"Kaylen's Rising" ('Tomes of Taria, Book 1') is an exciting adventure tale for children and young adults. Kaylen is a cave elf who has been sheltered by his parents and kept away from society. He spends his days tending the flowers and other plants that his parents grow in their garden and sell in their store. When he is finally allowed to go to school, Kaylen is amazed to discover that the school is a military academy and that the cave elves are at war. He is frustrated and upset to learn that he will not be learning military, wizard or craftsman skills to help participate in this war against humans. His parents have given instructions that he is to learn music instead. His music teacher decides to help Kaylen out, however, and tests him for magical skills. He is amazed to discover that Kaylen is a summoner, a rare and powerful type of wizard.

In this first book in the 'Tomes of Taria' series, Yves Robichaud creates a vivid and exciting world filled with dragons, wild and exotic animals and even a clan of vampires. Kaylen, his friend Turin and the other new recruits are resourceful in meeting these foes and fulfilling the quests they are assigned. I enjoyed this book and found myself reluctant to stop reading until I reached the end. Kaylen is an appealing hero, and it is fun to watch him grow and learn how to harness and refine his summoning powers. His friends and teammates are fully developed characters as well and the way they all work together in "Kaylen's Rising" makes me think the following books in this series will also be every bit as enjoyable as this one is.

Fourteen year old Kaylen Amdir leads a reclusive life. His parents, Adan and Ayla Amdir, try to protect him from the harsh realities of the outside world. This is in the underground cave inhabited by elves. Since elves are not welcome in the world that exists on the surface of the earth, the family has to stay in this place even if the other elves don't like them. Considered as an oddity, Kaylen's parents do not allow him to learn magic and use deadly weapons but their child has a mysterious talent in magic. The day comes when his parents decide that he goes to school with the others. This will be the start of Kaylen's adventures in the mystifying world of magic and adventure that will bring him to the kingdom of Voland. Apart from facing the realities of life, there exists a threat of a war with the surface inhabitants. At the same time, he also has to understand his relationship with the opposite sex. Will Kaylen rise up to all these challenges?

I cannot help but compare "Kaylen's Rising: Tomes of Taria" to the celebrated Harry Potter series. This book lets us get a glimpse inside a world full of fantasy and magic. However, it is unfair to make this comparison because Yves Robichaud successfully created a unique fairy tale world. Full of adventure and fast paced, the book is clearly written for children and teenagers. It has the elements of adventure that young people enjoy, magic that they are fascinated with and boy-girl relationship concerns that they are probably facing at present. Once can also see the clear line between good and evil in this narrative. What makes the story interesting is the series of dangerous adventures that Robichaud's fertile imagination produced. This novel can also be considered as a mix between Greek Mythology and a fairy tale. There is a hero who is faced with a series of challenges that he has to overcome. He is forced to go through one adventure after another where the odds seem to be insurmountable. In these adventures, the reader will meet a number of supernatural beings that can only come from an imagination that knows no bounds.