Plot: This book, like all the others, opens with an entire chapter devoted to Atalanta's senseless moanings. Hmmm, it appears that by falling through the Gap into Glacier River Farm, Ari upset the magic balance. Now Shifter's side has all the power and some prophecy about completing a trial by fire and a trial by moonlight, symbolized by a red rose and a white rose, has to be fulfilled. Sounds a lot like "Happily N'ever After".
Ari is back on the farm, but doesn't want to be: what if someone see's Chase and flips out?? Lori is finally back where she belongs, but isn't happy about it. Yay, then Lady Kylie randomly comes and attacks Ari, but Lori saves her. Unfortunately, the Gap has collapsed. Bummer.... Ari consults the magic scepter and he digs up all the dirt for her. Oh. Problem solved.
She and Chase are back in the Valley of Fear with Lincoln...and Lori, who has apparently followed them. Stupid. Demon unicorns attack them, but Chase gets all testy and threatens them or something, so they get away. They get on the Dawnwalker and are safe.
Then Ari receives a notice about a unicorn steeplechase taking place in Deridia. On the bottom is a dying red rose. Change course, let's go to Deridia!!
They reach Deridia and walk the course. It is muy difficult. Ari meets a boy named Finn and his unicorn, Cinna. Finn has several Anakin-like qualities and Deridia is so much like Tatooine that it's sometimes hard to distinguish between the two stories.
Race day. Oh no!! It's Moloth the really big scary black demon unicorn and an unnamed shadow rider!!! The race is on!! Since no one else can even compete, it's between Chase and Moloth. Moloth's rider is cheating and using violence, but Finn and his newfound Celestial unicorn friend Rednal show Ari the way out, so she wins, much to the chagrin of the townspeople. They give chase, but Finn leads them all to a cave and they find themselves on a beach.
Actually, Lori and Lincoln are back in Deridia with the angry townspeople, but Dr. Bohnes dismisses this, because at least Ari is safe, and the Deep Magic will protect them.
Very nice.
While on the beach, Ari receives a notice about a midnight diving competition to take place in the ocean. At the bottom is a white rose, meaning it's part of the prophecy blaaaa....
Ari dives. Fights with Kraken. Wins. Too easy. Prophecy complete. Scales balanced. Everyone gets back on Dawnwalker, where they find Lincoln and Lori??? How??? Lori thinks Finn is hot. Ari isn't jealous. All is well. All is boring.
More notes:
Of course every book starts the same way: Atalanta, Dreamspeaker to the unicorns of the Celestial Valley herd....
I love Rednal. He was my favorite unicorn back in the day, only they describe him as deep crimson, and it seems someone named REDnal would be a more boisterous REDDISH color.
Whaaat, he's Sunchaser's brother!!
Oh, and lead stallion of the red band. Because God forbid Chase should have a NORMAL brother.
"The Scales of Magic. See? That's the Shifter's side on the left. And your side, Dreamspeaker, is on the right. They always go up and down a bit, but they're never really out of balance."
Oh yeah? What about when Shifter pwned Ari and Chase, threw them into the real world, and captured her family? If that didn't do it, then how did Ari's falling into the Gap accomplish that major shift in Shifter's favor??
Dill and Basil decide to tell everybody that Toby is a Celestial unicorn. Nice. Blow his cover.
Okay, I hate it in books when there are snake characters that alwayssssss talk like thisssssss.
Lori saves Ari's butt and Ari's not even thankful. She's just all, "The Gap is blocked! You shouldn't have pulled me out! Ow, I broke a nail!"
The scepter reminds me SOOOO much of C-3PO.
Lori is apparently afraid of her dad. Abusive???
Okay, they make a big deal about all the "quests" Ari has been on, but they've always been super easy. The quest for the scepter was the hardest one, but what was the point of blocking off the Gap if it could be unblocked just as easily?
Atalanta still thinks Toby is rude. Way to mention it like every five minutes.
The Gap sounds a LOT like The Wood Between the Worlds from "The Magician's Nephew". Plagiarism much?
Okay, last time, Ari was able to give everyone food and water without any magic spells, but now that she's "regained her memory", that thing requires magic. Whatever.
Remember when all Lori did in the past books was complain about being homesick? YOU GOT HOME!! WHY DID YOU FOLLOW THEM BACK???
Hmmm, time is different on the other side of the Gap...just like Narnia!!
Ari gets back into her "real" clothes and her "comfortable leather boots". Whoa whoa whoa. In the last book you were complaining about how worn they were getting and how Lori shouldn't have gotten new shoes and how you needed a Royal Bootmaker. Don't lie to me. I remember.
Deridia is EXACTLY like Mos Eisley...and there's a woman there named Sola!!! True, that's the name of Padme's sister, and she lived on Naboo, but HELLO! STAR WARS REFERENCES!!
Omg, Finn is just like Anakin! And Ari and Chase discuss how great he would be away from Deridia and how they have to rescue him!!
"I can't make friends, Chase. I can't even talk to a boy like Finn." Awww, Ari can't talk to boys.
Lori: Everything seems normal for a race. Just do the best you can. You're the best rider here, Ari. And you have the best mount.
Awwww, that's so sweet.
Finn had a dream last night, where he rescued all the slaves and traveled the stars. I'm surprised they haven't had that, "Are you an angel?" conversation, but I suppose that would be too blatant; Mary Stanton likes to be subtle.
I'm seriously thinking you're not allowed to use a mace during a steeplechase.
Ha. The race...it's just like podracing!
Villagers: Hey! You weren't supposed to win!
We bet on Sebulba!
I can't believe they're being all nonchalant about Lori and Lincoln's plight.
"I do believe that Rednal and Finn saved our lives." Duh. "Why do you suppose Atalanta chose him to ride Rednal?"
The force is strong with him.
Oh, and he has a higher midi-clorian count than Numinor. But we'll keep that hush-hush, on the DL.
Finn is overenthusiastic about his newfound freedom. He didn't even weep for his parents.
Don't trust the mermaids!!
The mermaids' city sounds a lot like Otoh Gunga....
Oh no, Ari has to face the Kraken! Well, you beat him pretty easily before, who says it won't be easy this time?
Oh no, the mermaids are attacking her! Like in Harry Potter!
Ari: Finn's gotten very fond of Rednal.
Toby: And Lori of Finn!
ROFL!!!! Lori likes boys???
This was actually written in 1999, when "The Phantom Menace" came out, so who knows? Harry Potter came out the year prior, though. Oh well. All the LOTR and Chronicles of Narnia references are so obviously plagiarism.
But that was one of the better ones. Lol.
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