Diary of an Average Fairy by M M Hillman

Diary of an Average Fairy by M M Hillman

Teacher’s Comments: Vervain has made satisfactory progress and has achieved an average level in most subjects.

What do you think, Diary? Yes, I know it’s not a BAD report but words like SATISFACTORY and AVERAGE just don’t feel like me. I’ve looked up ‘average’ in the dictionary. It says: a middle place between two extremes, usual, normal.

I don’t want to be NORMAL, I want to be spectacular! I feel special inside. Does everyone feel special? Maybe it’s just normal to feel special and I’m not actually special at all.

Diary, do you think I can be average and special at the same time?

Vervain isn’t the smartest, the most stylish or the best at flying and magic – she’s just an average fairy. But when the magical kingdom is threatened by evil, she finds herself central to its safety. Through her anything-but-average adventures, Vervain learns that true friendship is precious and that ordinary folk can do the most extraordinary things.

Vervain shares these exciting adventures with her diary and confides her thoughts and feelings. She struggles with difficult emotions – fear, anger, envy, sadness, grief, yet infects us with her determination, her delight of simple pleasures, and her exhilaration at overcoming obstacles.

The author M.M. Hillman is a practicing therapist. Using a language of emotion that children understand, she invites us into a world of mythical creatures who are just like you and me. Amusing and sometimes very moving – a tale that neither children nor adults will forget.

Review:

Vervain is an average fairy who is barely tall enough to make it into Fairy School, but she does. She reluctantly begins Fairy School with a squeamish stomach and all. So she takes out her piece of rainbow, her secret weapon to cheer herself up. It fills the room with color – yellow, reds, greens and blues that dazzle so much. It calms her down. She writes in her diary daily. In it she shares her innermost feelings. She loves the simple pleasures that life holds for her.  In her diary, she talks about her exciting adventures and experiences. But she is just an average fairy, although she does feel spectacular and very special.

But soon the magical kingdom is in peril, and Vervain finds herself in the middle and able to help. She engages in adventures that are anything but normal.  She learns that friends are important and that, although she is average, she can do anything she puts her mind to. She is brave and helps to free the kingdom of the tyranny of Magowr.

Diary of an Average Fairy is anything but average. It is a fabulous tale about an average normal fairy that does great things to help the fairy kingdom. It has a message to middle grade and teen kids that it’s alright to be just average. And that being average doesn’t limit them from doing great things. Vervain expresses her many feelings of fear, anger and sadness in her diary. Her diary tells of her many experiences, good and bad, at school and during her free time.

I know that children will really relate to Diary of an Average Fairy. It touches, extensively, on all the issues and problems that middle grade and teens go through. It is exciting and entertaining with creatures, fairies and foes. The way that author M M Hillman describes things like the magical kingdom, the fairies, the creatures and the surroundings, is lush and rich. A true delight for the imagination and the senses. It is a splendid, beautiful place that any child will marvel in, and want to visit in this book.

Diary of an Average Fairy by M M Hillman is engaging, even for me as an adult. I loved it and I can see how any child, young or older, will love it. They will totally relate to it. The characters will remind them of themselves and their friends and even those that give them a hard time. They will relate to the various scenarios too. It will speak to their self-consciousness and to their insecurities. It will encourage them to be brave and show them that their feelings are normal.

The characters are great. They are genuine, well developed and have fun personalities with strengths and weaknesses. Children will see themselves in and relate to the various characters.

It is written extremely well. It is smart and easy to read. It is written in the form of a diary – Vervain’s diary. It completely works and is composed with skill and creativity. I love it when I read a book that is written so well in every aspect. It’s important that kids read books that are written and edited well. This one hits a home run in that area.

Diary of an Average Fairy is unique and beautiful fantasy tale. Its premise is original and authentic.

It has a positive message that kids will glean from. It truly is splendid with gorgeous descriptions and with a very entertaining delightful storyline. I recommend that parents get a copy of this book for their kids. They will really love, and enjoy, it. They will learn from it. Parents can rest assured that it will be very appropriate and fitting for their child.

Overall, Diary of an Average Fairy is a glorious, charming and delightful story that captivates the reader and causes them to see vivid scenery and fairies, to feel various emotions and to enjoy a story well told.

Chick Lit Cafe highly recommends Diary of an Average Fairy by M M Hillman

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Those Who Swallowed God by Dayron Maxwell

Those Who Swallowed God (The Adventures of Narvix) by Dayron Maxwell

Synopsis:

Life is hard when you got red skin, scimitar shaped horns, and twitter labels you as a Section 8 archangel. Life is even harder when your psychotherapist dismisses the choir of angels fluttering outside your gate as a form of psychotic depression.

When divine judgement wears a tailor suit and leads an army of winged humans, Narvix’s mundane life of retro PC gaming and afternoon snoozes during fourth period calculus, erupts into a roller coaster of dodging lightning bolts, facing a flaming woman, and preventing genocide from reaching his street address.

Review:

Narvix, has to come to terms with his true identity as a superhuman alien. He has red skin, and unusual shaped horns. His therapist thinks he is crazy. He is labeled as a, mentally unfit for service, archangel. But, his personal mission is to save his friends from human genocide.

Narvix’s uneventful life suddenly explodes into a crazy mind blowing ordeal of darting lightning bolts, coming head on with a flaming woman, dealing with winged humans and preventing human genocide from attacking his neighborhood.

Those Who Swallowed God by Dayron Maxwell is a captivating, lighthearted, yet intense fantasy read. It is compelling and intelligent. It is creative and beautifully written, with words that flow off the page. The dialog is very clever, meaningful and intriguing. I loved how every word was divinely arranged to portray a fictional tale with magnificent narrative, twists and turns.  It is a very intense book, with a lot going on. I couldn’t put it down and read it through quickly. There are many spins to the storyline that kept me intrigued and turning the pages quickly.

Narvix is an unusual, creative character. He is funny, well developed and multifaceted. All the characters are well fleshed out and have very strong places in the story. This is one of those books that once you start it, you put everything aside to keep reading it, in order to find out what will happen next. It’s that good.

Those Who Swallowed God by Dayron Maxwell has all the components of a great coming of age fantasy read. But with a little extra added humor. Which I especially loved. It is unique in every way. The descriptions are written with extra flair. Everything from the settings, to the characters, are described in a vivid visual way tantalizing the imaginary senses. There is also quite a bit of emotion written into the storyline which keeps readers feeling various reactions of passion and sentiment. It kept me engaged as I felt a strong connection to the various unusual characters.

Narvix is an exceptional tough guy protagonist. He is great. I loved Those Who Swallowed God and highly recommend it to all fantasy lovers and to those who want to read an extraordinarily good read.

Purchase Those who Swallowed God by Dayron Maxwell @Amazon

Esme’s Wish by Elizabeth Foster

Esme’s Wish by Elizabeth Foster

New to YA! A warm-hearted, whimsical fantasy tale, with lashings of mystery, magic, and mythology, and prose that ‘flows like water.’ Prepare to fall in love with Esperance!

“A fresh new fantasy, of an enchanting world.” – Wendy Orr, author of Nim’s Island and Dragonfly Song

When fifteen-year-old Esme Silver objects at her father’s wedding, her protest is dismissed as the action of a stubborn, selfish teenager. Everyone else has accepted the loss of Esme’s mother, Ariane – so why can’t she?

But Esme is suspicious. She is sure that others are covering up the real reason for her mother’s disappearance – that ‘lost at sea’ is code for something more terrible, something she has a right to know.

After Esme is accidentally swept into the enchanted world of Aeolia, the truth begins to unfold. With her newfound friends, Daniel and Lillian, Esme retraces her mother’s steps in the glittering canal city of Esperance, untangling the threads of Ariane’s double life. But the more Esme discovers about Ariane, the more she questions whether she really knew her at all.

“It’s that kind of book that keeps you furiously carrying on with bated breath while the mystery unfolds, yet ‘wishing’ it would never end.”  – Romi Sharp, Just Write For Kids.

Review:

Fifteen year old Esme Silver’s mother has been missing for several years. Everyone around Esme, including her father, say that her mother, Ariane, was lost at sea. But Esme begs to differ. She knows how careful her mother was and what a strong swimmer she was also. Something doesn’t add up. Esme protests her father’s remarriage and she is perceived as being a spoiled, rebellious teenager. But for Esme, it’s because she can’t accept or believe her mother is dead. She knows that there is more to it.

While her father is on his honeymoon Esme sets out to look for her mother. That is when her grand adventure begins. Esme is transported to a beautiful enchanting city where the blue water sparkles and the orange dragons lurk. Esme makes a couple of good friends along the way and together they are determined to find Esme’s mother. Esme’s love for her mother compels her and keeps her determined to be strong and forge ahead to find her.

Esme’s Wish is a true gem. It is an enchanting fantasy story full of adventure, excitement and danger. Author Elizabeth Foster has constructed a beautiful tale for young readers as well as adults. I was caught up from the very beginning and read continuously to the satisfying and conclusive end.

Esme’s Wish is likened unto J.R.R. Tolkien with a dash of Harry Potter. It is written extremely well and the creativity that went into this story is fabulous. The world that Elizabeth Foster has created is a wondrous, captivating and mysterious place filled with magic, creatures and boundless beauty.

In Esme’s Wish, there are countless descriptions that excite and delight the imaginary senses. The theme of familial love flows throughout the storyline. You won’t find any sappy romance in this story, which was a breath of fresh air to me. Only good friends working, surviving and enjoying an enchanted land in search for Esme’s beloved mother.

I have read many fantasy stories but Esme’s Wish is one of the best. The characters are likable and realistic. They are multi layered and well developed. They evolve and are woven within the storyline with creative care. There is plenty of feeling to keep the reader emotionally engaged and plenty of adventure to keep the reader exhilarated and enthralled.

Esme’s Wish is a tender and mesmerizing fantasy that readers of all ages will love. I couldn’t put the book down. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would read it again. That’s how good it is. Esme’s Wish is Elizabeth Foster’s first novel. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series by this excellent writer.

Chick Lit Cafe highly recommends Esme’s Wish

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Chasing the Red Queen by Karen Glista

Chasing the Red Queen by Karen Glista

Donja Bellanger, suffering after the death of her father, finds herself in dire straits when her mom takes a new husband. Forced not only to move to a strange city, but to share a room with her glamorous, new stepsister, Makayla Hampton, her life spirals out of control.

Makayla lures her from goth to glam, straight into an exclusive club, not only for wealthy elites but Immortal Descendants. Donja crosses paths with Torin Mancini and he’s too damn handsome to be real.

Torin, who has concealed his identity as a powerful ancient sprit for eight hundred years, sets his eyes on Donja; there’s something about her blood, something he can’t walk away from. He’s not alone. A deadly predator has picked up her scent.

Stalked, she reaches out to Torin, but the lure of her blood has him on edge. As Torin battles his heart desires and feelings he thought buried and gone, one thing is clear: they have as much, if not more to fear of each other than the predator who would have her life.

Is love enough? Can she accept him for what he is and better yet, can he control his hungry, hungry eyes?

A beautiful love story with relentless action, elite battles and steamy moments… unforgettable!

Review:

After her father’s passing, seventeen-year-old, Donja Bellanger’s life spirals out of control and changes immensely. Along with her mother, brother, new stepfather and step sister, Donja moves to a new town called Sault Ste Marie Michigan. Donja copes with life the best she can with her goth appearance and emotional mind state. Wary at first, she soon connects on a deep level with her new glamorous step sister, Makayla, who has a completely different style than Donja. Makayla helps change Donja from goth to glam and they go to an exclusive club for the wealthy elites and the Immortal Descendants.

Donja meets Torin Mancini, an especially handsome detective who has been brought on the case involving unsolved murders of Chippewa women. Torin is a powerful ancient spirit and an 800-year-old immortal descendent. Donja is magnetically pulled towards Torin.

Torin finds himself, not only completely attracted, to Donja, but also protecting her from a deadly scheme to take her life as well. For she is from the ancient bloodline of the Chippewa tribe as well.

Will Donja be able to accept Torin for who he is? And will Torin be able to control his unrelenting desire for Donja..

An engaging, ravishing love story, superior battles and mysterious characters and plot.

Chasing the Red Queen by Karen Glista is an engrossing story that is about the bad luck that happens to a young woman and her family. With the unsolved murders involving Chippewa women, author Karen Glista gives readers a history lesson into the ancient bloodline. Donja, being of that same bloodline, is what attracts the killers that want to take her life. I found this to be a very interesting and engaging part of the storyline. It is obviously well researched and definitely well written.

I loved Chasing the Red Queen. The whole book is fabulous from beginning to the satisfying conclusion.

It is a paranormal fantasy with vampires and immortals. I found it to be different, in a very good way, from most vampire books.

Karen Glista has constructed a creative plot with interesting fully fleshed out characters. The characters are woven into the plot with grace and precision.

There is a lot going on in this story, from murder to vampires to teenage angst. I couldn’t put the book down and kept turning the pages quickly to see what would happen next.

Readers, young and older, will love this story. The characters are well developed and multidimensional.

I really loved the dialog between the characters, especially between Donja and Torin.

Chasing the Red Queen is a beautiful love story filled with action, romance, murder and good and bad vampires.

Karen Glista is an excellent writer with words that flow off the page. She has created a real page turner that readers will marvel in. It’s one of the best books in its genre that I have read in a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend it to all vampire and paranormal loving readers that want something of a different flavor to this genre.

Praise for Karen Glista’s – Chasing the Red Queen

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