The Naming - Alison Croggon

Genres: Fantasy
Recommended Ages: 12+
DRP: n/a

Tired of gloomy, realistic teen-fiction full of suicide, dead parents and sexual assaults? Well maybe what you need is a good ol’ fantasy book that will take you away from the “reality” portrayed in so many of today’s young adult books. If that is the case then I would recommend The Naming by Alison Croggon, the first book of the Pellinor series.

Maerad is a sixteen year-old slave girl living a rather horrible life. She has no family, no friends – really the only thing she has is her lyre, and her ability playing it is the only thing that has protected her from the beatings her master frequently doles out. Life for Maerad is just a dreary routine with no end in sight. Until the evening a stranger wanders into her village. The stranger, a man named Cadvan, tells Maerad that she is a bard, a person with magical powers. Cadvan tells Maerad that she must come with him – a slave’s life is no life for a bard. Despite her fears, Maerad leaves with Cadvan. Thus begins the great adventure detailed in The Naming.

I really enjoyed this book. If you liked Eragon or The Lord of the Rings trilogy then you will enjoy this book. Croggon has done a great job of creating the land of Edil-Amarand, a land with its own history, folklore and language. If you like epic fantasies then you must read this book. I know I can’t wait to get my hands on The Riddle, the second book of Pellinor.