Book Review: A Clearing in the Forest by Kim Love Stump

A Clearing in the Forest – Kim Love Stump

*Warning – may contain spoilers*

Author: Kim Love Stump

Publisher: Foxcroft Publishing

First published: 2016

Edition: pdf eBook

Pages: 330

Blurb:    (Taken from Goodreads)

Princess Adriana is about to leave the Kingdom of Ayrden on the Journey of her sixteenth year.

If she is ever to ascend to the throne, Adriana must go—alone and unarmed—into the unknown. She’s been trained and gifted for the journey, just like all the royals who preceded her—even the ones who never returned.

Adriana leaves Ayrden on her brother’s black stallion the day after her birthday celebration, with bravery in her heart and hopes for a quick return. When three paths emerge, one of grass, one of gold, and one of gemstones, she chooses the pragmatic path of grass. Although it seems safe, and the landscape familiar, she soon finds she will have to overcome nearly impossible challenges. Ultimately, an unexpected friendship not only changes Adriana, but the very kingdom she someday hopes to rule. The question is, will the friendship turn into everlasting love?

History of my copy: I received a free copy of A Clearing in the Forest through YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Find my stop on the blog tour here.

I opted to partake in this review as the book striked me as a run-of-the-mill YA fantasy, and that was exactly what I got.

Plot: We follow Princess Adriana of Ayrden as she takes her Journey at 16 years old, a compulsory quest to be allowed to take the throne. As the eldest child of the royal family, she is the first of her generation to embark on a Journey and thus will one day be Queen if she returns.

         Her journey begins at a clearing, the namesake of the book, where she finds three different paths.

         The first leads to Chehalem where she is ‘reunited’ with her uncle for many months, then she meets the wonderful Corrigan in Shahar, who turns out to have a dark secret. Finally, she takes the path to Berrylios where she spends many months befriending Elissa and Theo and saving their world form the dragon, Zimley.

         Eventually she finds her way home, thus completing her journey.

Setting: The four lands of A Clearing in the Forest are uniquely wonderful. Stump has a real talent at describing the setting, creating a picture full of vivid imagery from the beachy paradise of Shahar to the underground haven of Berrylios.

Characters: One disappointment is with Princess Adriana herself. She is just your typical lead female and feels a little flat.

               A character that does intrigue me, however, is Corrigan. He was a very interesting character that I would love to read more about. It would be nice to learn how he developed as a character and how he ended up with his lifestyle.

To read or not to read: Read. Overall, A Clearing in the Forest is a typical YA fantasy. Although nothing outstanding, the plot is still unique and interesting and setting superb, so it is definitely worth a read.