The first few chapters of this book are very promising. It begins with a Maze Runner vibe and throws you straight into the action and mystery of the main character's life. There are many questions to be answered and the book gives you quite the info dump. But what I couldn't get past was the lack of personality in the characters. They felt like they were simply there for plot and nothing more. The main character had promise, but so soon became obsessed with a love interest that was so incredibly bland. And it only got worse from there. The whole book became about her pining after this boy, and the writing became rather bland and boring. If Terry Brooks could have kept the energy of the first few chapters, this book would have had hope. But sadly, it just wasn't worth my time.

Review to come. Thanks to Ashleigh Heaton Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Publication Date October 12, 2021
#ChildofLight #NetGalley

Welcome to a new fascinating world that exists right next to our own. Auris is trapped in a prison that seems to be just for children. Her jailers are something straight out of a horror movie. .Auris has no memory of her life before prison, she cant seem to remember how she got there or what caused her imprisonment. Can she escape before she grows to old to be there? If not her next destination will be even worse.!

Meet Harrow he is a sylvan one of the faerie people who patrols the border of faerie land.. His green skin makes it easy for him to blend into the landscape. Harrow is a formidable foe to anyone trying to cross into the faerie lands, he takes his duty very seriously. No human may pass into the faerie lands for any reason. Most humans are totally unaware that the faerie lands even exist and its Harrows job to keep it that way.

Mr. Brooks has given us a whole new world to explore , filled with new adventures , people and places. Old and new fans alike will love this new series. I myself will anxiously await the next one.. I loved this book and I cant say enough good things about it.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of CHILD OF LIGHT by Terry Brooks in exchange for an honest review. Auris is a human child who has been surviving in a goblin prison. The goblins use children as slaves. If the children reach maturity, then they are placed into breeding farms. Thereafter, they are food. If there is a population explosion, extras are eaten. If anyone tries to escape or rebel, they are caught, publicly dismembered, and eaten. Auris and a few others who are close to breeding age hatch a daring plan to escape. All they have to do is get away from the prison, escape the goblin trackers, get through the wasteland, and find refuge. However, Auris finds that refuge may not be her final destination. In order to find answers, Auris will have to go even further and discover enemies even more evil that child-eating goblins.

I liked this book. This novel is an interesting blend of high and urban fantasy. I recommend this book to fans of fantasy featuring escape and self-discovery themes.

#ChildofLight #NetGalley

I have always been a huge fan of Terry Brooks. His Shannarah Cornicles has been a staple in my home for years, but this book has fallen off the band wagon. Where did Brooks go wrong?

The beginning started off with a bang. A group of children held captive in a strange camp, their guards are strange creatures that are prone to violence. They attempt to escape and only one survives, Auris. That's pretty much where this story goes completely wrong.

Every character Auris runs into is vague and boring. She seems to trust them all whole heartedly, even after growing up in deplorable conditions. It makes no sense. And lets not forget at the end of the story, Auris trust the same character over and over again, even though this character keeps lying to her.

The interactions between characters and the plot progress are contrived and don't even get me started on the way the whole book was written. I was told a story, instead of shown a wonderful land. I don't even know what my surroundings look like.

This book really fell on its face. I wouldn't recommend.

My Review will be live on my blog Book Confessions on July 2nd, 2021.

Terry does it again. Not only is he a master story teller but he entwines believable characters that you come to love with stunning worlds that draw you in again and again. This story is no different as he builds on what he writes best fantasy. The story which has a female heroine is a first and Terry builds a story that kept me wanting to continue reading until the very end. Hats off to another success.

First things first: this was MY first Terry Brooks novel. I know he has lots of fans for his other fantasy novels. This is the first in a new YA fantasy series from him.

The book started out strong for me, giving me The Maze Runner vibes. The main character 19-year old Auris escapes from a prison where goblins keep human children as workers AND a food source. So, Auris doesn't remember anything about her past, all she remembers is her time at the prison. During her escape, all of her fellow escapees are captured or killed. Auris finds her way to the shore of a lake where a handsome Fae named Harrow saves her from a patrol of goblins. Harrow brings Auris to his Fae homeland because he feels like she must be at least part fae. Auris develops a serious crush on him. And somewhere around here, the book lost me. It just became Auris yearning for Harrow and some other stuff happening. I felt like the world building and character development wasn't as strong as I would've liked. The plot felt like blurry background noise going on to play foil to Auris' feelings for Harrow.

CHILD OF LIGHT by Terry Brooks

Author and fan favorite, Terry Brooks is back with CHILD OF LIGHT, an epic science-fantasy "fae-ry tale".

CHILD OF LIGHT opens with a bang as our young protagonist Auris, and her companions, attempt to escape a hellish Goblin prison located in a vast wasteland. Brooks quickly establishes characters we care about in a world we want to know more about, and then pulls the rug out from under us with an unexpected twist that skewers our expectations. Auris must overcome obstacles both internal and external if she is going to find answers to her hidden past and have a chance at a normal life, but first she has to survive.

CHILD OF LIGHT introduces us to a magical world, best exemplified by Viridian Deep- the homeland of the Forest Sylvan Fae, whose simple domesticity is reminiscent of Tolkien's Shire, but populated by a people familiar with violence and war. The novel wrestles with issues of identity, family, nature vs. technology, light and darkness, young love, redemption and sacrifice, wrapped in echoes of classic fairy tales and even Oedipus the King by Sophocles. Villains that are easy to root against also share this conflicted world and loom large in the lives of the main characters.

The novel has much to recommend but there are areas I wish were more developed. The action scenes are excellent and the pacing is brisk, but at times I felt this caused some of the resolution of conflicts and character development to feel rushed. I also loved the Fae inish staffs but would have liked a better understanding of Fae magic in general; its inner-workings, strengths and limitations. Also, like most fantasy geeks, I would love to see a fantasy map of this strange new world included in the book. There are also mysteries from the past about the world and the characters that remain unresolved at the end of the novel which is fine, but that I hope are explored further in future entries of the series.

CHILD OF LIGHT straddles the line between dystopian Young Adult fiction with its chaste depiction of romantic love, and adult fantasy with not too graphic but still present, elements of trauma, torture, and haunting memories of sexual assault.
This is a strong first entry in a new series and I look forward to continuing the journey.

Thank you to Del Rey Books and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful thing to jump into a fresh new world from the creator of the Shannara universe! When I saw this one coming from Terry Brooks, I hoped that I would be able to have an early chance to read/review it, and thank to the publisher and NetGalley.com, I have been provided this chance.

This tale in a new world starts with our main character escaping from a prison with a group of like-aged teens. In the process of escape, Auris is 'ejected' from the vehicle they are in, and knocked unconscious. upon awakening, she discovers she is alone, the others dead or recaptured. She heads on alone and near the shores of a large body of water, she realizes she has been located but the Goblins, the guards of the prison. But before being recaptured, a lone figure near the water is spotted, and the guards turn away. This is where Auris meets Harrow, a Fae, that takes her to his village.

From there the story grows as Auris finds out though looking completely human, she may be a Fae, and trying to find out about her lack of memories prior to being fifteen and in that prison. The road to finding out the truth about oneself, growing up and doing what is right is prevalent in this story. Brooks truly has a fresh start in a what could be a new world, as Humans and some types of Fae interact, though usually to combat some other type of Fae. The story flowed forward in a good, easy-reading way, and didn't feel to slow or stagnate at all.

There were a couple things that brought a little disappointment to my attention. Though Brooks has written many books regarding Fae (of many types) and interactions with each other, and Humans, this story felt some sort of offshoot of the Shannara world, in particular the Genesis of Shannara series. Secluded 'good' Fae (Elves/Dryads/etc) with 'bad' Fae (Goblins) associated with some of the Humans all trying to capture and steal the 'magic' from the 'good' Fae. I just felt it was too similar to earlier works, and it somewhat distracted me from the reading with a fresh look.

Definitely a good read, regardless of small disappointments. I feel it was well written and easy for those of early teens years and up in age to fully enjoy and understand. I don't see anything being mentioned about any additional books to follow to make this part of a series, and definitely could be read as a stand alone novel. I didn't feel that there was an obvious option for a sequel, though, I am sure something could be created through maybe continued story for another sub-character, or some new threat that challenges the Main Character in some event that happens later.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher/author for providing a copy of this novel for me to read and allow my opinion to be shared.

#ChildofLight #TerryBrooks

Child of Light by Terry Brooks

Child of Light is a fantasy novel by Terry Brooks with hints of science fiction, dystopia and portal magic.

Child of Light opens with a prison break by a group of teenagers desperate to leave a goblin managed prison in the middle of nowhere. The reason they are imprisoned is a total mystery as most of them don’t remember their pasts. What they do know is that there has never been a successful break and that the punishment if they are caught will be dismemberment or to be eaten by the goblins. By the end of their escape Auris will be the sole survivor and will wander the wasteland until rescued by a mysterious fae man named Harrow. While recovering in the land of the Fae called Veridian Deep Auris will discover the truth behind the unholy alliance between the goblins and humans along with her own origin story.

On almost every level this is not a great book. It is barely an ok book. I’m not sure why it is marketed as adult because the character and plot could easily pass as a middle-grade. The stakes are impossibly low and every conflict or moment of tension is resolved almost immediately. Auris survives a car crash that kills almost everyone, wanders the desert with no food or water for days and barely has any ill effect. She fits into the Veridian Deep and the fae people incredibly well and no one asks her to provide for herself. She just eats their food and lives in their cottage and surprise (!) she has easily attained skills and powers. All attacks and attempts to hold her are quickly escaped and if she needs help everyone jumps in to assist. Her personality is completely bland and she acts like a tween with a crush more than a nineteen year old that’s been held hostage by hungry goblins for five years. Of course, all the humans are war-mongering monsters polluting the earth and the fae are beautiful and perfect and live in flawless harmony.

Sadly, I did not enjoy this book and cannot recommend it to anyone over 13. I honestly think with a little tweaking and illustrations it *might* make a decent middle-grade book but there isn’t anything here for more seasoned fantasy readers to enjoy.

2 stars ⭐️⭐️

I loved the Shannara Chronicles so I was so excited for this one.

And it was good. I wasn't sure where it was going to start with Auris in the prison, but it was really good.

10 stars out of five! This book isn't just a great read, it's an experience! Same "feel" as Avatar, but totally different and wonderful. Characters are rich and complex, Viridian Deep seems real, and you want it to be real. Multiple story lines moving to the same goal in a rich tapestry covering love/hate, good/evil, betrayal/trust with the key theme of Harrow and Auris which is totally engaging. I'm actually reading it a second time, to pick up what I might have missed. Can't wait to see more!

Well I finished Child of Light and this isn’t a book I would recommend. Auris seems bland and emotionless, I know she doesn’t remember her past, but she should still have some opinions and thoughts. Big events would happen and it would say she was feeling strong emotions, but I didn’t believe it. Harrow was also mostly bland, he is a Fae and seems to have an interesting background, but none of this really came through. This is a fantasy book and the description sounded great so I was excited to read it, but the only reason I finished it was because I was reading it for a book group. I just don’t think the overall writing was working for me, I don’t care about the characters or their story. 🤷‍♀️

Even though the book wasn’t my cup of tea, I am still looking forward to chatting with other book lovers during the book club discussion.

I received this book from Del Rey Books via NetGalley for a virtual book group.

"Child of Light" by Terry Brooks is an engaging fantasy tale of survival, discovery, and relationships in a world that includes various types of fairies, humans, and seriously evil humans. The novel starts out darkly at full speed. Fortunately, the protagonist soon finds allies as she pursued survival, love, and the truth.

As usual, Terry Brooks is an awesome story teller. I am very appreciative to him and his publisher for kindly sharing an advanced reading copy of this book.

I was given a ARC from Netgalley and I can only hope this is a draft that has yet to see an editor.

I had never read a Terry Brooks book before Child of Light and I'm not sure I will read another one after this.

There is a confusing lack of descriptions of anything in this fantasy world, for instance early on in the novel the main character notes that she warms herself by a "strange heater" and that is the entirety of what is said. This is least spoiler-y of examples but certainly not the last. A good fantasy story should suck you into it's world, make you fall in love with the setting as the character does. The most we get in this book is the author via his first person narrator telling us how in love she is with the place. Because she loves it so should we. Which seems to be a reoccurring theme of the entirety of the plot. Auris hates thing A so that's all we need to know about it. Auris thinks thing B is a certain way and nothing else is needed.

Auris is a dull caricature of what the author thinks a nineteen year old girl is like. He had a base for a very compelling character which he then smothered in an infantile Love Interest Obsession to the point where it felt as if the reader was reading Auris's diary where she was writing out her instant love interest's name with hearts surrounding it page after page. For as big of a part of the narrative Mr. Brooks wanted the love story to be it falls flat as neither of these characters have anything but the basest of character traits or interests. They are interested in each other and that is about the lot of it.

The same can be said for any of the characters in the book really, they are not given anything but the bare minimum of the trope they are meant to fill. Any hardships or obstacles Auris is meant to overcome are either dealt with easily or deemed not important enough to address. (Goblins tried to kidnap you from your house in this stronghold? Well someone must really hate you... moving on-) And amid it all we are reminded that women (Fae or otherwise) should eat salad for dinner, that other women are rivals in love until proven otherwise, and that being imprisoned for years and the trauma of losing everyone you know within the first ten pages is easily healed by meeting A Man.

Redundant prose and the near constant regurgitation of Auris's shallow thoughts (not to mention the baffling amount of repetitive word use) made reading this a completely tedious and predictable slog

To begin with I am a huge Terry Brooks fan and have enjoyed almost every book he has written up to date. I was very excited that I was selected to receive this e-acr of Child of Light and looked forward to another amazing book. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed with this story.

I really like the premise of the story and the world that could have been created with the characters. Who wouldn’t want to know about a world that existed within our own world filled with magic and wonderful creatures? While we did get a glimpse of this world, for me I wanted to know more about the creatures that lived there, the types of buildings they lived in, and the different types of magic they all had. And while we got some of that I was left wanting to know more. At times the book seemed to drag through the pages, and some of the answers our main character had come to her too easy. I also wonder what direction that book will head now that it seems her main enemy is now gone. I’m hopeful that the second book in this series will fill in some of the character developments that I was looking for.

Terry Brooks does it again! I have been reading Brooks since The Sword of Shannara came out in the '70s. Each time he has changed directions and begun a new series, I have been a little apprehensive that he could ever equal the Shannara series. Once again, he has pr0ven me wrong with his new Child of Light. I was drawn in to this new world immediately and continued to be mesmerized throughout the entire story. He has created two very enigmatic characters in Auris and Fae, and left me yearning for more. Thank you, Terry, for helping me escape into this whole new world!

This book was a fantastic read. It has a perspective on the interaction between the Fae and Human kind unlike I have ever read. It was fast paced and had great flow. I am greatly looking forward to any possible sequels.

This book started off incredibly strong. There are elements of Brooks’ previous storytelling styles, with a new fresh world. I enjoyed the overarching concept of the plot and the world that was created here. However, also in very Brooks’ fashion, characters who die in the first 25% are all given first names. Everyone is given a name, and that can get a bit overwhelming, over time.

Overall, this was your standard run-of-the-mill fantasy. I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t feel it really brought anything new to the table. At times, the writing did fall on the lazier side, and I think the plot suffered for it.

Full review October 15th, 2021.

Review from NetGalley

I wanted so much to enjoy this book. Terry Brooks is one of my favorite authors. I have read all of his Shannara books and short stories. He is the father of modern fantasy and an amazing author. Unfortunately this book is not up to his standard.

"Child of Light" follows the escape of Auris and her cellmates from a goblin prison. The first few chapters suck the readers in, but the subsequent chapters merely fall flat. There is little character development, and emotional scenes come off as wooden attempts to connect the reader to the characters. Auris, after spending years in prison with unimaginable torture and death all around her, seems to just shrug it off and fall hopelessly, almost borderline stalkerishly, in love with her rescuer. No one mentions her trauma and everyone expects her to just be ok, and for the most part, she is.

There is so much potential in this story, it could have been great. It just wasn't. Hopefully book 2 will turn the "series" around.