Return to Arèthane (The Elves of Arèthane #1) by Kelly Riad
4/5 Stars
Published May 30th 2012
Young Adult fantasy
Book Description
16-year old Emily has accepted her fate with each weakening
beat of her heart, but after her best friend's brother and sister arrive in
town and turn out to be more than what they appear, Emily's life is turned
upside-down. When their friendship includes confronting wizards who harbor dark
secrets and dancing with an elf prince, Emily discovers there are some things
still worth living for.
Review
What a great adventure, Return to Arèthane has Centaurs, Gryphons,
Dragons, Elves and more! I loved this Young Adult fantasy, the storyline was
well written and Emily and Jarred are defiantly my favorite characters in the
book! There’s a lot that goes on from the very start of the book all the way to
the end you won’t be disappointed. I
really can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in the series!
Emily has not had an easy life she suffers from a heart condition
and her mother is always drunk. So Emily has to be the strong one and clean up the
mess her mother has made of their lives. When her best friends older brother and sister
show up Emily thinks there is something going on and then swears she is seeing
things. Poor Emily’s life is turned upside down when she finds out what her
best friend and her brother and sister are. Little do they know someone close
to them is not who they say they are and they must save the future Queen Arèthane.
But will they survive long enough to save her?
Character Interview Jarred
~Steph: Hi Jarred,
Thank you for taking the time to talk with us today!
-Jarred: Thank you so much for having me, it's lovely to be
here.
~Steph: What thoughts were going through your head when you
first met Emily?
-Jarred: Well, at first, before I had truly seen her, my
first thought was of anger and concern that a mother could behave in such a way,
would place her daughter in that position. But then I looked up and Emily
filled my vision and everything stopped. I couldn't make sense of what I was
thinking or of what to say, I just knew I didn't want her to leave.
~Steph: What are your favorite scenes in your book: the
action, the dialog or the romance?
-Jarred: Any scene that combines those three is the perfect
moment for me, but the one that stands out the most was when Emily asked me to
enchant her and I was able to bring her to Arethane while still in her world. That was a special moment that I was really
grateful to be able to share with her.
And of course, our first kiss--you never forget your first kiss, right?
(That was one of my Favorite parts in the book also and no I
don’t think you ever forget your first kiss.)
~Steph: What is your favorite food? What is your least
favorite food?
-Jarred: Emily has given me a new appreciation for ice
cream. *grins* But I'm really more of a
fruit and vegetables kind of elf. I'm
not a fan of ham...
(Ick I’m not a fan of Ham either!)
~Steph: How is it for you to be living here on earth instead
of at home in Arethane?
-Jarred: It's not easy.
Every day I have to be on my guard, I must restrain myself and hide who
I am. A world without magic is a sad place and you don't realize just what
you're missing until you're without it.
But being with Emily makes it all worth while.
Thank you so much for having me here! I really enjoyed our chat.
--Jarrad A.
~Steph: You’re welcome we loved having you here also and I
know I can’t wait to read more of your story!
Jarred's Bio
Jarrad Allen (Tahlam Alean'raheal)
Age: Human - 17; Actual - lost track.
Born: The first day of the Spring Equinox
Place of Birth: The Royal Capital, Hemelstad, in Arèthane
Parents: deceased
Description: 6'3",
blonde hair, light blue eyes, contagious smile
Q. What are your favorite foods?
A. Ice cream
Q. Is that all?
A. Ice cream with
Emily
Q. What's your favorite color?
A. Green
Q. Emily said you stole it from her, that it was her
favorite color first...
A. I stole it from her?
When I've been alive centuries longer than her? (laughs)
Q. What are your favorite activities?
A. Anything that gets my heart racing--cliff diving,
snowboarding, racing motorcycles or horses, ...Emily.
Q. What is it about Emily that makes your heart race?
A. She has this way of playing with her lip ring with the tip of her tongue while she's lost in thought - drives me mad.
A. She has this way of playing with her lip ring with the tip of her tongue while she's lost in thought - drives me mad.
Q. Anything else?
A. Emily is one of the strongest individuals I know. She has a power within her so great, it could
change worlds and yet she has know idea.
She just thinks she's getting by, but she's altering life around
her. She's altering the people around
her, for the better.
Q. Hopes for the future?
A. Emily's elfin love-slave?
A. Emily's elfin love-slave?
About the author
Kelly Riad is from Texas where she lived with her husband and a house
overrun by pets. She now lives in the San Francisco Bay area and is determined
to bring the y'all to the West Coast. While she published her first book
- a handmade pop-up titled "The Lost Puppy" - in the fifth grade to
much acclaim by the first graders, she only recently picked the craft back
up. "Return to Arèthane" is her second published novel.
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