Do you have a MG or YA kid? Read this.
Are you looking for clean fiction? Read this.
Have you been waiting for a solid Christian fantasy series? Read this.
Do you like the Harry Potter series? Read this.
"This is old news. I already know about The Wingfeather Saga." Good! Please feel free to skip! Yes, this series has been around for nearly a decade, but I am amazed by how many people (whether teen or adult) I talk to who haven't heard of it, so I figured it was worth the introduction.
Who am I to recommend a book series to you?
No one really, but I am a believer and I am a reader who wants to put good Christian YA fiction in front of you, let alone good Christian fiction period. There are plenty of great Christian non-fiction books out there, but I've noticed that MG and teens, especially, are longing for a book that transports them to another world and makes them dream of the unique purpose God has created them to fulfill.
It took me a moment to engage with the plot because unlike Harry Potter, you are fully immersed into the world of Aerwiar from the very get-go, but that all changed by page 25. After that, I found myself questioning my own writing skills because I was so impressed with Andrew Peterson's Wingfeather Saga. I'm not just saying that. On The Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness rekindled my love for YA fantasy. From the map of Skree and the brief introductions to Aerwiar, Skree, and Igiby Cottage, it was obvious that a significant amount of time and planning went into the development of this story. And it didn't stop there.
Aerwiar is full of new creatures and plants and fruits and vegetables that sometimes sound like a punny amalgamation of a combination of plants or animals, but nevertheless they are refreshingly new and different! As for the characters, I fell in love with Janner, Tink, and Leeli from the moment they were introduced. But my favorite character is definitely the complex, but ever-so-protective-and-loving, Podo . . . well, him and Nugget (being a dog lover myself ... ahem! I have two golden retrievers)!
Well, what about the setting? Without giving too much away, you will find it very difficult not to imagine the dragons' singing to a crowd on the cliffs of the Dark Sea ... that is, until Leeli's voice stills them. You will absolutely picture target practice against toothy cows with Tink and hear Podo's boisterous, but absolutely endearing accent, loud inside your ears!
Obviously, I can't recommend this series enough, but give it a try. Start with book one, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, and prepare yourself for full immersion into Aerwiar.
Have you read The Wingfeather Saga? What'd you think?
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