My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Holly O' Flanigan lives with her distant relatives, the Smorall's, in Donkleywood; her parents died in an accident when she was still a baby so she never got the chance to know them. She used to live with her grandfather, Nikolas, but she was taken from him by the government because they perceived that he was unfit to take care of Holly. Instead of a relative, the Smoralls treat her like a maid and they made her sleep and always hide in the attic after she's done with her chores.
Her grandfather is a painter and lives alone in his studio and Holly inherits her grandfather's passion for painting. However, she thought that she is not good because she lacks the skill and talent. Unfortunately, there was a fire in her grandpa's studio and he jumped out of the building. Prior to that, Holly and her friend, Brian, saw a peculiar man and creatures outside. The next day, Holly received a package with a letter and it contains several things: a jar of white powder, a gadget with a funnel-like attached in the side, and a book that is an Encyclopedia of Magora written on it.
Holly's life changed once she received the said package. Unexpectedly, Holly and her friends Brian and Rufus; together with her obnoxious classmate Amanda; and nosy neighbor, Ms. Hubbleworth, they were all transported to Lake Santima in Cuspidor when a painting became a portal in Holly's attic.
The Gallery of Wonders is the first book in The Magora Book Series, and while reading, it greatly reminds of the well-known classic book series of Chronicles of Narnia. Moreover, I can't help but compare it to the Harry Potter series because there's a Cliffony Academy of the Arts, prophecy, talking tree house, and animated creatures such as trolls and griffins in the story. I reckon that Marc Remus' huge inspirations for writing are C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling because of the flow of the story and several similarities in some instances. Despite that, middle graders, young adult readers, and those who are fond of fantasy and adventure stories will enjoy this novel.
