To Save The World

Stephenie, her Mother and her friend, Eris are mysteriously transported to Arhka. A world of talking dragons and ageless vampires. She learns of her Mothers standing in this strange world and of the energy, Ith’yra which is used by the inhabitants of Arhka to wage war, a magic, that she and her Mother, are able to wield.

Dragged into a conflict she knows little about, dealing with the politics of the various species and asked to defend a strange world against alien invaders is a tall order for any young teenager. So what will she choose, to return to earth and her studies, or fight in a war for a world she knows little about.

Personal Thoughts – There are two main female characters in this story, that drive the plot and move the reader through the story. Stephenie is a young, tomboy, with a yearning for excitement. When she is transported to Arhka, her character changes, as she learns to wield the magic, Ith’yra, and fight for her independence as her domineering Mother continues to make decisions on her behalf.

Elise, her Mother, is a highly-strung character, with secrets about a strange life on Arhka and her role as a major power on that world. Once Stephenie and Elise are transported to Arhka, there begins a catalogue of events and conflicts that enables them both to so easily use the strange magic on this world. This can easily been explained for Elise, however, I found Stephenie’s easy adaptation of her new abilities didn’t read true. In fact I found Elise and Stephenie and Eris, the friend who is transported with the pair, so similar in their construction that I had to constantly check whom I was reading about. I felt there wasn’t enough character development for any of them to stand out and take me through this story.

I found the same lacking in all the male characters that were introduced in the story, they all read the same, none stood out as particularly original. The most memorable character is Drugstag, representing the dragon species of Arhka. I liked the novelty of a talking dragon and quite liked how this character developed. I have read this Heather Hayashi is involved with game development. And the action scenes did remind me a little of a gaming scenario. However, unlike gaming, good character development is essential for a novel and I was disappointed with the weak characters of this book