Review: Kaylen's Rising, by Yves Robichaud

"Kaylen Amdir has been living in the dark for fourteen years – in every sense. His people are hunted on the surface world, forcing them to fend for themselves in the underground chasms now known as the sprawling city of Caverna. His community despises and taunts his family for reasons that no-one shares. His parents keep him housebound, a prisoner in their backyard gardens, and forbid him from holding a sword or wielding a wand. But when his father and mother finally relent and send him to school, Kaylen is suddenly exposed to the harsh light of truth: knowledge of everything that had been kept from him. Very little of it is pleasant, and all of it seems like an insurmountable challenge to someone who days before knew only how to tend to flowers and shrubs. With so much to learn and understand all at once—including coming to grips with a strange, sorcerous ability long thought lost to his kind—and with the threat of open war with the surface-dwellers ever present, Kaylen will need every friend he can make, and stay true to himself if he is to survive what is to come...while something unsettling inside him stirs."-Yves Robichaud.

My Thoughts

I (for one) am Impressed. Kaylen's Rising took on the form of a classic; magical adventure that surprisingly reminded me of the Hobbit. It  had one of those real effortless qualities, where you almost flew through the pages in a trance, rather than consciously being aware of every word.
Unlike many other teen books, Kaylen's Rising wasn't toned down. For example in cinema, you have a budget right? So you can't always have stunning effects for you character or the best graphics for your magic. But in, literature you can, though I've noticed that many authors like to tone down their character's powers. This (refreshingly) is not the case In Kaylen's Rising. You get the full on, luminous power with good descriptive quality all the way through.
Another pro for Kaylen's Rising is that I couldn't stop thinking about it! It was strikingly unique, and I was constantly wondering what happens next. It was the oddest thing I say!
There is only one complaint I have with Kaylen's Rising, and its quite small.
It was the vampire scene. Where Kaylen and his group of friends accidentally find themselves inside a vampire's lair. I really didn't feel like it was a necessary part of the novel, and it didn't do much besides show us the abilities of one of our heroes. Not very good when many readers are developing cases of Vampaphobia. Other that that...I enjoyed it! Kaylen's ability to summon skeletons was very original, and the author did a good job describing his role as a "summoner". Thanks Yves, for my copy!
Rating: A
What to Expect?

• Magic!
• Skeletons!
• Elves!
• War!