Tales of Elhaanai


Christian - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
130 Pages
Reviewed on 01/02/2021
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Author Biography

The fastest way to see the world and experience adventures without limits is to open a book. Reading has always been my favorite thing to do, it is what I would rather be doing day and night. In 2019 I reached a point in my life where I felt stagnant, I needed direction and a fresh start. As a Christian I take my direction from my heavenly father, so when He woke me at 3am one January morning with the desperate voice of a woman as she ran for her life and the life of her unborn child repeating in my head, I wrote it down and kept writing. That is how Tales of Elhaanai was born.
I am a hospitality professional by trade and a poet at heart. My goal is to spread light and love to my readers, to give them characters they can relate to. Characters who find redemption and hope despite betrayals, that they will see themselves reflected in some aspect within the pages and know that regardless of how or where they start in life, the ending can always change.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Timothy R Baldwin for Readers' Favorite

When King Kaison is poisoned, his wife Alanna is on the run in hopes of protecting their unborn child, Alric. It is prophesied by the Oracle that this boy will possess a power no other before has ever known. In one final act of her own gifts, Alanna exchanges the unborn Alric within her womb with the stillborn boy of a woman carrying twins. This woman will become Alric’s surrogate mother and her daughter, Elainea, will become his sister. Both will be raised by this woman, Wleia, to believe in “The One” and live good and virtuous lives. Thus, King Kaison’s and Queen Alanna’s child is preserved until he and the sister of the womb are able to take on and hone their gifts. Meanwhile, with no good person ruling in their stead, evil takes hold at the hands of Alric’s aunt Devona who dabbles in dark magic and uses it to place her son, David, in power. Only, her dark magic works far better and far less predictably than she, or anyone, could ever imagine. Charged by Wleia to work together and protect each other in the battle to come, the siblings will soon meet an ally in the most unlikely of persons who they will need more than they could ever imagine in the trials soon to come.

Author Nicole Thomas creatively captures a tale of prophecy, treachery, and magic in her fantasy novel, Tales of Elhaanai. Thomas’ tale of betrayal and the fulfillment of a prophecy related to Alric is reminiscent of so many stories. Yet, lest one thinks it lacks originality, Thomas puts her own spin on the motif, incorporating Judeo-Christian mysticism that points to a higher purpose in this fantasy world where there is a true battle between good and evil. Middle-grade readers will identify with the sibling rivalry and banter between Alric and Elainea as they grow and come to maturity. They will also be immersed in the adventure when Alric and Elainea venture off to hone their gifts while around them evil is mounting. Overall, I liked the story and I think it could be a real hit with middle-grade readers.

Talia Kacey

From the moment I started reading this fantastical and magical novel, I could hardly put it down. The Talea of Elhaanai takes you through a thrilling journey of magic, spells, darkness, and light. I felt I was in an African Kingdom with an element of Game of Thrones. Lol I'm serious. I highly recommend this amazingly written book especially if you want to be suspended in mystery and drama. I really loved how the author developed each character as they started a journey of discovering their own truth. Well done!!!

J. C Lucas

Wow! Tales of Elhaanai does not disappoint! Thomas weaves an intricate story of betrayal, suspense, fantasy and magic. From the beginning I was drawn into the Alaric's story. All of the characters in this tale pulled great emotion from me as I read. The fierceness of a mothers love. The anger at betrayal by family members, and the wonder for someone who has changed their ways to help others. I felt all of those and more and cannot wait to read the rest of the series. This is a beautifully written book and I highly recommend!

Majesty42607

This world was absolutely riveting. I read it all in one sitting and loved the pacing and unexpected shifts. I loved how the characters are well fleshed out and you can really connect to each character. The author does an amazing job of showing everyone’s personality and ambitions with in a few lines. There are very few things I saw coming in this world, as hard as I tired to discern the coming pages. The last page left me wanting so much more. I can’t wait for the next book and
So very much hope this gets converted into film. I felt like I watched it as a movie honestly. It was amazing!!! Great job Nicole Patrice Thomas, look forward to much more!

Betty

An interesting read, not my normal type of book but I liked it.

Untamed Publishing

Nicole Thomas did a great job with this book. It is hard to believe that this is her first published novel because she writes like a seasoned veteran. It’s an easy read that pits good vs evil. The spiritual components aren't in your face but strong enough to be noticed. You will find yourself having a hard time putting this one down and you will be finished before you know it. The characters are well developed and easy to follow. The action is complex enough to keep you engaged while being easy to follow. I am waiting with great anticipation for the sequel to this novel.

Saugia Smiley

I have to say from the very beginning I was intrigued. I loved the bold blending of life and death that tugged at my heart strings while simultaneous forcing me to give praise to the strength of the women. It was a beautiful opening to what I am sure will be an amazing series. I can not wait to read more. Well done.
One pers

DocCarol

Could not put the book down! Can’t wait to read the rest of the trilogy! Loved the characters, the plot, the suspense, the adventure and the war between good and evil. Well written, Ms. Thomas. This book series could certainly be the script for a movie one day! Highly recommend!

T Gibbs

I really, really enjoyed this book. It is great! The pace was definitely fast and engaging, maybe a little too fast. The only reason I didn't give it a 5, is because as previously stated by another reviewer it is lacking character development and fleshing out of characters. Everything is told to you, instead of described to you. However, the plot is great and it kept my attention and I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel.

Christine C. Watcher

This is a short book and a quick read with an atmosphere reminiscent of fairy tales. Tales of Elhaanai begins with action and the plot never slows down, propelling the reader forward. Pregnant Queen Alaana is dying from wounds sustained as she escapes a coup staged by her sister-in-law. When a stranger comes to her aid, Alaana realizes an answer to her prayers; one of the twins the women carries has died in the womb. Alaana can save the son still in her womb by switching him with the dead son the woman carries.

Sixteen years later the woman, Wleia, shares the truth of his identity with Alaana’s son Alaric and his “twin sister” Elainea. Since they are each strong in different magics, they are eventually, sent on a journey to the Oracle Shama so he can teach them how to use their gifts.

A second plot line revolves around the man who killed Alaana, Akronius, who has a life-changing experience and becomes instrumental in the twins’ pursuit of Alaric’s birth right.

I enjoyed the quick pacing of the story but thought the characters could have profited from a slightly slower pace to allow them some time to develop. The twins go to Shama to be trained in their gifts but soon after Akronius arrives, they leave Shama to travel back home with no real evidence any training had taken place.

The “evil” characters are compellingly evil, with all betraying and plotting against one another, while they grow as pawns of an unnamed evil.

Ms. Thomas tends to take her readers into everyone’s head so be prepared for some head hopping. But if you like stories of light versus darkness in worlds filled with magic, with clear cut heroes and villains, Tales of Elhaanai will delight you.

Sarah Hill

I saw the cover to this book on Instagram and I was instantly intrigued. Reading more about it I saw it was definitely one I wanted to give a go. This is a tale of good and evil, of the powers of light and the powers of darkness. Devona starts out as the puppet master who kicks off the domino effect of evil that will travel through the kingdom with the murder of the king (her brother) and his queen. Thomas intertwines her own faith and a bit of fantasy to take us on this mysterious adventure where the control of evil is constantly changing hands. For me this showed that doing what was so obviously wrong to get ahead could cost you more than you more than you imagined. I have no doubts that Devona told herself a hundred times she should never have put into motion all the evil she unleashed, because she was better off when she was just the kings sister.
We watch as (Prince) Alric and his sister Elainea discover their own power and learn the truth of their birth. Which is a mystery you will find out when you read the book! One of my favorite characters was Akronius, the man covered in the blood of his sins. Seeing a change in such a monstrous character was a nice thing to see. It shows there is hope for anyone who is willing to admit wrong and change.
There is a huge twist at the end making the second a must read!