My Review - Children of Lightning by Annie K. Wong

Through a series of chance discoveries, the secrets of the ancient curse unfold before a warrior named Writhren Hollow. Is her purely female clan the result of a lapse of divine providence, or are the Hollows themselves victims of an enslavement scheme?

REVIEW

I really like the books that, in addition of a pleasant reading, provide me the chance to use and refresh my knowledge in mythology and literature. Children of Lightning presents elements of the universal mythology, from Babylonian and Greek to Christian one. It's not because you need them to enjoy the story, but I've always appreciated a book that pushed me to seek the author’s inspiration source, to pick up on the correspondences and the differences, and most importantly, to savor the artistic way in which the author developed the story, the characters and the newly created world in which they live and ... die.

From The Seventh Realm to the very real group of Ophidia, from a probable ancestor of Medusa (in ancient Greek version, not in the newer version of Ovid) to the universality of concepts and the significance with which the lightning was empowered and using many other aspects and references, the author begins to build the story of our heroine.

Written somewhat as a "historical report", but sprinkled with heroine’s thoughts and concerns, this beginning benefits by an artistic approach that brings value to the story. The elaborate world, the very different creatures, the personal and political ties between them, the details and the descriptions confirm the artistic inspiration of the author, but will also test a bit the attention of the reader. The attentive reader will be delighted to discover the beauty and complexity of the scene in which the story takes place recognizing its coordinates in the heroine's own story. The world is a reflection and a source of motivation for the heroine’s tribulations.

The fundamental theme of the conflict between what it’s written in the stars and free will get new facets by bringing the prophetic curses in the equation and by introducing in the game some supernatural elements even for the epic fantasy world in which the Children of Lightning were created. Death and impossibility of love will put their mark on the soul of the heroine and will trigger new conflicts.

The pace of the story is sustained. The losses and successes do not allow slow moments. Author’s imagination proves a strong violent side, but, what the hell, this is how fights are supposed to be and even the carnage has sense.

As I said above, the Children of Lightning is just the beginning and a continuation - from where, in fact, will begin the real inner struggle of the heroine - it is not only welcome, but necessary to get the whole picture, to see if, at the end, our main character is a victim of her own flaws and she will become a villain, or is a hero as a winner in the battle between Fate and Free Will, finding her true identity and personal dignity.

If you don’t want a common heroine, you will like to read Children of Lightning.

Description:

Secrets beget secrets. The curse that befell the Hollows clan has left them incapable of producing male offspring. To extend their bloodline, they have formed a covenant with the serpentine Ophidians, who give them children. In return, the Hollows must keep these monstrous creatures well fed, though the details of the procurement are so abominable that the truth is never revealed to the other clans. In their homeland of Matikki, they live like outcasts.

Through a series of chance discoveries, the secrets of the ancient curse unfold before a warrior named Writhren Hollow. Is her purely female clan the result of a lapse of divine providence, or are the Hollows themselves victims of an enslavement scheme?

If Writhren frees her clan from the covenant, she risks the wrath of the Ophidians and the future of her bloodline. If she keeps the truth of the curse to herself, she is a traitor to her own kind. Either way, she will suffer for what she must do.

This is not a story of redemption, but regret. This is Writhren’s story.

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About the author:

Annie K. Wong was born in Hong Kong and lives in Canada, in the west coast city of Vancouver, BC. She has a BA in Business Administration and Creative Writing from Houghton College as well as a Diploma in Film Studies from the University of British Columbia. Although she explored careers in advertising, television and office administration, the desire to write overtook her at the turn of the new millennium. In 2003 she earned a Post-Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing from Humber College and has been crafting stories ever since.

Her current project is a fantasy series, the prequel of which is Children of Lightning.

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