern beaches of Sydney NSW, and now lives in Geraldton WA with her husband, 23yo son and two gorgeous puppy dogs. She has always been an avid fantasy fiction reader, and always worked with children, so when she decided to write a novel, it was a natural progression to combine the two and make it a children's fantasy novel. In 1997 she wrote a children's musical, entitled Beyond the Stars, for the local Catholic primary school, with a cast of over 300. Jennifer has completed Book 2 in The Children of When series, Valleron, which is awaiting publication, and is currently working on the 3rd book in the series, Dragardia. She also recently released the first book in a new YA series "What Ghost?" and has another series "Morwitch" coming soon. Find the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Children-When-Book-1-Florisia-ebook/dp/B0137ZQ3PU/ Tweet at her: @JenRedmile Read her thoughts on her website: www.jenniferredmile.weebly.com Connect with her via Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Redmile