Celandine is the girl with whom it all began that mysterious figure from the past who once brought the Little People to Mill Farm. The second part of Steve Augarde’s wonderful elf novel is actually the first, but the order doesn’t matter, everything is so artfully interwoven! Celandine and Midge from the first volume, two heroines from different times, meet each other in their stories as if they lived in parallel worlds and this permeability, a “flicker” of time, gives both novels an additional, fascinating dimension. Also fascinating is the Bitcoin live Casino.
My opinion
The first volume has already enchanted me totally and the sequel could also take me totally with it again! Read more about this topic here: https://www.stern.de/kultur/buecher/
It all revolves around Howards Hill near Mill Farm in Somerset, England. But while in the first part you accompanied the 12 year old Midge on her adventures, here you travel back in time to the year 1914, where the secret of Celandine is revealed. Her name has already been heard and I thought it was great that the author dedicated the whole volume to these events, how it came about that the elfin people were discovered on the hill.
But the elves are not a community that sticks together, at least not all of them, because they call themselves the “different ones” as well, because they are divided into different races and there is not always unity among them. Especially the warlike Ickri, who are searching, seem to upset the found balance.
You also learn more about the “Touchstone”, a magical object, a kind of oracle, which can only unfold its effectiveness together with the “Orbis” – but the combination of these two relics is accompanied by a lot of power and whose right to use it makes the elves disagree.
The author also reflects this disagreement, the striving for power and the dissociation through the war, which started at that time and also Celandine’s family is directly affected.
The situation in the family itself, however, already seems difficult for Celandine. While the two big brothers seem to have found their way, at the age of 13 she is trapped in the conventional upbringing that was common at that time. Especially with her tutor she cannot make friends at all and when she is sent to a boarding school, the norms and rules oppress her more and more.
By the way, I found the section about boarding school life particularly exciting, also as the author showed very clearly but sensitively what strict educational methods were common at that time and how the children had to function. A circumstance that unfortunately still continues, only today in a more subtle way.
All in all, Steve Augarde has a great way of telling a story that is unagitated but still captivating. His ideas fascinate me very much and I was also deeply moved by the subtleties with which he conveys his messages.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to the third and last part and I’m curious how these stories will end!
Content
New York: A violent storm rages over the city, blue lightning flashes from the sky and make all the adults disappear – so it seems.
14-year-old Matt is horrified. His dark foreboding has been confirmed, but it is much worse than he could ever have imagined. After the storm his parents have disappeared, there is not a soul in the whole house and a thick blanket of snow lies over the silent streets. Together with his friend Tobias he sets out to look for survivors – but the few adults they see are not what they used to be. They are mutants, deformed and aggressive.
They flee south. Nature goes crazy and green plants, lianas and moss grow at an alarming rate and overgrow all buildings and streets.
On an island they meet a number of children and teenagers who have retreated here, always in fear of the mutants. Here they also meet the girl Ambre, who completes the “Community of Three”.
But not only the changes that unfold in nature occupy the children, they themselves also seem to be changing – and then there are also traitors among them …
My opinion
An interesting scenario: a world in which the earth, nature, finally puts up a fight and lets its parasites disappear. Only the children have a new chance to prove themselves. It’s all about friendship, about how much can be achieved by sticking together, about senseless violence and about the courage to cope with new situations.
I really like the characters. Matt, who develops mysterious powers through his inner strength, Tobias, his jittery friend, who always sticks by Matt despite his fear and doubts, and finally the girl Ambre, who observes every development astutely and draws her own rational conclusions.
The ideas are, as far as one can guess, well thought out, the message well packed and the story exciting. I also think the cover is very good, it jumped right off me.