MARABEL AND THE BOOK OF FATE (Book Review)

Today I have two pieces of business,
so humor me for a minute.

ORDER OF BUSINESS NUMBER ONE: SWEETHEART SWAG GIVEAWAY

First and most important, this is your last opportunity to register and win the Sweetheart Swag offered from myself and my book besties — Kelly Cain, Amanda Linsmeier, Jamie McLachlan and Bianca M. Schwarz. With a lot of prodding from our dear Amanda, we put our ducks in a row and have crated a wonderful Valentine’s Day swag pack for one lucky winner. This free gift includes some of our favorite romantic novels, as well as a few extra goodies to make you feel special on Valentine’s Day.

To enter, use our Rafflecopter Entry by following this link.

ORDER OF BUSINESS NUMBER TWO: BOOK REVIEW

34733249 Second on my agenda today is a BOOK REVIEW! That’s right…I missed my Monday Book Review yesterday, but I have it today and I’m really excited to review for you MARABEL AND THE BOOK OF FATE by Tracy Barrett.

I don’t read a lot of juvenile fiction these days, but when I read the synopsis for this one on Netgalley, I couldn’t resist. Once I settled down to read, I was even more pleasantly surprised. All I could think was, “WOW! Stand back Cinderella, Mulan, Jasmine and every other Disney princess! Princess Marabel has all y’all beat!”

Quirky, fun and totally engaging, MARABEL AND THE BOOK OF FATES is the story of a young princess who plays second-fiddle to her twin brother, Marco, who is “The Chosen One.” You see, in the kingdom of Magikos everything is dictated by the Book of Fate. This book works as both a book of fortunes, outlining events to happen, as well as an instruction guide on how to resolve those events. And predictably, the Book of Fate has predicted the birth of Marabel and Marco; even predicting that Marco will be “The Chosen One” to save the realm.

Her whole life, Marabel has been “less than” Marco in the eyes of her family and the kingdom, but when Marco is kidnapped by the king’s sister, Queen Mab, and taken to the Barrens, Marabel refuses to sit back and wait for her brother to save himself as dictated within the pages of the Book of Fate. With her ever-loyal maid by her side — and a magical unicorn looking for adventure — she sets off to find her brother in the forbidden land of the Barrens where she encounters trolls, giants, gnomes, mermaids, wizards and all other forms of magical beings. And, predictably, her journey won’t be easy. She’ll have to rely on her own intelligence and wit in order to free her brother, but to do so, she’ll have to learn to believe in herself first.

Simply stated, I loved this book and wish I’d had something like it for my (now adult) daughter when she was the right reading age. It’s a wonderful story about not believing everything you’re told, and finding your own strengths and value. It was fun, beautifully written, and holds many quirky details that remind me of a combination of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and a potpourri of well-loved faerie tales. It’s definitely a book for every young reader, but especially those young readers struggling to assert themselves.