The Eyes of the Desert Sand by Edwin WolfeSeries: Chrysalis Chronicles #1
Published by: Aauvi House Publishing Group on January 11, 2012
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 303
Source: ARC From Publisher
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Rating: ★★★★
How many parents would believe their thirteen year old son who told them that two vampires and a hooded stranger had tried to abduct him? Strange thing is, young Ethan Fox is convinced his parents, George and Betsy do believe him. Could it have something to do with the mysterious poem he wrote in his sleep? Or maybe it has something to do with his past, the past he cannot remember before his eighth birthday. Something strange is afoot, and it is about to turn Ethan's world upside down.
While vacationing with his parents, to get away from the crazy events of the previous two weeks, Ethan encounters a young girl named Haley Hunt who he is strongly drawn to... and the feeling is mutual. Together, Ethan and Haley are lured to The Residence, home of the Caretakers, an organization of intelligent beings sent to earth to nurture the human race and protect them from un-earthly influences.
Armed with special abilities, including the power to evolve any earthly creature, the Caretakers take in their unexpected guests. They have been watching young Ethan Fox, and are curious as to why the Grimleavers, their mortal enemy on earth, would want to abduct a young human child. Together, Ethan and Haley journey to magical worlds, make new friends, and help the Caretakers unravel the stories greatest mysteries. Along the way, they learn that the Caretakers have been here since the beginning of human history and have played a key role in shaping human lore. In their world, vampires, werewolves, trolls, and even Medusa herself really do exist but have been kept hidden from the human world around them. Ethan is the key as they ultimately discover the Grimleavers true intentions, to unlock the four portals to the elemental worlds of the Chrysalis.
The Eyes of the Desert Sand is an incredible fantasy story! It reminds me of Alice in Wonderland.. but with technology and more “purpose” — there’s a war to be won and lives to save!
This story is about Ethan Fox. He lives a fairly normal life with his child-like parents, but things start getting weird when two vampires try to abduct him. Rescued at the last minute, he tells his parents, who don’t believe him. But Ethan gets the strange sense that they’re hiding something. Maybe they know his account is true, but won’t admit it?
From there, Ethan meets up with a girl named Haley and ends up at The Residence. He learns all about other-worldly creatures who were brought to Earth to help nudge evolution along and protect Earth and its inhabitants. Ethan, Haley, and his new friends at The Residence work together to figure out why the vampires tried to kidnap him, and help protect Earth from the Grimleavers’ evil plans.
Man, Edwin Wolfe has an amazing imagination! He has created this incredible world full of awesome creatures, strange inventions, and intriguing lore. This story will completely draw you in with its weird creatures, funky dialogue, and memorable adventures. In a way, this story is very Alice in Wonderland meets otherworld meets technology. This book isn’t really based in magic — it’s more based in science, which I find extremely cool! Whenever people say, “That’s impossible,” I always think, “It’s only impossible because we haven’t seen a way for it to work, but that doesn’t mean it can’t work somewhere somehow,” and this story really embodies that. Here you have two normal humans — Ethan and Haley — and they’re exposed to a whole new world of impossible. But it’s not necessarily full of magic; there is a bit, but they’re mostly introduced to ‘natural’ creatures and awesome technologies.
My only real issue with the book is the lack of character development. The world itself was incredible, with so many details and new ideas, but the characters never really grew or interacted. Most of the dialogue was explaining story and furthering the plot, rather than developing the characters or having them socially/casually interact. I didn’t get a great sense of who Ethan was, or what his personality was like. I never really felt for him or connected with him.
That being said, The Eyes of the Desert Sand is still a great book. The story is so intricate and interesting and there’s never a dull moment. Each page is full of some new creature or object to read and learn about. We are thrown into an amazing world we never knew existed — one with shape shifters, vampires, trolls, leprechauns and more. There are some great histories that are a delight to learn about.
There is a lot of promise here and I can’t wait to read the next book! I’m hoping we’ll learn a lot more about the Caretakers and their history. Their world, purpose, and culture are all so interesting and I’m thirsting for more!
Greetings, from Bora Bora!
The Verdict
Wow, this book sounds amazing! I really think I would enjoy reading this one! Thanks for the great review 🙂
You should totally check it out! Also there’s this object in the book called a copycat and I TOTALLY want one! It’s like a cat statue, but then you just think of an object and it will rub up against you in a kitty-like way and then turn into the object 😀
[/me being a cat freak]