Synopsis -
All worlds are dying, and it’s up to one broken and dysfunctional family from Earth―the Wellsleys―to save the day. Cancer-ridden Ella celebrates her fifteenth birthday beneath an enchanted mountain, but it is what lies even farther below―the mysterious Star in the sea―that demands she grow up quickly. While Ella grapples with the sacrifice she must make and the lies she is forced to tell, her mother, Tessa, is hell-bent on protecting her.
Through bizarre encounters, love-sick Tessa realizes that she is not the lonely orphan she believes. Her husband, Arden, and father-in-law, Archie, are not the only ones with magical bloodlines. This revelation changes everything. As Archie chooses to embody his unexpected ancestry, he learns that leading the charge in the ultimate battle against evil won’t be as easy as he thought. He’ll need his family―and the strange allies he has gained―by his side to give Ella enough time to set things right.
Can they defeat the unstoppable Millia sands―and another unexpected foe―before everything they hold dear is destroyed? Or will their adventure tear them apart for good? The finale to The 8th Island Trilogy will hold you spellbound until the final page, and long after.
All worlds are dying, and it’s up to one broken and dysfunctional family from Earth―the Wellsleys―to save the day. Cancer-ridden Ella celebrates her fifteenth birthday beneath an enchanted mountain, but it is what lies even farther below―the mysterious Star in the sea―that demands she grow up quickly. While Ella grapples with the sacrifice she must make and the lies she is forced to tell, her mother, Tessa, is hell-bent on protecting her.
Through bizarre encounters, love-sick Tessa realizes that she is not the lonely orphan she believes. Her husband, Arden, and father-in-law, Archie, are not the only ones with magical bloodlines. This revelation changes everything. As Archie chooses to embody his unexpected ancestry, he learns that leading the charge in the ultimate battle against evil won’t be as easy as he thought. He’ll need his family―and the strange allies he has gained―by his side to give Ella enough time to set things right.
Can they defeat the unstoppable Millia sands―and another unexpected foe―before everything they hold dear is destroyed? Or will their adventure tear them apart for good? The finale to The 8th Island Trilogy will hold you spellbound until the final page, and long after.
Review -
Inside the Sun is the final book in the 8th Island Trilogy, a conclusion to the three book story line that follows a struggle to save all the worlds as well as Ella's life. However, there was a door left open for a new series with Ella, Luggie, Duggie-Sky, Xlea and Nickel who, in the book's epilogue, are said to be visiting other worlds and outwitting evil strongholds still standing.
Inside the Sun begins as the Olearons and humans are travelling back to Jarr-Wya for a final battle with the deadly Millia. They also hope to reach the star buried at the bottom of their ocean in a last ditch effort to heal their world and Ella's illness. Throughout book three, we begin to learn more and more about who Ella as well as her mother, father and grandfather really are. We meet another magical being - Finnah - who shares about Naiu who created all the worlds, but has been withdrawing her magic in despair, leaving evil to take over and bringing them to ruin. And of course, there is the final battle where all the many races of Jarr-Wya come together. Many, many, many die and the evil Millia seem unstoppable. Will evil win? Their only hope is Ella reaching the star under the ocean, but no one really knows how that will help.
I enjoyed that there was more time spent in between, non-conflict times in this book - both in character interactions and in musings (occasionally a bit long) that fill in the history of this saga. And I enjoy that Ella's drawings are shared again. Despite the asides, the pace continues to be fairly rapid which YA readers will love. And I again recommend it for older readers in this age group because of the overwhelming number of deaths and the dark themes. Last but not least, this trilogy definitely needs to be read in order.
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Meet the Author -
Fab Author Interview HERE -
Alexis Marie Chute is an award-winning author, artist, photographer, art curator, filmmaker, and public speaker. She has received over 40 noteworthy distinctions for her visual and literary work. Her award-winning fantasy series The 8th Island Trilogy includes, Above the Star, Below the Moon, and Inside the Sun. The series has been described as “A WRINKLE IN TIME meets THE PRINCESS BRIDE” by The Perpetual You magazine, and “Fast and bizarre… never a dull moment” by Forward Reviews. The 8th Island Trilogy “weaves STAR WARS-like characters with a WONDER-like message to form an enrapturing read for book lovers of all ages” – US Review of Books. Chute’s bestselling memoir, Expecting Sunshine: A Journey of Grief, Healing and Pregnancy After Loss, was a top Kirkus title of 2017 and received a plethora of other literary distinctions. The memoir was accompanied by the feature documentary of the same name, which has screened internationally for the last three years.
Chute received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art and Design from the University of Alberta, Canada, and studied at Media Design school in Auckland, New Zealand. She graduated valedictorian with her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, USA. Chute is a highly regarded public speaker. She has presented on art, writing, bereavement, and the healing capacities of creativity around the world. Contact the Author/Artist for bookings info@alexismariechute.com When not in her art/photo studio or at her computer, Chute loves to spend quality time with her family, read fiction and non-fiction, watch reality TV, paddleboard, and canoe. She is not a winter person but lives in frosty Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with her husband and their three living children.
Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube ~ LinkedIn
Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube ~ LinkedIn
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