Friday, February 26, 2021

Emi Review and Giveaway

 


Emi
by Ian Primeaux
Genre: Fantasy


One night while waiting for her father to get home, ten year old Emi wanders around her home when she accidentally drops her teddy bear into a mysterious chest. Anxiously going in after it, Emi falls into the chest and is teleported to a strange new world. Not long after waking up in this new world she is saved by her teddy bear who has come to life and grown several times her size. During her journey to find a way back home Emi meets several new friends including a royal guard, a scientist, and many others. Her focus changes from looking for a way home once she begins uncovering clues that her father may actually be in the strange land also! With the help of her new friends Emi embarks on a journey that will change her life forever.

Looking up she saw a large wooden chest with an old rusty padlock. Lightning flashed for a few seconds through the attic window. She noticed that the lock on the chest was open. Curious, she removed it and lifted the lid.

          She suddenly felt something pulling her down. It got harder and harder to hold onto the edge of the chest. She could feel her hands slipping. Just then she saw the lid begin to close. Afraid of her hands being crushed, she released her grip and fell down into the chest.

          A rustling in the nearby bushes interrupted her sobbing. She looked up and saw a wolf like creature emerge from the forest. Its fur was pitch black.

          She turned carefully and slowly to see the creature that she thought would soon end her. It was her teddy. She felt at ease but confused. The creature holding the decayed stem looked exactly like her teddy but much larger. Its mouth was sewed shut. It had the same two uneven button eyes.

          “Where am I?” She asked.       

     “You’re in my cabin. If you want a more specific answer, you’re in the Goddess Gardens.”  

     Emi was still confused. “And where is that?”             

         The woman wasn’t sure what to say. “Where are you from girl?” she asked with an interested look.


Rating: four out of five stars

Emi is a fascinating sci-fi/fantasy story whose protagonist is an ordinary young girl. I found myself thinking of the tale as a steampunk Alice in Wonderland. When young Emi's father goes missing, she is left alone with her abusive, alcoholic mother. While exploring the attic one night, she falls into a mysterious chest while trying to rescue her teddy bear and is transported to a magical land. She learns that the citizens of this strange place know her father, who has gone missing for them as well. Emi and her now-giant teddy vow to help their new friends while searching for her father.

Emi is a plucky and far brighter than average young girl, yet she is also realistic and vulnerable. She is worried about what might have happened to her father and concerned for her now-sentient teddy bear's well-being. I like the fact that Emi is adept at science. Such a character may encourage girls to pursue STEM careers.

While the story is a bit dark and there are scenes of peril, I believe that it is appropriate for middle-grade readers and up. Middle-grade readers might require an adult's help reading the book as there is some sophisticated language, but I believe the story will appeal to young people in this age range and the book could become one of their favorites.

The only reason I rated the story four rather than five stars is that there were places where it seemed unpolished. This may be because I received an advance review copy so the editing process wasn't entirely complete. The story itself is strong, interesting, and well worth a look.


Ian Primeaux is a new independent author from a small town in Louisiana. His first book “Emi” is the beginning of a new fantasy series reminiscent of adventures like “Alice in Wonderland” or “Wizard of Oz” with a few components inspired by classic role playing games. Apart from working a full-time management job, Ian spends most of his free time writing and crafting extensions of the world created in “Emi” to ensure that there will always be a new story ready to be told.





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