Publication Date: June 1, 2021
Publisher: Eagle Gate Publishing
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction/Fantasy
Pages: 101
Dates Read: June 27, 2021
Format: ebook provided by Publisher
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a Rafflecopter giveawayGoodReads Synopsis
Trespasser, Thief, Assailant—these were never titles Nora planned on. She was just trying to protect her sister. With the help of her little brother and his best friend, Nora embarks on a life-or-death quest that could rock the very fabric of their society.
After breaking into the royal palace, Nora discovers that the ancient power of the sacred stones is more than just a legend. But in her desperate attempt to help her sister, Nora may have awoken something deep inside the earth—a power she doesn’t fully understand. As Nora flees, she accidentally encounters Prince Kyn, heir to the Liardian throne. She narrowly manages to escape, but now the young prince knows who she is and what she looks like.
Eager to prove himself to his father, Prince Kyn leads
a mission to find Nora and bring her back to House
Liard. Unfortunately, his search is riddled with obstacles he never saw coming. Kyn soon realizes he needs Nora’s help more than he could have possibly imagined.
In fact, the whole world does.
My Review
3.5 STARS
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I definitely enjoyed reading this cute Middle-Grade novella.
This story starts off with Nora breaking into the royal palace, in a desperate attempt to help her sister. While fleeing the palace, she accidentally meets Prince Kyn, and barely escapes. Prince Kyn, having seen what Nora looks like, and seeing what she has done in the palace, sets off on a mission to find Nora, to help prove himself to his father the King.
As we go along this journey with Nora, we understand that Nora has a special power that she doesn’t understand, and doesn’t necessarily want to actually use. Through a lot of bumps on this journey, both Nora and Kyn realize just how powerful Nora is, and how important her powers may be.
The thing I loved most about this novella was the characters. They were so well-thought out and this short story really focuses on them. I loved how Nora would do literally anything for her family. She is a very brave and independent 16 year old. Prince Kyn, seemed so much like a real 17 year old boy to me. He has an abusive and arrogant father who doesn’t appreciate him, while Kyn, thinking that he keeps failing, is so eager and trying so hard to prove himself to his father.
The only thing I found slightly lacking with this was the world-building. I understand though that this is this author’s debut, plus this is a novella, so how much can you actually fit into 100 pages. I also found out that this was actually written for a novella contest. I definitely liked this one though, and the second part will be coming out soon so I hear. This one is also available on Kindle Unlimited, which is great!
I definitely recommend if you like middle grade fantasy, or if you have a middle-grade reader in your home.
Special Thanks to Covenant Communications and Eagle Gate Publishing who gifted me an eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
About the Author
LAURA HATCH RUPPER is the debut author of Nora and the Sacred Stones. Laura spent her first six years of life in Metlakatla, Alaska. There was no T.V. reception on the island, so a great love of books was born. Laura loves creative activities ranging from painting to designing fourth grade math lessons. Boring chores, like laundry, make her daydream of magical worlds and happy endings.
Laura has three beautiful daughters and one giant dog who was supposed to be 50 pounds, but is almost twice that size. Laura is under five feet tall, and hopes having lots of energy makes up for her lack of height. She has a degree in Human Biology, and is getting a masters in school counseling because life can be hard and sometimes students need a helping hand.
You can find more about Laura and her books at:
laurarupperauthor.weebly.com
or on Instagram @authorlaurarupper
Alicia Reads It 