The Valley Chronicles

by C.M. Selbrede

Two years ago, John and Violet Jenson found themselves in the Valley, a magical world where animals and humans lived together in peace. Now, they have returned, only to find that everything has changed.

Their worst enemies, the Soldiers of Sorrow, have returned from the dead, shattering the Valley itself into two opposing sides. As John and Violet find themselves on opposing sides of the burgeoning conflict, they are forced to face forgotten truths about themselves and the ones they trust in this utterly unique tale of family, friendship, and warring ideologies.

382 pages, Paperback

Published January 21, 2016

About the author

Craig Selbrede is not actually a real person. In reality, he is a composite being, comprised of 10% bad hockey, 50% regret, and 40% television. Ever since he was young, he has loved to write and he is thrilled to have written and self-published his first novel, The Valley Chronicles. Craig is an avid reader of comic books who also loves the internet. He is currently a junior at Bates College.

Reviews

[Monrhoue Lafayette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll refrain from issuing any spoilers, but I will say that I absolutely loved the book. The mystical and fantastical elements are showcased aptly, and despite the magical premise of the story, it never fails to remind us that the characters have faults, are fallible, and can even sometimes fail. Though some placements of scenes are a bit confusing, all still came together to create a story that was cohesive. The ending tied up enough to where it felt the protagonists accomplished something, while still having enough left to be done to lead into more entries. I can't wait to read the next entry to see how this world is expanded <3

[Kimberly Vanderbloom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads First Read Giveaway.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was an a tale of John and Violet Jenson. It has magic, villains, and hope. I liked the way it flowed and how it was written. I was shocked when I found out it was written by a high schooler. I look forward to watching their writing grow. I would recommend this to any of my YA fantasy loving fans.

[Eli Ransom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a GoodReads Giveaway

The plot of this book, two siblings John and Violet returning to a magical world called the valley, was interesting and moved faster the further read. The reason I can only rate this a 3 star is each chapter switches between the point of view of both characters, and I found it difficult to distinguish them as they seemed to have the same voice, especially during the first two-thirds of the book. I found a few grammar and punctuation mistakes also (though I did not tag them as I usually would),and wish it had gone through another draft as they would have been caught.
I look forward to seeing what the author publishes in the future to see his work develop further.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book about two siblings and a marvelous and action packed adventure that they take. This book kept me constantly engrossed and I never knew what would happen next. I loved the perspective shifts between the main two characters from chapter to chapter as it was helpful to understand both of their perspectives. I also loved how developed all of the characters were, even if they had smaller parts to play in the story. My favourite was Hodgey the dog! I overall would fully recommend this book and cannot wait to read its sequels!

[Naomi Hess · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend Craig, a sophomore in high school, recently wrote and published his very first book! It tells the story of John and Violet, siblings who find themselves in a magical world called the Valley. They join the fight against the Soldiers of Sorrow and learn about themselves during their journey. This is such an amazing book and I recommend that you read it! It can be purchased on Amazon or BarnesandNoble.com, but if you buy it from this website, more of the proceeds go to Craig: http://www.lulu.com/shop/c-m-selbrede...

Read this book as soon as you can!