The Eve stone - book review

book review The Eve Stone, reviewed by Yvette Martin

“Times were rotten they said, the safe world that we had come to know would soon come to an end”

A book of adventure, magic and discovery!

‘The Eve Stone’ is the first instalment of a Young Adult Fantasy set called ‘The Tarnade Series’, and the debut novel of Jayne Thomas a local author from Henlow. The story is an exciting quest filled with magic, adventures, a beautifully crafted world and sad goodbyes.

The Eve Stone begins in Tarnade, a land ruled by the controlling Harridans, who rely upon nature to gain knowledge, whilst segregating the community with a strict hierarchy. At the bottom of this hierarchy are the Unnamed, children who were born out of wedlock and have been raised without a father. Through corrupt methods, the Unnamed are given the opportunity to earn a name and become acceptable members of Tarnade. Unlike others Raykal does not strive for a name, instead she seeks for freedom from the laws of unreliable rulers. When there’s news of her brother’s disappearance, Raykal must go on a quest to find him, where she will have to put aside the prejudices of her people and decide for herself who she can truly trust.

I loved how the author developed and introduced the fantasy world, as well as its magic system, ensuring a clear vision was portrayed to the reader. As someone who admires wildlife, I thought it was lovely to see nature being a major theme in the storyline, as well as it being highly appreciated in the two main cultures that are introduced.

The author had created each chapter as its own mini adventure, which made it difficult to put the book down as you became more immersed into the story. So much so that I felt saddened to see the words ‘The End’ as I wanted to know more about Raykal’s continued journey. So looking forward to the next instalment ‘The Eve of the Oak’ and it was great that the author included a taster of this next novel at the end of the book.

Despite being a relatively short book, a strong connection and attachment was made between the reader and the characters. I thought Raykal was an excellent protagonist, as she was, very open-minded and not afraid to make her own judgments on individuals, even if they disagreed with what she had previously been taught. She grows in strength and bravery as she learnt her true worth throughout the story.

I highly recommend this book for anyone from 10 to 100 and I am excited to see how the adventure will progress throughout the series. This book really is a captivating novel that should be on everyone’s ‘to read’ list!