The Gallery of Wonders: Magora Book 1 by Marc Remus

The Gallery of Wonders is the first book of the Magora Series by Marc Remus. 

When Holly's grandfather died in a mysterious fire incident, she was left to the care of her mean and abusive foster family, the Smoralls. However, everything changed. First, Holly received a package with strange things inside. Second, she discovered an equally strange creature in the attic. Finally, Holly and her three friends fell into a mysterious painting and found themselves in the magical world of Magora. 

Basically, the book is about art, love, friendship, and of course, magic. It is a real deal fantasy novel for the young and the young-at-heart. It features magical paintbrushes, talking tree houses and various creatures, some delightful and some not so delightful. 

Most importantly, the book is about faith, believing in yourself and what you can do, believing that you can do something even if other people tell you otherwise and believing in your friends the way you believe in them. 

Congratulations to Marc Remus (@MarcRemusArt) on such a wonderful and very enjoyable book with an amazing cover that he painted himself. A toast to such a very talented person!

Click HERE for the official review of The Gallery of Wonders: Magora Book 1 and for more amazing and interesting books check out Online Book Club.  

Altdorf by J.K. Swift

Altdorf is the first in the two Forest Knights novels by J.K. Swift.

The year was 1314. After 30 years of being with the Hospitaller Knights of St. John, Thomas was finally back in his hometown of Schwyz and settled as a ferryman. He believed he was living the peaceful life he deserved until he transported an injured boy. With the boy was the famous outlaw Noll Melchthal. They were trying to cross the river to go to the healer, Seraina, a reclusive druid priestess.

Written in a conversational tone, the book is a delightful read. The dialogues are engaging and the fighting scenes are vividly described. The characters are lovable. Thomas is an ideal protagonist, quiet, hardworking, an accomplished healer, first-rate fighter and a loyal friend. Seraina is an admirable woman, generous, brave and compassionate. Noll is inspiring, stubborn and fearless. My favorite is Pirmin, Thomas' brother-at-arms. He is funny, sweet and endearing. Even Leopold is a well-developed character, mean and loathsome.

Needless to say, I enjoyed this book immensely and I would love to read the second book MORGARTEN. 

Congratulations to J.K. Swift on such a wonderful book!

What the Hand by Todd Stockwell

What the Hand is a novel about the end of the world written by Todd Stockwell.

The book is told in the first person perspective of George Somerset, a man who witnessed the end of the world and ended up in a shack on the outskirts of paradise. 

George was a a divorcee who had an inclination to lying and other more evil acts. After having a serious talk with his co-worker, Charlie, George became aware of the signs that the end of the world was near, like earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions and wars. However, he was too lazy and too stupid to care. It was only after the Rapture, when good people as well as mentally challenged and children disappeared, that George finally believed what was written in the Bible. 

He started to pack some food, weapons, books that would help him survive in the wilderness including a Bible. After employing the help of an old acquaintance to obtain false documents to let him out of the city, George made a run for it. He lived in caves, hunted animals and searched for edible plants in order to survive. He eventually found seven other people and he invited them to live with him. 

This book is written in a conversational tone and is therefore easy to read. It told of the Rapture, Tribulation, Antichrist, New World Order and the New Kingdom. Other subjects include the Illuminati, Nephilim, giants, fallen angels, guardian angels and aliens. There are historical figures mentioned in the book like Adolf Hitler, Pres. John F. Kennedy, John Lennon and Abraham Lincoln. 

Needless to say I enjoyed the book a lot. It is very informative, highly entertaining and downright amusing. This is one great book that makes the reader contemplate and reflect on his life, what he did with it and what he plans to do. It leads to a very important question, What will I do if the end, indeed, comes? Will I take the Mark of the Beast and suffer eternal damnation or proclaim my faith in God and die a painful death in the hands of the Antichrist?

The choice seem easy at this time, but as my favorite excerpt from the book stated:

'It wasn't a life full of constant miracles and daily enlightenment, but a hard road of self-discovery and inner change, often beset by difficult test of faith and most difficult of all, the tedium of devout living.'

Congratulations to Todd Stockwell on such a great book!