I had never heard of Victoria Simcox or any of her books until I won one of her books. I dove right into reading it and she is allowing me now to do my review and have a giveaway attached. She is offering 3 e-copies of the book, so make sure you get your entries in.
Synopsis:
Twelve-year-old Kristina Kingsly feels like the most unpopular girl in her school. The kids all tease her, and she never seems to fit in. But when Kristina receives an unusual Christmas gift, she suddenly finds herself magically transported to the land of Bernovem, home of dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals and the evil Queen Sentiz. In Bernovem, Kristina not only fits in, she's honored as "the chosen one," the only one who can release the land from Queen Sentiz's control. But it's not as simple as it seems. To save Bernovem, she must place the gift she was given, the famous "Magic Warble," in its final resting place. She must travel through the deep forest, climb a treacherous mountain, and risk capture by the queen's "zelbocks" before she reaches her destination. Guided by her new fairy friends, Clover and Looper and by Prince Werrien, a teenage boy, and an assortment of other characters, Kristina sets off on a perilous journey that not only tests her strength but her heart
Review:
I immediately fell in love with Kristina's character because I was that awkward girl when I was twelve. She doesn't seem to fit in with anyone her age and has formed a bond with her teacher. Her only real friend and confident is her pet rat, Raymond. This book has a great fantasy feel and is great for kids that are younger in age. Being 24, I also found myself engrossed in the story and trials and tribulations that it would take to get the magic warble to her destination in order to save Bernovem from Queen Sentiz. The Queen makes a great young readers villian. Anyone that came in contact with the warble is also transported to Bernovem, and even though they are not the nicest to Kristina in their world, you find yourself also rooting for them against the Queen and the zelbocks.
Every girl that feels like she doesn't fit in wants that satisfaction that she does indeed have a purpose. Kristina happened to find hers in a world that was nothing like her own. There is also a love twist when Kristina meets Prince Werrien. It is that type of puppy love and infatuation that leaves you saying "Awwww." You remember back when you had that first sense of wanting a member of the opposite sex to like you just for who you were.
The land of Bernovem has gnomes, dwarfs, and fairies. I remember loving the Chronicles of Narnia when I was younger, and this is just like that for this generation of children. It has all the magic and fantasy a younger person would want. You become so engrossed in the story line and wanting the heroes to reach their destination that before you know it, the book is over, and you are wanting more!
I will definitely be starting in on the second book today, The Black Shard. Be on the lookout for that review very soon.
About the Author:
Victoria, known as Vicki, was born in 1966, in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to an Austrian immigrant mother, and a Dutch immigrant father. She has one older sister, Jeannette. When Vicki was 7, she moved with her family to British Columbia. In her early twenties Vicki moved to Western Washington and now resides in Marysville WA. She has been married to her husband Russ, for nineteen years and they have three children; Toby, who is fifteen, Kristina, thirteen, and William, eight. She has home schooled her children for the past nine years, and she also teaches elementary school art. Vicki’s other family members are, a Chihuahua, named Pipsy, two cats, Frodo, and Fritz, and two parakeets, Charlie, and Paulie. She did have a pet rat named Raymond when she started writing The Magic Warble, but sad to say, he has since passed away of old age. Vicki enjoys writing, painting watercolors, watching movies, hanging out with her family, and chauffeuring her kids around to their many activities. Her favorite author is C.S. Lewis, and one of her fondest memories is when she was twelve. She would sit at the kitchen table and read The Chronicles of Narnia to her mother while she cooked dinner. These magical stories were very dear to Vicki and she remembers wishing, If only I could go to Narnia like Lucy and Susan. Vicki hopes that maybe, she can touch someone with her story in a similar way.
You can find the Magic Warble on:
Barnes and Noble and Amazon
There are also many other sites you can purchase the book, so make sure you check out the Goodreads page!
Giveaway:
Enter on the link below for the chance to win one of three ecopies of The Magic Warble.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: Manic Mama of 2 is not responsible for the fulfillment of prize. Prize will be awarded in the form of an e-copy by the author. My review is that of my own and I was not in any way compensated. This review may differ from your own.
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