Tales of Elethiya is a serialized Urban Fantasy Fairy Tale by Samantha Lucas. Its first ten book season is entitled The Seven Kingdoms wherein a select group, including humans and other supernatural races, declare a quest to rescue the missing princesses of The Great Marrow.
The story opens when a pair of shifters are summoned to the rescue when the roahn-ami attack two of the seven princesses. As the morning breaks, Wraithe, an immortal protector of the human realms, is found in his own kingdom, an amusement park known to the world as The Magical Marrow. Built from a vision, this act began a chain of events that ultimately ended his close friendship with the one and only Walt Disney. A moment in time that has wracked our hero with grief, leaving him a pale imitation of his former self.
He's told that it appears five of the princesses were taken. All that remain are Fa Zhen, though she remains deeply scarred by the attack, and Princess Bala Strong, married to Luxe, Prince of the land known as Bella Sol.
Wraithe summons a council of nay-chi and serahn and tries to make them understand that it is crucial they put aside their differences and work together, not only to rescue the royals, but to reinstate them to power in their own realms so they can banish the ever present dark before it can encompass Earth.
The ten books tell the stories of this noble, and sometimes misguided group of heroes, each dealing with their own baggage, fears, and beliefs as they try to find and rescue the missing women.
The series is currently inaccessible as the author's website is offline. The last accessible version
shows only three of the books were completed.
This series provides examples of:
- Animorphism: Hayden and Rigo shift into a puma and a lion.
- Battle Couple: Bala will stand by, and fight for, her friends and allies. Her husband Luxe is willing to go to any length to make certain she is safe in doing so. Side by side they fight against the dark threat to the town and those they love.
- Big Fancy Castle: The real life Cinderella's castle in Walt Disney World, as well as the imaginary castle in the magic marrow, are important locations within the story.
- Cool Gate: Portals connect the realm of earth and the marrow.
- The Dark Arts: The Roahn Ami have stolen the souls of several princesses and threaten the human realm. A dark spell is cast on Blu, one of the seven princesses.
- Damsel in Distress: Blu, under the influence of dark magic, is located inside Cinderella's castle and the rest of the group come together to rescue her.
- Declaration of Protection: Wraithe declares to find and rescue princesses. Bala declares to find the women and protect Zhen now that she's been brought to Elethiya. Luxe declares to tempt anything to protect Bala.
- Deconstructed Character Archetype: Wraith's hero qualities are pushed to their limit as guilt weighs heavy on his soul. He's pushed to face his past and challenged to continue to lead, though he feels utterly unworthy.
- Don't Think, Feel: Bala is supported to trust her visions and her ability to sense the spirit realm.
- The Dreaded: The roahn-ami has the power to remove souls.
- The Empath: Bala's ability to sense other's feelings causes her to struggle, but gives her an edge within the group.
- Forced Sleep: Blu is put under a sleeping spell by dark magic before she is placed within Cinderlla's castle. Kane and Ivin put the security agents to sleep so they can rescue Blu.
- Foreshadowing: Bala recognizes the rose on Blu's chest as her protector.
- Mythology Gag:There are several of these related to the Disney animated canon and the Disney theme parks. For instance, comments made about the color of "sleeping beauty's" dress and which castle she is embedded in.
- Portal Network: Portals link different hot zones across the globe.
- Psychic Powers: Bala's gifts include telepathy, visions, clairvoyance, and more.
- Rule of Seven: The Seven Kingdoms. The Seven Princesses.
- Save the Princess: The group of heroes come together to rescue Blu from Cinderella's castle.
- Scaled Up: Blu's protector becomes confused as to who the enemy is once he is removed from Blu and attacks the rest of the group.
- Soul Jar: The roahn-ami capture the souls of those who have them and contain them within metal skull shaped canisters. Rigo is able to wrest away four of them and brings them to Bala and Ivin to see if they can identify and free the souls trapped within.
- True Companions: Wraithe, Rigo, Ivin, Bala, Luxe, Kane, Oz, and Thornton are close allies who come together to rescue the princesses and return light to the Marrow, preventing it from overtaking the earth.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Rigo and Hayden are both gifted with the ability to shift into their designated animal.
- White Magic: There is light magic, dark magic and earth magic. Of these, Light Magic is the rarest. Ivin is a witch bestowed with this magic.
- Your Soul Is Mine!: The roahn-ami have come and taken the souls of the princesses.
