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Zirconya #1
The Sage of Aluh'Nehn
From the back cover:
A young elf named Caelum is forced from her world of Zirconya into an unmagical realm named Earth. Ignorant of the life she left behind, she lives as a normal human being, but nothing could be further from the truth. After seventeen years of unknowing exile, a man from her real world, Maze, comes to escort her back, but without her memories of Zirconya, his tales only convince her of his insanity.
When holes begin tearing through the dimensional fabric between Earth and Zirconya, Caelum must find a way to remember her past life before Zirconya's existence is discovered. But how can she remember something she doesn't even believe has happened? As if surviving high school isn't tough enough, add the constant dogging by an annoying, though hunky, mythical man, and the appearance of a creature from her darkest nightmares, and you've got a troubled teen.
A young elf named Caelum is forced from her world of Zirconya into an unmagical realm named Earth. Ignorant of the life she left behind, she lives as a normal human being, but nothing could be further from the truth. After seventeen years of unknowing exile, a man from her real world, Maze, comes to escort her back, but without her memories of Zirconya, his tales only convince her of his insanity.
When holes begin tearing through the dimensional fabric between Earth and Zirconya, Caelum must find a way to remember her past life before Zirconya's existence is discovered. But how can she remember something she doesn't even believe has happened? As if surviving high school isn't tough enough, add the constant dogging by an annoying, though hunky, mythical man, and the appearance of a creature from her darkest nightmares, and you've got a troubled teen.
- GenresYoung AdultFantasy
288 pages, ebook
First published December 5, 2011
1 person is currently reading
60 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 6, 2011
Zirconya is a very well written book with great characters and an amazing plot. It left me yearning for more and I cannot wait until the second book is out because I will most definitely be buying and reading it! Diana Ilinca deserves a round of applause for writing such a great book!
February 20, 2012
Fans of urban fantasy will like this one, as did I. There were a few plot holes that I noticed throughout the book, although those did not really impact the read all that much. Just made me say to myself "why didn't she just..." a few times.
I was a bit disappointed in the fact that the ending did not bring suitable resolution to the major conflict of the book (facing down the protagonist who was threatening Zirconya). I would assume that this is the first book in a series, and that the battle will eventually be waged, but there still should have been some sort of resolution, more than there was (even if it had been a temporary victory).
Other than that, it was a fun read, reminding one of all the high school drama that existed in our past (for many of us, at least).
I was a bit disappointed in the fact that the ending did not bring suitable resolution to the major conflict of the book (facing down the protagonist who was threatening Zirconya). I would assume that this is the first book in a series, and that the battle will eventually be waged, but there still should have been some sort of resolution, more than there was (even if it had been a temporary victory).
Other than that, it was a fun read, reminding one of all the high school drama that existed in our past (for many of us, at least).
February 27, 2012
Originally posted at: http://aurorareviews.blogspot.com/201...
Sometimes a girl just wants to feel special, but Caelum didn’t want to be quite this special.
I was a little surprised when I started reading Zirconya. After reading the blurb, I thought the story would open on Earth. Instead, I found myself in the magical world of Zirconya as Caelum is riding her horse desperately trying to outrun an unknown pursuer. I was immediately caught up in Caelum’s predicament, and the pacing of the story only intensified from there.
Shortly after escaping her would be captor, Caelum discovers the sages of her world have been killed and she and her best friend Melanya are descendants of the sages of water and fire respectively. It would be a lot for even the most level headed girl to handle, yet I thought Caelum and Melanya absorbed the enormous amount of information they were inundated with remarkably well. Sadly, they didn’t have time to say goodbye to all their friends and family. Caelum does get to have a special moment with Aquin, the boy she intends to marry, and it was heartbreaking to watch them share what was their first and probably last kiss. I couldn't help but wonder what the future would hold for them. Caelum and Melanya didn’t have much time to dwell on the huge changes they were about to face. They are informed that they are to be reborn on Earth immediately for their safety, but the ceremony doesn’t go quite as planned. I won’t spill the details, but I will say the ending of chapter two was so intense that I gasped.
From that point the pace of the story slowed briefly, but picked up again very soon. Caelum, whose name is Chloe on Earth, doesn’t remember a thing. She’s a typical teenager trying to navigate high school, so when Maze, her guardian, shows up telling her she’s a sage from a world called Ziconya, she understandably thinks he’s crazy. Despite offering her proof that he’s telling the truth, Caelum stubbornly refuses to believe Maze. I could tell Maze was going to be fighting an uphill battle trying to convince Caelum of her heritage.
Though Caelum is extremely obstinate, I found it easy to like and relate to her. Part of her yearns to be special and unique while part of her just wants to be normal. She wants to stand out enough that she attracts the attention of the guy she has a crush on, but she doesn’t want to stand out so much that she's labeled weird. It's a difficult line to walk, and I can certainly remember feeling that way when I was a teenager. Caelum didn’t seem to be able to handle stress very well, or at least not when she was living as Chloe on Earth. Every time things got intense or difficult, she ran away from the issue. She even cut school quite a bit, to the point her grades were suffering. I could only shake my head at her actions because she made things much harder on herself.
Maze is certainly an interesting character. At first he seems very arrogant and believes he can capture the attention of any woman he chooses. However, as he spends more time with Caelum, it becomes clear that he's much more complex. He begins experiencing feelings he’s never felt before. He truly cares for Caelum, and I seriously suspect that he’s fallen in love with her. Given the rules Maze follows as a guardian and the life Caelum will lead as a sage, I can’t help but wonder if they’ll be allowed to have a relationship someday. I’m very curious as to how things will progress between Caelum and Maze in the next book and I'm wondering if Aquin, her first love, will be a factor at all.
I think the ending of Zirconya slowed down a bit too much. The majority of the book moved at such a fast and exciting pace that I expected all that build up to culminate in a thrilling ending. Instead, the roaring intensity tapered off until it was just a whisper. Despite this small issue, I was still intrigued by the way Ms. Ilinca ended the story. Now that I’ve read the book, I think I have more questions in my mind then when I started reading. I’m anticipating the second book in the series so I can find the answers.
Zirconya is a well thought out fantasy with a fascinating mythology and well developed characters. I’m so glad I had the chance to enjoy this refreshing story. I highly recommend it to young and old readers alike.
Sometimes a girl just wants to feel special, but Caelum didn’t want to be quite this special.
I was a little surprised when I started reading Zirconya. After reading the blurb, I thought the story would open on Earth. Instead, I found myself in the magical world of Zirconya as Caelum is riding her horse desperately trying to outrun an unknown pursuer. I was immediately caught up in Caelum’s predicament, and the pacing of the story only intensified from there.
Shortly after escaping her would be captor, Caelum discovers the sages of her world have been killed and she and her best friend Melanya are descendants of the sages of water and fire respectively. It would be a lot for even the most level headed girl to handle, yet I thought Caelum and Melanya absorbed the enormous amount of information they were inundated with remarkably well. Sadly, they didn’t have time to say goodbye to all their friends and family. Caelum does get to have a special moment with Aquin, the boy she intends to marry, and it was heartbreaking to watch them share what was their first and probably last kiss. I couldn't help but wonder what the future would hold for them. Caelum and Melanya didn’t have much time to dwell on the huge changes they were about to face. They are informed that they are to be reborn on Earth immediately for their safety, but the ceremony doesn’t go quite as planned. I won’t spill the details, but I will say the ending of chapter two was so intense that I gasped.
From that point the pace of the story slowed briefly, but picked up again very soon. Caelum, whose name is Chloe on Earth, doesn’t remember a thing. She’s a typical teenager trying to navigate high school, so when Maze, her guardian, shows up telling her she’s a sage from a world called Ziconya, she understandably thinks he’s crazy. Despite offering her proof that he’s telling the truth, Caelum stubbornly refuses to believe Maze. I could tell Maze was going to be fighting an uphill battle trying to convince Caelum of her heritage.
Though Caelum is extremely obstinate, I found it easy to like and relate to her. Part of her yearns to be special and unique while part of her just wants to be normal. She wants to stand out enough that she attracts the attention of the guy she has a crush on, but she doesn’t want to stand out so much that she's labeled weird. It's a difficult line to walk, and I can certainly remember feeling that way when I was a teenager. Caelum didn’t seem to be able to handle stress very well, or at least not when she was living as Chloe on Earth. Every time things got intense or difficult, she ran away from the issue. She even cut school quite a bit, to the point her grades were suffering. I could only shake my head at her actions because she made things much harder on herself.
Maze is certainly an interesting character. At first he seems very arrogant and believes he can capture the attention of any woman he chooses. However, as he spends more time with Caelum, it becomes clear that he's much more complex. He begins experiencing feelings he’s never felt before. He truly cares for Caelum, and I seriously suspect that he’s fallen in love with her. Given the rules Maze follows as a guardian and the life Caelum will lead as a sage, I can’t help but wonder if they’ll be allowed to have a relationship someday. I’m very curious as to how things will progress between Caelum and Maze in the next book and I'm wondering if Aquin, her first love, will be a factor at all.
I think the ending of Zirconya slowed down a bit too much. The majority of the book moved at such a fast and exciting pace that I expected all that build up to culminate in a thrilling ending. Instead, the roaring intensity tapered off until it was just a whisper. Despite this small issue, I was still intrigued by the way Ms. Ilinca ended the story. Now that I’ve read the book, I think I have more questions in my mind then when I started reading. I’m anticipating the second book in the series so I can find the answers.
Zirconya is a well thought out fantasy with a fascinating mythology and well developed characters. I’m so glad I had the chance to enjoy this refreshing story. I highly recommend it to young and old readers alike.
December 19, 2014
Debut Novel from Diana Ilinca. I read the hardcover version, but it's easier to get in the e-book format.
This is a story of a girl who has to choose between two worlds. One she lives in and remembers, but the other she's forgotten. I wanted to see more of Zirconya, the alternate world where Elves still dwell. The story started in this world as the two girls, Caelum and Melanya discovered who they were and what they had to do in order to provide some safety from their enemies. This first part felt like the author was trying to create a world that was different from our own. She used more stylized speech, which worked sometimes and other times fell a little flat. Once the story moved to Earth, her style changed and flowed better for me.
A few things I didn't like: the info dumps. Someone would ask a question about something and would get the explanation. These questions and answers were obvious info dumps, just there in the story to explain to the reader. I would have like to learn more about the situation through less obvious means. Second, the changing of names. When the girls go into the new world, they get new names and can't remember their existence in Zirconya before their rebirth. I got a bit confused when both names were being used. A few times in the first section of the story I was confused who was who because they were called different things. A little clarity would have helped me keep track of the various characters. Also a couple of times, things seemed to happen just too conviently. It seemed just a little bit contrived in those instances.
The way the story ends also leaves much open for further books. It wasn't a cliff hanger, but the story was not over yet.
While there were a few issues in the writing, this was an interesting story. I hope Ms. Ilinca continues to develop her skills as she continues to write. This is a promising new author.
This is a story of a girl who has to choose between two worlds. One she lives in and remembers, but the other she's forgotten. I wanted to see more of Zirconya, the alternate world where Elves still dwell. The story started in this world as the two girls, Caelum and Melanya discovered who they were and what they had to do in order to provide some safety from their enemies. This first part felt like the author was trying to create a world that was different from our own. She used more stylized speech, which worked sometimes and other times fell a little flat. Once the story moved to Earth, her style changed and flowed better for me.
A few things I didn't like: the info dumps. Someone would ask a question about something and would get the explanation. These questions and answers were obvious info dumps, just there in the story to explain to the reader. I would have like to learn more about the situation through less obvious means. Second, the changing of names. When the girls go into the new world, they get new names and can't remember their existence in Zirconya before their rebirth. I got a bit confused when both names were being used. A few times in the first section of the story I was confused who was who because they were called different things. A little clarity would have helped me keep track of the various characters. Also a couple of times, things seemed to happen just too conviently. It seemed just a little bit contrived in those instances.
The way the story ends also leaves much open for further books. It wasn't a cliff hanger, but the story was not over yet.
While there were a few issues in the writing, this was an interesting story. I hope Ms. Ilinca continues to develop her skills as she continues to write. This is a promising new author.
January 19, 2012
The world of Zirconya is beautifuly described and comes alive in the reader's mind. Caelum is from Zirconya and soon finds out that the Sages that hold her world together have been killed by the evil Sireg'wethyl. On top of this Caelum and her best friend Melanya find out from their professor Aglahr that they are descendants of the sages and therefore they are to take the place of the water and fire sage. But they are not ready as they are not yet trained, therefore they are to be reborn on earth where they can be hidden from Sireg'wethyl. The problem is Caelum is in love and has always been in love with Aquin, to whom she has been promised in marrige. Nevertheless they go to the temple where the rebirth ceremony is to take place, but as they are in the middle of the ceremony Sireg'wethyl and his minions arive and they are thrown into the rebirth mirrors, in order to protect Caelum Aquin stand in front of them and is also thrown with them. The story then takes on an even faster pace as we see Caelum (Chloe on earth) reaching the age of seventeen, but she is unaware of her other-worldly origin. Maze her guardian appears on earth to guide her into remembering, it is urgent that she remembers for the evil Sireg'wethyl is close to finding her and she is in danger. I found this story enchanting, page-turning, humerous in all the appropriate places. The ending of this first book leaves you yearning to find out what comes next...
February 13, 2012
Diana Ilinca's debut, young adult fantasy novel simply draws you into the lives three young elves. But before you know it, you're transported from the land of Zirconya, into modern day Earth. Diana knows her young adult audience well, as we follow the life of young Caelum/Chloe and her friends as they deal with the day to day happenings of being a teenager. Throw in some Elven magic, just to make things even more trickier, and you have a wonderful, engrossing, coming of age tale. It's about growing up, discovering your strengths, overcoming odds, dealing with your peers, and love. But before you know it, the tale has come to an end, leaving you eager to find out what happens next. Thankfully, Diana Ilinca is writing the sequel, which I am patiently waiting for its publication release.
July 21, 2016
The beginning of this book is a bit slow and it has a lengthy prologue I don't believe is necessary in its entirety. The book picks up and is then very hard to put down. You learn a lot about this character and the world of Zirconya as she travels in both. The ending was odd where everything comes to a standstill and starts to move backward, but you're left hanging thinking something big will happen next. The problem is, there is no sequel to go to. I insist Ms. Diana picks this series back up and continues writing it. She's a good storyteller.
January 7, 2012
Excellent debut from a true fan of the genre. Diana proves herself once again as someone who has not only studied but loves, loves, loves the fantasy world. Zirconya is a jumping point for her career, which I expect to be a long one filled with many interesting works. This novel is good for all ages, yet centered in YA. If you are looking for something new and fresh try this book and then hop over to Diana's websites and youtube page. She will keep you entertained forever.
April 17, 2013
I came into the book with no expectations of what to find. What I read was a charming story about a teenager who must deal with her life changing forever. While all teens have to go through changes, Chloe's is far different. Well crafted, I recommend this book and look forward to the next one.
July 26, 2012
A superb read. Highly recommend it.
December 22, 2011
I haven't read many stories like this so I hope it'll be worth all the hype.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews