Fields of Elysium by: A.B. Whelan

Synopsis: How can love mend a heart full of hate?

Small town girl, Molly Bennett, moves to Los Angeles where she becomes an outsider while attending Beverly Hills High School. It seems life cannot be any more dreadful. Then one day after school, something magical happens. On a secluded hike in the Hollywood Hills, Molly chases her disobedient mutt and only friend into a hidden cavern. She stumbles upon a strange glimmering gateway that transports her to Arkana, a planet that is the cradle of an advanced human race. There, teenagers navigate amazing flying vehicles, compete in perilous games for glory, and possess supernatural powers. While Molly tries to wrap her mind around this unbelievable discovery, she meets the alluring and mysterious Victor Sorren. He is a Sentinel Apprentice, whose hatred toward people from Earth is beyond understanding. Yet every time Victor unpredictably saves Molly’s life, his heart draws closer to hers, no matter how much he tries to fight against it. It further complicates things that their growing friendship is strictly forbidden. Earth people are prohibited in Arkana, yet Molly continues to cross through the portal to Arkana to see Victor. Torn between their double lives, they go down a dangerous path, from where there is no return and multiple endings.

Would you fight to be with the one you truly love? What cost would you be willing to sacrifice for that love?

Thoughts: After moving from New Jersey to California, Molly is anything but happy. Until she stumbles upon a secret gateway that takes her to another planet called Arkana. It’s there she finds amazing and beautiful things she never could have imagined. And, to top that off a few cute boys and some romance doesn’t hurt either. Unfortunately for Molly, Arakana hates earthlings and trying to balance between two world isn’t as easy as Molly hoped it would be.

I comment Whelan for creating such a futuristic and beautiful world with Arkana. I really enjoyed those scenes and the whole concept of Arkana. Fields of Elysium is definitely a mix of fantasy, sci-fi, and romance with a main character who is confident in herself and fighting for what she wants. Overall, I enjoyed it.

My favorite characters in the story were definitely Victor and Weston. First, they’re both good looking, athletic and fun guys. I also loved how they interacted and their roles in the story. When it came to Victor, I definitely liked his strength and persistence. With the romance though, I definitely liked how there wasn’t an insta-love and that it had to be worked at. That being said, I did feel like the feelings they admitted to were rushed and a lot of the things they said to each other were over the top and not completely believable.

There were a lot of different conflicts thrown into this story, with Weston, Victor, Molly’s family, Adam, and Molly’s friends but overall I think Whelan did a good job linking them. I admit, there were a lot of instances that seemed rushed and a lot of the wording was not what I would expect from a group of characters that age. Overall though, the story was fun, unique, and creative.