Aislin is a unique, young princess–probably around twelve to fourteen-years-old.  Bold, outgoing, and resourceful, she doesn’t intimidate easily.  She feels the full weight of protecting her people whom she loves greatly.  Her character is heartwarming.  Unfortunately, she makes some pretty big decisions all on her own without consulting adults and it makes for a little bit of an awkward storyline at first that might leave the reader wondering what in the world she doing.  In an age of superheroes, this might seem slightly weird but this is a story of a young girl who respects her parents and authority, yet makes important decisions without discussing options with them.  Ultimately, she deals with the consequences well and as you’ll see, things work out in the end.  Having been raised to be kind and to give more than she takes, she learns firsthand what it means to be nice in the face of mean people and to stand up for others. 

Full of fairies, sprites, nymphs, ogres, and other magical and entertaining beings, this book is more than just an amusing adventure.  It has impressive learning moments seamlessly woven into the story.  When things are at their toughest, Aislin doesn’t give up or back down.  There are several young people throughout the book, but Thomas is one that stands out because he, too, is always looking to do the right thing.  Compelled to always tell the truth, Aislin knows she can count on him to always give an honest answer.  He also accepted Aislin when nobody else would.  He is kind and thoughtful. 

Many of the non-human characters are magical and use their powers frequently.  The pacing starts out a tad awkward but it picks up nicely and flows well all the way to the end.  E.D. Baker is also a master of description.  As a wordsmith, she makes the pages come alive.  The author has written at least thirty books including The Frog Princess which was the inspiration for the Disney movie The Princess and the Frog.  With characters of all shapes, sizes, and ages, this book would be fun for both boys and girls.  The targeted age range is third though seventh grade.  This could also make a fun read aloud for the family.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None 

Violence/Gore:  A deer is shot & killed, it is hung over a horse, no descriptions or blood; a bear is shot in the shoulder, no gory descriptions; a teen girl is kidnapped by strange men, no harm to her; several characters create some ghosts and try to scare some men; several young people say some very mean things to a teen girl about how she looks and not being super skinny; a woman has a baby and they are in distress, no gory descriptions; a man is planning a war; a man plans to use two teens as hostages against their families; a man is attacking a kingdom, no details but the young people flee; a teen girl is kidnapped but not harmed, others left on the side of the road; 2 mythical creatures fight each other, sounds are gruesome but no painful details; a teen boy is attacked by a large snake and almost killed, minor details; trolls tosses a live doll around and breaks off her arm; a fairy is trapped; a teen boy is kept on house arrest and gagged because he wouldn’t stop whining; a sleeping spell is used to knock out two teens and they are put in prison and left forever; a fairy is kept in a jar; a battle between several men, no loss of life or harm to anybody; another fairy is trapped in a small place. 

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

Magic, evil, self-defense, war, tempers, kidnapping, married and expecting a baby before anybody knew they were married.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None