There is a debate in the study of literature as to whether or not books should be for a purpose, or if they are purely artistic and not necessarily meaningful. Tara Fairfield, in her book Makai Queen, would say otherwise. Makai Queen by Tara Fairfield Deep River Books February 2013 In her underwater adventure she allows readers to follow the young protagonist, Tessa, who gets thrown into an entirely new world and difficult circumstances that test her character. Fairfield, as a Christian Psychologist who works with many struggling teens, definitely throws in her experience into the character of Tessa. Evidence of this can be seen at the end of the book where Fairfield includes study questions that correspond with the chapters in the book. They are not extensive questions, by any means, but they do help the readers think about their own life and how to make the book relatable to themselves. Whether or not you agree with an author doing this is beside the point. The fact of the matter is it’s nice and even admirable that Tara Fairfield wants to use her literary works to impact society and help individuals through their struggles. The book itself is pretty interesting. At first, the cover scared me because it came off as being for really young girls (of which I am neither young or a girl), but I was completely wrong. I know, I know, don’t judge a book by its cover. The novel is very fast paced, so I was never bored with what was happening. However, there were many times where Fairfield could have slowed down the pace of the story and add more detail in order to make the book even better. In fact, right from the beginning of the book, readers are immediately thrown into the action without much backstory. This was my biggest concern with the work as a whole, but it did not make me dislike the story. The end of the book left things unanswered, so perhaps Fairfield will be continuing the story and thus strengthen these parts of her story. Since the weaknesses of the story have been dealt with, I must stress the strengths. Fairfield does an excellent job at creativity; the story is interesting, the setting is intriguing, and the plot kept me reading. Every time one question was solved, another popped up, which definitely helped create a satisfying and fast read. Although there weren’t many details in the underwater setting, I still was able to picture the scenes and feel as though they were actually tangible. Additionally, there was a great balance between action, romance, and mystery that should be able to grab the attention of a wide variety of readers. Overall, I did enjoy this book and will look forward to any preceding works that Tara Fairfield comes out with. I sincerely believe that this author has the potential to touch the lives of many younger readers through her literary works. With over twenty years of experience as a Christian Psychologist, she understands the struggles and the minds of teens, which is evident in Makai Queen. Bringing this experience into the literary world gives her a unique voice as an author, one that can consistently make her works impactful and meaningful. Although Makai Queen can certainly be for any type of reader, I encourage parents to purchase this book for their younger pre-teens and teens and see if they enjoy the book and maybe even use the study guide to probe into their own hearts.