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The Tree of Mindala

Elle Jacklee

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Feb 01, 2014 H.M. Jones rated it it was amazing

I bought the Tree of Mindala after seeing it featured on Goodreads as a giveaway. I was super disappointed that I did not win the giveaway, so I purchased it because, honestly, the cover just spoke to me. It is a fantastic cover! As a reviewer, it is not often that I have to purchase books, as I get a lot of authors interested in my feedback, but I'm glad I paid for this one because it was well worth the couple of dollars and more.

I am a fantasy lover, so the aspects of high fantasy (magic, wiza I bought the Tree of Mindala after seeing it featured on Goodreads as a giveaway. I was super disappointed that I did not win the giveaway, so I purchased it because, honestly, the cover just spoke to me. It is a fantastic cover! As a reviewer, it is not often that I have to purchase books, as I get a lot of authors interested in my feedback, but I'm glad I paid for this one because it was well worth the couple of dollars and more.

I am a fantasy lover, so the aspects of high fantasy (magic, wizards, fantastical talking beasts) did not turn me off. If you don't like those things, this book may not be your cup of tea. However, the main characters, especially Marcus, Raina and Leaf, and Skye were so down to earth and flawed that I felt like they could have been my next door neighbors.

Actually, the only reason I would rate this book at a 4.5 (which would be my actual rating, if there were half stars on this site, but I could not bring myself to give it a 4, as I liked it far too much) is that I found Miranda to be too good and perfect, and I was often confused by her motives and felt that they were not genuine motives. I tend to side with screw-ups, though, and other people may not find they have that issue.

I found the world of Wunderwood to be lovely, vividly placed in my mind through skilled writing and detail, and very original, even though it plays upon themes that are well established. The writing seemed to me a mesh of Rowling, L'engle, and Wynne Jones, all of whom are some of my favorite YA Fantasy authors. I can tell that Jacklee understands YA fantasy, loves it and knows what has come before, and how to use those themes without being stale. That is not to say that the world she created was a copy. It is in no way a copy of any other world I have read (and I read a lot of fantasy), but it's own, unique setting with new characters and a very cool twist on magical identity vs. inheritance.

Along with the vivid, detailed landscape, I truly enjoyed the fun magical imaginings of Jacklee's mind, and could picture them in my head, playing them out as though I could tap into the magic of Wunderwood. I felt every character in the story had a background, personality and traits all their own, and could only ask for a little detail on the part of Miranda, who I simply wanted to experience more fully as a main character. Again, I probably just wanted her to be more gritty and unsure of herself. However, I LOVED Marcus and Skye, and feel like I've known them for years.

I cannot wait for the second book in this installation. It is a shame that Jacklee is not yet a common household fantasy name, but I have a feeling that may change.
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May 16, 2016 gj indieBRAG rated it it was amazing

Shelves: b-r-a-g-medallion-books

We are proud to announce that THE TREE OF MINDALA by Elle Jacklee is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!

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Oct 15, 2012 Elle Jacklee added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: middle-grade-fantasy, ya-fantasy, magic

Mar 19, 2013 Cobwebs-Iced-Across-SpaceTime marked it as to-read

Shelves: a1-i-own-books, a1-by-author-request, march-2013_reads

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