The Light of Asteria Review

I had wanted to read The Light of Asteria by Elizabeth Isaacs for the longest time after hearing so many positive reviews about it. Sadly though, it was just too darn expensive to send from the US to the UK. But THEN, it was as if the book Gods had heard my plea and not only did it get cheaper by way of kindle format but I won a copy in a contest! HOORAH! *bows to the book Gods*

FULL of romance and spirituality, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I’m already clamouring after the sequel!! Here’s the synopsis:

“If Nora Johnson hadn't been on campus that day she would have never known her true destiny. Helping her friends move into the dorm that she wanted to call home, Nora accidentally collides with mysterious stranger, Gavin Frey. His very first touch sends flames through her heart. The world seems different-something within her has changed.

Nora tries to resume her mundane life, but she is now consumed with the one whose very presence ignited her soul, the one with eyes of emerald. Nora soon learns that an energy buried deep within has been unleashed. She now wields unimaginable power and has become Gavin's source, his strength.

Her newfound joy is shaken when she discovers that Gavin is not who he appears to be and she has been thrust in the middle of a war of mythical proportions. Negativity has allowed all things evil to flourish, the earth is under siege. The fate of creation hinges on the power within her heart. Will she be strong enough to survive?

A gripping tale of unbounded love and ancient power, The Light of Asteria will take you on an epic adventure filled with war, treachery, and demons, as well as unimaginable delights.”

Although I loved the book, I have to be honest and say that I’m not a huge fan of the “insta love” that happened over a couple of pages and arguably Nora and Gavin professed their love for each other way too early without really knowing anything about each other BUT I was willing to look past that and accept that some kind of soul recognition thing was going on. Once I’d quickly come to terms with that, I was hooked and the story took on epic proportions. There were a couple of standout scenes for me, one in particular involving butterflies which created the most beautiful imagery in my head. The tree house scenes towards the end of the book were also powerful but for entirely different reasons.

I thought the relationship between Nora and her school friends was realistic in that when people go off to college, relationships often grow apart but thankfully, Nora makes a lot of new friends. They just happen to be a little bit different from regular humans ;) The relationship between Gavin and Nora is special and I loved the idea of the soul stone amulets which I will say no more about, only that it is incredibly romantic and I’m still waiting for mine *glares at boyfriend*.

I also liked the idea of The Ancient One, a being that has existed throughout the ages and provides knowledge and understanding to others. If he so chooses to share it, that is. Another nod to the secondary characters has to go to Elias (whom I have a little soft spot for) as I like to think of him as a gentle giant with a warrior’s heart. I also thought Reena was sweet and she reminded me of Alice from Twilight. I do sometimes wonder if all sweet girls that play a best friend role will be forever compared to Alice from Twilight though. Something to ponder over.

The Light of Asteria will appeal to die hard romantics and anyone who is spiritual in nature. There were a lot of wonderful messages in the book about the power of forgiveness and how love is the most powerful thing we have. It also made me think about the power of thoughts. I’ve always thought this to be true and I often think about a quote (although I can’t remember who said it) and that is that “if we knew how powerful our thoughts are, we would guard them more closely”. Food for thought. The book also highlights the power of emotions and how they can quickly spiral out of control with potentially disastrous consequences.

The Light of Asteria is a fantasy for young adults that will also appeal to the crossover market and has remnants of childhood fairy stories. I thought it was beautiful and I can’t wait to read the sequel :)

The Light of Asteria was published on 22nd March, 2010. The sequel, entitled The Secret of the Keepers will be published this autumn. To find out more about Elizabeth and her books, click here to visit her website.