The Fog of Forgetting

Move over, Narnia. the journey to Ayda has begun. 

Sneaking out for a quick boat ride on a summer day, the five children at the center of The Foge of Forgetting soon find themselves in unfamiliar waters. Engulfed in a curtain of dense fog, they come ashore on the lost island of Ayda and encounter Seaborne, a machete-toting wayfarer of few words. BY nightfall, the children are caught up in a centuries-old battle between Dankar, the ruler of Exor, and three mysterious siblings who rule the other realms of Ayda. At stake are four stones of power and the elusive Fifth Stone, the most important of them all. WHen 9-year-old Frankie is kidnapped by Dankar, her older sister Evelyn (13) and the three Thomposon brothers - Chase (13), Knox (12), and Teddy (6), must learn to harness the power of the daylights, the elemental forces of creation, and navigate their way through the perilous realms of Ayda to rescue her - a journey from which they may not return. 

Author: G. A. Morgan
Page Count; 303
Genre: Middle Grade/ Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure
Series: Yes (Book 1) The Five Stones Trilogy


**THIS WAS AN ARC REVIEW! **

   "Move over, Narnia, the journey to Ayda has begun." I have to admit, this statement had me a bit worried at the start. The Fog of Forgetting is a book directed toward fans of the Chronicle of Narnia and the Harry Potter series. I'm not going to lie, this means I had high expectations for this book. Harry Potter is one of my ALL time favorite book series, and Narnia is a beloved book from my childhood. (I just read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for the BookTubeAThon this summer.)

   Although, this story is more toward the Middle Grade age group, I can see how this can me enjoyed by many of all age groups. The relationship between the characters is a cute, believable telling between siblings and friends. Although the story starts with the two sets of siblings being strangers, a bond eventually forms pretty early on. The arrival on the mysterious island covered and shrouded with fog, was an interesting setting and it was enjoyable learning about the unique land and it's inhabitants along with the main characters. Unlike some stories that just dump loads of already known knowledge to the characters onto the reader, The Fog of Forgetting had a nice way of explaining everything little by little as the characters continued to learn the new information. This allowed the newness of this world to take a special quality.

   The magic was simple and nothing extraordinary, but it did have it's unique moments. The Stones and the relations ship with the Keepers and the elements added a nice quality to this magical world, and the story was well written to add them. The addition of the term "daylights' was also a nice element.

    If a reader wanted more than just adventure, then this is a story that has it. The Fog was one of the most mysterious part of the book so far. Something beautiful and eerie about the fog, yet it kept a thought in the back of the reader's mind about what it was and what it could be. Not to mention the ever pending question of, will the children ever get home? What was keeping them there?  And what will happen to them?

  All-in-all, I have to say this was a pretty interesting book. It was good for a light read if you are looking for something easy with a bit of fantasy. Did I consider this the next Narnia or Harry Potter? It was good, but not quite that good in my opinion. But, then again, that is asking me to compare this book to two of my favorite series...might be a bit biased on that point. Being only Book 1 in a series, I'll most likely pick up the other books to read. I look forward to see where this series goes and what becomes of the characters! (Especially after that ending!)  Definitely one that would be good for younger readers to enjoy, I give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars.