Description:
The book, The Watchers: Knight of Light, written by Deirdra Eden tells the story of Auriella, an orphan who has loss everything and finds herself alone and afraid. After losing her parents in a horrible and devastating fire, she runs to the forest after being accused of being a witch since she was the only one who survive the fire. She leaves her village with more questions than answers. Soon after that nightmare, she encounter danger again. In the forest, she meets a wide range of creates and enchanting beings that will change her life forever.
Before Reading:
From the title and book cover, I expected a magical story that contained elements of bravery and courage. I read the description of the book but I still had no clear idea about what the story will be about and who is Auriella? But I figure, I would find out right along with her.
As I read:
Although we meet Auriella in the aftermath of the fire that killed her parents and her departure from her village, I found the first couple of chapters to be very low pace. I normally don't mind but my mind tends to wonder off if it is not intrigued and engage. I struggle a lot to stay focused and interested. Until we meet Cassi, a pixie who has been captured by the same witch that capture Aurilla. So far before Cassi, we have only met a few character so I was so happy, we got to meet a pixie. We witness the alliance of Cassi and Auriella in order to escape. Soon after we meet Rupert, a dwarf who unintentionally serves a great role in the escape of both prisoners. I was so touched with the fact that the story will finally move along and I would get the adventure that I wanted.
I loved how her new friends served a essential role in the development of the story and served as life guide for Auriella. They are such great friends. Cassi is adorable, funny and helpful. Rupert(aka my favorite character) is so wise, reliable and loyal. I definitely love and enjoy the interaction between the three friends.
After meeting some amazing friends, Auriella gets a taste of a family from a noble family. I was extremely happy for Auriella when she found the love of a mother that she has been so desperately wishing for since loss her parents. In the same house, she finds love. However, even thought I was so happy for her, I still knew that sooner or later she needed to face her reality.
The story continues with Auriella realization that her true identity is not something that she can continue to escape. She goes through harsh changes, loss, and hopelessness in her road to self-discovery.
Evaluation:
I am so glad I decided to read this book. I found it very inspirational. Although I struggle in some areas of the story because I wanted the story to move along. Also, I found Auriella continue denial very tiring. But I understood why she did it. She had lost so much already. She just wanted to protect the little bit of happiness she has found. Even thought I understood her, I knew that she could not run away for much longer. I felt so proud of her in the final chapters when she had finally come to accept her destiny and she took charge of it. She went from being a normal girl, an accused witch, a slave, a mercenary, a lady, a warrior, a knight, to a symbol of courage.
I found the language to be very engaging and powerful. I could read a couple of chapters in one sitting. If it weren't from other time demands, I could had read it in one go. Each character had a significant impact in my understanding of the story. Also, each character smoothly developed and grew as the story went on. Now that I have read it, I can say that I miss them a lot and I can't wait to read the sequel.
I found myself reflecting about my own humanity, desires, goals and destiny. The book in written from the perspective of Auriella so we have access to her inner thoughts. In the description of the book provided by the author which is also written in Auriella perspective, she says, "Even though we all feel human at times, we must remember, we are not them, we are their watchers". While I witness Auriella's struggle to accept her Truth and her struggle with loneliness and lost, this line kept appearing in my head. She is a watcher or guardian of Earth from evil, but she still has similar experiences of a human.
Although I was feeling uninterested in the first couple of chapters because I thought I was not getting the sense of adventure that I hoped. I now realized that I got a new kind of adventure. It is not the typical heroine story. I now appreciate that Auriella showed human emotions and desires that she could barely control. She needed to understand her humanity and herself before confronting her fears and her own destiny. She really surprise me and I felt a sense of joy, relief, and sadness as I got closer to the end.
I find this book to be perfect for children, young adults and adults. Both males and females because it has a little bit of everything. I will definitely recommend it to my friends and continue reading its sequels. I can't wait to read about Auriella's new found goal, and her friends.
Product URL: The Watchers: Knight of Light
http://amzn.com/B017T295JS
****FTC - I received a discount for this product in exchanged for my honest and unbiased review. Compensation of any kind is never accepted in exchange for a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own based on my experience with the product and not edited by any companies mentioned. This is just my opinion, your experience with this product might be different. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission guidelines concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. If my review was helpful to you, please let me know your thoughts.
