Rowan of the Wood

by Christine and Ethan Rose

This book begins in Caledonia in 592 A.D., where a priest and priestess are preparing to marry. For many long years they have waited, remaining chaste until they come fully into their powers. Just as the ceremony is completed, raiders appear, pillaging and killing, and the newly weds are separated while fleeing to safety. Fiana is trapped in the Otherworld, while her beloved Rowan, having used all his power to defeat the invaders, is caught in his wand, helpless.
Years later, in the modern world, Cullen Knight runs away from his unhappy foster home and finds, buried deep in the redwood forest, a knotty piece of wood. Being an expert in fantasy, Cullen knows immediately that it’s a magic wand. But he does not know how drastically it will change his life.
Rowan—captured the same as he was on his wedding day—is still in the wand, and now he shares Cullen’s mind and is completely confused about the modern world. Meanwhile Fiana is on her way to California, but the years of suffering without her true love have been harder for her than they have been for Rowan, and she might not be what Cullen or Rowan is expecting once they find her.

The prologue and first chapter drew me in right away, despite my reservations based on the cover (which I think doesn’t fit with the feel of the novel at all). I really liked the magical plot; it was original and unpredictable, and appropriate for younger readers but deep enough to also capture the minds of adults. I can see how the very basic plot of Rowan of the Wood could be compared to Harry Potter, and a couple of the characters resemble each other slightly, but the magic and characters seem a whole lot more real even this early in the series. I thought that Fiana’s personality was the most developed and interesting, seeing her change from hopeful to hopeless, then to cruel and power-hungry for the love of her lost husband.
I’m looking forward to reading Cullen’s next adventures!