13 Treasures by: Michelle Harrison

Tanya has spent her life being harassed by various kinds of problematic fairies because she was born with the second sight, which makes these creatures visible to her. Because of the fairies tricks, Tanya is send to live with her grandmother in a large, eerie mansion where she meets up with the groundskeeper’s son, Fabian.
Tanya and Fabian form a friendship full of adventure, traveling the dark woods and secret rooms in the home, searching for answers to the mysteries of the fairies, a girl who was found hidden behind the walls of the home, and answers to a family secret.

Although I could appreciate this writer’s use of vivid detail, word choice, and creative twists and turns, I did not enjoy this book as much as others have. This author, Michelle Harrison, has been compared to a J.K Rowling, and I can see that she is really talented. However, I do not think this book was as interesting as the J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series. I have spoke to many students, especially girls, who loved this book, so check it out if you are partial to fantasy titles, especially ones involving the fairy realm.

I would rate this book 3 stars out of a possible 5

Prophecy of the Sisters

Lia and Alice are twin sisters living in the 1800’s in New York City. Although they may look similar, the twins are quite different. With the recent death of their father and a mother that died years ago, the girls are living as orphans.

Alice is acting quite strange, not showing the emotion one would expect with the death of a dad. The other sister, Lia, has also been noticing that strange things have been happening around their old Victorian age mansion. Lia and her boyfriend recently found an old book that lie hidden in her father’s library, detailing an ancient prophecy that has shocking similarities to her own situation.
How does this ancient prophecy relate to her and her sister, Alice? Did her deceased father leave this book for her to find so she could unveil the mystery of the prophecy?

I really enjoyed this book because I love mysteries and anything set during the 1800’s Victorian era. From the first chapter, the book had me hooked. Although I became a little frustrated at the turn of events toward the middle of the book, I would still recommend this book to readers.

This book is part of a trilogy, and after reading the first book, you will want to see what happens in book #2, The Guardian of the Gate.
I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars.