In The Forest of Evergreen - Lost in the Wilderness, by Teresa May B. Bandiola, Sophia grew up with her grandmother in Forest Green and had only moved to the city a few years ago to stay with her parents. However, bittersweet memories of Forest Green still haunted her. So when her parents announced an upcoming visit to her childhood home, she was hit with a mixture of emotions and memories. While in Forest Green, Sophia ran Jericho and this brought back memories of her childhood that she would have preferred to leave buried. But this was not to be her most unsettling encounter in Forest Green. One night, while out on the balcony, something caught her attention - a huge pair of beautiful white wings - and left her with a surreal feeling. The beautiful white wings belonged to Abanir, heir to the Kravena Tribe throne in Evergreen Forest, and he too had been equally mesmerized by what he saw. This was Abanir's first sight of a human and her beauty was so enchanting. When the family returned to the city, Sophia could not get the surreal feeling out her mind, but then double disaster struck - leaving Sophia without her memory and Abanir without his brother.

The Forest of Evergreen - Lost in the Wilderness by Teresa May B. Bandiola is an exciting teenage fiction fantasy story with a main character whose inner struggle to put her past to rest and find a sense of belonging with her family will tug at your heart. What made Sophia a very intriguing and interesting character was how the author combined the usual teenage traits with something deeper and more gripping in her spirit. Her sombre personality fitted in very well with the theme of the story. The book also had a unique plot filled with layer upon layer of more exciting developments. The calm depiction of the Evergreen Forest provided a serene setting for the story, and the use of unique terms made the story feel more surreal, intriguing and fun.

The Forest of Evergreen by Teresa May B. Bandiola is a tale about sixteen-year-old Sofia. While growing up in the town of Forest Green near the forest of Evergreen, she was raised by her grandmother, while the rest of her family lived in Orlando. After Sofia’s 12th birthday, she is whisked away to live with her family when her grandmother discovers Sofia’s romantic involvement with Jericho. He is five years older than her, but from an undesirable family. Four years later she has a new life with new friends, including a new boyfriend. While on their way home from a victorious battle of the bands contest, a tragic accident kills Sofia’s boyfriend, and two months later Sofia awakens from a coma with amnesia. Only her diaries are her link to her past. She finds out that Jericho upgraded his status by becoming a doctor, and is still madly in love with her. Defying her parents, and with the police and her family on their trail, Sofia runs away with Jericho back to the lake house, where they had so many memories together.

During the prologue, Teresa Bandiola does a superb job of telling the history of the Pacific island nation of the Great Archipelago of Philipdomia. She included the history about the mythical Avian tribes that inhabited the great forest region before the humans began settling. I thought that it was an odd way to start a story, but I was glad that she did once the story began moving forward. Otherwise I would have been Lost in the Wilderness, and unable to follow where the story was leading me. She was able to explicitly describe all of the characters’ emotional turmoil, especially Sofia’s, as well as the wonder of her laying eyes on paradise. The Forest of Evergreen is brilliantly written, in a blending of young adult coming of age with fantasy that will have you anticipating the next installment.

In The Forest of Evergreen (Volume 1) Lost in the Wilderness by Teresa May B. Bandiola, you are taken on a journey into the life of Sophia Vabueretti. As an infant, Sophia’s mother, Elizabeth Vabueretti, gave Sophia to her grandmother, Lucy, to live in Forest Green. At the time Elizabeth felt that it was the right thing to do. However, while living in Forest Green with Grandma Lucy, Sophia always felt abandoned, alone and unwanted - until one day she met Jericho. Jericho changed her life; he was always constant and provided her with a lot of firsts in her life, from her learning how to swim to her first kiss. She loved him and he loved her. When Sophia was a preteen, Grandma Lucy sent Sophia to live with her parents and her siblings, Alex and Nadine, in Orlando City.

Sophia began to adjust well to her new surroundings and met her boyfriend, Giovanni, but the Forest Green and Jericho would always come back to haunt her. After a car accident, Giovanni is killed and Sophia has amnesia. As Sophia struggles to regain her memory, she begins to go back and forth into the life she now knows in Orlando City versus the life she once knew in Forest Green. Sophia is also beginning to have mixed emotions and no longer knows what to do. She is questioning her love for Giovanni, even though he is dead. As Sophia is pondering her life and trying to recall her past, she finds a magical creature with large white wings. If you want to learn more about what happens with Sophia, Jericho and the magical creature, pick up a copy of The Forest of Evergreen (Volume 1) Lost in the Wilderness by Teresa May B. Bandiola.

The Forest of Evergreen is a beautiful story. It shows that even when things seem bad and you may feel alone, there is always something or someone there to help you to see your way clearly. Also, we never know how the essence of love will work out in our lives; there are times when we have to leave someone that we love in order for them to be free. I enjoyed how Teresa interjected the fantasy element by adding a Philippine backdrop to tell the story. As Teresa weaves back and forth between the human and fantasy aspect, it allows you to begin to visualize the essence of the story. I believe this is a great story that can help you to get away from the day-to-day complexities of life and be transported to another world. If you like romance and fantasy, pick up a copy of The Forest of Evergreen (Volume 1) Lost in the Wilderness by Teresa May B. Bandiola.