E is for Eva

I’m doing folklore and book review posts to reach and please a larger audience. Previous years have shown select interest in both and to minimise blogging throughout the year, I’m focusing my efforts on April.

Focusing on an A to Z of my TBR (to be read) list, each letter will have books starting with that letter on my list, a book I’ve read and reviewed (with the review!) and one of my books matching the letter with a link about more info about the book (I’ve published some new books, so take a look).

I chose the books this year quite randomly from my Goodreads Want to Read page. Some are quite creatively added to letters.

I know there were suggestions in last year’s Reflection post that I skip my TBR and just get on with the review, but I like knowing what I have left to read for each letter (and how far I’ve come with all the reading challenges I’ve done) so things are staying the same. Scroll down to the reviews if you’re not interested in what my TBR still contains. FYI, you might encounter issues with commenting if you don’t tick all the boxes marked as mandatory (especially the privacy one).

Let the fun begin!

If you’d rather check out my folklore post for today, go here.

My TBR

About the Book I’ve Read

Eva Evergreen, Semi- Magical Witch by Julie Abe

Sometimes all you need is a pinch of magic…

Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch before she turns thirteen years old. If she doesn’t, she’ll lose her magic forever. For most young witches and wizards, it’s a simple enough test:

ONE: Help your town, do good all around.
TWO: Live there for one moon, don’t leave too soon.
THREE: Fly home by broomstick, the easiest of tricks.

The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic. She summons heads of cabbage instead of flowers and gets a sunburn instead of calling down rain. And to add insult to injury, whenever she overuses her magic, she falls asleep.

When she lands on the tranquil coastal town of Auteri, the residents expect a powerful witch, not a semi-magical girl. So Eva comes up with a plan: set up a magical repair shop to aid Auteri and prove she’s worthy. She may have more blood than magic, but her “semi-magical fixes” repair the lives of the townspeople in ways they never could have imagined. Only, Eva’s bit of magic may not be enough when the biggest magical storm in history threatens the town she’s grown to love. Eva must conjure up all of the magic, bravery, and cleverness she can muster or Auteri and her dreams of becoming a witch will wash away with the storm.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

A fun, thrilling adventure of a young witch needing to prove that she has enough magic to do good.

There’s the Culling, which is a magical storm cycle out to destroy the Realm once a year – and whoever’s behind it.

Eva has to do all she can to help the people of the town she ends up in. She makes friends and even a flamefox (so cute!) adopts her and she has a reason to try harder than ever.

Ember, the flamefox, is my absolute favourite thing from this book.

Eva has to do a lot more than is normally expected from a novice trial and it is obvious by the end of the book who is behind it all. Eva is clearly disliked by the leader of the Council of Witches and he has it in for her. More adventure awaits her. Can’t wait to read the next book.

Recommended to middle-grade readers who love stories of misadventure magic, friendship and overcoming the odds.

About the Book I’ve Read

Eva Evergreen and the Cursed Witch by Julie Abe

From this day forward, we will believe in the impossible.

Eva Evergreen has fulfilled her dream of earning the rank of Novice Witch, and discovered the chilling truth behind the mysterious Culling — the violent magical storm wreaking havoc across Rivelle Realm.

Revealing the truth, however, proves to be a difficult task and soon the culprit is at large. To make matters worse Eva learns what might be the horrible truth behind her pinch of magic and her mother’s own mysterious connection to the Culling and rogue magic.

With her spirits at an all-time low, Eva must muster up the courage to prove her mother’s innocence and learn to believe in her own magic, if she wishes to put a stop to the Culling once and for all. 

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

Ember the flamefox stays my favourite.

But – this book doesn’t have the easy flow of the first book, sweeping you away on the adventure. It has moments of drama and high adventure interspersed with lulls of telling (e.g. they are going to the forest, they are doing laundry, etc.). The second half is good, though. And the villain is obvious and so, too, why he does what he does. And they all live happily ever after… The epilogue, unfortunately, makes it clear that there won’t be further adventures as all conflicted was resolved.

My Book

Once… Tales, Myths and Legends of Faerie (Eens… Verhale, Mites en Legendes van Feërie)

I hope you enjoyed this. For more books I’ve read and reviewed, check out either my Pinterest board about reviews or my Goodreads profile. Alternatively, you can check out my reviews on BookBub. Have you read any of the books? Loved or hated any of them?

You can now support my time in producing book review posts (buying books, reading, writing reviews and everything else involved) by buying me a coffee. This can be a once-off thing, or you can buy me coffee again in the future at your discretion.

*FYI, my reviews are my honest opinion and if something bothers me, I tell it straight. How else will anything change? My opinions are based on being a voracious reader and book buyer, not an attack on the author.*

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