Official Review: Of Elven Blood by Leslie Fish

[cstegmil]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Of Elven Blood" by Leslie Fish.]

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1 out of 4 stars

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Of Elven Blood, by Leslie Fish, is a science fiction book with a unique twist on modern-day Elves. Humans are unaware of Elves existence, and so are the Elves themselves until they are ‘triggered’. The story follows a small group of Elves banded together by a desire to hide from, and if necessary fight, other Elves. Elves are an endangered species, because most believe in battling other Elves to the death, in order to steal power. This desire for power is decimating the Elven population.

Against this backdrop enters the main character, Roxanne. Roxanne is a strong, modern, no-nonsense woman working at a union in Chicago. She witnesses the murder of her boss carried out by the Chicago mafia, and must go into the witness protection program to save her life. Even though she is suspicious of the police and FBI, she realizes this is the only way she can protect herself. She changes her identity, cuts all ties, and changes her name to Lorraine. She moves to Arizona and finds employment at Treemark Arabian Farm as a hired hand taking care of horses. Little does she realize that this farm is actually a haven for a group of Elves, and soon she will be ‘triggered’ and become a member of this secret Elven group.

Roxanne/Lorraine has a cast of help to aid in her transition to the Elven world. The owner of the farm is Brian Treemark, and he becomes Lorraine’s teacher. He is the one to ‘trigger’ her entry into the Elven world, and helps her overcome psychological problems she has as a result of her troubled past. He senses Lorraine is important to the Elven world and perhaps vital to his mission of rebuilding the Elven population. She is also helped by Ben and Helen, who have lived as Elves for many centuries. Ben plays an integral role, helping build Lorraine’s trust and protect her during her vulnerable first year as a new Elf. Helen helps Lorraine build her powers and everyone is amazed at how rapid and strong they develop. Lorraine needs this help and her powers to survive, as not only is the mafia after her, but so too is a powerful Unseelie Elf, who will not stop until he has Lorraine where he wants her – in a death battle.

The internal dialog Lorraine has with herself while undergoing deep psychological therapy is one of my favorite parts of this book. During these sessions, I found myself drawn to Lorraine’s character, and understanding what formed her into the woman she is today. I also appreciated Brian’s point of view during these sessions. It allowed me to more fully relate to the strong commitment he has to the Elven world and his dedication to saving it. He uses some intense therapy methods with Lorraine that might turn off some readers, but allowed me to understand the measures he would use to protect both Lorraine and other Elves. The author does a great job pulling you into Lorraine’s troubled past in bits and pieces, and you are left wanting more. The author introduced the story of her past in a way that felt very real in the storyline.

This book has a lot going for it, including a strong female lead character, a unique story, and multiple points of view. However, this book needs additional professional editing. There are too many typos, punctuation errors, and spelling mistakes, and it detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book. These appear throughout the book, but the mistakes hit you right away. For example, on page 1 there is a dash that is not needed in a quote. On page 2, “sit-down” is misspelled as “sid-down.” On page 3, “sneaked out the back door” should be “snuck out the back door”. There are many instances of words being incorrectly capitalized, for example “Working Class” should be “working class”. I could overlook a few grammar and punctuation mistakes, but again this book had too many of them, and I found myself frustrated with the lack of quality editing.

Another part of the book I had trouble with is Lorraine’s entry into the Elven world, and her quick acceptance of some things I had a hard time believing, given her character. She is portrayed as a strong, modern, practical woman, but as part of her job interview, she agrees to an on the spot pelvic exam performed by Brian. I found it strange that a modern female would agree to this. She opens up about her lack of desire after just meeting Brian, which I had a hard time believing. Also, within one day of being ‘triggered’, she buys into the Elven world without many questions. As a strong, tough, level-headed woman, how can she believe this so quickly? Why doesn’t she try to fight against this new reality a bit?

Overall, while I liked some aspects of this book, such as a unique twist on a modern-day Elf story, introducing multiple characters, and incorporating different points of view, I found it difficult to look past the editing problems. I also had a hard time believing the main characters willingness to accept certain things, like her entry into the Elven world, so easily. With this in mind, I have to rate this book a 1 out of 4 stars. There is potential in this book, but the lack of professional editing and believability of the main character left me feeling a bit disappointed.

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Of Elven Blood
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Like cstegmil's review? Post a comment saying so!

[kandscreeley]

I'm sorry this book didn't live up to your expectations. This is in the romance genre, but it seems like it's science fiction. Is that the case? I guess I'll avoid this one.

[Dayang Siti Zuraida]

Try to look read in a positive thinking. Maybe the writer have her own point of view about the book. Keep it up.

[cstegmil]

I'm sorry this book didn't live up to your expectations. This is in the romance genre, but it seems like it's science fiction. Is that the case? I guess I'll avoid this one.

There is romance, but in my opinion the main storyline is science fiction genre. If this book has a bit more professional editing, my rating would have been higher.

-- 01 Jun 2017, 14:41 --

Try to look read in a positive thinking. Maybe the writer have her own point of view about the book. Keep it up.

Will do Dayang and agree with you! No doubt authors 'walk the line' between telling their story/point of view and keeping in mind things that may help their book appeal to more readers. Some readers might give a different rating no doubt. I would have if the book had additional professional editing.

[kimmyschemy06]

That was a very honest review. The premise sounds very interesting. Too bad, though, about the flaws especially the editing problems. Good job on the review.