Review Detail

Flute of the Wind Queen is a fantasy adventure for young readers. It was entertaining and well written. The book includes several nice illustrations. Our hero is Leander, a seventeen-year-old boy, living on his own while his father is off at war. Told in the first person, Leander often views life with a mild sense of humor. His floppy, expressive ears were funny and his loving relationship with his father was sweet.
The story starts with a bang as Leander, who admires the heroic treasure hunter Tevias, and decides to make a name for himself by finding the Wind Queen’s flute and returning it to her memorial. The queen’s flute disappeared around the time Nagdecht was attacked by neighboring Gueran. Leander teams up with Ellora, an aspiring actress and Deckard, a young Gueranian soldier who has been imprisoned for refusing to fight. Ellora does not seem particularly trust worthy and Deckard is Gueranian, a sworn enemy of Nagdecht.
I found it interesting when the young men argue over war propaganda. Leander was uncomfortable to discover that what he had been led to believe might not be the entire truth. That there are two sides to the conflict and neither land is totally right or wrong.
At only 181 pages, I think the book was too thin and could have been pumped up with more background and some of the tension could have been heightened. I wanted to know about the Wind Queen, why she was so important and what made her talent so special. Why would this young man risk his life for her flute? Some parts of the story were vividly told while other aspects were glossed over or left completely unexplained. For example, how Leander escaped from a wooden packing crate was told in minute detail--which I did not mind because it displayed the hero’s tenacity and sharp reasoning skills. Later when he was captured by Gueranians, the story jumps straight to a prison cell. It felt like something was missing.
Overall, Flute of the Wind Queen was a good story and I would recommend it to young readers who enjoy fantasy. The ending left the reader ready for the sequel.