The Light of Asteria (The Kailmeyra Series)
by Elizabeth Isaacs
Publisher: E.F. Isaacs
ISBN: 978-0983158103
ASIN:B004PLNOJO
Reviewed by LK Gardner-Griffie
Synopsis:
If Nora Johnson hadn’t been on campus that day she would have never known her true destiny. Helping her friends move into the dorm that she wanted to call home, Nora accidentally collides with mysterious stranger, Gavin Frey. His very first touch sends flames through her heart. The world seems different-something within her has changed. She tries to resume her mundane life, but she is now consumed with the one whose very presence ignited her soul, the one with eyes of emerald. Nora soon learns that an energy buried deep within has been unleashed. She now wields unimaginable power and has become Gavin’s source, his strength. Her newfound joy is shaken when she discovers that Gavin is not who he appears to be and she has been thrust in the middle of a war of mythical proportions. Negativity allows all things evil to flourish, the earth is under siege. The fate of creation hinges on the power within her heart. Will she be strong enough to survive? A gripping tale of unbounded love and ancient power, The Light of Asteria will take you on an epic adventure filled with war, treachery, and demons, as well as unimaginable delights.
Review:
Instinct and intent. These are the two overriding concepts woven through The Light of Asteria. Instinct is when you listen to the small voice inside you, directing your actions. The voice that is not dominated by wants and needs. Most times in this hectic world, the noise of our existence drowns out the voice and we can no longer clearly hear it. And intent because it isn’t enough to do things because it is the right thing to do, we must do them with the right intentions or the acts themselves are tarnished. How much better off would this world be should we start listening to instinct and acting with the purest of intentions?
The Light of Asteria opens in the Appalachians, an area of the country which has always held a fascination for me. Nora starts her life with little, and little expectation for having more. Having a mother who died in child birth and a father who became an alcoholic and put her in foster care, Nora Johnson would seem to have reason to be bitter about life. Her best friends have just gone off to college together, without her, and she’s stuck at home with her foster mother Edna, attending the local community college, and working in a mom & pop hardware store. But instead, Nora chooses to focus on how much better her life has been with Edna, someone who truly loves her for who she is, and considers herself a survivor. The survivor mentality has gotten her this far in life, and she expects it to get her through the rest.
Without a doubt, my favorite parts of The Light of Asteria are the descriptions of Edna’s mountain and the life on it and the last pure land—which I’m not going to say too much about because of potential spoilers. Isaacs gift of description brings the settings to life and the settings become much like a character. My favorite character? Edna—no question. This woman in her sixties took in a “difficult” child and raised her in a loving atmosphere, and helped Nora retain a core of purity which becomes so important later on in the book. How can you not like a woman who runs down a slip & slide in her sixties?
Overall, Elizabeth Isaacs has penned a well-imagined tale fraught with beauty, innocence, evil, and adventure. There were a few mechanical issues which bounced me out of the story at times, but those aside, The Light of Asteria was an enjoyable read for a debut novel and leaves us with a message of hope. I am looking forward to reading the additional books in this trilogy.
