A Darker Secret [Paperback]

This is a promising first work by 14-year-old author Tyler Stentiford. The protagonist, Jordan Lanters, undergoes a personal tragedy and is immediately thrust into a world full of mysterious symbols, magical creatures, and intense battles between angels and demons. Through it all, Jordan discovers that she is destined to protect the fantastical land of Lighte, with only the help of a friend and the trail of clues her mother left before she died.

The coming-of-age tradition is quite apparent in A Darker Secret, as one might expect of a teenage author. Stentiford has a keen sense of the requirements of a child hero, and dutifully provides his main character with the traditional characteristics of a tragic past and a crucial role in an all-important battle between good and evil. As Jordan proves herself through the novel's final confrontation, the reader is reminded of the heroic children C. S. Lewis and J. K. Rowling created. Stentiford also seems to be influenced by fellow young author Christopher Paolini and other writers of that ilk.

While I believe Stentiford shows great promise, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that his style needs honing. He is still a young author, and it's apparent that he's not entirely sure how to manage the passing of time in a narrative, how to keep exposition to a minimum, or how to engage a reader from the very first line. Still, with hard work and a few more years of experience, Stentiford could be one of the best up-and-coming fantasy writers out there.

In The Darkest Secret, Tyler Stentiford tackles subject matter well beyond his years. Mixing the spiritual undertones of The Chronicles of Narnia and the entertaining wizardry of the Harry Potter books, The Darkest Secret takes the reader to a place where the worlds of good and evil collide. This book seems to raise as many questions as it attempts to answer, making it a good choice for the entire family to read and discuss together. At only fourteen years of age, Stentiford has offered us a solid first novel and has securely marked his place in the literary world.

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