Overview
In Alosha and The Shaktra, thirteen-year-old Ali Warner discovered that she was not an ordinary teenager, but was actually Queen of the Fairies. Through seven painful trials, Ali reclaimed many of her magical powers and defeated an elemental army that was preparing to attack the Earth. In the elemental world, Ali learned the true nature of her greatest enemy β the Shaktra β and discovered why it covets the Yanti, a mystical talisman of immense power that Ali now possesses.
Now, in The Yanti, Ali discovers that a mysterious Entity is masterminding the Shaktra's attack on Earth, an attack that will kill billions and leave both Earth and the elemental world shattered. Still reeling from the death of one of her closest friends, Ali finds herself accused of murder on Earth and besieged by enemies in the elemental world.
The Shaktra has had years to develop her magical abilities and her evil plots, guided by the otherworldly Entity. Ali has only known about her fairy powers for a month. There are holes in her fairy memories and her powers are still incomplete, while the Shaktra commands vast armies of hideous monsters and rules over hosts of dragons.
Ali's allies are few: one dragon, one leprechaun, a single troll, a handful of fairies and an African boy, Ra, who has sworn to serve Ali even beyond death. Plus the mysterious disembodied Nemi β whose love sustains Ali through her darkest moments of despair.
Only the Yanti can stop what is to come. Unfortunately, Ali has barely had a chance to study it. The first time she tries to use it as a weapon, it nearly kills her. Unless Ali Warner can solve the riddle of the Yanti - and the mystery behind the Shaktra's insane bitterness β then the Earth and the elemental world will be doomed.
Synopsis
In Alosha and The Shaktra, thirteen-year-old Ali Warner discovered that she was not an ordinary teenager, but was actually Queen of the Fairies. Through seven painful trials, Ali reclaimed many of her magical powers and defeated an elemental army that was preparing to attack the Earth. In the elemental world, Ali learned the true nature of her greatest enemy the Shaktra and discovered why it covets the Yanti, a mystical talisman of immense power that Ali now possesses.
Now, in The Yanti, Ali discovers that a mysterious Entity is masterminding the Shaktra's attack on Earth, an attack that will kill billions and leave both Earth and the elemental world shattered. Still reeling from the death of one of her closest friends, Ali finds herself accused of murder on Earth and besieged by enemies in the elemental world.
The Shaktra has had years to develop her magical abilities and her evil plots, guided by the otherworldly Entity. Ali has only known about her fairy powers for a month. There are holes in her fairy memories and her powers are still incomplete, while the Shaktra commands vast armies of hideous monsters and rules over hosts of dragons.
Ali's allies are few: one dragon, one leprechaun, a single troll, a handful of fairies and an African boy, Ra, who has sworn to serve Ali even beyond death. Plus the mysterious disembodied Nemi whose love sustains Ali through her darkest moments of despair.
Only the Yanti can stop what is to come. Unfortunately, Ali has barely had a chance to study it. The first time she tries to use it as a weapon, it nearly kills her. Unless Ali Warner can solve the riddle of the Yanti - and the mystery behind the Shaktra's insane bitterness then the Earth and the elemental world will be doomed.
VOYA
The Yanti is actually a fairly boring, predictable "romp" through a very two-dimensional world with very two-dimensional characters. Pike is prone to using deus ex machina on many occasions. At least it is an easy read.
Editorials
VOYA -
This book picks up hours from where The Shaktra (Tor, 2005/VOYA April 2006), the preceding book in the series, leaves off, as thirteen-year-old Ali Warner returns to the mansion of the powerful Sheri Smith, owner of the gaming software company, Omega Overtures. It is the scene of the death of Ali's close friend Steve at Sheri's hand. Ali, however, is no ordinary girl, but rather Geea, Queen of the Fairies, born on Earth as a human. And Sheri Smith is her sister, Doren. Each has three names for three different dimensions-Earth, Fairy, and Elemental. As Ali digs more deeply into the mystery of her sister's fateful choices, she is led to the Isle of Greesh, where her father, Nemi, and her sister encountered a force known as the Entity from another world. Ali races to save Fairy and to prevent the all-out attack on Earth that the Entity has planned, intending to kill billions of humans in order to take over Earth and "safeguard [its] survival." Weaving between the dimension of Earth, where Ali is being investigated for murder, and Fairy, where she is a much-revered leader, Ali wields her increasing powers and growing knowledge in an all-out bid to save the worlds she loves. Some readers might enjoy the proliferation of names, but many are likely to be confused. Although the story line is complex, the writing and dialogue are often simplistic. The novel will most likely appeal to young fantasy readers, especially those interested in RPGs (role-playing games).VOYA -
The Yanti is actually a fairly boring, predictable "romp" through a very two-dimensional world with very two-dimensional characters. Pike is prone to using deus ex machina on many occasions. At least it is an easy read.Children's Literature -
Fans of fantasy and female leads will enjoy Pike's newest title in the "Alosha" series. Pike's writing can occasionally come across as rushed (not surprising, given the sheer number of books published by this author) but the plot, pacing, and characters are all satisfactory. The story is complicated, full of love, loss, and constant danger. The main character, Ali, rapidly yet believably matures into her destined role as the human version of the queen of the fairies. She is successfully written as both a thirteen-year-old human girl, full of emotions, impatience and impetuousness, and as a fairy queen utilizing newfound magical abilities to lead her people in battle. Given the ethical dilemmas and complex politics (of both Earth and the elemental world), this book could be used for discussions regarding philosophy, government, or social sciences. It is recommended, however, that readers begin with the first book in the series, Alosha. While Pike does spend time in the first chapter outlining the plots of previous books in the series, many details are, by necessity, glossed over or simply not mentioned.School Library Journal
Gr 8 UpThis third book in the series contains some great action and ideas, although readers unfamiliar with the first two books may be lost. Ali Warner, teenager and human incarnation of a fairy queen, has little time to recover from the events of The Shaktra (Tor, 2005), including the death of her friend Steve. The Shaktra is gearing up for an invasion that could destroy both the human and elemental worlds and is prepared to go to any lengths-including framing Ali for Steve's death-in order to achieve that end. In her efforts to stop the war, Ali learns more about her fairy life, the talisman known as the Yanti, and the mysterious force that transformed her fairy sister into the Shaktra. Pike's mix of magic, technology, and social message will appeal to those who enjoy Mercedes Lackey's "SERRAted Edge" series (Baen).
βChristi VothCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.