6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rowan of the Wood, October 25, 2008
This review is from: Rowan of the Wood (Paperback)
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Title: Rowan of the Wood
Authors: Christine Rose and Ethan Rose
Grade: B+
Ideal Audience: Boys & Girls, 10-15 (and advanced 9 year olds)
Reading Type(s): The Fantastical Reader
Summary: Books are the only things that save Cullen from his depressing life. However, when his foster father forces him to burn almost all of his books, Cullen doesn't have much left to cheer him up.
One day, he ventures into the woods surrounding his house and finds a stick that, as it turns out, is an ancient wand! He unknowingly releases Rowan, a wizard who has been trapped in the wand for over 1000 years. Now, Rowan and Cullen share Cullen's body, and have internal conversations. Cullen doesn't know whether he has gone crazy, or if everything is true and magic doesn't only exist in books.
Rowan became trapped in the wood when he and his wife, Fiana, were forced to separate only moments after they were wed. As the reader learns (but Rowan and Cullen don't), Fiana has spent the centuries searching for her lost love and eventually becoming an evil, cruel creature to pay for an immortal life.
Not knowing about Fiana's fate, Rowan and Cullen attempt to find Fiana so that the couple may be re-united.
My thoughts: Although it took me about 100 pages before I really got into the book, after that, I couldn't stop. I especially loved all the characters, and seeing their desires, fears, motivations, etc. The problems that time created also kept me entertained: Fiana's battle with her approaching death, and Rowan's confusion with the modern world that Cullen lives in.
I found Cullen's quick acceptance of Rowan a bit unrealistic. He did wonder if he were crazy a few times, but if a thousand year old wizard started talking to me about his lost love in my head, I'd run screaming to the nearest mental facility. (Although I guess that would kind of ruin the plot of the novel...)
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, enjoyable book, May 1, 2009
This review is from: Rowan of the Wood (Paperback)
I ran across this book at the Irish Festival in Dallas - the authors had a booth there. It turned out their whole booth was themed around their book, Rowan of the Wood. I thought that was awfully creative and picked up the book.
I am glad I did. Although I am an adult, it carried me back to being a young boy on the edge of being a man when magic seemed all around. It was a great read and I'm looking forward to sharing it with my daughter when she gets a little older.
The strongest point of the book are the characters who really come to life and grab your attention.
The weakest point of the book was the setting - a young man about to stumble onto magic, living in a home with an mean and uncaring stepfamily and a son who picks on the boy. When I read the bio of Ethan Rose it made more sense (he lived with foster families) but it was still very reminiscent of Harry Potter.
Don't let that stop you from getting the book - it is a good one and worth checking out!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
quick, entertaining read, May 29, 2010
This book reads quickly. If the same plot had been dragged out an extra 50% it would have suffered.
As it was, there was an interesting plot and all of the characters roughly came into their own as pieces more or less fit themselves together with not too much prodding from the author.
I would recommend it to those with a penchant for "magic is here, just hidden and forgotten" tales, which would generally include myself.
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