Saturday, April 6, 2019

#BookReview - The Book of Spells

The Book of Spells

By: John J. Miller
Illustrated By: GKS Creative
Publisher: KOKR Publishing
Publication Date: March 2019
ISBN: 978-1-7326380-0-6
Reviewed By: Kristi Benedict
Review Date: April 2019
In the kingdom of Vilgar a beloved king named Steffen was held in high regard for being a kind and generous ruler who was always willing to help his subjects in any way he could. In his castle Steffen was surrounded by trusted advisors, soldiers, and his family. However, things are about to change when a wizard named Malecar arrives at the castle stating he could be of help to the king. Steffen agrees that having a wizard in the castle would be an advantage and so invites Malecar to stay. It does not take long for Malecar to show his worth when he warns the king of a tremendous storm coming toward the kingdom, which gives everyone time to prepare for the oncoming storm. Immediately grateful for Malecar’s skills, Steffen offers a permanent position to him in the king’s service, which Malecar readily accepts. Unbeknownst to Steffen, Malecar himself created the storm in order to gain the king’s favor, for he had an evil plan in mind that he had just set into motion.
Some time later another wizard by the name of Martir arrives at the castle, but he is a gentle and kind wizard who has an amazing ability to befriend everyone, human and animal alike. He is one that has a kind word to say to everyone he meets, and truly wants to serve King Steffen in any way he can. 
Meanwhile, Steffen’s son Audric is now a young boy and instantly takes a liking to Martir. The new wizard is told by King Steffen that there is already a wizard serving in the castle. However, suggests the king, if he wants, Martir can apprentice under Malecar to expand his own skills. Delighted with this idea, Martir quickly agrees to the arrangement and comes to love the royal family as his own. However, his relationship with Malecar is soon strained because Malecar seems much more interested in his own business than wanting to waste his time teaching Martir. There is also something strange and menacing about Malecar that Martir does not like...Martir, above all, is profoundly loyal to the royal family and if necessary, he would give his life to protect them.
This book reminded me of how classic fairy tales made me feel as a child. I love reading a story that brings back those old-fashioned memories. The characters in this book came to life with every page with an exceptionally evil villain, a valiant hero, and also some never-ending love stories. Mix them all together and you have a tale that made me take a sigh of enjoyment when I finished it. I also loved that this book was not too terribly long, making it a fun, quick read while still having all of the elements of an exceptional tale.
Quill says: An amazing fantasy story, which gave me all the wonderful feelings of an old-time fairy tale.

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