World of Ryyah – Birth of the Half Elves

When Donovan was twelve years old, his village was raided by barbarians; his father killed, his mother taken, and he and the other village boys nearly suffered the same fate. But the raiders made the mistake of taking their captives through the Elven woods. The Elves killed the slavers, but mysteriously decided to spare the boys; instead, the boys were trained in the ways of the Elven Rangers under the tutelage of the beautiful Alayna. Over the years, the boys proved to be a valuable asset to the Elven king, but never more so than when young princess Brandela is taken hostage by a different Barbarian tribe. Donovan sets out to bring back what he assumes will be a haughty princess, but he never expects to fall in love with her! Donovan & Brandela’s love, forbidden by both of their races, will change the world of Ryyah forever.

The fantasy genre is already populated with books featuring Elves of all forms, but somehow Watson has succeeded in crafting a something unique with World of Ryyah: Birth of the Half-Elves. This world is not particularly well-fleshed out yet, but readers get a sense of some of the dynamics at play here: sparsely-populated human regions, fierce barbarians, several distinct groups of Elves, and a definite distrust that exists between the races. But as this novel is only the first in a promised epic series, there is plenty of time for the author to expand on these ideas. Themes of love, loyalty, and courage are prevalent in this story, and you can’t help but be enchanted by the magic that is strongly woven throughout the world – and the story. Lovers of fantasy novels will find themselves eagerly awaiting the next in this series. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys the genre.