Onaj's Horn (The Silverskin Legacy, Book Three) by Jo Whittemore © 2007
Llewellyn Worldwide ISBN 0-7387-1125-6 308 pages Paperback $8.95
(U.S.) $9.95 (Canada)
The Silverskin Legacy is a short series (three books) which captures the
imagination of the young adult reader. Two youngsters (Megan Haney and
Ainsley Minks) are enjoying their summer break after completing their
freshman year of high school when they are trans****ted to a magical world
by
their next door neighbor, who happens to be a king in this magical world.
Former friends, their relation****p has been strained for a few years and
they aren't quite sure how they feel about each other. Unlike many series
for pre- and early-teens this one has a bit of an edge. Megan (a
less-than-beautiful girl) and Ainsley (a movie-star-handsome boy) bring
disparate skills to their stay on Arylon. She is a skilled fencer. He is
a
skilled martial artist.
Ms. Whittemore has a wonderful way of describing scenes so that they come
to
life in the mind of the reader. While this book is no Lord of the Rings
or
Harry Potter epic, it is an exciting story and one which is enjoyable by
both young adult and adult readers. There has been a spate of fantasy
novels over the past few years. Some of them have been, at best mediocre
and some have been well-written tales. This is one of the latter.
Ainsley discovers several unexpected things. First, his father is not
upset
to be contacted from Arylon, by way of a pot of chili. Second, his father
is actually from Arylon. And, third, he (Ainsley) is actually the
grandson
of Lady Maudred.
Prior to this final volume in the series, Megan has learned to fight and
had
a magical gem which reacts (painfully) to deception embedded into her
body;
Ainsley has learned to control his desire to wield magic and suffered a
debilitating magical illness which resulted in his acquiring a set of
dragon
wings.
Along the way they have made friends with a blind dwarf, a young man
cursed
into ferret form and assorted fighters and mages. They have learned how
strong the bonds of friend****p can be; have learned that appearances are
often not reality; and that there are causes which can unite many types of
people.
In this volume it all comes full circle. They are preparing to return
home,
if only they can survive a few more adventures. Or will they? I won't
give
away the ending. But I will say that, if you know a teen who is anxiously
awaiting the summer release of the final Harry Potter book, this series
can
help stave off the withdrawal pains. It is fast-paced, well-written, and
easy to find. If you haven't read the first two books, pick up all three
and enjoy the adventure.
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