FIFTH REVIEW for ALMENDRA'S QUEST

A lovely review from a fellow writer (R.P. Lauer) on Goodreads:

Highland Court Chronicles: Almendra's Quest by Farida Mestek is a YA fantasy novel in a similar vein as say, Harry Potter. I wish I could give a better compassion title, but YA is not my strong suit; to be honest, when I think of YA, I tend to think of either teen romance, or dystopian future sagas, neither of which strike my fancy. So I have probably unfairly avoided the category altogether, leaving my knowledge rather lacking.

With this being my second YA ‘fantasy’ this year, I am seeing that there is a section of this classification that I absolutely need to explore, because just like The Wing Thief, this novel was a real pleasure to read! Farida does an excellent job of setting up a very rich world, with extended lore and extremely likable characters; the star of this tale being a true gem! Lady Almendra of the Upper Kingdom is sassy, sweet, compassionate, somewhat awkward, and ultimately a character I cannot help but want to root for.

I would classify this as a true fantasy adventure, with the bulk of the story being a journey from one point to another; though there may be a detour or two along the way. Lady Almendra has a companion in the form of a wolf, and she is also accompanied by a really solid, and equally likable messenger (of sorts). There are plenty of exciting moments, reveals and turns along the way.

My only criticisms are a few typos and other minor editing errors, and there is a slight anti-climatic nature to the story, but none of this disrupted my overall enjoyment in reading. There is clearly more that this author has to say in the universe she setup, and I hope with all of my heart that she continues on; I absolutely want to read more in the future!

There is a companion piece to this, Nermina's Amulet, which I did read and will also review. I read that first, but have since been told that it was intended as further reading, not pre-reading. Ooops.