The Kingdom of Malinas

The Kingdom of Malinas is the debut novel from author E.J. Tett. It is a young adult fantasy adventure story and has been compared to the 'Lioness Rampant' series by Tamora Pierce, Stan Nicholls's trilogy 'The Nightshade Chronicles’ and J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter books.

The story is about Sorrel, a typical teenager: feisty, determined and occasionally grumpy. At first her concerns are a dislike of school and a desire for more excitement in life: but when most of her people are taken away by the Lamya, she will need all she has learned and get more excitement than she could have ever imagined. She must free her family and friends from a life of slavery in the Kingdom of Malinas: the land the Lamya took from her ancestors.

The leader of the Lamya is the evil Corrinus: his minions and bodyguards will make it very difficult for Sorrel to rescue her people. She does have some help however, in the form of her older brother Leif, best friend Little Cloud and the mysterious boy Gaeshi who may be a key figure in the fight for the Kingdom of Malinas. Their quest will be filled with danger, but they must try...
Reviewed by Ann Marie Chalmers at Front Street Reviews
The Lamya have not invaded the Kingdom of Malinas for over a hundred years but when Sorrel grows up she still wants to be a warrior and fight against the historical enemies of her people the Elani. Arguing with her mother and Brother one evening Sorrel runs off. She returns to her home in the Vale of Malinas to find everything burned and all the inhabitants dead or taken into slavery. After all this time the Lamya are a threat again and it is left to Sorrel and a few other survivors to save her people.

In order to fight the Lamya Sorrel has to travel away from her home and find an army to help her. With her best friend Little Cloud by her side the journey is long and dangerous. Sorrel and her friend face a Lamya guard, 2 dragons and a mysterious wraith on their adventure but that is nothing compared to the pink-eyed Leader of the Lamya of Malinas called Corrinus and there is also Millicent to watch out for.

The fate of the Kingdom of Malinas rests in Sorrel’s hands. Will she manage to defeat Corrinus and have her people released from slavery? Will the Lamya people stand in her way or help? This is a story of good versus evil and is something young readers can really get their teeth into. Not as childish as the ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ or as hard as ‘Lord of the Rings’ this new world is perfect for teenagers, young adults and even grown ups who have read Maria Snyder’s ‘Study’ series.

With some extraordinary characters and creatures this is a great work of fantasy. Of course this tale has many messages to send us. Do not judge people by their race, to work as a team and to be strong when needed etc. and it is told so well and has a great storyline that will hook readers from the start. Potter fans may find this of interest if they are willing to go to the Vale of Malinas instead of Hogwarts.

The author originally wrote ‘The Kingdom of Malinas’ when she was 17 years old. It has been altered since then but this first book is only the start of what promises to be a great trilogy and maybe even more? The second part is called ‘The Empress Graves’ and will be the next release from this author with the final part ‘The Barbarians’ Key’ promised in the future.

The Kingdom of Malinas is available from http://stores.lulu.com/em_j
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