The Legend of Witch Bane (World of Arva) [Format Kindle]

Well Kevis I for one absolutely loved the art work; I think it is perfect for the book.
I found this book to be wonderfully refreshing, enchanting, and completely captivating to the end. I'm now reading it through the internet to my grandchildren in Virginia every night before they go to bed.
This book is about sibling rivalry, love, and a special bonding that children need more of. The way he has written it with himself as the narrator, makes the book feel more personal to me.
This story has everything that a fantasy reader could ask for: Trolls (or could that be giants)? Enchantment, Evil sorcerers', Dragons, Goblins, Fairies, etc.
This is a wonderful book for people of all ages, the way it pulls you in and you find yourself wanting to help the children.
My physical ability doesn't allow for me to write a lengthy review, if I could Kevis I would write you a twenty pager for I am very pleased with the way you wrote this( in that it is a book everyone can read). Now a day's with so much violence going on in the world, (a lot of the fantasy novels do get very violent and they do it in such detail that I would never read them even to my neighbor. We share fantasy novels together) that it is very refreshing to suggest this book to everyone.
I have been captivated by your story and I can't wait till the next one comes out.
To everyone who reads this review: THIS IS A MUST READ. It was defiantly worth the wait. I did not say a lot of what the book is about because I want you to read it and be surprised as I was. Thank you again Kevis and am faithfully waiting for the next one.

Sincerly,
Toni Gillmore

I am not a huge fan of epic fantasy, nor am I a huge fan of middle-grade fiction. So the three-star rating isn't really a bad thing. In this case, it simply means that "The Legend of Witch Bane" wasn't my cup of tea.

I still enjoyed it.

Hendrickson does an excellent job of channeling Tolkien and Lewis without seeming like he's trying too hard. "The Legend of Witch Bane" has the right old-fashioned classic fantasy feel to it. I also felt that the three main characters of Laris, Kobodos, and Anyr were believable and well-developed. I rarely thought, "Um...would a seven-year-old really think like this?" The other characters entered in and out of the story rather quickly, but because the children are on a quest and rarely stayed in one place for long, it never bothered me. I did find it hard to suspend my disbelief that children could accomplish such things, but I have little doubt that if I were ten, I'd be questioning the children's abilities to defeat evil the way I am now at seventeen. Instead, I'd have been cheering them on and plotting my own adventure (can't let fictional characters have all the fun, right?).

Best of all, "The Legend of Witch Bane" would make a great read-aloud, probably for ages six to twelve. It's got its share of darkness and violence, but it's also filled with kids succeeding at various tasks and plenty of funny scenes. It also moves quickly and never has a slow moment. Since the story usually keeps moving forward, there's never any confusion between finishing one chapter and starting the next. Hendrickson keeps readers pretty well-informed, which definitely strengthened the feeling that "The Legend of Witch Bane" screams to be read aloud.

If you're looking for a great new children's fantasy, "The Legend of Witch Bane" would definitely be a wonderful choice.

The battle begins with the typical power struggle between an evil Queen, Rhiannon Eldess, and a kingdom which refuses to surrender its love of right! King Kruge Falinn and his wife are forced to surrender one of their female children to Rhiannon. Kodobos, Anyr and Laris are horrified and want to rebel but are powerless to avoid this evil fate. But the transfer of a magic gem from Anyr to Laris's pocket seals the latter's fate - that is until Kodobos vows to free her. Although he succeeds, the victory is costly with Rhiannon casting a spell of deep sleep upon King Kruge and his entire kingdom.

How will the three siblings reach Rhiannon's domain and seek the power to release their homeland from this awful destiny? Their quest will be daunting as they meet both helpful and destructive characters in their journey, such as Elyndia the powerful elf, a dwarf and ogre giant, goblins, werewolves, ancient water spirits, dragons and more amazing, exciting beings!

Laris, it turns out, has a deep dark secret but it's not the shameful one she acknowledges about her birth which she believes caused her mother's death. She possesses powers she has no idea are just lurking and waiting to explode in a powerful manner enough to sway the riveting conflict between Rhiannon and Laris's siblings. For Laris is related to the most powerful people in the world, a nation that even Rhiannon fears her own dark spells cannot defeat.

A sword which Kodobos eventually takes carries magic as well which displays awesome results in the final pivotal battle, a scene waged wildly and furiously, beyond any previously described war ever told

The Legend of Witch Bane is a finely tuned, explosive page-turning fantasy story that will hold any reader's interest to the last page. It ends most appropriately with an open suggestion of more to come in a series sure to engage any reader who loves a fantastic, tense, adventurous story.

Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on October 13, 2008