Review: Jorie and the Magic Stones by A.H. Richardson

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Rating: G

Genre: Children's, Fantasy

Score: ❤❤❤

Page Count: 267

Book #1 of the Jorie and the Magic Stones series

Publisher: Serano Press

Published: March 11th, 2015

When Marjorie went to live with her frosty maiden aunt, she couldn’t imagine the adventures she would have with dragons — good and bad — and all the strange creatures that live in a mysterious land beneath the Tarn. The spunky 9-year-old redhead forges an unlikely friendship with an insecure young boy named Rufus who lives with his crusty grandfather next door. When Jorie — for that is what she prefers to be called — finds a dusty ancient book about dragons, she learns four strange words that will send the two of them into a mysterious land beneath the Tarn, riddled with enchantment and danger. Hungry for adventure, the children take the plunge, quite literally, and find themselves in the magic land of Cabrynthius. 

Upon meeting the good dragon, the Great Grootmonya, Jorie and Rufus are given a quest to find the three Stones of Maalog — stones of enormous power — and return them to their rightful place in Cabrynthius. Their mission is neither easy nor safe, and is peppered with perils in the form of the evil black half-dragon who rules the shadowy side of the land. They have to deal with a wicked and greedy professor, the tragic daughter of the bad dragon, caves of fire, rocky mountainous climbs, and a deadly poisonous butterfly. 

Jorie must rely on her wits and courage to win the day? Can she do this? Can she find all three Stones? Can she save Rufus when disaster befalls him? Can she emerge victorious? She and Rufus have some hair-raising challenges, in which they learn valuable lessons about loyalty, bravery, and friendship.

Rating:

PROS:

Source

1. Special thanks to the publisher for sending me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I've been wanting to read more children's books lately, more so to review them and add more children's book reviews to my catalog of mostly YA reviews. I like children's books but they aren't something I reach for often if I have the choice. So, when I was contacted to review this book, I thought the book sounded like too much of a fun adventure for me to turn down. I'm happy I get to review this book for you guys so let's get on with it! 

2. I thought Jorie was such a fun little girl that had a hunger for adventure and had a bad case of curiosity that had a habit of getting her into trouble. She was so lively and made me feel like a kid again as I read about her adventures with her friend and neighbor Rufus as they make some interesting discoveries both in Jorie's new home and in the world around them. I thought they were quirky and even the side characters were enjoyable and funny, even making me wish we got to see more of them in the story. Jorie's personality reminded me a lot of a young Merida from BRAVE so I think if you're a fan of that movie, you'll quickly take a liking to little Jorie.

3. The book reminded me a bit of NARNIA meets BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA with the discovery of this fantasy world neither Jorie nor Rufus could have imagined filled with creatures such as fairies, matadors, trolls and other creatures that helped them along the way. Not to mention the dragons! It was a fun fantasy world that was easy to imagine, though I did wish it had a little more description of things as it seemed like a very colorful and magical setting. The world building was great and overall, it was a fun children's fantasy adventure that I think a lot of younger kids would enjoy. 

The reason why I didn't give this book a five-star rating is simply that I didn't think there was enough of a climax. The book picked up the pace as the storyline hit the climbing point but it was a little too calm and I would have loved something a bit more exciting as the story starts wrapping up. I also felt that the ending was a bit abrupt. I think I would have liked it a little more had there been another chapter to draw it out and make it feel less like a sudden stop to the story. 

You Can Purchase The Book Here:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

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About The Author:

A. H. Richardson was born in London England and is the daughter of famous pianist and composer Clive Richardson. She studied drama and acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She was an actress, a musician, a painter and sculptor, and now an Author.

She published her first book, Jorie and the Magic Stones, in December 2014, and has written a sequel to it titled Jorie and the Gold Key at the request of those who loved the first ‘Jorie’ story. She is currently working on the third book in the series.

She is also the author of Murder in Little Shendon, a thriller murder mystery which takes place in a quaint little village in England after World War Two, and introduces two sleuths, Sir Victor Hazlitt and his sidekick,  Beresford Brandon, a noted Shakespearian actor. She has more ‘who-dun- its’ planned for this clever and interesting duo… watch for them!

A. H. Richardson lives happily in East Tennessee, her adopted state, and has three sons, three grandchildren, and two pugs. She speaks four languages and loves to do voiceovers. She plans on writing many more books and hopes to delight her readers further with her British twist, which all her books have. 

Author Links:

Website

Facebook

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I hope you all enjoyed this book review! Read on, bookworms! See you in the next chapter!