Inside the Sun is book three of the 8th Island Trilogy. As this is the third and final instalment of Ella’s story I would recommend starting with book one to fully understand the story, there are too many different characters species and quick references to what I assume are events in previous books to read this as a standalone. However, there is a Glossary of characters, creatures, plants and places at the back to help.
A teen fantasy book which includes portal jumping, other worlds, strange creatures. This series also handles very real challenges, as Ella is suffering from Cancer and the divide between the races on Jarr-Wya reflect the divisions that can be found in our own society. Facing the ultimate battle against evil and their nemesis the Milia sands, will Ella and her friends be able to stop everything they love being destroyed. And will Ella and her family be able to find a cure for her cancer?
I like the map at the start of the book and the illustrations throughout. I don’t often see illustrations in YA fiction, so I thought this was a nice addition. I also liked the illustrations as they help you to picture the different creatures, which I found useful, and also helped to drive the plot forward. I also liked the detailed descriptions of the places and creatures. The author is very good at world-building and it must have taken a lot of time and imagination to come up with the 8th Island worlds. I found the relationships between the characters interesting and the prominent place of Ella’s mum in this book different from the other YA Fiction I’ve read.
The group aren’t strangers to peril and it would seem that what they face in the final book may be their biggest challenge to date. Everything is tied up satisfactorily in the final pages and the epilogue and in all, I think this is a good finale to a teen fantasy trilogy.
| Primary Genre | Young Adult Fiction |
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