Title: The Orange Blossom Fairy
Author: Scharie Hilton
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-5320-0084-3
Genre: Children’s Fantasy
Pages: 205
Reviewed by: Candace L. Barr
Pacific Book Review
Author Scharie Hilton’s The Orange Blossom Fairy is a fantasy adventure which deals with the consequences of practicing dark magic and altering the natural order. The land of Taramos has been undergoing unfortunate changes. A mysterious “Clouding” is interfering with everyone’s magic and is corrupting fairies’ minds, making the mischievous but mostly harmless beings malicious and dangerous.
Silvera, The Orange Blossom Fairy, is an exception that still just wants to play harmless tricks but is forced to possess the body of Sasha, a girl who wanders too far from home. Sasha is rescued by her brother and the fairy is contained thanks to the dark witch Shea. Something about the powerful magic in the fairy’s tears calls to Sasha, and she risks Shea’s wrath by trespassing on the witch’s property to steal the tears. Sasha soon finds herself on journey that can finally set the land of Taramos to rights. Accompanied by the great wizard Zane as well as the dubious Silvera and Shea, Sasha journeys to the source of the magical Clouding.
Sasha and company are not the only ones trying to fix the magic in Taramos. A group of fairy forcers is out to find Silvera and her tears, whose magic is precious to their people. The king has sent his own force to the mountains to investigate the Cloudinand keep terrible creatures from coming down the mountain and terrorizing the people of Taramos. Meanwhile, a warlock who holds the key to the kingdom’s problems is searching for a solution of his own.
Hilton does a great job of world-building. Not only does she provide a map at the beginning of the book, but she provides clear, rich descriptions of everything and everyone. The third-person perspective focuses on various characters in the story and provides the reader with a full understanding of the action throughout the novel. This leads to greater character depth. Even the person who created who whole conflict is given more than a simple villain treatment. Hilton also takes a rather creative approach to adapting common expressions to the world of the novel; it’s a small touch that is much appreciated.
I believe the ending could be enhanced in some places. It is especially important for children’s books to be well-edited so as not to confuse the intended audience. While it is certainly a minor issue, it is one that can be fixed easily in future books, as the story is a pleasant read. As this world of Taramos can brought to life in sequels, Scharie Hilton just may be an author to look out for.
