Starflower (Tales of Goldstone Wood)3 star

 

 

A Disappointing Addition to the Series

By Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Bethany House, $14.99, 350 pages

Eanrin, Chief Poet and Bard of the royal court of Rubiobus is on a mission: his love, Lady Gleamdren, has been kidnapped and he has made it his goal to rescue her. He is sidetracked, though, after finding a maiden in the woods that he awakens with a kiss. With that action, he finds that the course of his life changes and his fate becomes tied with the mysterious girl. Soon, they must work together to save both his love and themselves.

Starflower is the most recent novel by author Anne Elisabeth Stengl in her Goldstone Wood series. This novel is more of a prequel, as it takes places over sixteen hundred years prior to the first novel in the series. The writing is excellent as usual and fits both the setting and the fantasy realm. The description of the world immediately creates a dreamlike atmosphere for the reader. The characters, however, aren’t nearly as engaging as in the previous books which make it hard for the reader to sustain interest throughout the book. The overall story is nicely done but generally falls short of the excellent work in the prior novels.

Reviewed by Barbara Cothern

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