Reviews for Xenitha

Book Review for Xenitha by Yasmin Chaudhari

Age 14

My Favourite Part:

I thought that the plot of the story was very interesting and personally I enjoy adventure stories such as this one. I think that the idea of a quest seemed to attract me to this book when I first looked at the book. I think that the first chapter was the most moving and hooked me into wanting to read more of the book. However I think that the way in which a lot had happened in the first chapter - felt a bit too fast!

Recommended Age Group:

Although I enjoyed reading the book, I would however, recommend this book to a slightly lower age group, ranging from about 10 years to about 12 years, as they would enjoy reading about fantasy worlds and adventures.

Visual Side:

Considering the age group I have mentioned above, I think illustrations and other complimentary art work would capture the imagination of the audience for this book, also giving a picture to the many magnificent scenes that are detailed throughout the story would captivate interest.

Overall:

The story was very catchy and I have enjoyed reading this book.

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4.0 out of 5 stars A great start to the trilogy, 4 Jun 2010

By Mehajabeen Farid "mej_farid" (Coventry) - See all my reviews

(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Xenitha (Hardcover)

Xenitha is overall a pretty good story with a fairly strong plot and good description.

There are many lovable characters but personally, as a child, I think I would have preferred the book if the grandfather was not in the story so much. Maybe, he could have had the shop and while Ethan and Abigail are exploring they come across the writing on the table - because like Harry Potter, the main characters, if aimed at children, should pretty much be children/ teenagers, because more could have happened without him there. For example, Ethan could have expressed he liked Abbie as more than a friend (a good story has comedy + adventure + romance + tragedy).

Some of the characters are similar to some in Harry Potter. For example, kibblekytes remind me of hippogriffs and the gillyweasels are a bit like elves. However, pretty much all the characters have strong, unique personalities.

On the contrary, the characters are not memorable, even if they are enchanting, and I had, at parts, trouble remembering who was who.

In my opinion, you have named too many characters. For instance, Antwan did not need to be identified as Antwan: he could easily have just been known as a resident of Glaxton or such.

The plot is very strong and quite gripping however the writing style is slightly weak and jerky. Personally, I think there is too much dialogue in comparison to other books which have more description/ action rather than the action being conveyed through speech.

It is, however, very gracefully written as not to frighten the younger audience yet keep then enthralled all the way through.

Xenitha is a charming book, written by an aspiring author, whom one day, I am sure will be right up there amongst Rowling and Morpurgo, and I look forward to purchasing the second book of the series.

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Posted on Amazon.com by Gloria Vanderhoff:

I just loved this book. Both of my younger kids have read it also. We like how the characters keep thier importance through out the book. I would recommend this to children of all ages. I can't wait to find out if this author has many more to come. I know my youngest is a HUGE fan already.

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Posted on Amazon.co.uk by Ruth Brown:

Athough this book was written for children, it is also adult reading. As friends and family have enjoyed reading it too, and are looking forward to the follow up of the second book. It is an adventurous story filled with whimsical creatures and a frightening sorceress.

For a new author this book has a good story line, and the description of the creatures make them sound realistic. Although there is a lot of action it has been tastefully written, which would not scare a younger reader.

I hope this author has a lot of success with her books and that the next one won't be too long following.