Selunia, a nineteen-year-old girl, unable to continue her life at the White Castle, finds her meaning in life by taking part in the contest for Prince Soris' personal guard, the prince of the Arid Kingdom-a place where wars and strange events almost never stop appearing.
In a world where women aren't to be seen in the army, will she manage to do that?
Editorial review "A Captivating and Powerful Story That Will Put You On the Edge of Your Seat and Leave You Wanting More. Selunia is a young girl with special powers, at least through the help of her crystal gloves. She is sent from her home at the White Castle to the nearby Arid Kingdom. Once there, she quickly finds herself the sole protector of the kingdom. But will she be able to triumph over the powerful and numerous enemy that threatens them all?
Tina does a remarkable job at using multiple points of view without confusing the reader or losing the focus of the story. Her writing style is easy to follow and flows well. There is no heavy use of profanity and no intense romantic scenes which makes this a great book for all ages. The characters of the story are well-developed, and the action and suspense made for a quick, fun read. The story kept me intrigued from beginning to end. Silvens shows much promise as an author. I hope to see more from her in the future and am anxious to see how she will further develop this story in the series." Elizaveta Katrinova
Long description of the story The Arid Kingdom (AK) is set in a neo-medieval world - old principles, high military technology (laser guns, video cameras, computers, and so on) but they also use swords when needed. The White Castle is a stronghold which exists as an enclave on their territory. They have their own leader and keep themselves isolated from the AK, in fact they don't collaborate with any other kingdom at all. They consider themselves superior as they are able to use magic - which the rest of the world, outside the stronghold, don't think such thing as magic exists. The whites keep themselves secluded from the rest through a forest set as a magical barrier - their stronghold cannot be seen from the outside, nor accessed by any normal human. Selunia is from the White Castle, but unfortunately she couldn't awaken her magical power - "inner force/power." She uses crystal-gloves to compensate for the lack of powers, but that doesn't solve the entire problem. She is seen as the black sheep there, but her parents really don't want things to go on like this, as she's already nineteen years old. So, they make an arrangement with general Waltario of the Arid Kingdom to bring her to the AK. Her mother, based on her visions/premonitions, says that Selunia should become prince Soris' protector, as only by protecting someone her powers will grow.
Tina Silvens is an author dedicated to the fantasy genre. Although she has been writing since school days, her first book was published in 2017. "The Mysterious Soldier - Part I" is the first book in the Arid Kingdom series, a story she kept working on for more than 10 years before finally reaching out into the world of published books.
The story of the Arid Kingdom revolves around the complicated and mysterious lives of the main characters: Selunia and Soris. Although Silvens has other fantasy books in store, waiting to be written and published, she will be focusing mainly on the "Arid Kingdom" series.
Interesting facts about the author: 1. She studied arts in high school and engineering at university. 2. She first thought of making a comic book from the story of the Arid Kingdom. She has many hand-drawn images ready to share with the fans of the series. 3. She loves all the characters in the stories she writes, including the villains!
