Young Arcan and the Garden of Loc review by AOrn
Young Arcan and the Garden of Loc (Tales from the Emberthel)
by Matthew Milson
Age Range - 12 and up
Genre - Fantasy

LitPick Review

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Age at time of review - 11
Reviewer's Location - Shippensburg, PA, United States
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One day, when a boy named Arcan lost his parents, he had to move to an orchard with his grandfather. After making friends of the orchard trolls, Arcan felt like he was beginning to fit in. Soon, after a hard days work in the orchard, Arcan decided to take a walk when he happened upon a tree hunched over studying him. Then the tree talked. Arcan began to visit the tree everyday. Arborgast was what he decided to name the tree. One day, the tree hears a noise, and a bluebird lands on one of his out-there branches. After questioning the bird on the noise, he finds out that it was the Origin - or one of the four creators of earth, if you will - Loc, who was building a great wall to surround his castle and garden. A few days later, after the tree had told him about the Origin, Arcan noticed that the orchard trees were dying. When he asked one of the trolls, Prouhet, if he had noticed, he said that he had. When Arcan talked to the tree the next day, the tree said he felt weak. Arborgast then told him that the Origin had to be stopped and Arcan was the one to do it. Arcan set out on his journey the next day, along with Prouhet, meeting many new people and seeing many new faces.

Opinion: 

This book was well-written, but sometimes I found the plot hard to follow. The author left a few loose ends which perhaps should have been tied up, unless hes planning a sequel. For example, Arcans grandfather seems important in the beginning of the book, but we never know what happens once he knows what Arcan and Prouhet did. The characters were strong and had good personalities; I really liked Prouhet, the orchard troll because he was willing to risk his like for Arcan. I would recommend this to people who enjoy adventure and fantasy.

 

Rating:
4
Content Rating:

Content rating - nothing offensive
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