Book Review: The Secrets of Yashire by Diamante Lavendar

Title: The Secrets of Yashire
Author: Diamante Lavendar
Genre: YA Fantasy
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy prvoided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

The Secrets of Yashire: Emerging From the Shadows is a young adult fantasy adventure that occurs within the framework of a young girl’s subconscious mind. The main character, Brianna, finds herself thrown into a world called Yashire where she is forced to deal with circumstances that are threatening Yashire’s existence. Against her will, she is sent on a journey to restore unconditional love back to the land while also contending with the evil force in the land, Zolan. Brianna is sent on her mission by Libban, Keeper of the Land. Along the way, Brianna travels with the mystical tiger, Angelos; a huge, whitish-tan tiger with thick black stripes who sings only the purest songs of love, and the wondrous little one-eyed bird named Abiba. During the journey, Brianna is also preparing to meet her soulmate—the one she longs to be with and the one who will bring complete healing back into her life. Together they travel through fantastic lands filled with magical creatures that could only exist in the wildest of imaginations. Through her treacherous brushes with danger and heartwarming experiences of love and acceptance, Brianna discovers many things. It is here, amidst the powers and phantasms of the mind that Brianna receives life lessons and virtues to help her. Will one of her greatest triumphs be achieved as she learns to believe in herself? For only then can she truly see all of the wondrous things that life has to offer.

Diamante Lavendar creates a magical, colorful, engaging world in The Secrets of Yashire: Emerging from the Shadows. Brianna, the main characters, finds herself in the world of Yashire, where she is sent on a journey to restore unconditional love back to the land. She travels along with Angelos, a mystical tiger, who is pretty awesome, and a one-eyed bired called Abiba. And as they become fast friends and travel across this strange land, Brianna discovers more secrets than she bargained for, including some life lessons she’ll never forget.

I loved Abiba. What a quirky, cute, adorable bird. All the characters have their strength and weaknesses, and all of them come across as balanced. Brianna changes a lot from the start of the book until the end, and it’s all for the better. She grows smarter, she learns lessons that shape her life, like forgiveiness and love and believing in oneself. And on the backdrop of that is an original, well-crafted fantasy world filled with all kinds of creatures.

If I had to give any complaints, it would be the slow pacing at the start. Fortunately, the pacing picks up toward the middle of the book. After reading the ending, I’m eager to find out more about what happens in the next installment. If you like a YA fantasy that focuses on life lessons and talking animals, give this one a shot.