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Title: The Branding
Author: Micaela Wendell
Narrator: Tiffani Knowles
Format: Unabridged
Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins
Language: English
Release date: 10-16-12
Publisher: Belle Books, Inc.
Genres: Teens, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Publisher's Summary:
Morwen Aleacim, an elfin teen in the village of Aren, has always heard rumors of evil lurking in the great forests of the kingdom, where children vanish. Her own father disappeared into those forests, and Morwen is determined to find him. So she is secretly training to be a warrior - against the strict rules of decorum for girls - with the help of Armando, an aging human swordsman.
When Brynn, Morwen's own baby sister, vanishes, Morwen tracks her to the horrifying lair of Tobias, an inhuman Dark Wizard. There she strikes a deal with him - her service in return for Brynn's freedom.
He accepts. She'll go free along with Brynn for now, but is bound to him as his apprentice. To her horror, Tobias brands her - not with a fiery mark, but with a spell that will slowly transform her human body into a grotesque creature and her spirit into an obedient slave. When the transformation is complete she'll have no choice but to return to him forever.
Aided by Alan, a handsome elfin boy, who will soon have a dark challenge of his own, Morwen sets out to find a wizard who can lift the spell. It's a race against time as she struggles to free her mind, body, spirit and heart from a horrible fate.
Micaela Wendell, now sixteen years old, has been writing since her early childhood. She began work on The Branding in seventh grade. Micaela lives in South Carolina, where she is an honors student involved in many activities. She's already working on a sequel to The Branding. She invites readers to email her at [email protected].
Members Reviews:
A fun fantasy story...
I downloaded this as a free promotional book. I didn't realize the author is so young (she is 16 years old), or I might not have read it. But I didn't know, and I did read it.
The story moves quickly, which I like. However, the author's youth does affect the character development. Some of the story, to me, was a little stilted, especially when dealing with characters who are supposed to be mature adults. Micaela just doesn't have the life experiences to render the characters properly. The time-line for the travel is a bit unclear, but at least she doesn't go into a bunch of detail about how they set up camp, hunted, etc. I was a little disappointed to not have the story 100% resolved at the end. "To be continued..." was not the best ending, but Micaela did end at a "resting place" in the story. Kind of a IV-V half-cadence that leaves you hanging, instead of a IV-V-I cadence that draws the musical piece to a complete close.
On the other hand, this is a fun story, fast-paced and easy to read. Although Carolina Reader found the addition of several characters near the end confusing, I had no trouble with it. I hope I catch the next installment, as it will be interesting to see Micaela's development as an author, as well as finding out how Morwen and Alan manage to defeat Tobias.
Disappointed
The book had promise, but couldn't seem to finish thoughts. The impression I got was that it was put together by a jr. High or high school student who shows promise but needs training on following through to the end of concepts and thoughts while weeding out the unnecessary add ins. (example: the whole drowning incident, what was the point, how did she end up drowning?)
The writer has potential, but needs direction and an objective person to honesty critique the process.
Don't give up.
