Temora and the Dreamers by Kate Gordon

Title: Temora and the Dreamers

Author: Kate Gordon

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Wombat Rhiza

Published: September 2023

Format: Paperback

Pages: 280

Price: $19.99

Synopsis: Temora Tempest thought she was just a normal girl, but after making a wish on her twelfth birthday, she learned the truth: she’s a wordspinner, a magical storyteller from another world, learning her craft in a tower that reaches to the clouds. But with the villainous Wordsnatcher on the loose, turning the Wordspinners wordless, the fates of both the worlds are at risk. When the mysterious Literati take over Lyfthelm Tower, Temora knows something is wrong.

As her power grows, Temora cannot ignore the threat, especially as more and more children are turned wordless. Now, it’s up to Temora and her group of friends to set things right and destroy the Wordsnatcher once and for all. But what if the Wordsnatcher is not the biggest villain to come to Writungeard? How do the elves fit into the story? And who can Temora really trust?

Can a normal girl like Temora possibly survive? Or is she more powerful than anyone ever imagined?

~*~

Welcome back to Writungeard, and the world of the Wordspinners. They are still dealing with the ongoing restrictions in their world from the Literati, and the new alliance they have with the Colophon. There is a war brewing, and Temora still wants to find out what really happened to her parents as she explores the world around her and seeks to save her friends – yet as always, there is the ongoing threat and sense that Temora doesn’t really know who to trust – the people she thinks are friends and allies may not be. But the biggest hurdle will be the person behind it all – and it may not be who Temora expects.

Kate Gordon’s Word Spinners series continues, in a world that is made of words and books that is under threat. It is a world where the characters love words but must learn that they can’t use them as they should, a world where a strict, authoritarian regime is trying to destroy everything. It is a portal fantasy, and throughout the book, Temora slips through a range of portals during her journey to uncover the truth, and I loved the way it was put together. It ensured that the reader was never bored throughout, with the hint of more to come as well – I can’t wait to read the first book and for the next book to come out.

I always enjoy books about books, and it feels like there are so many ways to use this as a theme, and different ways of telling the story to make it unique, as Kate Gordon has done in this book and made a diverse cast of characters to populate her world. It is the kind of book that I would have loved as a child and love now – the kind of book that children who love words and books will gravitate to. It is situated within the fantasy genre, and I love that each fantasy book grows its own world – there might be things that are common, like elves, missing parents, magic, and many other things, but it is the way these things are used. The elves that Temora meets are very interesting, and I think they were a great addition to this book. They gave it a sense of whimsy and I always enjoy seeing how different authors portray their elves – they made great allies for Temora and her friends, whom I loved seeing grow and change throughout this book as they had their own revelations.

Each revelation for the characters suited what was going on and what is to come, and now I am going to track down book one to read and find out more about Temora and her world. It is a story of war and distrust but also filled with hope – Temora and her allies – the friends and a few others make it a powerful statement on coming together and working out the truth. About not believing everything you are told and about the power and beauty of words and books and the impact that they can have on our lives. Temora and her magic as a wordspinner makes the book what it is. She’s an engaging character who sits so nicely amidst all the other characters we know and love in the world of children’s books. I hope people enjoy Temora and her friends as I have, because her stories are what we need – a celebration of the magic of words.