Bright Shadow

How would you feel if you were a wizard, yet you had to keep it a secret from your best friend? Bright Shadow tells the story of a young girl named Morwenna who receives a gift filled with wishes, but cannot use them on herself. At first she is scared to hold the wishes because it is a big responsibility. Ruthvin, the nasty king, wants to catch Morwenna and keep her in captivity so he can have the wishes she protects. Morwenna has many challenges in this book because she can not use her wish to save her friend. Bright Shadow is an extremely wonderful book. It is exciting and surprising. Things happen at unexpected times. For example, in the first chapter everything is calm. Characters are described, but there is little action or emotion. Then in the second chapter you can feel a strong hate that King Ruthvin puts out by the way he speaks to Pindel. "You are in the presence of the King," Ruthvin snapped at the old man. "My law requires you to bow when I pass by." One of the major themes in Bright Shadow is listening to your inner voice. Morwenna gets herself in a lot of trouble because she does not listen to her inner voice. She keeps hearing "keep them safe," meaning not to tell Swen about the wishes, but she doesn't pay attention to this. When she tells Swen, the voice screams. Because she tells Swen about the wishes, he dies and Morwenna feels responsible. Avi has a talent for telling the reader what the characters are feeling. She uses wonderful language to describe the characters. Here is how she describes King Ruthvin. "King Ruthvin was a small, lean man, hard and tight as if put together with wire bits. In one hand he held a short whip. In the other a just delivered message." Her language creates vivid pictures in the reader's mind. I recommend this book to people of all ages who like fantasy. If you read Bright Shadow you will jump out of your seat because it is so thrilling and dramatic.(...)

YOU GOTTA READ HIS BOOK!!! I absoulutly LOVED it! I loved it so much, i read it in two days! It really got me hooked! A great combination of breath-taking adventure, WONDERFUL plotline, tragity, and young love. The end it very surprizing, but VERY good. But I don't want to give anything away, so instead, just GO AND BUY THIS BOOK!!! (note: it's more of a middle school-early high school book. It might not be AS great for an adult. It would only be great.)

I read Bright Shadow when I was 10 years old. After that I read it over twice. Then I started reading AVI books nonstop. I highly recommend this book. Morwenna is given five wishes by Pindel, the old wizard. Be prepared to have your mind in a trance as Morwenna discovers the truth about her new life and how she must use the five wishes as wisely as posible, or else...

This is one follow up to Harry Potter that doesn't seem dry and stupid. It beautifly illistrates how lies and confusion can destroy a friendship, and has a suprise ending that leaves you thinking. Avi has come through again with a book that you just can't put down. It has a good moral, and is all in all a great read. I would reccomend this book to adults and children alike.

Oh, how can I express through words how good this book is? I am an avid reader, with more than 300 books on my shelf, and not one of them quite matches the beauty and nobility of this book. Avi is an excellent writer, and knows just the right way how to stir your emotions. I reccommend this book to anybody and everybody!