Book Review: Victor and the Sun Orb by Amy Nielsen

Victor and the Sun Orb
Amy Nielsen
978-0595512126
iUniverse (2008)

Sun fairies both good and evil, monstrous creatures, adventure, magic, a talking strawberry bush, ant royalty, and an epic battle for the freedom of an entire world are in store in the
wonderful young adult fantasy Victor and the Sun Orb by Amy Nielsen.

The book captivates from the Prologue. On Solandia, another dimension of Earth, a mythical sphere called the Sun Orb gives the fairies their magical powers. Without the Orb the entire
world will become dark and magic-less. The book opens at the trial of Thorkel,
the brother of King Godfred, a short time after Thorkel’s capture for stealing
the Sun Orb. Under Solandian law, Thorkel is sentenced by Queen Magenta to life
imprisonment for his crime.

Some 500 years later, Queen Magenta has given birth to a son, Prince Victor. Not long after his birth it is learned that he has been cursed to become human on his 13^th
birthday. Humans cannot survive in the fairy world of Solandia and so upon
turning the fateful age, Victor must leave his family to live with humans. The
King and Queen search the entire Kingdom for the person responsible for
Victor’s mortality curse.

Victor’s parents take the curse very seriously and decide to prepare Victor for life with the humans. Victor begins training with a fairy Master Tyrus. For three hours a day, Victor is
trained in magic, history, geography, self-defense, and human lifestyles.
Victor doesn’t take to his studies right away, but in time he becomes a
proficient student.

Despite an intense, decade-long search, the curse is not broken. Victor leaves home to live on Earth as a human after his thirteenth birthday. Meanwhile, the Sun Orb is stolen and the fairies’
magic instantly begins to weaken. It is believed that Narcissa, a once banished
terrorist fairy, or even Thorkel, may be responsible for the theft. Magenta and
Godfred assemble an army and travel to a place called Fallen Island
to find the Sun Orb. On Earth, Victor’s human friend, Annika, has been
kidnapped and evidence is found of evil fairy magic. Victor must use all he has
learned from Master Tyrus to travel to Fallen Island
to save her.

Amy Nielsen has created a universe with loveable creatures, horrible monsters, and mythical magic, effectively keeping readers of all ages entertained from cover to cover. Nielsen steadily
builds the momentum over the first 100 pages. Then she throws us onto a thrill
ride of twists and turns in the closing chapters, as the armies of Magenta/Godfred
and Narcissa/Thorkel’s evil Croogs meet in a heroic battle to save or enslave
all Solandia.

Highly recommended for readers 8-13, with a caution of some mild course language.

Reviewed by William Potter for Reader’s Choice Book Reviews.

Amy Nielsen was raised in the Philippines and earned a bachelor's degree in English from Saint Louis
University, Baguio City.
She worked in a youth center in different capacities giving
her national and international experiences with young people, before working as
Executive Staff in an importer/distributor company in Manila. She lives in Denmark with
her Danish husband and is writing sequel to Victor and the Sun
Orb while working full-time at Novo Nordisk