Review of In the Heart of the Linden Wood

[Vanessa Alobo]

[Following is a volunteer review of "In the Heart of the Linden Wood" by Ekta R. Garg.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Selecting In the Heart of the Linden Wood to review was one of the best literary decisions I have ever made. This is the first book to hold my attention and captivate me from the first page. By chapter 3, I already knew this would be one of the best fantasy novels I have ever read.

The opening line, “In our heart of hearts, where we let few people enter, at some point we’ve all wished someone dead,” is bold and direct. This line sets the tone for the rest of the book. Although In the Heart of the Linden Wood is a fantasy novel, you’ll be forgiven for finding it more real than most books. The first chapter is filled with so much drama that I was left wanting more.

Christopher’s love for his queen, Lily, is simply beautiful. Ekta managed to humanize the king most believably. Geraldine’s marital troubles are unfortunately more reality than fiction for many couples. One lesson from the book is that life has to go on amid grief and chaos. The characters had to show tremendous tenacity to restore the Linden wood.

I must commend Ekta’s ability to write vivid pictures for the reader. She describes one of Christopher’s injuries in this manner – “Beads of blood ran in tiny rivulets around the curve of his arm.” This consistency in clearly describing scenes made it easier for me to imagine the events in the story. The descriptions also made the story play more like a movie than a book in my head.

King Christopher’s determination to restore his kingdom as he grieves his wife's passing is admirable. Duty and responsibility triumphed over everything for him. The book tells the story of a broken king attempting to mend others and his kingdom.

I give the book a rating of five out of five. In the Heart of the Linden Wood had me hooked from the first page. This is something no book, regardless of genre, has ever done. It was a pleasant read. The editing of the book was also impeccable. I found no editing or grammatical errors. This was quite impressive.

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In the Heart of the Linden Wood
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