Jax Reviews Ten Fingers Touching by Ellen A Roth

Publisher: Getting to the Point, Inc
Format Read: hardcover
Source: Publisher, in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 10, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Evil plots his return to power and Good fights to defeat Evil's sinister plan. Caught between them in this epic struggle are two young lovers - Martak, master of the forest, and Marianna, a beautiful maiden and governess to Rosy, the impetuous, young princess. Evil's desperate scheme to outwit Good and rule the Kingdom puts Martak, Marianna and the Princess at risk as they are drawn into the conflict.

Will the soulmates realize their "happily ever after?" Martak must first unravel the curse and destroy evil. In this land where magical forces vie for dominance, could true love be the most powerful weapon of all?

A beautifully illustrated tale for women of all ages, Ten Fingers Touching explores the complex nature of love and fate. It is an enchanting journey of romance, mystery and adventure. Ellen A. Roth's debut novella is an imaginative take on a classic genre-and a treat for the romantic soul.

Jax'sThoughts:

I was so excited when I received this book. It's beautifully done. Hardcover, quality pages, gorgeous illustrations. It looks like a high quality children's book, though the story is too long for a bedtime story and not entirely meant for children. It's 95 pages long, and almost half of them are illustrations. Some are full page, and some are simply an image from the page. All of them are wonderful. However, I wish more pages had been dedicated to the story.

There is an overabundance of fantasy elements for such a short story. A bet between deity-like figures, a child who must be hidden, a princess who runs away, a man raised by beast and all the attendant animals who understand him, a curse, a sea dragon siren, horrible storms, Evil and its henchman, a rogue who kidnaps the fair maiden...that's just a short list. It could do with fewer fairy tale tropes and more in depth development of the remaining characters. The premise itself has promise, but with so many things going on, it needed to be longer. Allow for there to be some resolution to a portion of a problem before throwing something new into the mix.

I really wanted to love this book. I found it to be disjointed and confusing. I applaud the author for getting her work published. It takes a great deal, especially when you publish it yourself. It just wasn't quite for me.