Book Review : From the Land of Cross and Star by Andrew Volkov.

From the Land of Cross and Star written by Andrew Volkov.

The prolonged title of the book “From the Land of Cross and Star: A Historical Fantasy Adventure of Magic Found, Love Lost, and Faith Regained,” is more than enough to explain the genre, the emotions and the elements we can expect in this story.

The main characters of this story are Ilyusha and Lyubanya. The story is about a monk who has lost his way and carries special forbidden magical powers with him. He is also haunted by his past and burdened with guilt. At the same time, his old friend has turned into a spy and wants to take everything from him right from his magic, his love and even his entire soul. The rest of the story revolves around who will win and why these events are happening.

This is a fantasy book that features a lot of emotions, feelings, magic, danger and love. One thing I noticed is that rather than being just a normal fantasy read this story shares many values and morals throughout. The monk’s character represents the human mind very realistically with his flaws, decisions and feelings he holds, etc. The way magic is portrayed in this book is also very appreciable and meaningful. I really loved that part.

This is Part 1 of the ‘From the Land of Cross and Star’ series and in this particular book's chapter it contains four parts each with multiple chapters within it. The author could have included a preface or an introduction before entering the actual story which would have made the narrative even clearer. The narration and language are moderately easy to read and the pace of the story has some natural ups and downs. But the story is enjoyable and gripping to read.