Weekend Reads: Moonscript by H.S.J. Williams

Do you ever see a book around and wonder about it, then finally get around to reading it, and are delighted? That has happened to me a few times this summer, with The Faceless Mage by Kenley Davidson (reviewed here) and, most recently, with Moonscript by H.S.J. Williams. Interestingly, both involved imprisoned elves and orphaned young ladies, but where the former is more of a romantic fantasy, Moonscript goes deeper into themes of despair and redemption in a world and manner reminding me of Anne Elisabeth Stengl's beloved Tales of Goldstone Wood.

MoonScript by H.S.J. Williams

(Book 1 of the Kings of Aselvia series)

"It is said that Darkness is empty and whatever vanishes into its depths is lost forever. I know this better than anyone. For I have suffered here in the shadows, and there are none who might find me.”

Seventy years. Seventy years the elven prince has been lost to the darkness, assumed dead by his people and endlessly broken for a book that connects to the hidden realm of his ancestors, a land untouched by evil.

And now a light in the shadows. A chance for freedom. But those willing to help him come from the unlikeliest of worlds.

The orphan girl, yearning for a loving family, and the boy who won’t leave her side. A healer maiden given an unexpected chance for a life beyond narrowed expectations. A grieving creature flown far from home.

They all search for something and now their fates are tied to his. If their quest for life can pull him from the dark mire in which his soul drowns, then perhaps he can be saved.

Or else he will drag them all down to a fate worse than death.

The beginning of an epic saga, MOONSCRIPT is a journey of innocence, despair, and redemption.

Moonscript begins as elven prince Errance is finally allowed to visit the human lands, when disaster strikes and he is kidnapped by a great evil. Seventy years later, a young orphan girl, Tellie, finds his lost moon medallion and overhears a plot to kill an elven king, the father of the missing prince. After warning the elves, she is given the task of find the king's heir--which really means rescuing the prince once thought dead. This seems an impossible task, for some prisons are not stone and bars that can be left. Errance has been tortured and tried for seventy years; freedom isn't easy.

I enjoyed the heart of the story--the themes of innocence, despair, and Christian redemption--as well as the memorable, lovable characters, the different races (including the dragon-like creature who only responds to The Daisha). Moonscript is a complete story that has built a world and characters fit for more stories. I look forward to reading more of them.

Have you read Moonscript? Are you a fan of stories of elves and lost princes?