Water Works

Emma and the Elementals #2

by Tanya Karen Gough

Three years have passed, and Emma has settled comfortably into her new life. The basement brownies, the troll-green siren Leucosia, and the prehistoric bird George have faded into memory, mere stories she told her best friend Reggie when they were little. Her battle with the evil witch was nothing more than the product of her overactive childhood imagination. But then it starts to rain.

Before she knows it, Emma is back in Under, this time with a sick Reggie in tow. With the help of new friends (and several old ones), she travels to the mysterious Yesno jungle and a barren island beneath the setting sun, where the choices she makes threaten to destroy everything she loves. She must overcome terrifying challenges both on the sea and below it, all in an effort to save her best friend.

With water, water everywhere, what is a girl to think?

Genres: Fantasy

225 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2015

About the author

Tanya Karen Gough owned and published The Poor Yorick Shakespeare Catalogue from 1997-2007, earning a strong international customer base of world class academics and high school educators. She was also a contributing editor for the Internet Shakespeare Editions at the University of Victoria (BC), audio advisor for the Sourcebooks Shakespeare textbook series, and theatre reviewer for Playshakespeare.com. Tanya grew up in New England and currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Reviews

[Lance Schonberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are no spoilers here, no plot hints, no discussion of themes or sources or anything else. I’m not going to tell you any of the names of the main characters, villains, or supporting crew.

So, the big caveats out of the way, Water Works is a sequel to Root Bound, and is the second of four books she’s planned in the series Emma and the Elementals. (Okay, I guess you can have one character name from the series title.) You might guess that, if Tanya is working with the four classical elements (and that's what I'm guessing until she tells me otherwise), this second book represents water. In that line, the first would be earth. Don’t read too much into things, though. The author is quite well read and pulls from a lot of different sources for inspiration. The elements are more of a unifying undercurrent.

I was priveleged to read the Beta and haven't put my hands on the final yet (I should fix that), but it's very easy for me to say that if you enjoyed Root Bound, you'll love Water Works.

Beyond that, I’m absolutely willing to say I really liked the story, though I’m very much not the target audience (it’s Middle Grade Fantasy). Water Works is a quick, fun read, good for someone who’s looking to graduate from early chapter books into real adventure, or for anyone who enjoys Middle Grade Fantasy.

But no discussion, no real impressions, and no detailed review. Not until I’ve read the final version.

It wouldn’t be fair to the author or the story.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Tanya Karen Gough's first book in this series "Root Bound" I could not wait for Emma's next adventure in "Water Works" to hit the internet. Water Works continues the adventurous journey of a young girl learning about herself, her mother and father, and her friends. Gough's descriptive writing style will paint a vivid description of all the struggles and victories Emma faces. What I really love about Water Works (and Root Bound) is how Tanya Karen Gough will incorporate real history into her writings, teaching your child Mythology and Lore, while taking them on a fantastic journey at the same time. Water Works has left a memorable impression and will remain in my personal library for the times I just need to escape reality and enjoy the underworld life.

[Sandra W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun and entertaining series. Like Root Bound, Water Works is full of crazy characters and strange, magical adventures. Water Works plays with history as much as with fairy tales, so it gives me lots to talk about with my grandson, who really enjoys these books, too.