Book Review: The Phoenix and the Carpet

The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. Nesbit

The Phoenix and the Carpet (The Psammead Trilogy, #2)
by E. Nesbit

5 out of 5 stars

Four children discover a strange egg in their new nursery carpet, and when the egg is accidentally dropped in the fire, it hatches a beautiful Phoenix. The Phoenix reveals that the new carpet is actually a magic carpet that can take them anywhere in the world. Although they have some fun adventures, more often than not, their adventures go awry and their wishes get them into trouble.

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Book Review: Jackaby

Jackaby by William  Ritter

Jackaby (Jackaby, #1)
by William Ritter (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

Abigail Rook comes to a new city looking for adventure and finds a job as an assistant to free-lance detective Jackaby. Jackaby has a rare gift as a seer. He can see magical residue and detect magical creatures that are otherwise invisible. He tries to assist the police in a murder investigation, but the police chief doesn’t believe in supernatural nonsense. Miss Rook tags along in the investigation, and she is intrigued by a young policeman named Charlie. The case becomes more and more dangerous until it is evident that they are tracking a serial killer with magical abilities of some kind.

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Book Review: The City in the Lake

The City in the Lake by Rachel Neumeier

The City in the Lake
by Rachel Neumeier (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

The Prince of the Kingdom has disappeared, and with him gone, the calm magic that rules over the land has weakened. Timou is apprenticed as a mage with her father, learning the quiet slow ways of magic. Her father goes to the City to help search for the missing Prince, but he never returns to Timou’s village, so Timou goes in search of him. She must confront the mysterious depths of magic in the dark forest, navigate the political unrest in the City, and discover the intensity of her own power. But lurking behind all these mysteries is the ultimate question of Timou’s heritage.

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Book Review: The Fairy Tale Fan Club

The Fairy Tale Fan Club by Richard Ayoade

The Fairy Tale Fan Club: Legendary Letters Collected by C.C. Cecily
by Richard Ayoade, David Roberts (illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

The Senior Secretary handles all the letters that come into the Fairy Tale Fan Club. Each letter asks a question of a famous fairy tale character, and we get to see their answers. One fan asks Rapunzel for advice about getting a haircut. Is it better to keep your hair long or cut it short?

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Book Review: Tiger’s Tale

Tiger's Tale by Colleen Houck

Tiger’s Tale (The Tiger Saga, #6)
by Colleen Houck (Goodreads Author)

2 out of 5 stars

DNF at page 222
Stacia and Veru are twin princesses, neither of whom want to inherit the throne. They long for freedom and they train with the soldiers, hoping to someday get a military command that will allow them to travel the empire while their sister has to take the throne and make a good political marriage.

When their mother is on her deathbed, the twins send for any healer, priest, or doctor who can cure her, and an old wizard claims to have the power to heal. However, he unleashes a curse that transforms the twins into tigers, and now they must travel to the furthest mountains to find magic that will turn them back into humans again.

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Book Review: A Wish in the Dark

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

A Wish in the Dark
by Christina Soontornvat (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

Pong was born in prison, and he escapes with a tattoo that marks him as a criminal. A kindly monk takes him and covers the mark with bracelets. Each bracelet represents a blessing. Pong hides in plain sight, joining the monks in their prayers and charitable deeds.
Nok, the daughter of the prison warden, is determined to prove herself by tracking down the escaped prisoner and bringing him to justice. However, she begins to realize that justice and the law might not always agree.

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Book Review: Skyriders – The Sky King

The Sky King by Polly Holyoke

The Sky King (Skyriders)
by Polly Holyoke (Goodreads Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars
In this second book, Kie is grieving for the losses her nation suffered during the chimerae war of the previous book. She has terrible nightmares of the people she saw killed in the war, and her greatest fear is that she will again be placed in a position to relay more orders that send skysteeds and their riders to their deaths in battle. When she is asked to accompany the prince on a diplomatic mission to the wild skysteeds, Kie is hopeful that they will be able to convince the king of the wild skysteeds to help them defend their land against the chimerae. However, Kie’s skysteed N’Rah disagrees with her. For the first time, they have a serious disagreement and they have to learn to navigate their delicate relationship in a new way.

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Book Review: Skyriders

Skyriders by Polly Holyoke

Skyriders
by Polly Holyoke (Goodreads Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars

In a land where human riders can communicate telepathically with their pegasus steeds, one man has made a special study of how the ancient peoples fought off a scourge of monsters called chimerae. When the chimerae return, he entrusts a book full of his research to his niece, Kie. She and her stysteed, N’Rah, must take the book to the capital city and somehow convince the emperor to use these ancient battle techniques. Kie has been practicing using special weapons that her uncle taught her about, and she is hoping to demonstrate how effective they are against the monsters.

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Book Review: Handbook for Dragon Slayers

Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell

Handbook for Dragon Slayers
by Merrie Haskell (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

Princess Tilda thinks that her townspeople hate her because they believe her deformed foot is unlucky or cursed. She hobbles around the castle on crutches, and the maids make a sign against the evil eye behind her back. Tilda wishes she could run away from her princess duties and be free to write her own book as a scribe. When her cousin tries to steal the family lands, Tilda is rescued by two dragon slayers and they start tracking down a dragon to kill. The only problem is… these dragon slayers have never actually killed a dragon.

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Book Review: Prisoners of Thornbrill

Prisoners of Thornbrill by Hannah Pennington

Prisoners of Thornbrill (The Tindoria Chronicles, #1)
by Hannah Pennington (Goodreads Author)

3.5 out of 5 stars
Melanie and her brother Jason discover a dragon egg while camping near the Grand Canyon. They hide the little dragon and name him Scalaed. The dragon grows up and leads Melanie and Jason into another world. There they are captured by an evil huntress and imprisoned in her dark fortress. The huntress is using dark magic to create an army of dragons, and she wants Scalaed for a special purpose.

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