Water Princess, Fire Prince: Kendra E. Ardnek ~ Review

When Clara Mandras and Andrew Stevenson are thrown into the world of Rizkaland and told they must save it from an evil Sorceress, neither one is very happy.  But as they come to know the people of Rizkaland, they find themselves wanting to help.  Clara and Andrew must go through many things together and alone, before they achieve their goal...banishing the Lady Dragon to her island.

A lover of Portal Fantasy, I found Water Princess, Fire Prince a very well done portrayal that had depth without being a deep read.  The main characters were well written and easy to connect with.  I liked Clara's spunk and strength- mental and physical - but that she also had fears to overcome.  Her personality is similar to mine, and it was easy to put myself in her place.

With Andrew, I have younger siblings so I understood very well the sense of responsibility he feels towards them and then the panic when he realizes he is no longer there for them.  I really admired how he rose "from the ashes" of his old life, and became a strong, dependable Fire Prince.

My favorite minor characters were Jasmine, the Leaf Princess, Jill Anna and Jakob.  I enjoyed Jasmine's non-stop chatter, the Leaf Princess's sweetness and mischievousness, Jill Anna's quiet, but strong and loyal personality, and how understanding, caring and protective Jakob was of the women in his life.

The science-y side of things was very intriguing: the cylindrical world, the seven different colors of water and their uses, and the leaves aren't green.

There was also a strong faith in Alphego (God) that underlined everything without being preachy.  On the whole, I think what i liked the most was how Kendra realistically portrayed the struggles - emotional, mental and physical - that we all go through at different time in our lives.

I give this book 4 stars and I would not recommend it to anyone under 14.