White Mountain

The Darkling Chronicles

Young Adult - Fantasy - General
430 Pages
Reviewed on 03/20/2015
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Sophie E Tallis was born in Bristol, UK, but grew up in a sleepy village just north of it, dreaming of dragons and wild adventures. She has subsequently travelled the world having many adventures including a life-changing four month trip around New Zealand, but now lives in the Cotswolds with her family, two enormous white wolves, two even bigger Alaskan Malamutes and a load of wild ducks who basically run the place!

She has been a full-time teacher for the past 16 years, and is a talented writer, poet, painter, artist and illustrator, who has just set up her own illustration business. Sophie has a BA (Hons) Degree in Fine Art, photography and sculpture and a Post-Grad in Education, and now works as a librarian, a dream job being surrounded by books all day!

Sophie is a full member of The Society of Authors, was a quarterfinalist for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA), and lives for the arts. Her debut novel, White Mountain, the first of the Darkling Chronicles, was published 1st December 2014 by Grimbold Books, and is a sweeping tale of magic, dragons, betrayals and friendship in a rich fantasy setting and has already garnered some excellent reviews.

Although Sophie primarily writes epic fantasy, she enjoys most genres and is a sucker for any good story and is currently writing her second novel, along with a host of other projects. Sophie divides her time when she is not writing, reading, drawing or painting, by delving into topics as diverse as ancient history, African and Asian mythology, natural history, archaeology, astronomy, geology, world geography and of course fantasy and science-fiction, all of which inhabit her stories! She is an avid film buff, loves stargazing, playing chess and is passionate about nature and conservation. Sophie describes herself as a lover of wild places and the written word, and a bit of a nerd!

    Book Review

Reviewed by Michelle Mollohan for Readers' Favorite

White Mountain by Sophe E. Tallis is the first book in the Darkling Chronicles series. An epic tale of good versus evil, White Mountain follows the arduous journey of a wizened powerful mage, Marvalla Agyk, as he seeks to destroy the evil changeling who stole his powers before it's too late. Mr. Agyk is accompanied by his fiercely loyal friend and dragon Gralen, and Wendya, the witch he loves like a daughter. Along their journey, they encounter more victims of the villain Morreck and gain allies to aid their cause. An Oracle tells Mr. Agyk that one of his traveling companions will betray them and one of them will die, leaving him worried for his dear friends, yet knowing that they must continue on their quest or all will be lost.

Sophe E. Tallis has crafted a complex world of magical beings intertwined with the human world in White Mountain. The journey covers varied gorgeous landscapes as the group journeys through the seasons across various kingdoms in order to complete their quest. Fans of classics such as The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings Trilogy will enjoy reading White Mountain as the epic battles between good and evil forces are told in splendid detail. The first in the Darkling Chronicles, White Mountain delves deeply into the characters while leaving the reader in breathless anticipation of the subsequent volumes. The shocking revelation at the end of the book made me wish that I already had the next installment so I could immediately continue the saga of Mr. Agyk, Wendya, Korrun and Gralen!