Review: The Branding by Micaela Wendell

The Branding by Micaela Wendell.

Bell Bridge Books
Publication Date: January 2011
List Price: $10.95
ISBN-13: 9781611940091

Review: A quest and a curse, both doom Morwen Aleacim, a teenage elf, to death. Morwen is the main character in The Branding , and lives in the village of Aren. The Branding is a captivating tale and from the first sentence it keeps you on your toes until the very last page. The Branding is a great read for anyone who likes fantasy. For example, there are wizards and elves going on quests. Morwen, goes on a quest to get a hideous curse off of her that only the wizard king can remove.

The Branding is about quests, curses, and doing what everyone else wants even if you don't like it. As an example, the elders of Aren want Morwen to act like a girl instead of like her tomboy self. She wants to learn to fight but the law forbids it. So a real human swordsman offers to help her fight. His name is Armando. The training takes place when everyone is sleeping. Later on in the story, Morwen and her sister Brynn are trapped by a dark wizard named Tobais. Morwen gives up her life and freedom in order to save her sister from the same fate. Then Tobais brands her once he lets her sister go. When The Branding takes over her body, Morwen will become a servant to Tobais forever. After that she sets out on a quest to try and remove the curse. On her way she meets Alan a handsome elf. Together they pursue her quest and make new friends and enemies.

Captivating, thrilling, and exciting are the words I would use to describe The Branding . After reading The Branding , it makes you want to read the sequel Micaela Wendell is writing. The Branding is a great read from beginning to end. Micaela Wendell is a very talented author. The story flows smoothly from one idea to the next. For example, in The Branding Micaela Wendell wrote "... 'You'll be transformed into a puppet for me to use at my disposal!' He cackled maliciously, and then silence. Morwen shot upright, leaving a puddle of icy sweat soaking her pillow. 'I must have taken a nap when we got back from town and had a bad nightmare.'" This piece of the story shows how her writing flows from one idea to the other. I recommend The Branding to whoever likes fantasy stories.

Review written by Caitlin (7th grade student).

We would like to thank BelleBooks for providing a copy of The Branding for this review.

Have you read The Branding? How would you rate it?