“Houses aren’t alive?”
That was the moment when Canadian-born author, Tanya Karen Gough, seized me as a reader. Root Bound—the first of four in her Emma and the Elementals series—is a richly described fantasy tale that all ages will enjoy.
SYNOPSIS
"How far will you go to find your way home?
Emma and her father are always on the move, travelling from place to place as her father’s work demands. Their new home, however, is different. There’s a frightening woman who lives down the hall: she bears an uncanny resemblance to a witch. A mysterious light comes from her apartment, and a small boy seems to be trapped inside.
School in this town is no happy place either, with an odd principal and a gang of girls who make tormenting Emma their special project. And strangest of all is the fact that there seem to be brownies - basement brownies, in the air vent in her bedroom.
Haunted by visions of her mother, Emma travels through the brownie burrow to the valley of Hades to visit with the goddess Ceres, following a series of clues that lead her across the sea of memory to the centre of the world.
There, on an inhospitable rock floating in a sea of steaming lava, Emma must find a way to release her mother from the sea of memory and restore magic to both the brownie burrow and the human world above.”
That said, from the outset, I easily connected with the father as he struggled to make ends meet for himself and his young daughter—the main character, Emma Sheridan. I then gladly ran along with Emma, as she got magically pulled into what turns out to be a fanciful and destiny-filled journey.
Rich in description, Ms. Gough skillfully creates a clear visual of this “Under” realm, in tandem with Emma’s humorous and sometimes tension-filled relationships with those that roam in the "Under." Weaving together an entertaining adventure filled with brownies, prophecies, and a modern take on Greek mythology, this is one reader who is looking forward to Book 2!
Root Bound is definitely for those readers who love the fantasy genre, especially fans of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, as well as mythology. For a more contemporary comparison, fans of Suzanne Collins' first book series (yes, that Suzanne), The Underland Chronicles, will also enjoy this book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Always on the go, having moved twenty-five times throughout her life, Canadian-born Tanya Karen Gough was born in Montreal, raised in New England, and currently lives in Toronto. Tanya Karen Gough owned and published The Poor Yorick Shakespeare Catalogue from 1997-2007, earning a strong international customer base of world-class academics and high school educators. Tanya was also a contributing editor for the Internet Shakespeare Editions at the University of Victoria (BC), and audio advisor for the Sourcebooks Shakespeare textbook series. You can learn more about Emma, and Tanya herself, at the author’s Emma Series website, and find Tanya Karen Gough on GoodReads. Social media fans can follow @EmmaSeries on Twitter, and like the Emma And The Elementals Facebook Page.
ABOUT THE GUEST REVIEWER
Jay C. Spencer is a writer, Visual Art teacher, music blogger, extremely tall husband, and a father to two amazing kids. If not at the rink or on the court with his young kids, Jay would gladly talk to you about any genre or decade of music, anything Marvel or Star Wars, and, of course, his favourite books. You can check out his personal blog, Jay C. Spencer or the new blog, All The Write Notes. You can follow Jay C. Spencer on Twitter: @SpencerToday and find him @TheWriteNotes, in collaboration with several other writers posting reviews, stories, and links to all things writing and music.
BOOKALICIOUS BOOK GRAB GIVEAWAY
Tanya Karen Gough has a signed copy of Root Bound to give away to one lucky Bookalicious reader! To enter the draw, all you have to do is leave a comment in the "Click Here To Spill It" bubble below. Good luck!
For reviews of other YA novels, click here.
Background image credit: Jiri Hodan from publicdomainpictures.net
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