Title: The Covens of Elmeeria
Author: Miguel Lopez de Leon
Publisher: Galadria Worldwide
ISBN: 978-0692832837
Pages: 148
Genre: YA Fantasy
Buy on Amazon
Pacific Book Review
Author Miguel Lopez de Leon brings the fantastical to life with his newest spell-woven young adult fantasy, The Covens of Elmeeria. This is an excellently engaging coming of age tale, within which readers get to know its independent and inspirational heroine – eighteen year old princess Nia.
Living a conflicted existence, Princess Nia along with her parents King Roo and Queen Bloom comprise the beloved royal family of the picturesque, bounteous and magically suppressed land of Elmeeria, also known as the Garden Kingdom. For the inhabitants of Elmeeria, life is good unless you are known to be a witch, then you are considered an enemy of the kingdom, doomed to be feared and reviled, a fact which happens to hold true of the witches that live in isolation in the forbidden Spectral forest of Elmeeria. However, Nia and her mother both wield magical abilities and if knowledge of their powers was discovered it would have profound effects on the peace and sanctity of their illustrious kingdom.
Nia, independent and determined, is more a working royal than a socialite royal. She is a young woman who feels she does not necessarily need a man for protection and eagerly looks forward to inheriting the rule of the kingdom. Albeit, her mother, beautiful socialite Queen Bloom, sees things very differently, insisting that she will need her prince charming. Much to Nia’s chagrin, Queen Bloom arranges for a dinner with potential suitors. Surprisingly, the dinner turns out to be an attempted siege of the kingdom. With Nia narrowly escaping the violent melee, she decidedly embarks on a desperate and dangerous mission, racing against time to save her captive parents, suitors and kingdom, forced to seek out and enlist the help of the abhorred witches of Elmeeria. For Nia, this becomes a journey which leads to her self-realization and the unveiling of life changing truths.
Altogether, having read other enjoyable books by author Miguel Lopez de Leon, I enjoyed The Covens of Elmeeria, just as much. He is a consistently imaginative and skilled storyteller, who affords his readers a well-crafted story that entertains with a skillful intertwining of creative characterizations, magic, drama, intense action, humor and terrific plot twists. I especially enjoyed the funny bickering between the queen and Nia as she tries to get her to become more socially presentable to potential suitors. This was a very likable read indeed, and I recommend The Covens of Elmeeria as well the author’s other works, they are all worth the read.
