Title: The Wishing Tree
Author: Bevan Knight
Publisher: XlibrisNZ
ISBN: 1499099045
Pages: 376
Genre: Fantasy
Reviewed by: Jennifer Weiss
Buy on AmazonPacific Book Review Star
Awarded to Books of Excellent Merit
Roricon is an apprentice sorcerer who has locked a powerful spirit within a tree. Now the local tribes face a dark future. Food sources begin to dwindle and young men begin to go in search of things of illusion and fantasy, they are on a quest to deal with the powerful spirit. Among the companions of this quest are Dorno and Sheena, for different reason, but have formed a bond after Dorno rescued Sheena. Dorno looks for adventure while Sheena longs to find her foster parents, but the two are unaware of what awaits them within the shadows of the spirited tree.
The Wishing Tree is the first in a trilogy by author Bevan Knight, as he creates a fantastic job at setting the stage for the novels that will follow. Knight builds up suspense and keeps the readers guessing what will happen next. Once the book is set down, the world of Ifflune lingers in their minds, refusing to let go of their thoughts. Readers will find this fantasy thriller to mesmerize them and leave them longing for more from Bevan Knight and the characters he creates. This enchanting tale is a great way to pass the time on a rainy Saturday afternoon having this as an accompanying book on a trip. There is not a hierarchy of deeper themes to the book as some novels might have, but rather it is easy and enjoyable to see the tragedy that occurs to the characters when they are trapped within the past.
Readers will easily get lost within the quest, meaning they will easily find themselves walking and battling alongside Sheena, Dorno, Karan and the others. Each character has their own personality and remains succinct as some characters do in other novels. Knight shows them each having strengths and weaknesses as being a good thing. He shows the other characters playing to one another’s strengths and helping each other overcome weaknesses. It is easy to find qualities portrayed in these characters that we might indeed have within ourselves. Knight has the perfect combination of description, dialogue, action and interaction. There is not one point where it feels as if it is forced or boring; no moments of unnecessary fluff. The Wishing Tree is a novel, which keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish, leaving them eagerly anticipating the next novel. There is so much to love about this novel and virtually nothing to dislike about it.
This book was an enthralling tale to read. Fans of the fantasy genre will soon fall in love with not only this novel as part one of a trilogy, but also Bevan Knight. It is easy to see Knight’s work becoming sought after and his name among the greats like Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis, Patrick Rothfuss, even Rowling or Riordan. Knight entices his readers with a beautiful setting, relatable characters and exquisite writing. There are no issues in recommending this book for others to read. Pick it up, add it to your collection and get lost into this new world.
