Kaylen’s Rising – Tomes of Taria, Book 1
Yves Robichaud
Data aparitie: 7 februarie 2013
Numar pagini: 200
Sinopsis:
Kaylen Amdir has been living in the dark for fourteen years—in every sense.
His people are hunted on the surface world, so they must struggle to survive within underground caves. His community hates his family but no-one will say why. Unlike most teens, his parents keep him housebound, and forbid him from wielding weapons or learning magic. But when his parents finally change their mind and send him to school, Kaylen is suddenly exposed to the harsh truth. He has much to learn and understand all at once—including a mysterious magical ability.
With the threat of war with the surface-dwellers ever present, Kaylen will need to make new friends, and to stay true to himself if he is to survive what is to come…while something frightening stirs inside him.
Parerea mea:
Cand am inceput Kaylen’s Rising, credeam ca voi citi un roman fantasy YA absolut obisnuit, cu un elf adolescent, cateva confruntari intre bine si rau ce vor influenta soarta lumii si poate si niste probleme legate de fete. Ceea ce am descoperit a fost total diferit fata de ceea ce ma asteptam. Va amintiti sentimentul magic pe care l-ati experimentat atunci cand ati intrat intr-o lume fantastica, precum cea din Harry Potter, de exemplu? Exact de asta veti avea parte citind Kaylen’s Rising. O poveste captivanta, incarcata de adrenalina si cu un scenariu construit dintr-un sir continuu de aventuri, aproape fara momente de respiro. Nici nu apucam sa respir usurata ca personajul a trecut de o incercare cand dadeam deja de urmatoarea primejdie.
Romanul mi-a amintit intr-o oarecare masura de constructia basmelor, in care personajele ne sunt prezentate intr-o perioada extrem de intensa din viata lor si sunt fortate de imprejurari sa parcurga un drum sinuos, in care fiecare eveniment viitor este tot mai dificil fata de cel anterior. Kaylen are si el parte de o multime de aventuri, fiecare fiind tot mai periculoasa decat cea pe care tocmai a depasit-o. La fel ca in povestile copilariei, ne sunt expuse doar o serie de amanunte, iar detaliile mai putin importante sau cele care nu au neaparat legatura directa cu desfasurarea actiunii nu mai sunt mentionate. O astfel de structura permite expunerea unui numar mare de intamplari intr-un numar relativ mic de pagini, altminteri, o poveste atat de complexa precum Kaylen’s Rising s-ar fi putut intinde pe multe sute de pagini. Tonul usurel si direct al romanului, precum si abordarea veridica, din perspectiva unui personaj adolescent a lucrurilor intaresc impresia de basm.
Povestea are un ritm ascendent, iar inceputul nu iti ofera nici un indiciu privind evolutia originala de care va avea parte. Astfel, in primele capitole poti fi tentat sa crezi ca nu vei fi deloc surprins de roman sau ca poti banui deja ce va urma. Abia de la un anumit punct incepi sa realizezi ca de fapt, nimic nu pare a fi asa cum credeai. Sunt uimita de gama variata a evenimentelor prin care trece protagonistul, de numarul mare de fiinte supranaturale pe care le intalnim si de modul in care autorul a reusit sa imbine toate aceste aspecte fara ca povestea sa para prea incarcata. Se intampla atat de multe lucruri in acest roman, incat nu te poti abtine sa nu faci comparatie cu alte povesti fantasy in care numarul aventurilor dintr-o intreaga serie nu se apropie macar de cel din acest volum.
Portretele personajelor si locurile pe care acestea le viziteaza sunt foarte vizuale, primim indeajuns de multe detalii incat sa putem avea imagini desavarsite in minte. Scenele de lupta devin din ce in ce mai intense, iar spre final, capitolele dedicate uneia dintre bataliile majore te lasa fara cuvinte. In ciuda constructiei asemanatoare cu cea a basmului, nimic nu se rezolva prea facil. Personajele reusesc sa rezolve cu bine aventurile de care au parte, insa sacrificiile nu lipsesc, iar fiecare bucatica de fericire isi are pretul ei. Inca un plus mi s-a parut modul realist in care autorul si-a construit personajele. Nici unul dintre ele nu este perfect, nici unul nu poate spune ca nu a facut nici o greseala sau ca a pasit mereu doar pe drumul corect. Au slabiciuni, defecte si regrete, uneori ii ranesc pe cei din jur, insa tocmai asta le face atat de credibile. Si tot aceste aspecte ofera si iertarii, sperantei si prieteniei ocazia sa se nasca.
Romanul este probabil o lectura ideala pentru copii si adolescenti, insa cititorii mai maturi vor avea o surpriza extrem de placuta daca vor citi Kaylen’s Rising. O poveste bine scrisa iti poate oferi exact aceleasi sentimente pe care le aveai in copilarie cand intrai intr-o lume de basm, iar acest prim volum al seriei Tomes of Taria reuseste cu success sa faca acest lucru.
Bile albe:
– Personaje credibile, pasaje descriptive bine realizate si un grad ridicat de suspans. Povestea are absolut toate aspectele necesare pentru a te captiva si pentru a te face sa uiti de lumea reala. In plus, romanul pare gandit in asa fel incat sa ofere intr-un mod foarte subtil si lectii de viata, asa ca cititorii de varste fragede vor castiga mai mult decat o simpla poveste.
– Stiu ca acesta este un aspect extrem de subiectiv, insa nu am putut sa nu observ si sa nu fiu placut surprinsa de cativa termeni ce par a fi preluati din limba romana. Si nu este vorba de orice fel de expresii, ci tocmai despre unele de o importanta majora: formulele magice pe care le foloseste Kaylen.
Bile negre:
– Cred ca asteptarile cititorilor vor fi unul dintre factorii importanti care vor influenta impresiile lasate de carte. Desi intalnim si cateva aspecte tipice literaturii pentru tineri, romanul lasa mai mult senzatia de basm. Fiind cumva la limita dintre o carte pentru copii si una pentru adolescenti. Temele acelea YA probabil ca vor capata ceva mai multa importanta in volumele urmatoare, asa ca seria va castiga o gama mai larga de cititori. Insa pe moment cred ca romanul are ca public tinta in special cititorii foarte tineri. Mie mi-a placut romanul, dar eu sunt de obicei deschisa catre orice tip de literatura. Insa, daca sunteti fani ai literaturii YA obisnuite, ar trebui sa stiti ca acest roman este putin diferit fata de cele cu care sunteti obisnuiti.
English version:
When I started Kaylen’s Rising, I thought I’ll be reading a normal YA fantasy novel, with a teenager elf, some confrontations between good and evil that will influence the fate of the world and maybe some girls and relations issues. What I found was totally different from what I’ve expected. Remember that magical feeling you experienced when you entered a fantasy world – for example the one in Harry Potter? That’s exactly what you will get reading Kaylen’s Rising. A compelling story, full of adrenaline, with a script built of a continuous series of adventures, almost without moments of respite. I barely caught my breath as the protagonist finally passed another test when another danger was already in sight.
Somehow, the novel reminded me of the fairy tales’ structure, where the characters are shown in a very intense period of their lives and are forced by circumstances to travel a slinky path in which every future event is more difficult than the previous one. Kaylen gets through uncounted adventures, each more dangerous than the one before. Again, similar to the childhood tales, we receive only some of the details, and the less important things or those not necessarily relevant to the action are left out. This kind of structure allows exposing a large number of events in a relatively small number of pages. Otherwise, a story as complex as Kaylen’s Rising would have been spread over several hundred pages. The casual and straight tone of the novel, as well as the realistic approach – from a teenager character’s point of view, intensify the impression of a tale.
The story has a rising cadence, and the beginning is not offering any indication about it’s unique and original evolution. Therefore, the first few chapters can make you to believe that you won’t be surprised by the novel or that you can already guess what will happen next. Only from a certain point you start realizing that in fact, nothing seems to be the way you thought it would be. I’m amazed of the variety of events, the large number of supernatural beings and the author’s technique to combine all these aspects without making the story feel too crowded. There are so many things happening in this novel that it’s impossible not to make a comparison to other fantasy stories. And it’s impressing that the number of adventures from other whole series doesn’t even come close to the one from this novel alone.
The characters’ portraits, as well as the places they visit are very visual, we receive enough details so that we can create perfect pictures in our mind. The fight scenes are becoming more and more intense, and near the end, the chapters dedicated to one of the major battles leave you breathless. Despite the structure similar to the one of the fairy tales, nothing here is solved too easily. The characters succeed in overcoming the tasks they received, but not without any sacrifices. Every drop of happiness has its price. Another pro is represented by the realistic way in which the author builds his characters. None of them is perfect, none can say they did no mistakes or that they always walked on the right path. They have weaknesses, flaws and regrets, sometimes they hurt the others, but this is just making them more believable. Even more, these issues are the ones that give birth to forgiveness, hope and friendship.
The novel is probably the ideal reading for children and teenagers, but the older readers will have a very pleasant surprise if they read Kaylen’s Rising. A well written tale can surprise you, offering you the exact same feelings you had as a child, when you entered a fantasy world, and the first book of the Tomes of Taria series does exactly that.
PROs:
– Believable characters, well written descriptive passages and a huge degree of suspense. The story has all the necessary aspects to fascinate you and to make you forget about the real world. Furthermore, the novel seems to be written in such a way as to offer, in a subtle manner, various life lessons, offering young readers more than just a simple story.
– I know this is a very subjective remark, but I couldn’t fail in observing, with pleasure, a few terms that seem to be of Romanian origin. And I’m not talking about any kind of expressions, but about some of the most important ones: the magical formulas Kaylen uses.
CONs:
– I think the readers’ expectations will be one of the aspects that will influence the impressions the book makes. Although we encounter some aspects typical of YA literature, the novel looks more like a fairy tale. It’s somehow on the edge of a children book and a teen novel. I suspect that those YA topics will probably become more important in the next sequel, so the series will gather a wider range of readers. But for now I think the novel is aimed especially for young readers. I loved the book, but I usually don’t mind reading any kind of literature and I can be equally enchanted by a children book, a horror or love story or a very complex thriller. But if you’re a fan of common teen novels, you should know that this book might be a little different from the series you’re usually reading.
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