Ravenwild by Peter J. Plasse

Summary Provided by Goodreads:

 Returning home from another grueling shift of E.R. work, Dr. Blake Lee Strong comes across a downed motorcyclist and stops to help, but little does he know that his world and that of his family will soon be turned upside down. Duped into being transported to another planet called Inam'Ra, Dr. Strong and his family are thrust into a medieval world populated by Trolls, Gnomes, Elves, Dwarves, Humans and other alien beings. An epic odyssey begins as the Strong family fights for not only their own survival, but also for the continued existence of the citizens of Ravenwild.

My Thoughts:
Ravenwild is the story of a magical planet called Inam’Ra, the inhabitants who live there, including the humans, trolls, dwarfs, gnomes, and elves, and a modern family from Connecticut. One day, a wizard who calls himself Hemlock Simpleton from the country of Ravenwild visits the Strong family, parents Blake and Jessica, and their children Orie, Stephanie, and Jacqueline, and explains to them how the people of Ravenwild need their help to survive. The people and creatures of Inam’Ra have been at war with each other for a very long time.  The wizard explains that the country is in grave danger, the fighting is getting worse, and without the Strong’s help, the citizens of Ravenwild will lose, and most likely will become extinct.

Before the Strong family can decided what they are going to, Stephanie meets Erik Fairman, the Prince of Ravenwild, who promises her that if she goes with him back to his country, no harm will come to her. Stephanie decides to trusts him and leaves with him. Her parents follow her to bring her home, followed by Orie and Jacqueline. Thus begins the epic adventure that is Ravenwild.

The Strong family is spread out throughout the country trying to survive and bring their family back together. At every turn they are faced with some sort of danger, and at the same time they need to fight to protect themselves and the country of Ravenwild.

We are introduced to so many different characters in Ravenwild and they are all interesting and each bring something to the story. First off, each member of the Strong family had a unique personality. I loved how connected they were. I also enjoyed the character of the Troll Emperor Malance Venomisis. He was so evil, that it was awesome! I also enjoyed reading the histories and backgrounds of the different species. I thought it brought something special to the story.

Since there were so many different characters and storylines, sometimes the story was a little hard to follow-and at 494 pages, you know there’s going to be a lot of information given! The story was also told in so many different points of views that we got to see both sides-the good and the bad, which was pretty cool! 

The writing is very descriptive that as a reader, you really felt that you were right there in the heart of the story. Adding to the story were illustrations of the characters and scenes. Not only were the drawings beautifully done, but they brought the book to a whole new level. I hope in the second book, there are even more drawings to enjoy!

Overall, I thought this was a great start to a fantasy series. Ravenwild is an epic journey that takes the reader to a world completely different from our own.