Gina Rae Mitchell

Review – Quests and Quandaries by Alda Yuan is Book One of The Floating Isles series. What a refreshing take on the age-old tale of sending an heir out into the world on a quest to prove themselves worthy of their inheritance.

 

      

 

Title: Quests and Quandaries (The Floating Isles Book 1)

Author: Alda Yuan

Publisher: Khanda Books (December 8, 2018)

Genres: Humorous Fantasy, Fiction, YA

Print Length:  284 pages

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Synopsis and edition information is from Goodreads and Amazon.

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Review – Quests and Quandaries by Alda Yuan

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Synopsis from Goodreads:

The Floating Isles were created millions of years ago when a beetle the size of a continent churned up mud from the seabed for a perch, and things have only gotten weirder since. This is a tongue in cheek account of a princess forced to go on a quest, very much against her will. With the proverbial band of sidekicks at her side, Rahni leaves the familiar comforts of home for the mysterious Eigen States, a place where, of course, nothing is as it seems. Or else it wouldn’t be much of a quest.

Rahni is determined not to let the laws of the land dictate anything, least of all how seriously she has to take the whole matter. Her dearest wish is to get through the quest with as few near scrapes and mortal enemies as possible. If she has to go on a quest, she wants it to be bland, with no-nonsense about holding the fate of the world in her hands. Naturally, nothing goes quite as she plans. But what else is new?

[box] Rahni is a sassy, sarcastic, self-centered heroine, or is she?[/box]

My Review: Quests and Quandaries by Alda Yuan

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Quests and Quandaries is the first book in the Floating Isles series by Alda Yuan. The story puts me in mind of “The Wizard of Oz.” Our young heroine is off on a quest (albeit a forced journey) to find a magical item. Her strange band of friends travels with her through mystical, ever-changing lands. They, at the least, provide a backdrop for Rahni to unleash her sarcastic wit. Dorothy was never as sassy, melodramatic, and obstinate as young Rahni, so perhaps I am unfair in the comparison. 

The author has incredible world-building skills, and her characters are well-defined. Perhaps not always likable, but they leave an impression on you. Although it’s a popular storyline to require an heir to the kingdom to succeed on a quest, it’s not as common for that heir to be a female character. I sometimes wanted to rebuke Rahni for her attitude or explain why she needed to be more tolerant in a situation. You know the author has nailed the characters when you start having conversations with them in your head.

Quests and Quandaries by Alda Yuan is deserving of more attention from the book-reading world. It’s a very unique and fresh book that should appeal to readers from teens through adults. 

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Quests and Quandaries (The ...Shop on Amazon

Quests and Quandaries is also available on Barnes & Noble.

 

Additional books in this series are available:

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Comments are greatly appreciated. Please scroll to the bottom to find the comment section!

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Alda Yuan is an attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy Center based in Chicago, Illinois. She graduated with her JD and probably several complexes from Yale Law School in 2018.
She lives with her cat, an adorable orange menace who only occasionally answers to the name Artemis.

An interview with Alda Yuan

How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing novels since I was about thirteen, but I’ve been making up stories for much longer than that.

What inspired you to write in this genre?
I’ve always been a fan of fantasy sci-fi. It’s escapist literature at it’s best. More that though, these genres allow the reader to explore themselves and their own societies by forcing us to use our imaginations. In providing fantastical scenarios in far off lands, fantasy and sci-fi can help us see our own situations with more clarity. Or at least that’s the hope anyway!

Were you an avid reader growing up?
Yes, definitely. My parents used to complain about it because I wouldn’t hear anything they said while my head was buried in a book.

Do you snack while writing and if so, what is your favorite snack?
I’m a huge believer in snacks, but oddly enough, I generally don’t snack much when I’m writing fiction. Maybe it has something to do with getting into the flow of things because I certainly snacked on more than my fair share of cookies when writing essays back in college.

Who has influenced your writing the most?
I grew up reading and then wanting to emulate a lot of stuff by Tamora Pierce and Hilari Bell, whose works were well-stocked at my local library. As I grew older, I started to read more works of magical realism by authors like Marquez and Borges. As Borges says, “I am not sure that I exist, actually. I am all the writers that I have read. . .”

 

Author’s contact info:

Website: www.aldayuan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Aldayuanbooks/
Smashwords page to get the first book free: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/913001
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7277784.Alda_Yuan

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No matter where you acquire the books you read, please leave a review. Amazon and Goodreads are the most popular places, and you don’t have to own the book to review it. A review doesn’t have to be fancy or in-depth, a simple “Thumbs up. I liked this book.” will help the author immensely.

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More reviews by Gina

Kingdom Cold by Brittni Chenelle

The Field by Tracy Richardson

The Legend of Jake Howell by Charles A. Reap, Jr.

Summer’s Dark Waters by Simon Williams

Ellie Everlasting by Isabel Scheck

 

 

 

 

 

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