Book Review and E-book Giveaway: "The Black Shard" by Victoria Simcox

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to review the book "The Magic Warble" by Victoria Simcox. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was honored when the author contacted me to ask if I would like to review her sequel to the book, "The Black Shard". Endeared to my heart is the reason Victoria began writing in the first place. As the mother of a young daughter, she noticed a lack of stories for young readers with wholesome, empowering storylines and set out to write a book that portrayed a young girl as a heroine through battling and overcoming real-life emotions such as fear to see your inner strength.

In this well-crafted sequel, young heroine Kristina Kingsly is back, this time as a teenager. She deals with the same foes as in the first book, and it is because of the prank-gone-wrong played on her by one of the foes that transports once again to the magical land of Bernovem. The author weaves an enchanting fairy kingdom for the reader.

The first book in the series sees Kristina as a preteen heroine and I love how she transitions Kristina into a teenage heroine in this book through harnessing common teen themes, both in the real world setting of the book and in the magical world setting. Prince Werrien is back, this time in a sweet storyline with Kristina. "The Black Shard" itself proves to be a force Kristina must reckon with. The storyline involving The Black Shard I found to be a wonderful adventure in fantasy reading.

I recommend this book for ages 10 and up.One of my favorite themes is emphasizing believing in yourself and using your strengths to overcome difficulties. I view that as a very important message for people of all ages. You can purchase this book or e-book through Victoria's website www.themagicwarble.com or on Amazon.

Thanks to the author, not one, but three of you will win the e-book of "The Black Shard", just in time for winter reading! To enter, leave a comment below. Entries close Friday, December 7 at 10:00 pm EST.  Good luck!