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

JORIE AND THE MAGIC STONES

by A.H. Richardson

Serano Press

Middle Grade Fantasy

269 pages

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.

 MY TIDBITS

This is a lovely world where magic and adventure come to life, letting enchanting dreams unfold in the boundless realm of imagination.

Jorie is off to live with her Aunt, a woman she's never met before and knows little about. When Jorie discovers that the Manor where she is to live once belonged to a powerful wizard, her curiosity is sparked. Together with her new friend, Rufus, she embarks on an amazing journey.

Lovely. This word describes the tale well. Jorie is a wonderful nine-year-old girl. She's polite, loves to show how smart she is, levels headed, curious, extremely imaginative and ready to head off into an adventure. She's simply so pure, kind and playful that it's impossible not to like her from the start. Rufus, her ever true friend, has a tad bit more rascal in him, something which makes him a perfect match for Jorie. And even the side characters each come to life with different personalities, oddities, and enjoyable accents. It's hard not to like every single one.

The world building is spectacular. There's never any long, drawn out descriptions with only enough given to make everything come to life. It's easy to get lost in the dragons, magic and other fantastical elements. The author does a great job of keeping a childlike fantasy about it, letting the magic do its thing and let the imagination flow.

There's adventure and tension as the kids go up against tremendous obstacles and dangers. Still, everything stays fitting for the age group.

Summed up, this is a story of magic and dragons young fans of fantasy aren't going to want to miss. The writing is perfect for the age group, allowing the reader to get lost in the world. The characters are easy to sympathize with and are sure to inspire the imagination long after the last page is read.

BOOK BUZZ!

Jorie and the Magic Stones is the first book in a new chapter book series by A. H. Richardson. Children everywhere will love this adventurous fantasy of Jorie and Rufus, two orphans from very different walks of life, who meet by chance, find a mystic book with four magical Druidic words that provide the key to an astonishing adventure that will plunge them, quite (literally) into another world beneath the dark waters of the Tarn.

“Jorie and the Magic Stones is an enchanting tale of adventure and childhood friendship that captures the attention and imagination of children and adults alike.” - 5 Stars, Amazon Review

“If ever there was a children's book that was meant for children of all ages, this would be that book. From page 1, you instantly fall in love with the Jorie, the heroine. The storyline flows wonderfully. It makes you feel as if you're there with the characters feeling the excitement, fears, and joy that they feel as they go on an incredible adventure.” - 5 Stars, Matthew and Alicia Lucy

“I absolutely love this story! It just carried me away and I couldn't put the book down!! I loved all the different characters... The author did a wonderful job describing all of them and my imagination kept on going!” – 5 Stars, Amazon Review

And here she is. . .

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.

Readers can connect with Angela on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

To learn more, go to https://ahrichardson.com/