fantasy

Book Review: The Steps Up the Chimney

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The Steps Up the Chimney by William Corlett

The Steps Up the Chimney
by William Corlett

3 out of 5 stars

William, Mary, and Alice visit their uncle Jack at Christmas in the ancient Golden House in Wales. Uncle Jack lives with his girlfriend Phoebe, and they are having a baby together, but they think it is “old-fashioned and hypocritical” to get married. The children notice some odd behavior from animals in the forest surrounding the Golden House, and they meet a Magician who says they must be tested before they will be ready to help him. William notices that there are footholds to climb up inside the massive chimney in the oldest part of the house, and their adventures lead them into magic and danger.

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Book Review: The Sword and the Circle

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The Sword and the Circle by Rosemary Sutcliff

The Sword and the Circle: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (King Arthur Trilogy #1)
by  Rosemary Sutcliff

This book chronicles King Arthur’s ascent to the throne by taking the Sword from the Stone and the creation of the Round Table of the Knights of Camelot. We hear the legends of famous sword fights and adventures and quests. Sir Lancelot arrives in Camelot, and Sir Gawain confronts the Green Knight. Beaumains serves in the kitchen before anyone knows his true royal lineage. Lancelot is tricked and seduced by Elaine, and Tristan tells his sad history with his uncle’s bride, Iseult. Sir Gawain marries the Loathely Lady, but breaks the magic spell that made her ugly. And this book finishes with the mysterious arrival of Percival, a knight who wanders in from the wild.
(To read more about Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere, and their tragic fate, you would have to read the rest of the series.)

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Book Review: Nell O’Dell Hates Quests

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Nell O'Dell Hates Quests by Emily B. Martin

Nell O’Dell Hates Quests (The Golden Crossroads #1)
by Emily B. Martin

5 out of 5 stars

Nell is sick and tired of quests. She works at the crossroads inn where she constantly hears about chosen ones, grand prophecies, and magic weapons. She sneers at all the questers who pass through the crossroads looking for glory and fame. Nell just wants a quiet life at the inn taking care of her chickens and her garden. But when there is a problem with the deed to the inn, Nell’s parents send her on a “journey” (NOT a quest!) to the capital to present the deed at the Exchequer’s office and prove their ownership of the inn. She is joined by an overly-excitable goblin, Midge, who is delighted to be included on the journey (NOT a quest!). Along the way they run into a mysterious thief, a hermit faun, a dragon keeper, and a sad troll whose name has been stolen by an evil fairy. Their journey (NOT a quest!) is fraught with danger and adventure and mystery, but Nell O’Dell hates quests, so it just CAN’T be a quest… can it? If a quest is “just a trip with a goal that’s important to you”, will Nell embrace the questing legends or find a way to complete her quest on her own terms?

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Book Review: The Thing About Giants

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The Thing About Giants by Christopher Galvin

The Thing About Giants
by Christopher Galvin (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

Jacq’s parents are giant hunters, but she has always thought the practice was barbaric. Despite growing up in a city literally made from giant bones, Jacq is dismayed when she is chosen to be trained as a giant hunter and follow in her parents footsteps. On her first mission outside the city, Jacq is lost in the wilderness where she meets Corman.
Corman is a young giant travelling with his father to find some medicinal herbs when they are attacked by giant hunters, throwing them all into a dangerous adventure and an awkward friendship that could change both their cultures forever.

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Book Review: Graciela in the Abyss

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Graciela in the Abyss by Meg Medina

Graciela in the Abyss
by Meg Medina (Goodreads Author), Anna Balbusso (Illustrator), Elena Balbusso (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

Graciela is only thirteen when she falls off a cliff and dies in the ocean. One hundred years later, she wakes from her death sleep and becomes a ghost. The friendly ghost community welcomes her, and her mentor Amina teaches her about living in the ocean and trains her to be a sea-glass artisan.
Jorge is a living boy from a family of blacksmiths. He discovers that his grandfather created a mystic harpoon capable of killing ghosts and sending them to a final death. He puts his own life at risk in order to destroy the terrible weapon, but he can’t do it alone.

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Book Review: The Floating Island

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The Floating Island by Elizabeth Haydon

The Floating Island (The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme, #1)
by Elizabeth Haydon

4 out of 5 stars

Ven’s family are shipbuilders, and when Ven goes on a ship to inspect it, the ship is sunk by Fire Pirates and Ven is left adrift in the ocean. He is rescued by a merrow/mermaid and taken aboard a passing ship on the way to Serendair, an island nation where adventure awaits.

This book has an enchanting fantasy world! There are little variations on different typical fantasy creatures. Ven is a Nain, which is similar to a dwarf. There are merrows, like a mixture of mermaids and selkies. The Spice Folk are like nature fairies or brownies who are invisible. The Lirin are sort of like forest elves. They all have their own characteristics and skills and magical abilities. I was delighted with the details about each culture!

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Book Review: The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good

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The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good by Kirsty Applebaum

The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good
by Kirsty Applebaum (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

When Fran goes to visit her aunt and uncle, she discovers that they can’t remember their own daughter, Fran’s cousin Imogen. Imogen has completely disappeared without a trace, and no one remembers her but Fran. There is a mystery surrounding the hidden garden behind the estate, and Fran begins to investigate. Imogen’s diary says that she went to the garden on the day of her disappearance. Fran recruits the girl next door, Bex, to help her find the hidden garden and find out what happened to Imogen.

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Book Review: Quest of the Mermaid Princess

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Quest of the Mermaid Princess by Lee Watts

Quest of the Mermaid Princess
by Lee Watts

4 out of 5 stars

Angelique is secretly a mermaid, abandoned as a baby in an orphanage on land. She has never seen another mermaid and avoids salt water so that she doesn’t transform into a mermaid. Although Angelique grew up working as a servant, but hopes to get a job as a handmaiden to the queen and find a true home. She rescues a little otter and names him Dash, and he becomes her faithful pet. Captain Tarren commands a rowdy group of privateers, and tells Angelique of treasures to be found in the ocean that could make her rich, so she decides to venture into the coastal waters and test her abilities as a mermaid. But dark magic and danger await her in the ocean depths, and Angelique is pursued by an evil witch!

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Book Review: One True King

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One True King by Soman Chainani

One True King (The School for Good and Evil: The Camelot Years, #3)
by Soman Chainani

3 out of 5 stars

In this final book of the series, Agatha, Tedros, and Sophie have to complete the quests of Excalibur to prove that Tedros is the true King of Camelot. Their friends all rally around them, but it might not be enough to defeat the evil Snake who has usurped the throne. First, they must discover the truth about the Snake’s parentage and how he was able to fool Excalibur into thinking he had the blood of Arthur.

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Book Review: Dungeon Runners: Fang Attack

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Dungeon Runners by Kieran Larwood

Dungeon Runners: Fang Attack (Volume 4)
by  Kieran Larwood (Goodreads Author), Joe Todd-Stanton (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Kit is a half-gnome and half-dwarf, who has entered the Dungeon Runners league. His teammates are a sea hag and a vegan vampire. Kit is supposed to be the fighter in their group, but he keeps dropping his magic sword in training. Everyone laughs, thinking that this team is too small and too young to survive the dangerous competition. In this fourth book of the series, they travel to the vampire’s home island, where Kit’s friend Thorn is terrified that the other vampires will find out that he is vegan. Can they survive the puzzles and monsters of the dungeon, and avoid being eaten by a crowd of vampires?

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