Devlin and the Rose Circle

Devlin and the Rose Circle
Lindsey Ashlum
Outskirts Press
ISBN: 1-59800-026-8
Fiction, Fantasy
Reviewed by Shannon Frost

Darkness has fallen over the land Nadadian. The peace that has long been endured by its people is threatened when one of the Fifteen Realms seeks total domination and power. Only one woman, Lydia, is able to save the Realms and restore peace, but in order to do so, she must undergo a transformation that will change her forever.
At heart, Devlin and the Rose Circle is an enchanting tale of one woman’s struggle to overcome her physical handicap, and is released from her disability when she is taken into the fantasy world of Nadadian by her griffon companion, Devlin. The pace of the narrative is incredibly fast, however this is also where the problem lies. The story moves so quickly, that it leaves many questions unanswered and has the reader wishing for more description and details of development, especially in the characters’ backgrounds, the history and cultural aspects of the world of Nadadian and of the antagonist, Kyros, whose single brief appearance doesn’t quite hold up to his villainous reputation.
The vision of the story is creative, and is reminiscent of such tales as “The Neverending Story”, and Mercedes Lackey’s “The Mage Wars Trilogy”, and though it lacks the considerable depth of its predecessors, with its likeable characters, it serves its purpose for a light fun read.