May the Force Be With You

I finished reading/listening to T. A. Barron's Great Tree of Avalon: The Child of the Dark Prophecy.

It was good. Better than most, but didn't hit my favorites list. At first I struggled to get into the book, but once he started using common elements, such as where each character was when certain "world-wide" events happened, it was neat to see how their paths crossed.

In general, the characters were likeable in this traditional fantasy set in an MiddleEarth-esque world where elves, Eaglefolk, humans and wizards all co-existed (albeit not so harmoniously). The good versus evil, unsuspecting boy turned hero saves the world plot was engaging enough, but not a page-turner I couldn't put down. I did find the ending to be a little anti-climatic, but lightly sets the scene for what I imagine happens in the sequel.

And, I kept getting a Star Wars vibe. More than one character had a Jar Jar flare, including the annoying but good hearted freak sidekick with a slightly stuttery way of speaking. Another character (talking mud... seriously...) channeled Yoda. "Laugh you will."

I'd suggest it as a book to read when you don't have time to get consumed by a real page-turner but still want something that's better quality reading than Blue Bloods.