Review of Yildun, Worldmaker of Yand

[Sarah Schmidt]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Yildun, Worldmaker of Yand" by Andri E. Elia.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Worldmaker of Yand: Yildun is the first instalment in the Worldmaker of Yand series written by Andri E. Elia. Yanara, the Worldmaker of Yand, is living with her Evenblood wife, Mandolen, on the planet Yand. Yand is perpetually clothed in darkness and has been for the past fifty years, a result of Yanara’s tethering of one of their four moons, Calypso, to the invading armada of K’tul spaceships, blocking out the giant star Yildun. They are still weeding out the remnants of K’tul forces left on their planet. The Yandar queen and Yanara’s foster mother, Stardust, wants Yanara to produce an heir as soon as possible; the only issue is that there can only be one worldmaker in existence at one time, as the birth of one kills the other. Her wife also desires children of her own, prompting Yanara to seek out a new husband after her last bend. When Yanara realizes the shields she’d erected to protect them from the K’tul are at risk of being breached, the dire consequences of giving birth to another celestial wizard in such a crucial time are more glaring than ever. Will she be able to protect Yand and keep her loved ones safe and united?

Polygamous relationships take on their own flavour in this series, which is something I learned in another instalment. Not to worry—this is executed brilliantly, the success of which is predicated on spousal contracts that all parties involved must obey. I really liked the family dynamic that runs through the backbone of the whole story. Inextricably linked to this is the span of time elapsed in the story. It seemed each chapter took place a year or so after the events of the preceding one. This might be an over-exaggeration, but it is true that some characters were born and reached full adulthood in a matter of pages.

Protective characters can come off as a tad extra. Do you know those silly mistakes that characters do that leave you screaming at printed pieces of paper or computer screens like a crazy person? Yup—that was what became of me when the supporting characters constantly left Yanara, their most powerful asset, out of major battles with the enemy. Without delving into too much detail, essentially all the damage the protagonists suffered could have been averted if she was utilized to her full extent. Also, I couldn’t help but wonder how everyone else honed their strengths, but Yanara seemed to just dawdle around and not work on her celestial wizarding capabilities, too afraid of the fallout if she did. It made her character seem almost boring and like wasted potential.

One notable aspect of the book had to do with the writing. Elia favours euphemistic words instantly followed by what actually took place set in parentheses. I figured this was a matter of the author’s writing style—truly, it somewhat added to the humorous cant of the story—but it took some getting used to. Also, the writing of Worldmaker of Yand: Yildun starts off quite nicely. The narrative is engaging, mixing dialogue well with prose and italicizing alternative methods of communication where appropriate. I located several distracting errors within the text, however. These mistakes led me to assume that this book has not been professionally edited.

The above elements blend well for an amazing novel. It’s no wonder that I choose to rate this novel four out of five stars. The one-star deduction is on account of the negatives mentioned. Otherwise, the reading experience was fabulous–the plot, narrative, characters, and pacing of the story were enough to grab and trap readers’ attention.

With that being said, I believe that this book would suit readers with a preference for harem novels with a female protagonist. Lovers of science fiction and high fantasy, specifically those revolving around humanoids versus alien invaders, are sure to enjoy this book. A mature audience is necessary due to the erotic nature of some scenes, though only minor profanity is present.

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Yildun, Worldmaker of Yand
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[Amy Luman]

Science-fiction is just about my favorite genre, but this lists to the side of fantasy, which is not. I do think that the heroine should have been used to her full potential. She seems to be full of t.

[NetMassimo]

The flaws you pointed out leave me puzzled but overall, this seems like an engaging novel in which merits far overweight flaws. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your great review!