Rowan of the Wood (Paperback)

~ (Author), Ethan Rose (Author)
Key Phrases: little knight, Green Man, Jean Pierre, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

I found Rowan of the Wood to be an imaginative and fun read with a fairy tale flavor to it that will appeal to old and young alike. --Midwest Book Review

The overall story is very good, the characters are believable, and the situation is bleak. Lovers of magic and fantasy set in the real world would do well to check this book out. A solid tale of magic, love, betrayal, and loss, Rowan of the Wood is well-inspired and lovingly written. --Nothing Binding book reviews

This is a great addition to the wizarding world. You ll find yourself reading it in a day because you won t want to put it down. --Austin Monthly magazine

Product Description

Rowan of the Wood, a Finalist for the 2008 National Best Books Award in the Young Adult Fiction category, tells the story of a young boy Cullen who meanders through the redwood forest every day on his way to school, losing himself in books and fantasy worlds full of elves, fairies, and wizards. He loves to escape to these magical lands because reality for him is not fun at all. Cullen and his two misfit friends, Maddy and April, are terribly unpopular amongst the other kids, and they regularly endure ridicule and bullying. Cullen's life changes incredibly one day when he uncovers an ancient magic wand that is inhabited by a powerful wizard, Rowan. Inadvertently, Cullen releases Rowan from the wand and finds himself possessed by the wizard, with a great power and an obsessive need to find a lost love. When danger is near, Rowan emerges from the frightened child to set things right. He and Cullen try to understand what has happened to them, only to discover a deeper problem. Nearly fourteen centuries ago, Rowan and his bride Fiana were separated on their wedding day. Rowan manages to survive, trapped in time, until Cullen releases him from the wand. Fiana uses dark magic to stay alive as she continues searching for Rowan. Over the centuries, Fiana descends deeper into the darkness becoming something evil and eventually giving up her search...until a young boy brings Rowan back to her.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Dalton Publishing (November 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0981744311
• ISBN-13: 978-0981744315
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,438,609 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rowan of the Wood, October 25, 2008

By	Mrs. Magoo "Mrs. Magoo Reads" (California, United States) - See all my reviews

From www.mrsmagooreads.com


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...)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, enjoyable book, May 1, 2009

By	Andrew Ternay (Carrollton, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, September 12, 2009

By	Gregory L. Kenkel - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Rowan of the Wood (Paperback)

I rought the book from the authors at the Kansas City Renaissance fair. I normally would not have done this but the bbok sounded interesting. If you like the Harry Potter books you like this one. I love this more then the Harry Potter books. Rowan is a great character. Can't wait for the next book.