Elissa's Quest

Phoenix Rising #1

by Erica Verrillo

THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD ELISSA LEADS a solitary life. She knows nothing of her parents—only that her mother is dead. Her caretaker, Nana, keeps her father's identity a secret from her. Meanwhile Elissa carries her own secret—the people of the valley must not know that she has the gift of speaking to animals. For now she is just a healer's apprentice in peaceful High Crossing, but Elissa dreams of a more exciting life, and of, one day, finding her father.

When an unexpected royal guest arrives at the Manor, Elissa's life changes forever. She leaves home with him, only to discover that she's become a pawn in a battle for his kingdom. Accompanied by her dear donkey, Gertrude, she is delivered to the evil Khan. Elissa's quest for freedom and the truth about her past leads to questions about the future. Is she the key to a prophecy—the prophecy of the Phoenix—that everyone seems to know about, except her?

In Book One of the Phoenix Rising trilogy, new author Erica Verrillo has crafted a classic—and often humorous—fantasy adventure with a strong, unwitting heroine.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Childrens, Magic, Adventure, Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 2007

About the author

My daughter fell ill when she was eight, and for nearly two years she was unable to attend school. I spent a great deal of that time entertaining her with stories about an intrepid young girl named Elissa, who could talk with animals. Many years later she asked me to write those stories down. (I did, because I do everything my daughter says.) Once I had written them down, she told me to get them published.

A few years later, Random House published those stories as a trilogy, Elissa's Quest, Elissa's Odyssey and World's End. I discovered I liked writing, so I have kept at it ever since.

My current project is a fantasy about a girl who falls in love with Fire, jumps into a volcano, and emerges unscathed to battle Alexander the Great's Army. (My son has told me to publish it. I do everything he says as well.)

Reviews

[Gwen the Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elissa has lived in the valley with the healing woman for her whole life. She does not know who her parents were and Nana has never spoken of them. Elissa has learned not to ask questions about her past, so it is shock when her father, a nobleman, turns up one evening to claim her and take her away. At first, Elissa is thrilled to finally learn who she is, but her father proves just as taciturn as Nana. Elissa soon discovers that her father has only claimed her to use her as a bargaining chip in marriage to a despicable Khan. Now, Elissa must use her wits and her magical power of talking to animals to escape the destiny her father has planned for her and set out on a quest to find and claim her true identity. With locations sweeping from a lush, forested mountainside to the cruel desert citadel, this fantasy novel is exciting and full of adventurous escapes. Elissa is a realistic heroine and uses her powers to find creative solutions during her quest. Upper elementary and junior high fantasy readers will welcome this first volume of a projected trilogy.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com

After reading ELISSA'S QUEST, I am looking forward to the next installment of the PHOENIX RISING trilogy.

Elissa is thirteen years old and lives with the midwife in the village of High Crossing. Her caretaker doesn't speak to Elissa about her parentage and so Elissa grows up lonely. Her only friends are the animals around the valley, because she has the gift of understanding their language. Her best friend is Gertrude, the donkey.

One day a royal contingent arrives and Elissa learns that she is a princess and she is to go with her father on a quest. On this mission she is abducted, treated like a princess, makes friends, makes enemies, and finally saves the world.

Throughout the quest she learns many lessons of loyalty, family, identity, and power. Elissa is a strong female character. She thinks for herself and is very independent. She takes risks but is still sensitive enough to be vulnerable. This is a classic fantasy tale with a quest and a strong heroine.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and recommend it to all.

[Kori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book. I didn't want to ever put it down. I'd recommend it to everyone even though it's targeted at a younger audience. I'm 16 and I enjoyed it very much. The writing is done in a way that younger children could understand it and also it'd help their vocabulary. I personally think that it should be targeted for a teen audience. It has some jokes in it that I feel younger kids wouldn't understand but older people, teens or adults, would find hilarious. The author is simply a genius. I can't wait for the rest of her writings.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Elissa. She is a thirteen year old potential orphan. Her caretaker, the local midwife and healer and the person who raised her from infancy has only told her that her mother is dead and doesn't answer her questions about her father. Then guess who shows up? You got it. Dear old Dad. This book revolves largly around her relationship with him as he takes her to the Khan to trade her for troops to win a war. Um, what? And did I mention that she can talk to animals and may be the person who is going to start the cycle of life over again so the world doesn't end? Many devices. There is some perspective switching, but not very much and the animal talking thing is good. As is her friend Maya. But, largly, the characters seemed shallow and the decisions were clear. The book never went anywhere I wasn't expecting, which is one of the standards I hold all young adult books to. I need a little variety, as do most people. It's brain candy and a trilogy that isn't finished yet, so you might want to hold off on reading it until it is.

[Rose Q. Addams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worldbuilding: excellent.

As for the rest... I don't know if I'm going to read more of this. Got a little too much going on, maybe, for me? It felt like it was trying to be YA in content, but was really styled more like a MG book. Not a bad book, per se, but there are things I've definitely enjoyed more.

Content warnings: various made-for-the-world deities are discussed. Evil dictator has harem, regularly abuses those under him with beatings, etc. A girl gets her first "monthly". (Although unlike the majority of books I've read where it happens, it's ACTUALLY relevant to the plot, thank heavens...)

... And there's a "life is precious all around so eating meat is bad" undercurrent that's in there, as well; although I must say that the food descriptions were delightful. *Chef's kiss*

(Not that I object to the first part: life IS precious... but I think animals were given to us to care for well {not to abuse by shutting in dark places, depriving of exercise, and overfeeding}, and then, in certain cases, eat. There's my opinion. I don't like fiction telling me to avoid the occasional burger I indulge in.)

[Melaniemouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining in a very-JV-fantasy sort of way. Felt like something that would have been an animated movie in the 80s or 90s. I liked some of the side characters - I could picture Maya perfectly, and the camel made me giggle. A lot of plot points went unanswered, but it is a trilogy, so I assume those will be forthcoming.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best Y/YA trilogies written! I love the world building, and the characterization. (I wish this were aged up a bit)

[Alyeska Giles · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was easy to guess what came next, and it didn't make a lot of sense, but it was still a really good book! I would recommend it highly to any young girl.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My absolute favorite series, as a child and now as an adult

[Amelia Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my all-time favourite book series as a kid! I love the setting of these books! Still to this day I will sometimes think of the beautiful imagery in Verrillo's writing.

[Alina · Rating 1 out of 5]

lol

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried really hard to like Elissa’s Quest, but I found it incredibly difficult to get past the perfection of Elissa as a protagonist and the overall stale feeling of the world. I hope Verrillo expands and improves on her world in the next two books (though I doubt I will read them), because the world in this book is so bland with absolutely nothing new in it. I did appreciate that she included all the different cultures, but we saw so much of the world so fast that I couldn’t soak it up at all.

And, yes, Elissa is way too perfect, and it’s more and more noticeable the further into the book you go. She always knows exactly how to respond in every situation, she never overreacts, and she accepts everything that is thrown at her with complete calmness and understanding. The bit with her magic at the end is pretty cool, but by that point I was so aggravated by her perfection that I just was even more aggravated by the appearance of her Awesome Powers, which she executes perfectly of course.

Also, when I first started reading, I thought the book was written in the 90s due to the cover and the overall style and feel of the writing and the world. I was surprised to discover that no, this book was written in 2007. I actually think this book would be better if it had been written in the 90s, because its overall feel is very 90s fantasy.

Overall, Elissa’s Quest is not really a stand-out “bad” book, but Verillo does little to make her world memorable and unique, and Elissa is the perfect Mary Sue character. That, plus my overall apathy throughout the entire book, leads to my 1 out of 5 rating. The covers for the next two books are cool, but that’s all that attracts me to the rest of the trilogy.

[The Grimm Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first started this book, I was sure it was going to be one of those okay filler books that I read between the more exciting YA series or Middle Grade series whose next installment I was impatiently waiting for. But by page 50, I was caught hook, line, and sinker. What I originally thought was going to be a slow paced read turned into a story I couldn't put down.
Elissa's Quest is original and creative; unique in its own way. I was blown away by the story, and was left hungry for the next two. It does have the pace of and general writing of a Middle Grade novel, but it also has aspects and things that make it feel like one of those rare books that are floating in between Middle Grade and Young Adult. I was grabbed by the story, biting my nails while I waited to see what happened next. The author is truly gifted.
I think part of what made this book so amazing for me because I was taken completely by surprise by it. Usually I "know" when I am going to love or hate a book, but this one completely blindsided me. I was sure it was going to be one of those books that I liked but thought "okay" on the enjoyment level -- liked at the time, then put under my bed (I long ago ran out of bookshelf space) and forgotten. However, even months after reading it, I still think about it.
It is really good, and another I would recommend to nearly everyone. I hope you give it a try. Enjoy.

[Conan Tigard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Talk about a fast and fun book. Right form the start, I was grabbed by Elissa' Quest and found myself in a literary stranglehold. I just couldn't put this book down. I loved all of the characters in this book. Elissa and Maya are quite the pair and they work very well together. We really didn't get to know the Khan very well, maybe we will in future books. He doesn't seem all the evil . . . yet. And Lord Falk, who is he? Why did he give up his daughter as a baby? Who was Elissa's mother? How did Elissa get her powers? So many question yet to be answered.

I have always wanted to talk with animals. How cool would that be? I loved how she used her powers at the end of the story. I didn't see that coming. Erica Verrillo has created something quite special with Elissa's Quest. It is a wonderful story that will keep you up late at night reading until you can barely hold the book anymore as sleep overcomes you.

As a first book for young readers, Erica Verrillo has hit a homerun right out of the park. Young readers will love this book, as will adults. I highly recommend Elissa's Quest and cannot wait to read the next book in the Phoenix Rising Trilogy, Elissa's Odyssey.

I rated this book a 9½ out of 10.

[Dakota · Rating 3 out of 5]

Verrillo is so engaging in creating Elissa's character and surroundings. She is a bit wordy and the descriptions of events sometimes go on a bit long, but the ending is fantastic and the dialogue is fun and moves along at a nice clip. I am kind of curious about the cultural/anthropological subtext behind a white girl encountering a bunch of what seemed to be inspired by Bedouins. It says in Verrillo's bio that she is a world traveler and you wonder if this was inspired by her Middle Eastern travels. But was it necessary for Elissa to be white when most of the other characters were "Middle Eastern"? Was that so she would feel a sense of bewilderment and newness? It seems that could have been achieved by having the main character be a "Middle Eastern" gal from a neighboring land. Just curious about her motivations for painting the desert people and Blue People as she did, mystical and mysterious. There is definitely, as there is in most fantasy writing, a sense of fetishization here.

Fun book and excited to read the rest of the series!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** Irrelevant to Review: Originally I had skipped this book because my local library didnt have it and one of the librarians had ordeered it for me but it nmvr came, later I began using the colapuclib.org sit and boom found out it was nvr ordered. But now I have.

Well Elissa is raised in this small little protected 'town', she knows her mother died but was never told about her father, until the day he came too get her. This begans the story of intrigue, magic, travel and discovery. The book can stand alone but what kind of adventure would that be if it ended with her DEFEATING A WHOLE ARMY ON HER OWN. But theres still unressolved issues in the end like returning Mya, snd the question about what will happen with the Kan? and her father? This is the begging of a lovsble interesting magically marvelous adventure that will just suck you in... Personally I loved the WHOLE trilogy and wish it hadnt ended. But C'est la vie, or such is life, especially in the book world.

[Rebecca Gatzlaff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Elissa's Quest is about a girl named Elissa who is an orphan and live with an old woman named Nana, who is a healer. One day Elissa's father comes to collect her and her adventures begin. This reminded me of the immortals series by Tamera Pierce. The main character Elissa can speak to animals. But this book is so much more, it is about friendship, dealing with hardships and protecting the world. She meets a servant girl, Maya, that gets into trouble but, never gets caught. Maya teaches her about the history and lead Elissa to her final destination. My favorite scenes were with animals. There is one scene were Elissa is past out on the dessert and when she wakes up there are vultures talking about when to eat her. She shouts at them that she is alive and sends the out to get help. If you like fantasy or are an animal lover then you will enjoy this fun book.

[Tim Earle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Elissa's Quest a couple of months ago after it was recommended by the librarian in our local library. She said it was one of the best fantasies out there, and after reading it, I have to agree. It's not your usual fantasy. Even though it was written as a children's book, it's fairly sophisticated. Elissa has enough in the way of personal problems (with her father ... or lack of father)to make it interesting to an older audience. The descriptions of the desert were so vivid, I actually got thirsty. And the talking animals were hilarious! I have the feeling that even though it's a children's fantasy, the author is going somewhere unexpected with this trilogy. I can't wait for the final book to come out.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather boring fantasy that never really comes together. The first in the Phoenix Rising trilogy, the book never really gots me involved in the characters' lives so that adventure and danger left me cold. What is it about some authors' writing that makes you connect with characters deeply (and quickly) so that you actually CARE about them. I never reached that with Elissa and her gang, and the final climactic battle was so underplayed and poorly described that it was over and done with before anything really happened (it's a wonderful idea, just poorly executed).

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book. First, you don't have to compete with your friends to be popular. I know that in a fantasy about a girl who can talk to animals, that's not really an issue. But, Elissa always manages to get along with everybody. She's kind and forgiving. She doesn't try to get the upper hand. And, she is courageous and never tells lies. For me, she is a role model. Also, the book was a lot of fun to read.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in a trilogy. Elissa has been raised by Nana the valley's midwife, with no knowledge of her parents. When her father shows up she discovers that she is the daughter of a Prince who now wants to use her as a pawn in his political quest for power. Elissa has the ability to talk to animals and is able to use this gift to help herself out of some tight places.

I'm excited to read the next book.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characters are predictable to a T, and I found some of the topics in the book written for younger readers but over their head to a point.

I was more then halfway through the book when I realized the book wasn't going to go anywhere and I'd have to read the second one. I didn't like that if left off in such an obvious cliffhanger.

A lot of potential maybe the author grows. But I don't think this book has the crossover appeal to adults like it's looking for.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elissa is raised in a small mountain village by the women she knew as her grandmother. All she knew about her parents were that her mother died when she was born. Elissa is able to speak with animals. Her grandmother warns her to never let anyone know about her gift. One day a group of soldiers come into the village and Elissa learns she is a princess and she is to become the pawn in her father gaining mercenaries to battle a neighboring kingdom. Fantasy recommended for 4-6 grades

[Sheralyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Elissa. An orphan that is raised simply then turned to her father to be used as a pawn. I cannot believe she agreed to stay with the sheik since the man was obviously evil. I was so angry at he wait for the third and then Barnes and Nobel did not have it and I had to wait for it to be shipped. How annoying!

[Alyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Large type makes it seem to be for younger readers, yet this girl is facing potential marriage to a guy with tons of wives, and she's not even 14 yet. So the topics, while not graphic, seem inappropriate for younger readers.

If not for that, I'd give it 3 stars. But I'm looking for books for my 9 year old daughter.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Tore through it in a day and a half. A story of a girl that can talk to animals. Perfectly done, not sappy or campy. Seemed like adult themes: war, wives, becoming a woman, all woven into a tale set in the desert. A stand alone book, but thankfully there is a book two, and three. Can't wait.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK, this is a promising first in a trilogy. I did like it OK. The writing was a tad awkward but the author is definitely on the right track with it. I will happily read the other two when they hit the shelves. Would I buy it? No, but I would recommend it as a nice quiet little read.

[Emily S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author intrusion and single sentence POV shifts drove me nuts at times, but the story plugged along at a good pace. I especially loved Maya, the water child. I'll probably read the next book in the trilogy.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book! It was exciting and the animals were hilarious. The Blue People rocked. The prophecy was a mystery, but that's the way prophecies are supposed to be. I've told all of my friends to read it.

[Miss Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uh, well, I was very bored reading this. Did not feel for the characters or their plight and I felt that for a trilogy, this book accomplished extraordinarily little. Not going to bother with the other two.