Return to  Zandria By Christine Norris Release Date: Buy it Today! LBF Books Ratings Action Romance Characters Overall Purchase on Amazon. Find independent bookstores.

Three years ago, in the Talisman of Zandria, Ivy went to the land of Zandria (one of three secret gateways connecting Zandria and our world just happens to be located nearby) to help save the citizens of Zandria from an evil sorceress. Now, when things are again leading towards disaster, her old friends beckon her back, and Ivy finds herself on a quest to rescue the empress’s kidnapped daughter, a quest that leads her right back into her own world. Filled with magical creatures of every variety, the land of Zandria is any fantasy lover’s dream and any mall-loving teenager’s worst nightmare.

This is a sequel book, but I don’t think much is lost by not having read the first; I didn’t. Plot points are summarized and explained throughout the book, as needed. In fact, it’s pretty clear at the beginning that we’re about to reenter the forgotten land of Ivy’s childhood as she suddenly, for the first time in three years, remembers her earlier voyage to Zandria. Coincidentally, as soon as she remembers, she is re-invited back into the world. This was the beginning of my problem with the book, as too much seemed to happen by coincidence. There was very little to challenge the characters or readers as Ivy flits around trying to rescue the princess. The world is a very standard fantasy Tolkien imitation, with elves, unicorns, pegasi, magicians, and an empress. I got no real feeling that this was a conceivable world, with a social and economic structure that could sustain a society of real people. The author seemed to go, " Well, what fantasy creature can I add now?"

As far as a middle grade book goes, sure, kids are going to enjoy it.  They often don’t mind cliche stories (look at the success of Eragon) and have plenty of spare reading time to drink up every book out there. As an adult reader though, I didn’t really enjoy this book as there was no added complexity or challenges that kept me interested. There’s a reason I don’t read a lot of middle grade books, since I typically find them too easy and simplistic for my tastes. I don’t think a middle grade book needs to be like that, but too often the author seems to be writing down to their audience. Books like Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, and Dragon Slippers have challenged my thoughts on middle grade books, and I certainly do enjoy some, but as a whole, it’s the age group of books  I feel most disappointed in.

I’m a very visual person, especially when it comes to what books I choose.  A good cover is almost always what makes me pick up a book, and that old adage "Don’t judge a book by its cover" is pretty much not true at bookstores.  That’s why I can’t understand why small publishers disregard the need for a good cover. When I first got this book in the mail (the author sent it to me for review purposes), I looked at the cover and went "Cool, anime style… but…. huh, something is off…" and I kept looking at the cover, feeling like there was something very wrong about it. Finally I realized the person’s leg, which is front and center on the cover, is angled in such a way that, while not humanly impossible, is uncomfortable after three seconds (yes, I did try it at home just to see how impossible it was). This is a great example on how something so little could really turn off readers. At best, it makes the book look unprofessional, but at worst, it turns away the reader and severely limits bookstore sales.  Add to that the fact that the interior of the book was poorly designed and contained some stupid errors and misplaced spaces, and the designer/copy-editor in me cringes while reading the book.  Middle grade readers probably won’t be too turned off by these elements, but they certainly distract me from the actual story being told.

Ratings Reasons:
Action 4 – The book was mostly an action book, with Ivy on a quest to save a princess, and it followed a classic quest/action pattern.

Romance 1 – Side characters and a bit of hints of future romance, but I’d almost say it’s non-applicable because it’s designed as a middle grade.

Characters 3 – I didn’t find the characters to be all that interesting or complex. The main girl was a typical "our world character in another world" archetype.

Overall 3 – It wasn’t a bad read, but it wasn’t really more than average. A middle grade reader would probably enjoy it, but I wouldn’t recommend it to adults, and I doubt I would have picked it up for my own personal reading.