Book Reivew: The six symbols of ink by Meliza Merlinde

Book: The Six Symbols of Ink

Author: Meliza Merlinde

Genre: Fiction/Fantasy

Publisher: Olympia Publishers

Pages: 306

Blurb:

Living in a world governed by cruelty and persecution, where the Ink Mark symbol is the law and where kindness and love have long been forgotten, Ashley has always believed that her symbol is faulty, that she is not worthy. However, she discovers that, far from being faulty, her Ink Mark actually identifies her as one of the Four; the special ones who will fulfil the ancient prophecy and rid the world of its inhumanity.

But can an ordinary girl like Ashley possibly live up to this expectation? Who are the other three and where can they be found?

This is the beginning of a quest where demons, giants and the true wickedness of mankind are interwoven with friendship, loyalty and faith. Which ones will triumph...?

Review:

The six symbols of ink is a story of revenge, friendship, love and dark magical aura. The book is a great piece of fantasy which can transport you to a different world in just 300 pages. There are elements of violence in it also some gross incidents but what is fantasy if it can’t tickle your imagination beyond extremities.

The starting of the book was a big turn off for me. That is the point where most of the readers can feel a little off because there were a lot of missing information. I had to google twice to see if I am really reading the first book in the series. There was a lot of information without any explanation and lot of action without any reason. I thought there was a need of one more chapter in the starting to get the readers used to of the world the author was designing.

But when we pass that phase the book is amazingly interesting and fast paced. I struggled for around 40 pages but after that the book became a page turner. I was really excited with the two way story that was happening. It gave me a break from the present things and made my brain churn with the things moving towards the bigger picture. What I loved about the book were the aspects it touched. It takes you to an unbelievable world where anything is possible.

I loved how there were different elements layered in the story. There was flirting, there were wars, fights, creatures, giants and what not. I love stories where there are alliances and groups that work together towards the big show.

If I talk about the characters then I loved Zhila and Corlias. These two always showed what was expected from them. I don’t like characters who change their traits with the moving story. And these two were the same throughout the book. From the minor characters I loved the king and the queen. They were for a very little time but they left an impact on me. It felt they were from a parallel world which is dark and weird. I think they could have been given a bit more part in the story here and there; taking in account the role they play in the book is vast and important.

I didn’t like Ashley that much because she was growing as a character and there were a lot of flaws if one looks in the bigger picture also there was a huge gap between her history and my understanding. Maybe she grows in a better way in the next book but for this one I didn’t enjoy her character much.

Also the relationships that the characters shared was a bit dicey. It felt like it was not well thought of. They were arranged in the cubicles where they could fit in. there was a lack of dimension I believe. Apart from this there were only some editing flaws which hampered the reading a little bit.

If I see the bigger picture then this was a great fantasy world which I was introduced to. There was everything which I expect in a fantasy novel. There were plot holes, big one sometimes, mainly in the background setting and execution but overall it was a good fiction fantasy. It can entertain you without any doubts. And I am really anticipating the end. I think the series is worth a try.

About the author:

Meliza van der Linde grew up in the affluent, multi-ethnic society of South Africa, the variety of cultures, languages, and religions has shaped Meliza's passion for writing. Seeing the struggles of a Third World Country and its people striving to accept the different culture has always been an ember to her fire.

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Book Review: Marcle and the Pondan Land by Arus Stream

Title: Marcle and the Pondan Land

Author: Arus Stream

Pages: 206

Publisher: Olympia Publishers

Genre: Fantasy/Children's/Adventure

Review:

The book as the name and the cover suggests is a perfect children’s read with a lot of colors, surprises, beautiful friendship and everlasting love. Marcle and the Pondan Land is a very refreshing, easy and light read which can be completed in a single sitting.

The story revolves around a boy named Marcle and his sibling Dani. There school life, there friends and how entangled a small detail in our daily lives can be.

Important thing in this story is the mannerism and small lessons that are hidden in the book. So if you are looking for a book for your kid in order to teach them something; this book can do wonders. Without spoiling much I can give a few hints about the good things which are around every corner of the book. Like the way school life of these kids are projected, the way they behave around their household and how they treat friends. Everything is shown very nicely and can be a good learning extravaganza for your little ones.

Somethings were really off track too, like usage of few phrases again and again, minor editing mistakes, these were the outer and small problems. But the bigger problem was that the main aspect of the story “Pondan Land” wasn’t shown in its full form. It could have really elevated the story beyond any extremities. The unique characters could have been used more, there stories could have been incorporated but still whatever was used it was in a nice way to entertain readers of targeted age group.

Things I adored the most was the ending and the starting. There was way too much to know and grasp. The middle was just like a bridge between the two ends. Also I loved the illustrations, the color scheme, the spacing between the lines. These things are important if your target audience are children. This made the book a super comfy read.

Summing up- Marcle and the Pondan Land was a fun read, perfect for kids, away from hidden meanings. If you are an adult it can be good after a heavy and dark read which might have threw you in a reading slump.

About the book:

The adventure story of Marcle Brave Marshall is set in the land of the birthday cake ornaments, a place called Pondan Land. The story begins when a cake decoration is kidnapped by the queen of darkness, Dark Berry and her henchmen, Cone Black and Giant Belly Rush, who want to destroy and take over Pondan Land. The ornament stolen was the one that Marcle's younger brother, Danish, had chosen for his birthday, so Marcle sets out to find and free the ornament from the clutches of the evil Dark Berry. Will he succeed to find and destroy Dark Berry and save Pondan Land?

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