BLUE FLAME by Barbara M. Hodges

BLUE FLAME by Barbara M. Hodges
Hardshell Word Factory - Feb. 2001
ISBN: 1582006040 - eBook
Fantasy

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, MyShelf.com

Seven years have passed since Regan's sister, Kelsey disappeared when out of the night comes a young man bearing a birthmark like her own. He brings word that her sister is alive and needs her help. As proof, he shows her the necklace that Kelsey alw ays wore that matches Regan's earrings. The young man claims that he is a mage from the world Darradawn, which is where Kelsey is. They need Regan's help because like him she has great magical power. Though she finds it hard to believe, Regan goes with him, taking along her friend Ben and dog, Maggie. The small group travels through a Rift that opens once every seven years for only a few days to allow passage between worlds.

Once there, Regan and Kelsey reunite, and Regan learns of the evil Dirrk, a sorcerer, who out of anger and rejection is seeking to conquer Darradawn. His tools are fearsome, mutated snakes and zombies sculpted from the dead bodies of his enem ies. Regan learns more of her powers, discovering that she has greater power than any mage in ages with her ability to mindspeak even dragons. As she learns, she finds love with Peter, despite the obvious problem of literally coming from different world s. Several times over the course of the book, Regan is captured by enemies, but each time, she is able to benefit from the captivity and learn something that leads to the good of her allies. When the final confrontation with evil comes, hurtful secrets are revealed and difficult choices made that could well come back someday to plague Darradawn.

Fantasy is possibly the most difficult genre to write, therefore, Ms. Hodges' success in this novel is even more noteworthy. Though it was a little confusing at first as she built her world, it clarified into one of the more enjoyable books of my yea r thus far. I hope that she follows up on the seeds she has planted for a sequel, and soon.