Read to Review- The Lost Kingdom

Title: The Lost Kingdom
Author: Stephanie Beerden
Series: The Elements Series book 1
Rating: 4/5



Summary
A Prophecy made long ago, announced the arrival of the new Ladies of Elements.

And now almost a millennia later, it finally came true …

All her life Arima thought she knew who and what she was. That is until the day of her sixteenth birthday came and her world is turned upside down, when she’s told she’s not a White Witch but Lady Spirit. And that she is the one that has been foretold, will unite the Five Ladies of Elements once again and save Ilendia and the Other Lands from Ahriman, the Demon King.

At first Arima refuses to accept her new fate, but when Shanums come and destroy her village and kill her loved ones, she has no choice but to flee and fall right into the destiny she never wanted.

As she grudgingly starts her journey into the unknown, she is accompanied by her unicorn familiar Sirrim, Blythe, a Vampire with a dark past and Myrddin, a mysterious Ljosalfar.

And the longer her journey lasts, the more Arima begins to realise that she can’t escape her own destiny and she must learn to control her powers and learn to be a Lady for the sake of the Sisters she doesn’t know and the people of Ilendia and the Other Lands.

However, things get more complicated when Arima comes into the possession of a key. Her instincts compel her to go towards danger when she discovers that the key she holds, can unlock the legendary kingdom of Eléssima, the home of the Ladies of Elements.

She will have to make the choice to follow her instincts …

…or stay on the path that has been laid out for her.

My Review
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and I am really glad I did because this book was a fun fantasy Gem. This book was a long journey and at times I would have to admit it was a bit slow but I pressed on and I'm very glad I did because it was worth all the description and world building because it all came together in the final half with not just one epic battle but a few and it laid the framework for an epic series.
When Arima learned of her fate and set off on her journey I was worried she would be alone but along came the stoic and handsome Blythe and to top it off he is a vampire with a crazy past that brought him to Lady Spirit. Not only does she have Blythe but she has her Unicorn as well so I guess she was never really alone but even with the bond she shared with her Unicorn it was nice for her to have other people to talk to and to protect her from all the evil that surrounded her, and she also meets some vey interesting allies and enemies along her way and I really enjoyed the lore on each one, it was fun to see how many of the creatures were familiar but had such a new and interesting take on them.
I wish there had been more on the other Ladies but I know that is yet to come but I really want to know who they are and how they will find each other and how each one will contribute to the upcoming war.
There were many spelling mistakes and they threw me off a lot, in a book this intense that requires full focus I was bummed that there were so many scattered through out the book. 

I think this is an excellent start to an epic fantasy series, the world is beautiful and the characters are enchanting and love able, for all those who love a great fantasy read this book is for them.