A unique take on a coming-of-age novel, Ella and the Elementals combines the supernatural with the teenage struggle of acceptance and finding a place in the world.
Ella Finn has it much harder than most: with the disappearance of her parents, she has been sent to live in the household of her cruel auntie and her monstrous cousins. With just her loyal Ratter for company, we are introduced to Ella as a vulnerable and heartbroken young girl who feels an outsider in life. However, with a remarkable discovery on the nearby beach, she is plunged into a world that she never knew existed and which redefines her very purpose. What I particularly enjoyed about the character of Ella is how innocent and gullible she is and how she grows in strength as the novel progresses. I know that I, as a young teen lacking in confidence, would have found a lot of solace in Ella’s personal journey and the possibility that we can all overcome our personal demons and bullies (and no doubt, I would have also been on the lookout for portals and magic books of my own). Andrew S French has created very believable characters and portrayed them in a manner that allows you develop strong likes and dislikes within minutes of their introduction.
The story itself was unique and not a storyline I’ve thought of before. I did however enjoy the subtle nod towards Greek mythology and the modern day spin that has been given to it. There were some aspects of the story that I felt weren’t really elaborated on enough or that I sometimes felt were a little clunky in their delivery, such as the meeting with Seraphina and the various interactions with the cousins (the cousins were particularly nasty pieces of work and at times for me, a little too exaggerated; they were quite mean and vindictive individuals without any shred of humanity, but this shows the strength of the author‘s ability for creating such hateful villains). However, these were minor and for the most part, the novel flowed and linked together in a slightly unusual but intriguing manner.
Overall, I think Ella and the Elementals provides a strong start to the series, one I am looking forwards to reading further. Teenage girls will relate heavily to Ella and be fighting and learning alongside her. The Book Dragon had the pleasure of reviewing this novel on behalf of Andrew S French and thoroughly believes it deserves its 4 stars.
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