Hi, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Monika Anna Blichar and her new book, “My Magical Gnome Story Book,” here on FAB!! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Monika and to increase your chances of winning!!
Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!
My Magical Gnome Story Book
by Monika Anna Blichar
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GENRE: Children's Fiction
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BOOK BLURB:
Magic is everywhere. You just have to believe.
Follow Edy on his magical adventures into the human world while he tries to save the last Golden Believer left on earth. A magical adventure for young and old alike!
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EXCERPT TWO:
Long, long ago; long before the days when dragons and unicorns roamed the earth, there lived magical creatures whose home was well hidden for centuries. No one knew about these magical beings because they were so small and so very good at hiding all traces of their existence from all other creatures on Earth. For many centuries, these magical creatures, called Gnomes, were able to live in secrecy and in harmony in the Gnome Capital. The Gnome Capital of the world is known today as Wrocław, Poland. It is a remarkable place where gnomes and humans co-exist and where magic has been brewing for thousands of years. Most people don’t know, but Wrocław is the Gnome Capital of the world as it holds some of the most magical powers within the city and its people. Look it up for yourself on your computer-you’ll find out it is very true and that there are gnomes hidden all over the city! Up until the mid 1990’s, the gnomes were able to live undetected, until one day, a special chosen human saw a gnome in the Rynek, the town square of Wrocław. According to what the locals say, Lucyna saw a gnome run across the cobblestone near the entrance to the north west corner of the Flower Market. She was shopping for some sunflowers and suddenly saw a tiny gnome run across the way where today you can find a dessert shop. She couldn’t believe her eyes but for some reason, she knew she had to follow him. She dropped her flowers and ran after the little creature.
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MY BOOK REVIEW:
This book, "My Magical Gnome Story Book," is a sweet, fun, amusing children’s read filled with exciting, magical adventures, important life lessons, and beautifully crafted illustrations.
This book follows a Gnome, Edy, from the Magical World, the Golden Kingdom, who is sent by the Queen MAB to the Human World to help save both worlds from the Evil Wizard, Endiku.
This book also follows Monika, an artist, and granddaughter of Lucyna, a longtime secret friend of Edy. While Monika believes in magic, she doesn’t know of Edy and her grandmother’s special relationship. Edy is sent to team up with the last Golden Believer, Monika, and set out on a mission to stop the Evil Wizard from taking over both worlds.
While I really enjoyed the concept of this exciting, magical story, I think this book fell a bit short covering all its worldbuilding and storytelling bases. For example, I felt this book jumped around quite a bit, especially with the timeline, which made for some confusing moments. One minute it’s about Lucyna hiding her sketches from a young Monika, and the next page jumps into thousands of years ago, about the Fairy Queen and the Magical World, then Edy tracks down Monika and she’s an adult now, quickly followed by the story of two twin boys from the Magical World. There isn’t much of a smooth, timely transition as the story bounces back and forth across the timeline and across the two worlds. In addition, I felt some of the worldbuilding had gaps which didn’t fully line up with the story. For example, it mentions that Monika is the very last Golden Believer left on Earth, someone that continues to believe in magic, well wouldn’t her grandmother, Lucyna, also be considered a Golden Believer since she was friends with Edy and knew about the entire Magical World and believed in the magic? Wouldn’t David also be a Golden Believer since he also knew of the Magical World, was prepared and knew to expect Monika and Edy to help them save both worlds, and of course, he also believed in the magic. So, since Lucyna and David were both still alive and living in the Human World and believed in the magic, that would mean that Monika wasn’t the only one, right? Furthermore, with the dire consequences of both worlds ending in misery, why would the Queen MAB only send one Gnome to save the worlds, especially if the goal was to inspire more people to believe, therefore allowing both worlds to prosper. Thirdly, I was a bit confused about the characters and their names. For example, who is Rob? He is only mentioned once in the epilogue as someone Monika shares her dream with and then a Robert is mentioned once at the very end saying he is someone who is special and believes. Perhaps Monika’s husband? Friend? Also, I really think a simple line explaining that Babcia means Grandmother in Polish would strongly add to this story, especially when the average child (or even adult) doesn’t know that term or even how to pronounce it. While I guessed that is probably referred to a Grandma nickname, I had to use Google to confirm it. Lastly, there are some story lines that start out, but quickly drop off with no further explanation or follow up. For example, the story line about Monika’s mother, who is referred to as Dorota and as Princess Dorota. It is mentioned that Lucyna’s only daughter moved away to another country and when Edy first tracks down Monika he sees a photo at her art studio of a woman he doesn’t seem to know, but assumes it’s Monika’s mom. Later in the story she is only mentioned one more time as being Princess Dorota, that she is no longer part of the Human World anymore, but that she had left special things for Monika. There is no further explanation as why she would be a Princess or if she was part of the Magical World now or had passed on. However, if she was part of the Magical World, wouldn’t Edy have known who she was being their Princess and all? I really did enjoy the concept of the story, especially the magic, the inspiration, the creativity, the positive hope for the next generation, etc. However, these holes in the worldbuilding and story telling keep the reader for staying swept up in a fun, exciting, magical adventure. I believe the author could easily fix many of these pointed out issues, which would truly benefit the believability of this story.
I really appreciated the author’s message of stretching the importance of believing in magic and a world full of possibility, abundance, and wonder. Furthermore, the significance of inspiration, imagination, and creativity, and how dark and dreary our lives (and world) would be without these influences.
This book is full of bright, colorful illustrations mixed in with real photographs that are both sure to be enjoyed by young readers. Although, I personally enjoyed the illustrations more than the actual photos, as they felt more fitting and in line with the story.
This book is a bit on the longer side for a quick children’s bedtime story at 51 eBook pages, especially with the small type font size. This book is comprised of ten chapters, plus a prologue and an epilogue which spans across 31 reading text pages.
This book is appropriately “G” rated as there is no swearing, no gory violence, no adult situations, and no sexual content.
This book is currently not part of a book series and therefore can be read as a standalone book.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it!! I think all young readers and their families will like this book too!! So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading - you won't be disappointed!!
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations**
Did you find this review helpful???
If so, please, please, please mark it as helpful on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R8JX1410EQQ9J
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AUTHOR BIO:
Monika Blichar is a Polish-Canadian artist, entrepreneur and the owner of Monika’s Art Boutique, Art World Expo and Painting Dreams International Art Tours. Monika has been teaching art and languages since 2006 and has a B.A. in English and French with a B.C. College of Teachers accreditation from the University of Victoria, in British Columbia, Canada. Monika is committed to sharing her passion for art with others via projects, community events and artist retreats in Canada and Europe. She paints, designs fashion, has illustrated and written several books, and is host of The Art World Podcast. Monika has also built a team of teachers and facilitators who teach her curriculum, practices and methods to hundreds of students each month in Canada and abroad. In her free time, Monika enjoys traveling, gardening, learning and caring for animals including her dogs, cat, and chickens.
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CONNECT WITH MONIKA:
Website:
Website:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/monikaannablichar
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MonikaBlichar
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/monikablichar
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/monikaanna
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/monikablichar
TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@monikablichar
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23176541.Monika_Anna_Blichar
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65975338-my-magical-gnome-story-book
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon US Paperback:
Amazon US Hardcover:
Amazon CA Paperback:
https://www.amazon.ca/My-Magical-Gnome-Story-Book/dp/022886013X
Amazon CA Hardcover:
https://www.amazon.ca/My-Magical-Gnome-Story-Book/dp/0228860148
Barnes and Noble Paperback:
Barnes and Noble Hardcover:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Monika will be awarding a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**
This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteThe book soounds wonderful.
ReplyDelete