Thank you to Netgalley for providing this copy for review. I shall be honest in my review as a result!
Child of Light was written by the incomparable Terry Brooks and releases on October 12, 2021.
Update: The release date for Child of Light has, since I wrote this review, changed to October 19th.
Auris was a prisoner for as long as she could remember, which wasn't long given her memory loss at the age of fifteen. She escapes the Goblin prison where she has been held and runs straight into the Fae, one of whom happens to think she might just be one of them.
I'm going to be honest with you, I didn't like this book to the point where I DNF'd it.
Is that good for a reviewer? Probably not. But I told myself I wasn't going to read things I don't like.
Let me tell you why I don't like it.
The writing was stiff and unwieldy. The author regularly used three words were one would do. And that wasn't even when characters were speaking. Speaking of the dialogue, it had no flow to it. It was almost like the words for this book didn't come easy to the author, and given that Terry Brooks has been writing good books for longer than I've been alive (I'm 41) this simply shouldn't be the case.
So yes, my biggest complaint is with the writing. I just couldn't get past it. I wasn't enjoying myself at all. Which is not what I expected going into this book, as I loved the Landover series.
Now let's talk about the other thing I have a problem with. Auris goes through something terrible at the beginning of the book, but what racks her brain when she's rescued? How hot her rescuer is.
Sure, she thinks of the terrible thing now and again, but she thinks about how she is attracted to said rescuer more. Why does the author think this is something a 19-year-old girl fresh out of a traumatic experience needs to do?
Le sigh.
It bothered me a lot, okay?
It's a 1 star DNF for me.
This review went live on Goodreads on October 4th and will be live on www.LaurenCorcur.com on October 11th.

As much as I like Terry Brooks, this book is not one of my favorites. The story of the book started really good, but there are many times that the book repeats the same thoughts from main character. For example, the character numerous times thinks about how she thought she was human, but has figured out she isn't and how grateful she is to be living with the Fae. I get it! I don't need to hear it eight times! That really slowed down the action and made it slow.

Overall. a good book. and I look forward to reading the next one in the series.

I've had the Shannara books on my TBR for a while because I know a lot of people like them. So, when I saw that the first of a new Terry Brooks series was available on NetGalley, I jumped at the opportunity to be introduced to his writing. Now I kind of wish I didn't. This book wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either. The writing and story idea were okay, but the weird pacing and mind-numbing amount of exposition killed a lot of the enjoyment I could have had reading this book. The stiff dialogue also left the characters feeling a bit flat.

The beginning of the book started out with a bang, and it sucked me in immediately. Auris was mysterious and needed to escape a goblin prison. The tension was high, and there was tons of action. Then the pace completely halted upon her rescue, and, for the rest of the first half of the book, she sat in the faerie city having conversations and training. For the second half of the book, she and her new friends bounced in and out of several high risk situations so often, and quickly, I should have gotten whiplash. It all felt incredibly rushed. Ultimately, the pacing was all over the place, and it made the book difficult to love.

The world-building was one of the most interesting things about this book. The fae world that Brooks built was fascinating, and the magic the fae wielded was fun to learn about. I would have loved to get more information about the world in this book, especially the complex relationship between the fae, goblins, and humans. The fae vs. human setup was a great way to explore the theme of industrialization vs. a more natural way of life that respects the land, and I enjoyed the peek of it that was provided in the book. There were also slight glimpses of the history of this world and the politics of the fae, which were all intriguing to see.

I didn't really connect with any of the characters in this book, as they all felt a bit flat to me. Auris was mysterious at first, and I did enjoy her journey and inner thoughts related to finding her identity, family, and a place to belong. However, I found her to become almost insufferable as the story continued. She mysteriously knew how to use every weapon available, which was never explained. She also learned how to use magic in ONE day. Despite all her strengths and all of the horrible things going on around her, the only thing she could focus on was Harrow, and she pined over him almost instantly. Their relationship was annoying to read because most of the drama could have been resolved by the two of them talking to each other. I also don't understand what she saw in him other than being enamored because he rescued her. For most of the book, all he did was talk about fae society/history while training her, and he exuded the personality of a wet paper bag.

Ancrow seriously annoyed me in this book, but I also liked some aspects of her characterization. She was an interesting example of how past experiences, especially traumatic ones, with a group of people can leave a person extremely prejudiced against everyone in that group. It explored the question of whether that person's prejudicial actions are justified/understandable given their circumstances and underscored the importance of context in understanding any individual's actions. This character's lies, though, got tedious and annoying as the book progressed, especially since the logic behind the lies made absolutely no sense. My favorite characters of the book were Ancrow's daughters. They were a breath of fresh air amongst the angst, and I smiled every time they appeared.

Overall, I enjoyed the exploration of the themes of identity and family in this book, as well as the world the author created. However, I didn't really connect with the characters and found the pacing, dialogue, and character relationships to be lacking. Therefore, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I don't think I'll be continuing the series, and I'm pretty sure it will be quite some time before I read the Shannara series, as well.

Auris has been in the goblin prison since she was 15. Now at age 19, she and a group of friends are about to age out of the children's prison and into the much worse adult prison so they plan an escape for which Auris is the only survivor. She's been wandering the desert for days and about to be recaptured when she's rescued by a strange being claiming to be fae. And he claims that she is also fae which is crazy because she looks and acts completely human. But she has no memory of her former life before the prison and an instant ability with fae weapons. When she's taken to Viridian Deep, the home of the forest Sylvan, she's finds a home and a future she kind for... if only she could solve the mystery of her past.
This is my first Terry Brooks novel. I love his ability to create a world that I can escape to through the pages. The world-building was excellent, the characters were realistic and relatable, I just loved it!
I received an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

{{Auris has been trapped in a goblin prison for four years. How did she get there? She has no idea, and with barely any memories of her past, she has no hope of finding out. Now, nineteen years old and uncertain of her future, she knows she must escape. After a near-failed attempt, she luckily makes her way out of the prison finding herself meeting Harrow, a forest fae. He brings her back to his home, Viridian Deep, where her story truly begins.}}


I absolutely loved the first half of this book. The detail was phenomenal. I mean who doesn't want to visit Viridian Deep after Brooks so carefully and intricately described this magical place?
I was drawn in immediately with the action-packed beginning of Auris's escape, meeting Harrow, learning about her potential connection to the fae, and her past.
I feel like the last half of the book, though good, I easily guessed many outcomes and everything happened so perfectly - with little mistakes. You know those moments in books where you think "how convenient," and certain situations work out so nicely? This happens numerous times causing me to lose interest.



*SPOILER ALERT*
I had high hopes for Auris and Harrow. It appeared their relationship was going to be a 'slow burn' type, but literally halfway through, no excitement or real surprise, they kiss. "That's it," I thought then all of a sudden, they're in love? It was just too easy, with no excitement to it.


***Thank you NetGalley and Random House for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.***

I have read Terry Brooks novels before and not all of them have I enjoyed, but many of them I did. That said, Child of Light is by far my least favorite. The good thing about this title is I liked the magic, it was different and that sets it apart. I enjoyed the world but at times wished for more detail (something I know Brooks can do). What I hated was the characters. I normally will not say this but really Brooks do you think that is how young women act? About 40% of this book is about the main character and her boy crazy lust. Another 40% of this book is her wondering what she should be doing with her life. The last 20% of this book was just the story trying to piece itself together. I’m sorry but if you can’t reach beyond the stereotype of a girl boy crazy you need to move on.

Excellent read! A young prisoner with amnesia escapes to find herself in an unexpected world. Characters are complex and genuine. I especially liked the personality of the Fey, often portrayed as cold and unfeeling, but very different in this book. Plotting is entertaining and unpredictable. Themes include the power of love, accepting and using gifts and talents, and believing the incredible. I'm eager to read others in this series. Five stars from this reviewer.

Well written, easy to read first novel in a series concerning Auris, a young woman who has escaped from a Goblin prison to find her way to the land of the Fae, where fantastical beings live. As she learns about herself, she also learns that the Goblins and their human masters are after her and are intent on learning the secrets of the Fae. I look forward to the next novel in this series.

Good standard fantasy. Nothing too special. Magic, chases, escapes, true love; a little bit of everything for the fantasy reader.

Child of Light by Terry Brooks is a fantastic story. I thought it was thought provoking and very engaging,

This is a fantasy about learning ones true identity.. I read a lot of YA works and always admire how some authors draw in an older audience with the strength of their plot and characters. This was not that book. I found it clunky and flat. I didn’t care for the main characters nor their saccharine romance. The world building didn’t give me any images I could recreate in my minds eye. It just really did not work for me.

This is the first book that I've read by Terry Brooks and it struck me as being a good book, but I wouldn't call it great. The driving force for much of the book was the mystery behind who Auris really was and how she got imprisoned in the first place. Once she escapes prison and finds the Fae Harrow, things get really interesting as she is introduced to the Fae world and finds her place in it. And yet she appears to be fully human, which causes problems with Harrow's family, especially his mother, who hates humans because of the trauma she suffered at their hands twenty years ago. How this is resolved keeps the story going, but the dialog and events that occur are a little too predictable to be truly memorable. It's definitely worth reading for an engaging but not too demanding involvement by the reader.

A coming of age fantasy with our heroine seeking the roots of her origin. I felt this book read too much like a tale for children. Impossible scenarios for our heroine to escape evil and contradictions within the set of circumstances. How does a Fae, trained in magic, bows, arrows, knives, etc., suddenly bring forth a "flash bang grenade" to elude danger?

The book's concept is good. No depth.

A new fantasy series with humans, fae and big dystopian vibes.....yes please!! And does it take off right from chapter one and throw you right into this new world. We begin as Auris and a group of her friends are escaping from the goblin run prison she has been in for five years. She just doesn't know why she was there or have any memory of her life prior to being in prison. This prison is full of only children and if they cannot work or attempt to escape, there is only one gruesome outcome, they are eaten. Events lead Auris to Harrow, her very non-human fae rescuer, who shows her a world she thought only existed in stories. Revelations, lies, attacks, captures, a viscous human ministry, and three fantastic seer sisters all combine into a well paced and fun story. The world building is what I think really brings the story to life. Viridian Deep, the land of the fae is described beautifully along with the magic that Harrow and the other fae are able to wield. The goblin prisons are quite terrifying as is what the human ministry is willing to do to achieve the power that they want. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and while I do like a good cliffhanger ending, I also very much appreciate when the storyline is wrapped up nicely at the end. There are certainly many directions the story can go from here and I definitely am looking forward to where it does from here!!

Fantasy books are my go to and this was was a good read. I liked the characters but didn't love them but the writing was great! I felt like so much happened to the MC but it almost didn't make a difference.

DNF... Forced 1 star.

I love Terry Brooks and his writing The Shannara series was such a huge part of my childhood. So when I saw that there was a new book within a new series coming out I knew I needed to read it and I have to say that I was a little disappointed. This book felt younger than it should have been, and I have to say that I DNF'd it at about 40%. The characters annoyed me, the story line where everything Auris needs just comes to her was frustrating as heck because she already knew everything and she learns nothing. Unfortunately I don't think I will continue with this series which sucks hopefully he publishes something else soon.

Thank you Random House and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Shannara series was one of my favorites growing up, so I was excited to learn that Terry Brooks had a new (unrelated) book coming out. "Child of Light" was an enjoyable story. Nineteen-year-old Auris has spent the past five years in a Goblin prison. She has practically no recollection of her life before being in the prison and does not understand how or why she is there with all the other children; all the prisoners are children. However, she knows that she will soon be killed or forced to breed/reproduce (and when no longer useful, killed). She and a group of other prisoners plot an escape, but only she survives. She wanders through the wasteland, trying to find other humans and safety, and unsure if she will be able to survive. Right before a group of Goblins recaptures her, she is saved by a strange "person", who introduces himself as Harrow, a Forest Sylvan Fae, one of the Faerie Folk.

Harrow takes Auris back to his homeland, Viridian Deep, and in the process upends her entire world. She learns that the Goblins run the prisons on behalf of a group of humans called the Ministry, and that the Goblins, who are a type of Fae, have formed an alliance with the Humans. Harrow also believes that Auris is Fae, even though she looks 100% Human. Auris means "child of light" in the Fae language, which is one clue. Harrow's intuition also tells him that Auris is Fae, and his intuition is rarely wrong.

The story focuses on the efforts to uncover Auris' past, determine whether she is Fae, and figure out what that means for her and the worlds of the Humans and the Fae. Humans want to capture and destroy the Fae, harnessing their magic, so the presence of a human in Viridian Deep is opposed by some, including Ancrow, the leader of the High Council, a heroine to the Sylvan Fae because of her success in past battles against their enemies, and Harrow's mother. Auris soon discovers that she has innate knowledge and talents she never realized she possessed. The more she learns about her past, the more questions that are raised and the greater the potential danger becomes. The plot is creative with some rather good surprises. The characters are well developed. I enjoyed seeing how Auris comes to terms with the new information about herself and her past, and how she seeks to integrate her newfound knowledge and abilities with her past self.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I haven't read a Terry Brooks' book in a number of years and was eagerly awaiting his newest release. While the book started out with a bang, it soon was bogged down with a lot of descriptions and info dumps. I wanted to like Auris, but I found her annoying at best. She had just watched all of her friends brutally murdered during their escape and she barely sheds a tear for them. With all the trauma she's suffered, I found it curious that there would be a love interest so early on in the book. I also didn't think using modern phrases like "hot mess" made sense for the story. I made it through to about the 40% mark before I put the book down and didn't return to it.

After five years in a Goblin prison, Auris plans an escape with a few inmates. They know if they are not successful, they will all be killed. This is a do-or-die choice, but to continue as they are is a living death.. Until she was sent to prison for no reason, she never believed in Goblins. Now she is about to expand her view of the world, new species, new experiences, new lands, and a new home, if they will let her stay. Not everything is good and happy. She intends to restore her memory of the past and find her parents, but things are not as they seem. It's an exciting, twisty-turny tale of fact vs. fiction, and it's hard to know what is real. It is an experience of opposites, beauty and ugliness, trust and betrayal, love and hate, joy and sorrow. It's a great fantasy story, and this is just the beginning. Loved it.

I love fantasy stories and Terry Brooks has a super one in his latest Child of Light. It is well-written and fits quite well within the fantasy genre. Great beginning to this new series.

I received an ARC and am happy to provide a honest review.