Book Review: The Gems of Elsana

Book #1 of 2025: The Gems of Elsana - For the Freelands by Christian Sterling, 4.5/5 ★

What an ending to this story! I read the first two books, Into the Wildbarrens and The Magpie Isles, earlier this week and wrapped up For the Freelands last night.

*There are three other books in this world as well, but four & five are prequels and the sixth is a new adventure later, but with a mostly fresh cast. The original publishing intention was a trilogy though, so a 6-book committment isn't required.*

For the Freelands was a pretty fantastic conclusion to the main story in Elsana. There were only a couple of chapters where I felt like it was dragging a bit. It continues to showcase Sterling's unusual but enjoyable blend of fantasy epic, heartfelt found-family dynamics, and some truly laughable silliness. It's an odd blend, but it works! There were a couple major moments that I did see coming, but I loved them nonetheless. Sterling does a good job maintaining a balanced POV across lots of characters and multiple side-quests, which keeps the pacing moving quickly across most of this book's 400 pages. And I have to admit that while incredibly rare for me, I did actually tear up at one point.

As for the rest of the series, Into the Wildbarrens was almost like reading a D&D campaign - classic fantasy quest with a crew of motley, but loveable, characters. I really enjoyed it and found the worldbuilding to be surprising and very fun. The Magpie Isles dragged a little for me, feeling more philosophical and political, but it was still a decent bridge between two pretty fantastic books. I'm not big on prequels, but I'd consider going back in for book six. All in all, if you're up for an expansive fantasy adventure with a good bit of silliness and heartfelt characters, The Gems of Elsana is well worth the time.

CW: fantasy violence/gore, very little language, virtually no spice