Lost Daughters of Avalon By J. Lynn Else
Minnesota author J Lynn Else has published seven books to date, her genres include historical fiction, sci-fi, and fantasy fiction. LOST DAUGHTERS OF AVALON is the second volume of her popular Awakenings Series. In addition to writing, she serves as a reviewer for the Historical Novel Society,
For this series of fantasy novels, Lynn has created a special location: the legendary island of Avalon, a land separated from Earth after King Arthur’s death. In the initial novel four girls toss their wishing coins into a Minnesota well and Genie, Beth, Mei, and Whit are transported to Avalon where adventure awaits. Now, in the second episode, Genie opens the story – ‘Little Falls roared. That is, as mightily as falls named “little” could roar. Overhead, the clouds trudged across the sky like billowing puffs from a low moving train. Cool water swirled around my feet while my back rested on a smooth-topped stone. With one hand behind my head, I used my left to point eastward. “That one, hanging over the rotting oak. See it? Witch’s hat.” With that flavor of blending adventure with atmospheric details and a dollop of humor this series successfully continues the Avalon ‘hagiologies.’
The new events found in this fantasy are as follows: ‘After not hearing anything from their knights in Avalon for weeks, the horrible Questing Beast breaks through into the world and attacks Genie, Beth, Mei, and Whit. Their magic stirs to stop the monster, but Beth’s attempts fail. Help from Avalon arrives just in time to remove the curse and reveal a woman inside the beast who claims to be Genie’s biological mother. The four friends learn their knights had gone missing, along with one of Avalon’s queens, Viviane. An ancient evil runs amok in Avalon and the people blame the four friends, claiming they released Merlin to destroy their world. To clear their name and rescue their knights, the four friends must once again risk the dangers of Avalon. Genie, Beth, Mei, and Whit must pull together and learn to combine their powers of air, water, earth, and fire to rebalance the world they might have thrown into chaos. If they fail, the worlds of Avalon and Earth could destabilize and end life as they know it.’
Sheer fantasy, spun by a talented author continues a series that will appeal to young readers – and their magic-hungry older flock! This is one delightful novel, worthy of exploring. Recommended. Grady Harp Review.
