  | Legend of Brightblade Author: Aldridge, Ethan M. | |
| Price: $19.78 | ||
Summary:
His kingdom may be at peace now, but Prince Alto believes that the world still needs heroes like his mother, the Lady Brightblade, whose legend is eternalized in the stories of a magical bard. Restless with royal life, Alto runs away to have his own adventures and use the bard's magic that he's learning. When he discovers on his journey that there are dangers threatening the kingdom, he will need the help of his new friends and new magic to save it. In graphic novel format.
Reviews:
School Library Journal (01/01/22)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/02/22)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 01/01/2022 Gr 5–8—Alto, a prince living in a land where ballads played by bards wield magic, is more interested in perfecting his music skills than in his princely responsibilities. His mother, Lady Toril Brightblade, along with bard Eluvian and weaponsmith Calder, slew a dragon and brought peace to their kingdom. Toril is now in the midst of negotiating a peaceful alliance with the neighboring trolls' kingdom, working to overcome distrust from their earlier conflicts. During sensitive negotiations, Alto's fledgling musical magic goes awry and almost derails things, so Toril ends his lessons, demanding he focus on being a prince. Instead, Alto runs away and meets Ebbe, a troll bard who, like Alto, had to leave her community to pursue music. While traveling together they encounter the Discords, bards who use their music to create conflict among listeners. Alto is frightened to discover the Discords' eventual target for their chaos. Alto and Ebbe, joined by young bard Clarabel, must overcome their youth and inexperience to figure out how to stop them. Relying on a soft yet vibrant palette, the gorgeous hand-painted watercolor illustrations lend the story a dreamy quality while still showing the intensity of action scenes and the power of the musical magic. The characters include diverse humans and members of various fantasy races; Alto, his family, and Clarabel are brown-skinned. Themes of friendship, following dreams, and relationships with blood and chosen family are deftly woven into the narrative. VERDICT Beautiful artwork and an exciting, heartfelt story make this a winner.—Carla Riemer - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
