The Golden Maple Tree by Marc Remus

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second book in the Magora Series, The Golden Maple Tree, continues the adventure of Holly and her friends in the magical world of Magora. When I was given the chance to read the first and second installment in this series, I can't help but compare it to the Chronicles of Narnia and the Harry Potter series, much more to the latter.

When I've read the term "Unfinished" in this second installment, I reckon that the author's inspirations are the Muggle-born and the dementors in the Harry Potter series ; I distinguished a lot of similarities or sort of influence from J.K. Rowling's re-known book series. Holly O' Flanigan reminds me of Harry because their life story is quite the same and that they have friends who help them through thick and thin. Not to mention that their personalities are pretty much similar because of how determined they are on helping, even if their safety is at stake.

Although that there might have some resemblances to other novels, the books in the Magora series still has its own identity and a quite surprising middle-grade series that will readers find really enjoyable.

The Gallery of Wonders: Books for kids: A magical children's fantasy series. by Marc Remus

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.

The Wormworld Saga Vol. 2: Shelter of Hope by Daniel Lieske

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love the first installment of this graphic novel series so I was hoping that this second volume is on a par with its predecessor. Janaka Jiiva's vision and Jonas' mission were explained here, thus there are too many dialogues or exchange of conversations between the characters. I was even looking forward to more of the adventure or fight scenes, but I guess that would be available in the succeeding volumes.

There are two chapters in this installment, but I love more the additional chapter entitled, "A Premature Adventure," because it shows the origin of the painting that was created by Jonas' great-grandfather. Jonas' grandmother, Laura, was included in the story, therefore, it shows that she is aware that there's a magical world behind that painting.

Hope that the third volume will show more exciting adventures of Jonas and Raya. I will still be following this series because I want to know how the story will conclude.

The Book of Pearl by Timothée de Fombelle

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Without checking out the synopsis, the title and cover of this book piqued my interest. I was really drawn into the story once I've started reading it; from beginning till the end, I highly anticipated the succeeding scenarios in the book.

The narrative of The Book of Pearl is a mix of fantasy and historical fiction that will get the attention of young adults and even much older readers. Even though the start of the story is a little bit confusing, I was able to comprehend what was happening as I continued to read through the succeeding chapters. I was engrossed in the story that is why I was able to finish it within almost 6 hours of reading.

This book of Timothee de Fombelle was first published in French in 2014. Thanks to the translators that it was finally translated into English, so that more readers could be able to read the wonderful story of Joseph “Ilian” Pearl and his adventures from the Kingdoms into our world.

The Cozies: The Legend of Operation Moonlight by T.L. Fischer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The title of this middle-grade fiction book caught my attention; hence I took the opportunity to request for the reading copy of this in Netgalley. So who or what are the Cozies? According to Thursby, an English black-furred lop rabbit and the storyteller of this book, Cozies are based on nursery figments. They are visible only to small children, cats and dogs; they were born when moonlight enters a home and touches a child’s happy dreams. Also, they will be visible only to adult humans if they are bathed by moonlight.

The life of Cozies revolves on the children in the house; their fundamental mission is to keep them contented at night and on how to keep them entertained when they are awake. Aside from Thursby, there are other cozies in the family where he lives: Musetta, originated from great-grandmother; Gubbins; the twins Gracie and Ruby, who came from Mother’s imagination; and an elephant-like cozie, Rumple, and the youngest of the group. They are responsible to guard for the one-year-old boy named Benjamin or Bingo as they all called him in the house; Rumple is his cozie because he was born from his thoughts.

Aside from the cozies, there is the family dog Dandie or short for Dandie Dinmont Terrier, and the mouse named Pudding; this odd group is in charge of the wellbeing and safety of Bingo. But an unfortunate event happened when the new nanny Agnes arrived in the household. Bingo was gone, or rather kidnapped, and Agnes is one of the perpetrators. Now, the Cozies must do everything they can just to save Bingo and to keep him safe from his captors.

Reading The Cozies will keep you entertain because of how appealing the story was told. It is a well-written, family-oriented, and adorable story; it is jam-packed with adventures and creativity of the characters that will amuse readers.

Terra Nova by Shane Arbuthnott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Terra Nova is the second book in The Molly Stout Adventures series. Despite that I still haven’t read the first book, Dominion, I was able to follow what the tale of Molly and her family in this second installment. The book is categorized under children’s fiction, but I reckon that it is more of a young adult fiction. I found that the narrative is quite long, thus I’ve started to lost interest while I was in the one-third of the story. I just continue reading the book and the story begun to pick-up near the mid-part.

Molly and her feisty personality will amaze and impressed readers; her audacity and dedication to what they believe is truly admirable and is a good image to be copied to. The bond of her family and Molly’s love for them was also an inspiration and commendable. For those who love to read about steampunk, fantasy and adventure type of stories, Terra Nova is highly recommended.

The Scar by Pittacus Lore

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This short story is definitely the best among all the journals and the lost files bonus because aside from the fact that it was written on Six's point of view, it gave us some spoiler on what might happen (in the case that if you still haven't read the rest of the series). Well, I and every follower of this book series are hoping that spoiler that there could be another garde who died is not true. Or maybe there could be a chance that it will reverse.

Life Before Legend: Stories of the Criminal and the Prodigy by Marie Lu

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a short novella giving a glimpse on one of the memorable days of Day and June before the Legend. Day recounting the memory of his first kiss and of June at her first day at the University. The stories in this novella show us that Day misses the company of a family and of June's respect and love for her brother Metias. I love reading these short novellas because they give a glimpse of some important events in the lives of the characters in the books.

The Wellspring Trilogy: The Crystal Key by Robert Gronewold

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Crystal Keyis the first book in the Wellspring Trilogy written by Robert Gronewold. This young adult and fantasy fiction novel is about Felicity Bough, a sixteen-year-old orphan who was adopted when she was two by her mother's best friend, Lenora. Every year, her birthday wish is to become just like her mother and Lenora, a Doorward.

A Doorward is a caster who helped protect and maintain the mirror was. On her sixteenth birthday, unexpected guests arrived on their doorstep and informed Felicity that she could be more than just a Doorward; she could be a Turnkey just like her dad. A Turnkey is an expert in combative magic who prevents Horrors from the Dark from slipping in the mirrorways.

The first eight chapters of the story tackle character development and world building. Thus if you are waiting for the better part, you have to wait until chapter nine because that's where the conflict begins. In the said chapter, Felicity, Harry and Margo went to the grand unveiling of the new mirrorway central hub. During the event, there was a catastrophe in the venue and Felicity was able to save Harry. However, the Horror grabbed Felicity through the Mirrorgate and then the gate was shattered, making her trapped inside.

If you are a fan of young adult and fantasy fiction, you will appreciate this kind of story even though that it's quite long. It took me a week to be able to finish this 388-page novel, but I could say that it's worth it.

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I know how Wonder Woman looks like, but I still haven't read any comics issue neither watched the TV series nor the movie(s) of this iconic superhero. Therefore, this is my very first time to read or rather listen, as I had the chance to download an Audible audiobook of this novel by Leigh Bardugo.

The quest of Diana and Alia in this book is truly exciting to read because how it was magnificently written by the author. The revelation and twist in the story are quite unexpected, as well as the friendship blossom in the least expected people. What I was expecting is how the relationship between Diana and Jason will develop, but I was disappointed with what happened between them.

Nonetheless, I still like this story of the Warbringer Alia, and the Amazon Diana because it contains a lot of action-packed scenes that readers will definitely enjoy. Now that I had finally finished reading this, I might try to watch the recent Wonder Woman movie that star Gal Gadot, or perhaps I will check out the latest issue(s) of the comics series — I think that I still need my dose of Wonder Woman and her awesomeness.

The Censor's Hand by A.M. Steiner

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The first book in the Thrice~Crossed Swords trilogy and pretty much concentrated on the character development and world building. Daniel and Miranda's stories are the best for me; on the other hand, Jon's tale is a little bit depressing yet still a good read.

I'm anticipating for the second installment in the series, The Pillow Knife, because I reckon it would be more action-packed than the first. If you enjoy reading fantasy fiction books, mystery, murder, magic, and steampunk, then The Censor's Hand should be on your next read.

Wolves and Roses by Christina Bauer

MY RATING: 2 of 5 stars

Wolves and Roses, the first book in the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum, is a fantasy and young adult fiction written by Christina Bauer. The storyline is based on the fictional characters such as werewolves, fairies, witches and other fairy tale characters.

I stopped reading this novel around pages 90-95 because I felt that the story is going nowhere. The pacing of the story is quite slow and what irked me is how horny the character of Knox is; I was annoyed of the repetitive, "Mate! Mate!" whenever he sees Bryar Rose.

Despite that I didn't finished reading this, I still give this a 2-star rating because I like how unique the plot of the story is. However, Bauer wasn't able to deliver well because the end-product is not what I'd expected from the synopsis.

Honey Moon Scary Little Christmas by Sofi Benitez

MY RATING: 4 of 5 stars

The latest book in the Honey Moon Series is about how Honey Moon wants to celebrate normal Christmas in their town of Sleepy Hollow, a place where it is Halloween all year round even on Christmas. Honey Moon's school is planning to have a Nativity re-enactment on Christmas Eve, but Mayor Kligore had put up a Haunted Holiday Festival where Halloween theme Christmas is to be celebrated. Because of this, the school play is on verge of cancellation and Honey Moon wants to prevent it from happening.

Honey Moon's mother told her that there was a time on their town before it was converted to its current setting by the Mayor, the church town had the tradition to rung its 12 golden bells on Christmas Eve. This gave Honey Moon an idea to make their Christmas normal in Sleepy Hollow. Along the way, Honey Moon and her friends discovered a lot while they were digging pieces of evidence and trying to persuade the reverend to bring back the ringing of the church bells.

The Enchanted World Of Honey Moon A Scary Little Christmas is a short yet meaningful story that will teach and reminds everyone that Christmas is on the hearts of those who believe in it; not on the tangible things that we can see and touch.

Thanks to Rabbit Publishers and Netgalley for the reading copy provided.

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was on my TBR for a long time and I was always finding a way to squeeze it to my list of the books I'm currently reading. Recently, I found enough time to read this novel and it didn't disappoint me. It exceeds my expectation because the character and story build up was to look forward to.

What I like about this novel is that it makes us believe that destiny could bring two individuals together because of an unlikely circumstance or in their case, a greedy human. Their dilemma made them choose the best desirable option though it would make them separate from each other. Yet still there is indeed a happy ending after all because of what happened to them in the end.

Honey Moon Scary Little Christmas by Sofi Benitez

Honey Moon Scary Little Christmas by Sofi Benitez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The latest book in the Honey Moon Series is about how Honey Moon wants to celebrate normal Christmas in their town of Sleep Hollow, a place where it is Halloween all year round even on Christmas. Honey Moon's school is planning to have a Nativity re-enactment on Christmas Eve, but Mayor Kligore had put up a Haunted Holiday Festival where Halloween theme Christmas is to be celebrated. Because of this, the school play is on verge of cancellation and Honey Moon wants to prevent it from happening.

Honey Moon's mother told her that there was a time on their town, before it was converted to its current setting by the Mayor, the church town had the tradition to rung its 12 golden bells on Christmas eve. This gave Honey Moon an idea to make their Christmas normal in Sleepy Hollow. Along the way, Honey Moon and her friends discovered a lot while they were digging evidences and trying to persuade the reverend to bring back the ringing of the church bells.

The Enchanted World Of Honey Moon A Scary Little Christmas is a short yet meaningful story that will teach and reminds everyone that Christmas is on the hearts of those who believe in it; not on the tangible things that we can see and touch.

Thanks to Rabbit Publishers and Netgalley for the reading copy provided.

Harry Moon Harry's Christmas Carol Color Edition

Harry Moon Harry's Christmas Carol Color Edition by Mark Andrew Poe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For fans of the Harry Moon book series, this is a great addition to your collection. Harry Moon Harry's Christmas Carol Color Edition reminds us that good still wins over evil, and that the Christmas spirit is in the hearts of those who believe in it. It is a short read and the accompanying illustrations will delight anyone who read this.

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The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What made this novel really amazing is on how excellent Patricia A. McKillip wrote this. The author used her skill to write majestic words to describe each characters and places, as well as breathtaking prose to narrate the story.

If I'm not mistaken, this book was first published four decades ago and that it also won the World Fantasy Award for Novel on 1975. It wouldn't be winning an award if it's not good, right? McKillip utilized her eloquence that made the story of Sybel, Tam, Coren, and of the beasts a truly astounding novel that everyone must read.