At the age of eleven, a Less Than Ordinary girl enters a world that is different yet parallel to her own and has an extraordinary adventure. At fourteen though, this girl is too old for fairy tale adventures. Or is she?
In her debut novel Talisman of Zandria, Christine Norris introduced her readers to Ivy Peterson, a More-Than-Ordinary girl who faced an evil sorceress in the world of Zandria. Three years later, Ivy has forgotten her old friends and adventures. But it all comes back to her in Return to Zandria.
“You have to come back!”
At fourteen years old, Ivy has started high school and now has a baby brother. After a fight with her mother and a rotten day at school, Ivy would love to escape the realities of her life, and it is then she receives an urgent message from an old friend. Zandria needs her a again. The land is covered in a blanket of continuous winter reflecting the broken heart of Zandria's empress. Ivy rejoins old friends Kaia, Connor, Arden, and others to solve the problem and save the people of Zandria from starvation. But this time she brings her best friend Lori along. Ivy and Lori must aid a search team on the Otherside to save the empress's kidnapped daughter and restore life to Zandria. However, the abduction of the princess is only the first step in a more sinister plan.
Three Years Later
Clearly, Ivy is not the shy “Less Than Ordinary” girl who entered Zandria three years before. Her family and circle of friends has grown, and so has she. Adding Lori to the adventure provides the prospective of a normal teenage girl who does not initially believe in magic. Along with the quest to rescue the princess, Norris also creates personal struggles for the characters, like Ivy's guilt over forgetting her friends in Zandria and Connor's struggle to find confidence in his abilities as a wizard.
Final Comments on Return to Zandria
Christine Norris once again creates an upbeat adventure. She gives enough background that readers who have not read Talisman of Zandria will be able to catch up, and plenty of new plot twists and character development that fans who have read Talisman will find Return to Zandria just as engaging. Return to Zandria is fun adventure that will delight readers of all ages.
For more information about Christine Norris and her books, visit her website and her blog.
