The Water Horse

Magical Venice #1

by Holly Webb

An enchanting tale of magic, friendship and adventure for readers aged 9 and up - from bestselling author, Holly Webb.Olivia is the princess of Venice. So when the waters start to rise, she knows only her magic can prevent disaster befalling the city. Desperate for help, and for a friend, Olivia discovers something a water horse, hidden in the canals of the city. Invisible to most, Lucian knows the deepest secrets of the sea - secrets that could hold the key to saving the city. But can their friendship overcome those plotting against Olivia, and against Venice itself?The Magical Venice books are all share the same beautiful setting, but can be read as standalone stories. The series The Water Horse, The Mermaid's Sister, The Maskmasker's Daughter, and The Girl of Glass. Discover more by Holly Webb with her Rose and Lily series - also filled with magical adventures.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens, Magic, Horses, Animals, Fiction

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 7, 2015

About the author

Holly Webb is one of Britain's best-loved children's writers. She has written over a hundred books for children, and her work has been translated into over thirty languages. Holly lives in Tilehurst, just outside of Reading, Berkshire, with her husband, three children and several cats.

Reviews

[16PitchforthA · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The way the author describes the water horses and what they are doing really puts a clear image in your head of what they look like and what it must feel like to ride on them.It is a really good book and I would definitely reccomend.

[Cara (Wilde Book Garden) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a pleasant surprise! I expected to like this, of course, or I wouldn't have read it, but all I knew going into this book was "Italian fantasy" and "girl makes friends with a water horse."

And this was so much more layered than that impression suggests! Also quite a bit darker in some places, which I appreciated. I mean, we start the book with our main character (a young girl named Olivia) realizing her aunt has been controlling her actions and emotions for most of her life, and Olivia is just starting to wake up. We quickly realize that things aren't quite right in Venice either: people are starving, the waters are rising, and Olivia's beloved father is ill--possibly too ill to continue casting the spells that keep the floods at bay.

The plot was interesting, the magic was fun, the atmosphere was magical and just a little sinister, and Olivia had some great character growth as she began to wake up, pay attention to the people around her, and make up for her previous apathy. The ending was a little quick, but other than that this was fantastic and I can't wait to read more from Holly Webb!

[Neehal · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 8 year old niece was reading this so I decided to check it out. A well-written imaginative story that will delight the young and young-at-heart.

[Freydis Eiriksdottir · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book, but it is also quite sad.

[Christina Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, a princess named Olivia uses magic to keep the city safe from a flood, with the help of her dad. Soon they find out that Olivia's dad doesn't have enough magic to push the waters back.
Olivia finds a water horse named Lucian who helps her save the city.

The characters were believable and quite relatable. The ending was very satisfying. The book was very fast paced. when I finished the book I didn't want to put it down.

I highly recommend this book because it is very exciting .

[Mic Villamayor · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐✨

Finally got myself a copy of the first book in the Magical Venice series (I read the second book first 😅).

This book was just as magical as The Mermaid's Sister and a good read for young/pre-teen girls.

I love how the main character acts like a typical child would, yet, still aware of her responsibilities to the society and its people as a princess.

Indeed, being a princess is not all glitz and glory. But truly, being magical goes a long way in making (and fulfilling) duties interesting. 🤭

[Góczán Judit · Rating 3 out of 5]

HW állattörténeteiből már olvastam párat, ezért is érdekelt a pacis sztori, no meg Velence. A borító színvilága köszön vissza a lapokon - tiszta rózsaszín. Elég egyszerű történet, néhány fordulat, nem meglepő befejezés, elnagyolt figurák, sok sablonos ismétlés. Tini-irodalom némi családi bonyodalommal fűszerezve.

[Zainab · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did read this book when i was 9, but i didn't understand the story, so now i reread it.
This story was definitely magical and amazing, but it was quite depressing and dark too.
I didn't like the sad part, but it was still enjoyable, and I'm glad i didn't understand this book as a child because this book would've traumatized me.

[Maleeya · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started reading this book about a year and a half ago, and I stoped reading it because all is does is go on about random stuff that doesn't even make sense. And, he intro feels like it takes 100000000000 years to get through.

[Hannah Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enchanting! I’m almost amazed to say it delivers on what the cover and blurb might lead you to imagine it would be. I’d recommend for young girls.

[Róża · Rating 5 out of 5]

Czytałam ją mając jakieś 12 lat i z tego co pamiętam była mega super. Bardzo polecam.

[Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Most enjoyable magical tale of a princess who must use her latent magic to save her city of Venice from flooding. The descriptions of the water horses are beautiful.

[Melanie Pienaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

EBOOK - A lovely storyabout a princess and a magical horse, although theending was a bit rushed. Ideal for ages 10 and older.

[★julia✿]

jak byłam młodsza i czytałam te serię to ta chb była na 3 miejscu; zakończenie bardzo mało rozbudowane

[k8 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had better politics than I expected it to. Also those girls were gay.

[Wiktoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Meh. I didn't like it that much.

[Marie-José · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely children's book. I am looking forward to its sequel

[Nanouk De Waal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book full of laughter and magic

[Hannah Sony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book especially the friendship between Olivia and Lucian