Overview: When Rydara, the mixed-race bastard daughter of a tribal king, finds out that the queen of a neighboring country is murdering tribes people in dark magic rituals, her father refuses to believe her and banishes her to avoid the risk of war.

She and her loyal brother Aander strike out through a desert wasteland to seek the fabled land of elves and dragons, where they hope to find magic strong enough to defeat the queen.

But even if they find the elves, how will Rydara convince them to save a tribe of prejudiced, short-sighted humans? Are her people worth saving--and if so, how much is Rydara willing to sacrifice?

Verdict: Admittedly, I went into this book a little blind to what, if anything, had come before, as I really enjoy not knowing too much about a read before I immerse myself.

But that’s just me, so allow me to provide some context for this new prose ahead of time for those wishing to know (and if you don’t, please forgive me if you are now reading this), because I have since been informed that author B.F. Peterson has another new book coming out in June this year entitled The Ellyrian Code: The Treaty of Edriendor, and thus this book The Land Beyond The Waste is a companion novel to that very same novel.

Does that mean you cannot enjoy this one before you have the other to hand in June so you should delay reading this now? Heck no it doesn’t! It simply means you have this wondrously adventurous new novel to hand now to enjoy over and over, to immerse yourself within, knowing that come June you have its companion to run into, arms wide open, and with a big, wide smile emblazoned!

For what we have here in The Land Beyond The Waste: A Novel is a rather gripping YA tale chock full of fantastical elements, including humans, elves, and dragons, amongst a whole slew of other interesting, nay enthralling, well-written characters.

An epic fantasy tale of the highest order, we read along as the endearing relationship between Rydara and her half-brother Aandar colorizes as the pages are turned, the story line becoming more and more intricate, at times even politically charged, and at all times is a tale told as if it were plucked from the history books.

Complete with poignant descriptions of front and center characters along with secondary and even, at times, background, the prose drawing of the Elves and their land/cultural practices is just second to none. And lest I forget to mention their spoken language as it is truly captivating, highly original and is both expansive and enriching for the unfolding story within these collective pages.

About the Author - B.F. Peterson is a poet, philosopher, and fantasy novelist with a B.A. in Psychology from Johns Hopkins University and a day job in sleep research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Madison, WI.

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