In book one of the Born to Be Fantasy Series (entitled Idi & The Oracle's Quest), by T. Traynor, the world of Talia is soon to be at war, with its rival kingdoms preparing to attack the land of Havenshire. A headstrong princess must flee her home or risk being killed, while a tormented young boy must train to become a magician, leaving all he knows  behind, so that he might one day be able to aid his kingdom.

When an evil wizard intrudes on a lover's meeting, Princess Cassandra  is forcibly banished from her father's kingdom, and finds herself preparing for the birth of a prophesized babe. Cassandra meets new allies, who help her to go into hiding for many years while else-where, a boy named Idi (often picked on by his peers) is taken in by a grand magician, Marcus, and taught to draw on his inner gift of magic.

For years, the evil wizard searches for princess Cassandra, while Marcus trains Idi up to be an exceptional header and magician.
On more than one occasion, we see Idi's magic save the lives of innocents, giving us a glimpse into his selfless and compassionate nature. This giving nature is tested when Idi and Marcus come across a young babe, and Idi being the compassionate boy he is, takes the child in (when he is but a child himself) and raised her as his own.

I came to adore this book for its brave and loveable characters, and its uniquely crafted world. Traynor paints a vivid picture of the fairytale world of Talia and, in my opinion, has a genuine talent for worldbuilding. I found the politics of this world to be interesting, often creating high-tension scenes that lead to conflicts between good and evil. I turned the pages, unable to stop reading, for its characters genuinely felt like people I had gotten to know personally.

The book raises various issues, such as:

~ The existence of a traitor in King Hamish's own castle (Havenshire.)
~ A clan of elemental witches, hell-bent on destruction.
~ The killing of innocent people, in the name of evil (black magic.)

All of these issues show an unfair world, where much evil exists. I began to think about the history of our own world and the countless battles the human race has raced, of which (sadly) I'm sure there will be more to come. There is an almost dictatorship like feel as the evil wizard begins to take over the running of the kingdom of Havenshire. I find this situation somewhat comparable to one in real life~ the issue of President Donald Trump, who appears to me as an evil man, only seeming to care about profiting from his country, and not for its actual citizens.

I found it enlightening that throughout all of the darkness in this novel, true belief was the key to Idi finding his magic ability when he and Marcus stumble across an injured baby girl. The depth of love Idi has for this child never ceased to amaze me. With her  love, Idi is shown to be capable of anything, defying any and all odds against him.

End Quote: 'It can only mean one thing: the war has begun.'
Book one ends on a cliffhanger, which I think only adds to the charm of this clever tale, for its last sentence sparks the start of the next book.

Idi & The Oracle's Quest is a wonderfully written tale of Fantasy, which I would wholeheartedly recommend to lovers of Fantasy worldwide.
My Rating? Five Stars.

As the title suggests, this is a story about a quest. Venerable seventy year old Marcus is given a quest by the Oracle – he must find and nurture one particular boy. He is Idi, a normal boy who lacks self -confidence and feels that he is no good at anything. He certainly doesn’t realise that he has a great destiny. He must help Marcus find the One prophesied to be King. This King will save the land. As you would expect from magical fantasy, this story is full of demons and dragons, elves and shapeshifters – yes, the full cast s represented here! This is a good story but it was marred for me by errors of grammar; commas are really important to the flow of a narrative and they can’t just be sprinkled around like confetti or the sense of meaning is lost.

The character of Idi reminded me a lot of one of my favourite childhood book characters, Sparrowhawk of Earthsea. I found myself as entranced by this book as I did the Earthsea books. This is YA escapism, a story that gives you the chance to lose yourself in a fest of magical and mystical creatures. Idi’s story just goes to show that even if others think you are stupid, you may surprise them yet.

Would I read the rest of the series? Probably but perhaps more to share with my niece than on my own.

The story is written in Omni POV, so it took a little time to get used to it, but I genuinely found the plot to be engaging, interesting, and fun. The characters, Marcus and Idi, had a little adjustment period before they started to get along properly. I do feel most for Idi. He had such a terrible childhood. It was good that the story allowed him to grow into a better person. I guess the same can be said for Marcus.
This was a great adventure to follow. Can’t wait to read the next book!

I bought 4 of these books one for each grandchild and one for me, plus kindle!!
WOW, what a read.. Don't be fooled by the pretty cover, this is no children's book. It's full of demons, Wizards, witches, shapeshifter's, dragons, elves, fairies and more. But not for kiddies. It's better than all the fantasy books I have read put together and makes Harry Potter seem tame (if not boring) what a beautiful book.

Well, I'll be honest; im not a fantasy fan but I wanted to give this book a try and I must admit, I'm very charmed. I've not yet finished it but I don't want to rush it at all, and I'm thankful that young Idi continues his adventures in the other books in the series. I won't spoil anything but this book is a very charming and enjoyable read, with snappy chapters that have plenty going on and don't outstay their welcome and the plot is easy to follow and get lost in. Great stuff that's not just for little kids but for big ones too. Lovely book.

A beautifully crafted world, handsomely described characters, and an exciting, well paced narrative, all mixed together into a very smartly dressed fantasy. More magic and monsters than you can shake a gauntleted fist at!

This book is so full it's positively bursting at the seams - there is an array of vividly depicted elements : colourful and realistic characters who you get to know well as the story unfolds, masses of action and excitement, yet also sweetly touching very human scenes. There's comedy, scary moments, edge of your seat drama, intrigue, the battle between good and evil, gripping plot lines, lyrical descriptive passages that paint each scene before your eyes, sadness, joy, birth and death, power and powerlessness, magic and mayhem, fairies, witches, wizards, knights, kings, dragons, monsters and more, you name it, it's here. You will keep turning the pages dying to know what will unfold next and how all the pieces in the jigsaw fit together. If you love to get lost in your books and transported to another place....then this book is your type of book. Highly recommended fantasy novel for early teens right up to adults.