{ Talisman of El by Alecia Stone }

Talisman of EL by Alecia Stone

May 20, 2012 by Centrinian Publishing

Source: from author for review

Format: ebook ARC

From GoodReads:

WHAT IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE WAS A LIE?

One Planet.

Two Worlds.

Population: Human ... 7 billion.
Others ... unknown.

When 14-year-old Char­lie Blake wakes up sweat­ing and gasp­ing for air in the mid­dle of the night, he knows it is hap­pen­ing again. This time he wit­nesses a bru­tal mur­der. He's afraid to tell any­one. No one would believe him ... because it was a dream. Just like the one he had four years ago - the day before his dad died.

Char­lie doesn't know why this is hap­pen­ing. He would give any­thing to have an ordi­nary life. The prob­lem: he doesn't belong in the world he knows as home.

He belongs with the others.

My Review:

First off, thank you to Alecia Stone for the opportunity to read and review her book, Talisman of El. I knew as soon as I read the synopsis I would enjoy this one. And enjoy it I did. Talisman of El is quite the adventure! I loved this new take on Heaven and Angels. We have all grown up with this idea of Heaven being...well, up in the Heavens. But what if Heaven was actually in another dimension at the center of the Earth? What if Angels were actually warriors? Warriors who hold the powers of the 4 elements...Earth, Air, Water and Fire. This was a very cool combination of Supernatural, Fantasy and Mythology. My only negative comment would be that there was so much going on, at times I felt a bit confused and over whelmed. This is one of those books that I could have used a map and perhaps a character listing to keep track of the hierarchy within Arcadia. But really, it was not too much of a distraction that it took away from the story.

One of the biggest deal breakers for me is believable characters and a real connection to at least the main character of a story. This book was filled with some great and memorable characters for me. Author, Alicia Stone, did a fantastic job. Right from the beginning I felt connected to Charlie...and of course Alex and Richmond. What I love so much is the relationship that develops between these 3 and also the growth that we see within each of them. And of course the adventure/journey that they take on in Arcadia. Of course the true story really takes place in Arcadia and we are introduced to more great characters. One of my favorites has to be Ash. As I have said before, I love strong sarcastic characters and Ash was all of that and more. Ash is front and centre for many of the humorous moments in this book. Okay...and being able to shapeshift into a dragon...how cool is that?!

As I was reading this book, I kept picturing this one on the big screen. This is only book one in a new trilogy, but I can see this being easily adapted to film and doing quite well. Again, this is just such a fun, fun adventure and filled with so many wonderful and colorful characters.

In the end, I definitely recommend this one. If you are a lover of Fantasy, Mythology, Adventure, Supernatural and perhaps something with a slight Spiritual/Religious undertone? You will definitely enjoy this book. I for one, am looking forward to the next instalment. Oh and a note to Alicia? Loved the ending!! Nope, no huge cliffhanger, but it was brilliant. It put a huge smile on my face and left me filled with great anticipation for book 2!

Rating: 4 stars