Im Honestly interested to see where this will go. i think some Terry Pratchett elements could be an interesting addition to the story while staying respectful. I think the way that the children appear in the fantasy world should be a wrong destination type deal where they were supposed to be...
I think sadly that it's becoming a cliche .. I've not read any fantasy book that doesn't have elves or dragons mentioned..I have to wonder are writers scared to go into new territory? Perhaps a better question is how dose one write a fantasy novel without dragons or elves?