Allie Munroe and four classmates are at the library working
on a school project when they're transported into the
magical world of Nerissette by a fairy tale book and a
talking cat. In Nerissette, things work a little
differently. People are ruled by Fate, goddess of this
world, and karma determines a person's social status. So
Allie, who might as well have been invisible in the human
world, is the Crown Princess. Unfortunately, she's a Crown
Princess in name only. The true power behind the throne lies
with the Fate Maker, a powerful wizard who will do anything
to keep it that way: even make alliances with the trolls who
harvest humans as payment for their support. All Allie
really wants is to go home but as long as the Fate Maker is
in charge, she and her friends will never find their way
back into the human world, and Nerissette will be subjected
to a power-hungry wizard who cares nothing for the people.
Allie has no choice but to step up and be the warrior queen
that Nerissette desperately needs, but what does a girl from
Pennsylvania know about ruling a kingdom or being a
princess? Allie must learn quickly or her friends will pay
the price.
EVERLAST by Andria Buchanan is the first book in The
Chronicles of Nerissette in which she creates an
enchanted
kingdom filled with powerful magic, fantastic creatures, and
shaky political alliances. Fate and karma are very hard
concepts for me to read. What can I say? I'm truly a
believer in creating your own future through personal choice
and action. There is no pre-determined path that we must
follow. So when I first started reading, I'll admit to
bristling a little each and every time Fate with a capital F
was mentioned. Buchanan though quickly addresses the issue
of Fate through Allie, the main protagonist, which I really
appreciated. Allie is an American girl. She believes in
making her own choices. She doesn't accept blindly that
she's some great princess who will become a warrior queen to
lead Nerissette into a peaceful future. She questions the
entire concept of Fate and she questions her ability to be
such a leader.
I really like that Allie stays true to who
she was in the human world. She doesn't suddenly become
assertive and confident. She still questions whether she has
the skills needed to be such a leader. At times the
questioning was a little too angst driven, but on the whole,
Allie's self-doubt was effectively used to emphasize the
themes of personal choice and tolerance. Allie is thoughtful
and considerate. She does't see the different races
(goblin, dryad, human, fairy, dragons) as inferior or
superior. She sees people as individuals and treats them as
such.
The world of Nerissette is complex and huge. It's a little
hard to take it all in in the first few chapters as the
rules of the world are being established, but Buchanan does
a great job of reminding the reader throughout the story of
the intricate relationships between characters, world, and
the political structure. One of the best aspects of the
fantasy genre is the creation of new worlds, and it is one
of the most challenging to write because it must be easily
understood but feel complete and realistic.
Buchanan has
established a very interesting and intriguing world that I
can't wait to see how she expands as she continues to write
The Chronicles of Nerissette. EVERLAST by Andria
Buchanan
kicks off an interesting new series that questions the
concept of destiny by throwing five American teens into a
fantastical world ruled by Fate. Whether Allie's destiny is
one of her own making or one she was born to fulfill is yet
to be determined, but it will be interesting to see how this
series progresses and how the world continues to expand.
Allie Munroe has only ever wanted to belong, maybe even be well liked. But even though she’s nice and smart and has a couple of friends, she’s still pretty much the invisible girl at school. So when the chance to work with her friends and some of the popular kids on an English project comes up, Allie jumps at the chance to be noticed. And her plan would have worked out just fine…if they hadn’t been sucked into a magical realm through a dusty old book of fairy tales in the middle of the library. Now, Allie and her classmates are stuck in Nerissette, a world where karma rules and your social status is determined by what you deserve. Which makes a misfit like Allie the Crown Princess, and her archrival the scullery maid. And the only way out is for Allie to rally and lead the people of Nerissette against the evil forces that threaten their very existence.
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