4 out of 4 stars
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Four Corners, by Kristin Durfee, is an exciting, young adult fantasy novel. Aura’s father, the king of Esotera, reveals that the kingdom is cursed moments before dying. Aura is now left the ruler of a land destined for destruction. In a desperate attempt to break the curse, Aura turns to the banished witch Resbuca. Resbuca reveals that the true heir to the land, the one who can break the curse, lives in the “other world”. Aura, with a small band of followers, sets out to cross the barrier in order to find this savior. Levi has been kicked out of many schools, fired from his job, and is struggling to keep his life together. He has the ability to shatter and move objects without touching them, and that is proving to be a big problem. One day, Levi is approached by a strange man and told a story about a parallel world full of magic. Levi learns that he is the long lost heir to that magical world, and the only hope to save Esotera from destruction.
I devoured this book! I could not put it down. I fell in love with everything about it. The story was unique and exciting. I adored the juxtaposition of the two different worlds. It was delightful to be reading about a fantasy realm with dragons and griffins, and then switch suddenly to a world with light bulbs and BMWs. I loved the dialogue in the story. The characters had different speech patterns depending on their world of origin. Those from Esotera spoke very formal and older English, while Levi and his cousin spoke a more modern dialect. This small attention detail was very instrumental to building the different worlds.
Durfee’s writing style was so thrilling to read. She would write beautiful and elegant phrases about the thoughts and feelings of the characters. Her descriptions about the fantasy world brought Esotera to life. Yet she was never heavy handed. It is very easy for fantasy writers to become over descriptive or too complex in their world building. She never let setting the stage overpower her story. It was all too easy for me to sit back and let myself become immersed in her world.
The characters were wonderfully well written. Aura was a wonderful leading lady. She was strong, yet willing to ask for help. She was feminine and that was not a weakness, which I loved. Levi was sarcastic and unsure of himself, but not the point where it got in the way. Durfee developed her characters throughout the book and it was an adventure to grow with them. The colorful assortment of supporting characters kept the book fun and interesting. I didn’t feel that anyone was a caricature or stereotype. They were all wonderfully well done.
I give Four Corners 4 out of 4 stars. I have absolutely no complaints about this book. It was a beautiful and enjoyable read. I sat down and finished it in one sitting. The writing was amazing and completely appropriate for the intended audience. The characters were relatable and believable, the plot developed quickly and naturally, and I was never once bored. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy. While it is geared towards young adults, any adult looking for a fun and fast read would enjoy this book. I look forward to more works from Kristin Durfee in the future.
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Four Corners
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