The Red Sun

The Legends of Orkney #1

by Alane Adams

4.25 ★ – Fun, Exciting, and Magical Adventure

Published by Sparkpress August 4th 2015

Genre(s) Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mythology

Pages: Paperback 346

Buy Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Half.com, Indiebound

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

After meeting a strange dwarf in his garage and finding out his substitute English teacher is a witch, twelve-year-old Sam Baron travels through a stonefire to the magical realm of Orkney where he finally learns the truth about his past: his mother is a witch and his father is a descendant of the Norse god, Odin.

“The Red Sun” is the first book in The Legends of Orkney, the spellbinding series of adventure fantasy novels by Alane Adams. It follows Sam to the realm of Orkney where witches, wraiths, and other menacing creatures cause serious peril to the unsuspecting Sam. Now, it’s up to him to save his friends and all of Orkney from a cursed red sun. Can a young witch girl named Mavery help him?

My cousin, Mellanie, who is an avid reader, booknerd and book revier, recommended this series to me. I don’t read Middle Grade books that often so I tend to be pickier when it comes to that genre, but Mellanie raved so much about The Red Sun I knew I had to read it. While it took me longer than I thought to finish reading, I thoroughly enjoyed The Red Sun.

Alane Adams is such a sweetheart and a great writer. I love that she wrote The Red Sun for her son and you can tell that she put her heart into the story. She lures you in with an intriguing premise and throws you in an exciting, enthralling, and fun-filled journey to a magical place. The world building is fantastic and imaginative filled with beautiful scenery and unique creatures that will have thinking about Harry Potter or LOTR. The story has plenty of action, suspense, and humorous dialogue that will keep you on the edge and entertained. Though a great book for children, I think The Red Sun is an amazing story for all ages who loves fantasy and adventure.

I though the characters are all pretty great and relatable. Sam is a wonderful young hero and I felt for him. The constant struggle to choose between saving a kingdom you’ve never known or saving your friends is quite difficult for anyone let alone a 12 year old boy. Sam is given this big responsibility and he’s not even sure he wants it, but he’s still doing the best he can. I rooted for him throughout the story and wanted him to succeed. I loved that he showed vulnerabilities and flaws and eventually learned to become the hero he’s meant to be. Sam’s group of friends are just awesome and I loved them all. Howie made me laugh with his silliness but I loved that he’s actually really smart, very resourceful and brave. And Mavery… well that little mischief definitely stole my heart and my favorite out of all the characters. She’s so feisty and such a firecracker. She’s full of surprises and while she acts tough, deep down she’s a real softy with a big heart. She’s fiercely loyal to Sam and is willing to do anything to save Orkney.

Overall, The Red Sun is a great Middle Grade fantasy book. Adams does a nice job weaving Norse Mythology in this fun adventurous tale of good vs. evil. I can’t wait to travel back into this magical world in Kalifus Rising and continue Sam’s journey.

Sincerely Karen Jo