The Lost Jewels (Amulet of Power Series #1)

Summary:

"A simple gift, that’s all it was meant to be. But the necklace given to Abira by her friend Evan turns out to be anything but simple.

Abira suddenly finds herself as the target of King Moctruze—the evil ruler of Palachia. He is on a relentless search for the lost jewels of the ancient Amulet of Power. The completed Amulet provides magical powers to whoever wears it. He possesses the golden base of the Amulet and has been blind to the whereabouts of the missing jewels—until now. Abira soon learns that the crystals in her necklace are the missing jewels from the ancient Amulet and she embarks on a perilous journey to steal the king’s portion and destroy the completed Amulet before he finds her and wields the magic of the Amulet of Power for himself. Her adventure takes her all across Palachia where she forges new friendships; encounters fierce and mysterious enemies; struggles with being away from home; and finds hidden strength and determination.

The Lost Jewels is the first of three books in the “Amulet of Power” series."

Plot: I enjoyed the build up of the story line, to the random meetings and adventures, to the final battle, that just lead up to what is more to come in the series.

Characters: Abira and Evan are cute, but I didn't feel connected to them it was more the adult characters Peter, Thorauk and Monito. I want to know more about them and why they are really along on this journey.

Pros: I love a fantasy, mythical world and this story reminded me a lot of The 10th Kingdom, which is one of my favorite "movies"

Cons: Some of the dialog and transitions could be improved upon.

Final Thoughts: While reading The Lost Jewels, I couldn't help but think to myself, yes this is a fine book. But it would be SO much better if it was transformed into a screenplay and adapted into a TV show/mini series or something along those lines. There is just something about this book that really just makes me want to see it visually. Which is always why I think I didn't like the dialog at times, cause I think it would translate better on screen.  For the fans of Fantasy books, I would definitely say The Lost Jewels is definitely a gem to read.