Journey into the Realm #1: The Elf Girl

At fifteen, Ramsey Wilder feels very out of place among her fellow high schoolers - the only one with pale skin and very pointy ears. After finding a strange fantasy book at the store and nearly drowning in a strange magical encounter, Ramsey learns that she is a special elf, carrying a secret that caused her family to hide her away. But now, Ramsey must return to the elven realm to find her sister who has gone missing. Caught in a war between the fairies and elves, Ramsey will have to find her sister, uncover her secret, and battle those who would stop her from doing both.

An interesting YA fantasy with a hint of romance, “The Elf Girl” is the first in this promising series. The main focus is on world building and introducing the characters, which is good because Ramsey meets a cast of them who all seem to have clearly defined roles in the series. The pace isn't  based on Ramsey finding clues constantly, but is more realistic as she attempts to find clues and learn about a sister she doesn’t remember. Unfortunately, while this world building will add a lot to the later series entries, it slows this book down, as does the constant reference to Ramsey’s secret without any hints to what it is. There is not much range of emotion here either; it ranges from rather flat to completely absent.  Overall though, this is a great clean read for fantasy lovers.

Sarah E. Bradley