3 out of 4 stars
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Eringuild is a children's fantasy novel written by Annie Muscutt and published in 2016. With this being the first time I've read and reviewed a children's book, I was unsure what to expect. At right around one hundred pages, Eringuild is not a short story for children, yet not too long to cause them to lose interest in the story quickly.
The main character in the story is seven-year-old Jeremy Applegate, who seems a bit lost and hurt in the beginning of the story. His father has gone missing, with some family members (including his mother) thinking he has abandoned his family. Young Jeremy knows his father loved him too much to abandon him, which leads to Jeremy's search for answers. Jeremy's father had a room in their home that he spent a majority of time writing, and Jeremy feels drawn to that room on more than a few occasions. When Jeremy discovers his father's journal, he sees writing about Eringuild, which causes him to question what his father could have possibly been writing about. When Jeremy asks his mother about Eringuild, he is met with silence and a change of subject.
While exploring in his father's room, Jeremy finds himself being thrown into a dark tunnel-like journey which takes him to a different land by the name of Eringuild. Once the boy arrives, he is informed of pending doom that could fall upon the land, and offers his help to ensure the safety of Eringuild. Jeremy meets several different kinds of creatures during his journey, along with being faced with dangerous situations. Although a boy of only seven, Jeremy shows his bravery and dedication throughout the story. Will Jeremy be able to help the creatures save their sanctuary land? Will he be able to find answers about his father's disappearance?
I haven't done much reading in the fantasy genre, but I think Eringuild was an excellent introduction for a first! The story carried along smoothly, with no short-comings that I could find. My only complaint with the story line is that I think it would be beneficial to have the main character be a bit older than seven years old. I don't think the story is fitting for a seven year old to read, and older children might think he would be too young to relate to while reading. Throughout the story, I was only able to find one proof reading mistake, where the word "other" was used instead of "over." The mistake was minor, and thankfully did not have a negative impact on my reading experience.
I'm happy to say that I would give the book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars, and would gladly recommend it to young readers. I recommend the readers of Eringuild to be around the age of twelve, as that would be an age where the maturity level would match that of the story. There are some sections of the story where the darkness of the antagonists in the story could be too much for a child of a much younger age to enjoy. Eringuild proves to be a story with good morals regarding the love of family and bravery.
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Eringuild
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