Marabel and the Book of Fate

by Tracy Barrett

Free-spirited Marabel must defy expectations to rescue her brother--and their kingdom.

In Magikos, life is dictated by the Book of Fate's ancient predictions, including the birth of a royal Chosen One who will save the realm. Princess Marabel has grown up in the shadow of her twin brother, Marco, who everyone assumes is the true Chosen One. While Marco is adored and given every opportunity, Marabel is overlooked and has to practice her sword fighting in secret.

But on the night of their thirteenth birthday, Marco is kidnapped by an evil queen, and Marabel runs to his rescue. Outside the castle walls for the first time, accompanied by her best friend and a very smug unicorn, Marabel embarks on a daring mission that brings her face-to-face with fairies, trolls, giants--and the possibility that all is not as it seems in Magikos.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Adventure, Childrens, Magic, Fiction, Young Adult

304 pages, Hardcover

First published February 6, 2018

About the author

Tracy Barrett has written more than twenty books for children and young adults. She’s much too interested in too many things to stick to one genre, and has published nonfiction as well as historical fiction, mysteries, fantasy, time travel, myth and fairy-tale retellings, and contemporary realistic novels. She knows more about ancient Greece and Rome and the European Middle Ages than anyone really needs to know, can read lots of dead languages, and used to jump out of airplanes.
  Tracy grew up near New York City, and went to college in New England and graduate school in California. She majored in Classics and earned a Ph.D. in Medieval Italian. She was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to study medieval women writers and won the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Work-in-Progress Grant in 2005. She taught Italian and other subjects at Vanderbilt University for almost thirty years. She lives in Tennessee with her 6’7” husband, a rescue cat, and two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

Reviews

[Bentley ★ Bookbastion.net · Rating 4 out of 5]

See this review and more like it on www.bookbastion.net!
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I am a total kid at heart. I basically cannot resist a Middle Grade story with an interesting sounding fantasy premise and a beautiful cover. When I came across this browsing Netgalley, I knew I had to request it and was pleasantly surprised to find myself approved.

Marabel and the Book of Fate is a wonderful contemporary fantasy fairy tale for kids eager to break into worlds other than their own. Marabel, Princess of a land called Magikos, has grown up in her twin brother Marco's shadow as he is the Chosen One by birth - the one that their Book of Fate heralds as the future ruler of prophecy. Her life is turned upside down though, when Marco is kidnapped on the eve of their 13th birthday.

Unable to leave Marco to an uncertain fate with no intervention, Marabel takes it upon herself to rescue him, and sets off on an epic journey with her best friend Ellie, and her father's Unicorn, Floriano.


I've got to say that I truly enjoy that little twist in the "Chosen One" narrative that Tracy Barrett employs at least at the start of the story. It's an interesting position to be placed in as a reader: alongside a character who stands at the side of the Chosen One. Still, this is a hero's journey at its heart and Marabel quickly establishes herself as a character you want to root for. She's loyal to her brother, family and friends, and very motivated to reach her goals.

The setting is quite a bit of fun too! It reminded me quite a bit of Shrek in the ways that Tracy Barrett plays off of familiar tropes about fantasy creatures and twists them into new, yet still recognizable examples of them. One thing that is great about this story is the way that Barrett incorporates a lot of very modern pop culture references (Minecraft for example, becomes Impcraft) that I'm certain children being raised today will get a real kick out of it.


My main qualm with this book lies in the fact that it felt a little underwritten for Middle Grade. 13 years olds are teenagers. Many teens by that age have read Harry Potter or watched Doctor Who, and a bunch of them have probably already seen their fair share of PG and PG13 movies. My point is, they've already been exposed to scary stuff.

The story seemed to shy away from any potentially scary moment in a way that I think will probably rub young teens wrong, and isn't exactly true to any of the classic mythology around many of the fantasy creatures portrayed here.

Because of this, at times this felt a little less like Middle Grade and more like a collection of fables starring Marabel and her friends. They'd encounter one fairytale creature, solve a small dilemma, and then move on to the next. Rinse, and repeat. I think this could have used a dash of real danger, especially near the end and it could have been truly epic. Without it, the plot arc feels like it's missing something.

Still, it was an enjoyable story and I'd not mind reading another book by Tracy Barrett one day! Perfect for young readers eager to jump into fantasy.

3.5 out of 4 stars, rounded up for Goodreads.

Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for approving me for an ARC!

[Sarah Swann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was super cute. I liked the adventure and the sassy ink en was fantastic. There were a lot of lucky breaks and convenient circumstances, but for the age range, it was a cute fantasy.

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun adventure! In the kingdom of Magikos life is dictated by the Book of Fate's ancient predictions, including the birth of a royal Chosen One(Marco) who will save the realm. Princess Marabel has grown up in the shadow of her twin brother Marco. While he is adored over & praised, she is overlooked & seemingly forgotten...& even has to practice her sword fighting in secret-her dad sees no point in her learning things she will have no use for or be good at-it seems like all of his faith & attention are for Marco alone. On the night of their 13th birthday, Marco is kidnapped by an evil queen, & Marabel runs to his rescue. Outside the castle walls for the 1st time, accompanied by her best friend & a very smug unicorn(Floriano), Marabel embarks on a daring mission that brings her face-to-face w/fairies, trolls, giants--& the possibility that all is not as it seems in Magikos. Marabel is a very likable & relatable character. You find yourself really rooting for her, & wanting her to show everyone what she is truly capable of. Ellie is her best friend along on the quest, & I loved their dynamic. Ellie has a fear of closed spaces, & she faced her fears many times to be there for her friend. My favorite is Floriano. That beautiful conceited unicorn has my heart. He was so funny, & also was there for the other 2 many times to save the day-they all brought something to the group that was essential for the success of the quest. Loved that. 1 thing that had me laughing was the sort of “pop culture” references. We’re in medieval/historical fiction like times, & yet there are mentions of video games, Siri, WIFI, & selfies-but w/similar sounding but different kooky names..even mentions of granite countertops & open concept lol made it a more modern medieval-& so funny..just brilliant. I can see where some wouldn’t like that-but lighten up! It’s funny! Lol Big importance on believing in yourself, girls being just as capable & sometimes more so. There’s friendship, adventure, ogres, trolls, unicorns, giants, dragons, goblins & more. It looks like a book 2 recently came out, but only in French-which is confusing to me since the author lives in Tennessee. Lol This ended nicely, but since I enjoyed it I want to read the next 1. Hopefully they translate it eventually.. Love this cover by Sara Gianassi too! Beautiful!💜

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marabel has grown up in the shadow of her twin brother, Marco. Marco....The Chosen One....the one the prophesies all say the kingdom has been waiting 1000 years for. It's a bit hard to stand out in the crowd when your twin is destined to be the answer to everything. Most days nobody in Magikos even notices her. That makes it much easier to sneak in fencing lessons in the old tower and do other unladylike, fun things. But, one day adventure finally finds Marabel.....and her life will never be the same!

This is such a magical, wonderful story! Marabel doubts herself at first but discovers friendship, courage, and a dash of wisdom on her adventurous journey. She learns that oftentimes people misjudge those who are different from themselves. She also learns about negotiation, teamwork and the true value of friendship and trust. Awesome middle grade book! Ogres, dragons, fairies, wizards, gnomes.....it has a little bit of everything, plus a lot of humor. Everything is middle grade age appropriate. There is some allegory to current social and political issues, but nothing too over the top. Just a nice lesson in not judging others by looks or culture, and that fighting is not always the correct answer to a problem. True advice.

I don't usually comment on other reviews I have read, but I'm going to this time. This book was written for children. The book is intended for a middle grade audience. Many reviews for this book are from adults complaining about the humor, character development, lack of hard hitting emotion, etc I'm going to say this again: THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN FOR CHILDREN. This is not an adult book....or even a YA book. It is a fantasy story with a nice moral lesson for CHILDREN, and should be reviewed as such. I don't have a problem with adults, reviewers or anyone reading children's literature -- I love reading children's books myself and I'm a grandparent! But -- always keep in mind that the book is not written for adults, 20-somethings, or anyone older than 14 in mind. It's a children's story -- read it, enjoy it and review it for that audience. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but don't review a children's story like it is an adult or YA story. **Off my soapbox now**

I loved this book! I'm going to purchase a copy for my granddaughter to enjoy. It's an often humorous fantasy romp through a magical land....with a dragon, WizFi, a talking unicorn and lots more....and a nice moral lesson weaved in with it all.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Little Brown Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited about this book, when I heard about it. I wanted to like it, I really did. There were some good parts, but I had a hard time really getting into this story. I wouldn’t tell a kid not to read it, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, either. Some of the problems that Marabel faces can be entertaining, some were a bit ridiculous and not really necessary for moving the story forward. The technological parallels between our world and Magikos seemed out of place. I am not a fan of stories like this where nobody is really evil, just misunderstood, but I can understand why others might like a story line like this. I also did not like the convenient ending of the story.
*I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was nicely done and had some scenes where I was chuckling, such as the wizfi password. A lot of the humor seemed meant more for adults than kids. It tried a bit too hard to be politically correct, right down to ending up with no bad guys, although you think throughout that there is a bad guy. Actually, that isn't completely correct but it is in essence. Marabel has always been ignored because her twin is The Chosen One, which Marabel also believed and was fine with since her twin was such a nice guy. Is he really The Chosen One? Marabel finds reason to doubt that as the story goes on. She also discovers that a lot of "facts" she had learned in school might be dubious, such as the existence of the Evils (magical creatures such as ogres, etc.) being, well, evil. I enjoyed this. It would be good for fantasy fanatics, or as fiction during Women's History Month. While not excellent, it was fine.

[Rachelle Sperling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Marabel lives in a world where events are seen as pre-determined by Fate and in particular by a Book that foretells the fate of individuals and nations. But when her brother is put into peril and the interpretation of the book says to sit back and do nothing, Marabel, moved by her love for her brother, decides that she needs to act on his behalf. What if the book is wrong? What if there is no pre-determined fate? Or what if there is and it’s being interpreted incorrectly? These are some of the questions that Marabel is asking as she takes fate into her own hands.

First, the things I liked:
1. The book is light hearted and easy to read. I believe it would be engaging for young readers. Even as an adult I didn’t have any trouble staying engaged with the story.
2. The author is creative.
3. Despite how other people see them Marabel and her brother Marco have a great relationship.
4. Marabel is challenged to exercise discernment. I particularly liked that she is challenged to discover that the opinions of culture aren’t always correct and that groups can’t be judged broadly, but that each individual should be judged as an individual. There is a challenge here to racist views and the idea that everyone who lives on the other side of the wall (in another culture) is evil.

The things that I found troubling:
1. The adults, particularly the parents are portrayed as “less than” the children. The father and mother act arrogantly, ignorantly and even cruelly toward their daughter on multiple occasions. Then at the very end of the book they all of a sudden are portrayed in a positive light. Even the aunt is portrayed as both selfish and doting, but never particularly wise. I don’t appreciate children’s books that make the children out to be smarter than the adults, not that children can’t be brilliant, but adults are meant to teach and guide and stories that elevate children and reduce adults to incompetent characters aren’t actually helpful for a child’s development.
2. The idea of fate verses self-determination was unclear. At very least I’d hope an adult would read this alongside a child and discuss this concept. As a Christian myself I believe that we are made in the image of God with the ability to choose. In some ways Marabel demonstrated the idea of choice verses pre-determination. And yet, the wisdom of her choices is in questions as is her own idea about whether she was simply helping along what was “meant to be” or making her own fate. The author played around with the idea that Marco was not the chosen one and yet never clarified if Marabel was the chosen one. Or was there never a chosen one and Marabel simply became who she believed she could be? I felt the underlying philosophical questions that the author scattered throughout the book were left in confusion and honestly I can’t tell you what the point of the story actually was. Personally, I don’t care for books that lack clarity in their underlying philosophies, even if they are children’s stories. Children can be brilliant and I think they deserve stories that have a clarity of purpose to the tale that is being told.

[Julie Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A princess, magic, a best friend, a talking unicorn (who is quite funny and easily distracted), an invisible wall, a feuding aunt, goblins, ogres, giants, The Book of Fate, wizards, secret passage way, caves, dungeons, a wooden sword, siblings, fun and adventure.

I have a household of fantasy lovers and book readers and this is one that I am excited to share with them all. I think many young girls (boys too) will enjoy reading about the adventure of princess Marabel and her friend Ellie as they set out to rescue Marco, Marabel's twin brother.

In a kingdom almost afraid of magic (maybe saying overly cautious would be better) and committed to following the Book of Fate, Marabel finds herself to be almost invisible. Her brother is the prophesied Chosen One that everyone has talked about and she's just the twin who was born after him. She secretly trains with old Lucius and learns to sword fight and protect herself. But what if she could train with her parents' support? Life is good, but it's sometimes hard being a princess and one that isn't well liked by neighboring kingdom's princess'. But she loves her brother and he loves her. He's good at making sure she's noticed. Even with the invisibility, her life is still happy and good.

When their 13th birthday celebration arrives, Marco is taken hostage by their aunt and a wizard. If their father doesn't act quickly, aunt Mab will turn Marco into a frog or a snake. When King Matthew consults the Book of Fate, they are told to wait and everything will work out fine. But Marabel can't just let their aunt steal her brother and threaten him. She's not going to sit around hoping everything will work out. Armed with her wooden sword, her best friend and the king's unicorn (who just happened to see them secretly leaving), this trio will encounter many adventures, struggles, joys and surprises along their way to rescue Marco.

What they discover is more than what they ever thought or bargained for. And just might be the first step to healing a kingdom and saving the day.

This was a fun middle grade book about friendship, stepping out of comfort zones, being courageous even when it's scary and hard, paying attention, using the gifts and talents we have, trusting ourselves, being kind and understanding and much, much more. I think this will be a fun fantasy book that will appeal to younger readers. I had fun seeing what would happen next in the rescue adventure. Even though Marabel is a princess and the main character, this is geared towards any reader, male or female. This is not just a fluffy princess story type read. This would be a really fun audiobook if done with a great narrator who does voices and sound affects. I think it would be a well listened to story with my family.

Dive into the adventure of Marabel and discover who you are along with Marabel's discovery of herself, her kingdom, her friends and her family.

Content: Clean

I received a copy from the publisher, Little, Brown books for young readers, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

[Lizzy McGovern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and funny this is a fantasy that is a great read alike for Land of Stories.

[Bookphile · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was okay, but this book didn't engage me. l can see how some middle grade readers might like it, though. Full review to come.

Complete review:

I read a fair amount of middle grade literature, and I'm often amazed by how gorgeous, textured, and wonderful those books are. That was not a feeling I had when I finished Marabel and the Book of Fate. That doesn't make this a bad book. It tells a decent story, but nothing that knocked my socks off. However, I can see where it might be far more interesting and engaging to its target audience than it was to me. Some spoilers to follow.

One of my biggest complaints about this book was that it felt kind of all over the place at times. This is particularly a problem with the way Marabel's father is portrayed. He goes from being indifferent to being downright mean to her at various points in the book, and every time this happened it felt jarring to me. People in Marabel's world rely a great deal on the Book of Fate, which makes them rather passive at times, so I could see how her father woudn't pay her much mind, but it didn't make sense to me when he was outright cruel to her at times.

Another thing that irritated me about this book was it felt way too on the nose at times. It starts out with a fantasy setting, but then it ends up incorporating a lot of modern technology into its settings. Twitter, for instance, becomes Flutter. This made the book feel like it was trying to hard to be relevant, as if modern kids could only be drawn into it if they felt as though Marabel's world looked a lot like their own. I also thought these references were inconsistent with the fantasy setting at times, undermining the world the author was trying to create.

Rounding off the downsides, I never felt like this book had a very coherent plot. It's called Marabel and the Book of Fate, but the Book of Fate is, in many ways, incidental to the whole book. Rather than feeling like there was one cohesive narrative here, I felt like the author strung together a lot of episodes. When Marabel sets out on this quest, there's a real sense of urgency, but then the book takes her on a world tour of her world. This left me with an impression rather like being on a whirlwind tour, with the guide showing me the highlights of various parts of the world without every really digging into what made the world tick as it did.

There are some good themes here, but I would have liked to see the book go father with them. There's a strong theme of Marabel learning to believe in herself despite others' underwhelming expectations of her. I also liked that the book plays around with the Chosen One trope, making it clear that everyone is banking on the wrong Chosen One. There are some gender themes here was well, but they also felt underdeveloped. I had the impression the author maybe wanted to say people underestimated Marabel because she was a girl, but I felt it was more that everyone expects her brother to be the hero because he's the first born.

One thing I did really like about the book was its banishing of the evil stepmother trope and the sibling rivalry trope. Despite that everyone fawns over Marco and ignores Marabel, this doesn't affect the twins' relationship. Marabel loves her brother and sees his goodness, and Marco is uncomfortable with his sister being brushed aside in favor of him. I would have really liked to see more of the twins' dynamic in this book, but I think it's something that's likely to come up in future installments.

Overall, I think this book just tackled too much. The author is obviously extremely familiar with tropes in fantasy and myth, but this book seems determined to skewer them all. Marabel and the narrative would have been better served had the book focused on a much smaller number of this tropes, giving it the space to really interrogate them in a meaningful manner.

[Zayda Love (Babybibliophile) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find yourself lost within the pages of Tracy Barrett’s writing as you travel through dangerous lands and encounter all kinds of magical beasts and beings! Containing adventure, epic battles, bravery, and friendship; Marabel and The Book of Fate is an amazing read!
⚔️
In the kingdom of Magikos, the citizens follow the text of the Book of Fate, an ancient volume filled with sayings and predictions of the future. According to the Book of Fate, once the Chosen One is born, peace and luck shall befall upon Magikos. Evil lurks and when the Chosen One is kidnapped, Marabel secretly embarks on a journey to save him. With help from her best friend, she faces her worst fears and discovers what it takes to truly have courage.
⚔️
Little Brown Young Readers sent me an advanced copy of Marabel and The Book of Fate for my honest review. It is available through preorder and the release date is February 6! This is a middle grade book for ages 9-12 but I believe ages 8-adult will love this book! I honestly loved this story so much, it had everything that I crave in a book. I love how the author somehow blended the modern world, with the medieval world. I am also particularly fond of how she included almost all of my favorite fictional beasts and magical creatures. The story seemed so real that I thought about stalling because I didn’t want it to end. Marabel and the Book of Fate is the perfect read for fans of daring, courageous, adventures. I easily give this book 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#lbyrpartner

[Karine Darnessy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me voici de retour avec ce petit livre jeunesse qui sort bientôt chez nous.
Nous suivons Marabel qui doit faire fasse à l'enlèvement de "L'Elu" son frère jumeau Marco. Elle ne supporte pas l'inaction de ses proches qui croient et se reposent trop sur le livre du destin, un livre qui au final reste vague dans ces soit-disant réponses. Elle décide donc de porter secours à son frère avec l'aide de son amie Ellie et "le" Licorne Floriano qui s'ennuie dans sa stalle.

Déjà, la première chose qui m'a plu c'est que c'est une héroïne qui est le preux chevalier qui ait sous-estimé par sa famille qui en a que pour Marco, l'élu d'après le fameux livre du destin. Elle a beau être relégué à la princesse potiche, Marabel décide de se bouger et de passer à l'action. Deuxième point qui m'a plu, Floriano, mon dieu, une licorne pareille tu essaie de la semer. Tout au long de l'histoire ces interventions sont mémorables. Mais pas que, toute l'histoire est ponctué d'humour et d'aventure.

Concernant l'histoire en elle-même, c'est du jeunesse donc, il n'y a pas de violence, c'est orienté compromis, discussions. C'est pas mal pour apprendre la tolérance et une forme de réflexion sur les actes et les conséquences de décisions prises sous la colère peuvent engendrer.

Pour conclure, c'est un livre divertissant qui plaira à tout le monde avec son univers fantasy et ces références à notre monde et à certains contes.

[Gaele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marabel and her twin, Marco are the eldest children of the King of Magikos: but while Marco is seen as the “chosen one” as predicted by the Book of Fate, she is almost universally ignored. Not pretty, not girlish, not even particularly friendly with the princesses from other lands, Marabel thrives on her fencing lessons with Old Lucius, her time with her best friend and ladies maid Elle, and wondering just why she’s got no apparent role.

But when on their thirteenth birthday celebration Marco is kidnapped by Marabel’s exiled Aunt, Mab, and the kingdom is given 13 days to make peace or face war, Marabel is determined to rescue her brother and end the chance of conflict. Aided by her best friend Elle and Floriano – a snarky talking unicorn, the three set off on an adventure to cross the wall that separates their kingdom, dividing the non-magical lands that Marabel’s father rules from the Barrens – a land to which all magical creatures (but for a few in the zoos) have been banished.

Clever, fun and completely engaging – I think that Barrett managed to balance that wondrous magical sense with plenty of references to many different and familiar fairy tales, adding instances of today’s technology (Flitter, Game-Boy like games, etc.), and keeping the adventure and dangers clearly available. With a solid sense of ‘doing what needs be done’ even when scared, Marabel’s consistent determination and worry about her brother, and her honest interest in all of the magical creatures that they meet along the way, the story reads quickly and keeps readers interested. Plenty of self-discovery as the story continues: finding the will to move on, recognizing all of the challenges met and conquered, and a true ability to listen and bring agreement between parties that seem at odds all show Marabel at her best, defying the lack of recognition and esteem she holds at home. A great title for grades 5 – 7, when something just fun and unique with references that feel familiar is just what is needed.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at I am, Indeed

[Sabrina Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. There were a few parts that make me roll my eyes with trying to bring some of the 'hip' stuff currently in real life into the book, just twisting the name a different bit. But I love magical type books. Sometimes reading not super in depth books is great. I like that there is going to be more of these as it was left open for more. Not in a huge plot what if but a nice ooooh there will be more. Marabel was a good character, Ellie was her friend on the trip (I think the cover should be changed to not show the brother but her friend), they enjoyed a few other traveling companions and it was a fun read to watch them grow into themselves some.

[Puja Harikumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book. It has a cute "Shrek" vibe where they constantly reference modern day things. And while the questing is a little generic, it's still a fun read. Marabel is a nice subversion of the "bored princess who wants to be a warrior" trope in that she doesn't necessarily want to fight. She just wants her family to acknowledge her instead of just treating her like an after thought to her brothers existence. She undergoes some nice character development too, and I was pleasantly surprised when the book doesnt reveal that "oh she was really the chosen one all along" like I assumed it would. The big climax was a little anticlimactic (for lack of a better word). I kept waiting and waiting for Marabel to finally pop off on the court for how they treat her. Granted she does call her dad out on his favoritism, but I was hoping it would be more cathartic. All in all, a pleasant read. Would definitely recommend to any fan of adventure quests.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost wanted the title to be just about Marabel or Marabel of Magikos, Shadow Princess, something more intriguing. I don't know if I want to read a book with the word book in it, especially if the cover looks so young and non-mysterious. With the title and the picture together, it could be about a girl who fantasizes that the is a princess in this "Book of Fate" when in reality she is a sad, lonely girl who reads to escape and the adventures are in her mind, like a story about a girl who is reading a "choose your own adventure" tale.

[Alana White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enchanting! Expect the pleasantly unexpected here. Although Marco is "the Chosen One" and the future king of Magikos and Marabel, his twin sister, has grown up knowing she is second best, it is she who mounts a rescue mission to save him when he is kidnapped. As the story unfolds, Marabel and her best friend face fairies and dragons and more, not to mention the realization that if their mission fails, her brother and Magikos might be forever lost. I especially appreciated the fact Marabel's step-mother is not wicked but, in fact, quite nice.

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical creatures. spells, and a mysterious Chosen One, Marabel is a perfect story to read to begin a foundation of great fantasy story telling. I loved this book as did my own kids who are teenagers. We laughed at the unicorn's antics and like the promise of creatures such as giants and witches, The story holds good mystery and a fun way to introduce the realms of magic to young ones. A perfect mate to the Harry Potter stories...

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great story about standing up for yourself and recognizing your inner strengths. I'll be directing my young nieces to it when it's released.
Received from netgalley for review.

[Vona Stewart]

So cute. My ten year old loved this.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dd loved reading this book! Who doesn't enjoy a fun fantasy story especially with a unicorn in it! Especially an 8 yr old girl 😊

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marabel and the Book of Fate is a pretty good read. I found it to be enjoyable.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, fun, fun read a loud! So many fun references to pop culture or common story book stereotypes. Strong female characters.

[Hannah Gazdziak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how modern it is and loved reading it.

[Juliko · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh boy...I admit, I'm a kid at heart. I find myself reading more books aimed at kids than towards adults, mostly because I find most books written for adults to be either boring, melodramatic, or just don't appeal to me. I'm a sucker for a good fantasy adventure or a cute slice-of-life story about kids going through school problems or animals dealing with their own issues, so on and so forth. But just because I like certain books doesn't mean I'm not going to point out their flaws. When I first saw Marabel and the Book of Fate on Goodreads, it sounded like my kind of book. But I've heard other people write that it had a ton of problems. Wanting to judge it for myself, I rented it from my library and read it. Unfortunately, this book tries way too hard and it falls flat on its face. Hard. It's not as bad as The Hate U Give, IMO, but it's got a ton of problems.

The story focuses on Marabel, a young princess from the kingdom of Magikos. Her family openly favors her brother Marco over her because, according to this magical book her kingdom worships called the Book of Fate, he is destined to be a chosen one who will save the kingdom from disaster. But on the day of the twins' thirteenth birthday, Marco is kidnapped by a mysterious woman and her cohort, a wizard. Marabel is angry that nobody wants to do anything to save Marco, so against everyone's wishes, she decides to go save him herself. With her friend and maidservant Ellie and a snarky unicorn named Floriano by her side, Marabel is intent on saving her brother at any cost.

So the premise is cliche, but still serviceable, and some writers have managed to pull it off. But this is one part where the story fails. For one, the story has literally no stakes. Marco is kidnapped by someone, and Marabel fears that he's being tortured, starved, and imprisoned in a dingy dungeon. But much to her surprise, he's actually been treated fairly well, which renders Marabel's quest to save him ultimately pointless. We also don't get an explanation for why the people follow the Book of Fate and worship it like its a God or what will supposedly happen if they don't follow it to the letter, and it seems more like an excuse for the adults to act incompetent than an actual meaningful plot device. I don't really have much to say on the prose, other than that while it does get the job done, some parts of it are fairly weak and feel condescending to the audience at times.

The characters are rather bland with the exception of Marabel. She's a typical strong girl who feels emotionally neglected by her family and wants to do things her own way. She's brave but still shows weakness and vulnerability at times, so she's not entirely one-note, and I do appreciate that despite how her family openly favors Marco over her, she and Marco still get along just fine and she doesn't hold it against him. The other characters, unfortunately, don't fare as well. The only things we know about her friend Ellie is that she's Marabel's maid and is afraid of enclosed spaces like caves or dungeons, and Floriano is just a sassy unicorn who causes trouble and doesn't do much else other than open doors with his magic horn. Everybody else is unfortunately very one note and don't get any development at all.

But the book's biggest problems are two fold: One, barely anything happens when Marabel actually leaves to go rescue her brother. 60% of the book is little more than pointless filler consisting of the characters just meandering around their world, whether it's being imprisoned and treated like pets by giants or having to rescue Floriano from some mischievous fairy. The second one is especially prominent because of how jarring it is. Basically, the book is set in a made up fantasy world, yet the characters continuously reference modern day social media and technology such as Siri, Twitter, Angry Birds, and airport security. I'm not even kidding. These two just don't mesh! Not only are those references to modern day stuff completely out of place in a book that takes place in a pure fantasy world, it felt like they were just shoved in there to pander to the modern audience, and it creates a weird anachronism that's so jarring that it feels like you jumped from a nice fantasy adventure to a bland high school setting in 2018. If you want to write a story and reference modern technology, keep it where it actually makes sense, like a story taking place in the real world! Stuff like that has no place in a magical fantasy adventure! Seriously!

Overall, the book's a pretty easy read, but it's otherwise vapid, predictable, pointless, and stupid. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

[Aqua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not that impressed. There's nothing offensive about any of the morals or anything in Marabel and the Book of Fate, but it just isn't that engaging. The technology-in-fantasy puns like "WizFi" were cute, and the snarky unicorn was cool, but the characters never really drew me in. This is mostly a journey book about Marabel setting out to rescue her twin brother, but the obstacles she encounters are pretty dull and the anti-climax at the end of the journey was just... ugh. I did like the moral at the end. There are some good messages about good and evil being a matter of perspective and about accepting yourself for who you are. I liked that they never addressed that maybe the chosen one was Marabel in the end, and instead left with the message that you make your own fate.

This is a good book for the target age group I think, just not much in it for adults.

[Mariah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was initially very charming but started falling off as it progressed.

Marabel is the ignored twin to beloved Prince Marco. On their birthday, Marco is kidnapped by their aunt; the evil queen Mab. Marabel along with her best friend Ellie and her fathers' Unicorn Floriano set out to rescue him.

I'd say the central theme of this novel is to think for yourself. The people in Magikos are taught to live and die by the Book of Fates; a historical record of what's to come in the future. Despite obvious signs that the book is not a reliable source the people are happy to mindlessly go along with it.

My favorite aspects of the book were in regards to Marabel slowly deconstructing her own misconceptions about the world. It's not solely limited to the Book of Fates. It extends to a lot of practices within her kingdom she's never thought twice about before. There's a magical wall that separates the 'polite society' of Magikos from the more magical, tempermental Desolate Barrens. Most of the book takes place in the barrens as the evil queen resides there. On the journey Marabel learns that while it is still dangerous not everything is true about *why* it's so dangerous. I love books that turn a protagonists preconceived truths on their head. When done well it makes for amazing character growth.

That being said the execution was lacking. It starts off well planting the seeds of doubt in Marabel when they encounter a mixed group of magical creatures and humans. This is important because in Magikos magical creatures are either forced out or caged as it's believed the majority are evil. However, every event after this first one does little to prove Magikos wrong. Sure, the magical creatures they come across are not these horrifying brutes Marabel initially thinks them to be, but they still more often than not do try to harm her group. And it seems the takeaway is just that because they didn't harm her in the very specific way that she thought they would - like giants eating humans - her worldview is now being shifted. Which seems too far-fetched for a 13 year old. I don't think she as a kid just learning about the world at large would have the capacity for such objectivity right out the gate. Wouldn't this serve to solidify her prejudice further? There's not a lot of discussion or exploration of the concept either. She just kind of occasionally thinks in the back of her head 'oh this isn't what I expected!' and that's kind of it. It's later revealed that magical creatures have been acting out of character for plot reasons but my point still stands that there weren't enough good or neutral interactions to balance it out. The story would have benefitted from having a magical creature other than Floriano (who they already knew) join the group in order to better humanize the Desolate Barrens.

I couldn't help but compare this to the Last Kingdom of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine. That book does a phenomenal job showing the whole process of breaking down bigotry. It's messy and hard, but it was realistic and got the message across while being a fun read. Above all it was all worth it in the end because it felt *earned* due to all the work put in by the main character.

I also was confused then annoyed with the worldbuilding. It's clearly a medieval-ish fantasy kingdom - kings, queens, etc. But, the author had this way of writing that would take me out completely. Barrett would use a certain phrasing or joke that would immediately just feel a little off. There were a lot of times that it would randomly feel very satirical akin to the now popular modern meta fairytales when previously it was played straight. I distinctly felt like this book was trying to be the movie version of Ella Enchanted. For example, the kids ride a dragon and the dragon goes through this whole spiel that's like the one given to passengers on a plane. Like why would he - a dragon in a like 1500s setting - frame it that way?

It would be fine if it was one or the other, but it was a strange mix that left me questioning how this universe worked all the time. At the beginning it's not too bad though still noticeable. However, it starts cropping up a lot in the last third which is what knocked off a star because it was totally off-putting to have the immersion constantly broken by tongue in cheek little 'jokes'.

For example, Floriano can open doors with his horn. He tries to use it to help the kids out of a locked room at one point. It doesn't work for once and when it doesn't work his horn says something like 'Need update to Unicron 7.0'. And then Floriano is like 'it's okay I have a Wiz-fi account'. This was literally never talked about before. Suddenly they maybe have Internet? How does that work? And if they do have Internet or an Internet adjacent thing why do ALL of the people of Magikos listen to the book instead? The Internet means a broadening of horizons which suggests there would be a larger faction of naysayers in Magikos. Yet, only two people ever actively think of going against the book.

There's this game that's clearly a parody of Angry Birds, an apple watch kind of thing with a Siri equivalent called Scary, a 'Magikos' Got Talent' competition is mentioned, word is trending on 'Flitter'. It's all stuffed into the last handful of chapters which changes my perception of the whole story up until this point. NONE of this is established in the book beforehand. It completely ruins the story to suddenly be bombarded with all these anachronisms.

If this was intended to widen the gap between Magikos and the Desolate Barrens then why weren't more contemporary elements popping up all over the journey? Instead it doesn't begin until they reach the evil queens' castle more than halfway into the book, then it never ends.

I prefer 'regular' fantasy over urban fantasy, but I don't hate urban fantasy. It can be just as good. It's just a preference. But, I *do* hate being led to believe a book is going to be one thing when it's another.

The ending caps off things in an unsatisfying way. It was much too neat. Marco is not a real character so we never saw how the parents' treatment affected him. The priests aren't ever interrogated about their role tricking the kingdom with their interpretations of the Book of Fates - like was it intentional or not? - and it's mostly fixed with only a couple conversations. The fact that it took until like the penultimate chapter for Marabel to find out why Queen Mab was upset hurt the narrative immensely.

She should have been subconsciously realizing it on her own throughout the book (trust me the signs were there) so when she actively goes against her kingdom's antiquated systems it brings her arc full circle rather than a pile on of ideas that were forced on her in a specific way so as to complete the plot as Barrett intended.

I enjoyed the way the book handled the mistreatment of Marabel at first. I felt like Barrett really nailed the golden child/scapegoat dynamic. But, I disliked that her parents escaped the consequences of their actions. Kids books do this a lot. Unless the parents are pointedly *supposed* to be the villains they often are forgiven without proper accountability because 'family'. I think it does a lot of kids a disservice because even if you have great parents it's dismissive of how a person intentionally or not can still ruin a relationship or be a bad person even though they have have other good qualities. This trope also ignores the fact that it's okay not to forgive people even if they are someone you love. Authors are going for the happily ever after tidy bow ending so I get why it's done, but I hate that so many books for kids will introduce neglectful and/or emotionally abusive parents and then remove culpability. Short of physical abuse, authors will make a kid character forgive just about anything.

If the parents are ultimately condemned for this or if it's acknowledged that this is just a fact of life and the character moves on I don't mind it. It even helps me better sympathize with the main character. But, in this book it's thrown out there that Marabel has been pushed aside for two seconds and then dropped because it's time for the happy ending. Heck, Marabel's step mom doesn't apologize or offer any explanation at all for her actions. There's no indication that her father is really trying to make it up to her either.

So yeah, decent book not really standout bad or good. As a kid I would have enjoyed this more because while some of it would have bothered me I wouldn't have pieced it together like I can now. Don't get me wrong I did still enjoy it. It moves quickly, it's well written, it's fun. And despite the flaws at the heart of it is a story about a young girl discovering her own worth which I always like to see. I wouldn't recommend it, but I will say that I don't regret spending time on it.

[Sarah]

I read this book along with my 8 year old daughter, here is her review, since kids are the intended audience:

I like this book because its SORTA like me. Except Marabel fights goblins, dragons, and befriends ogres. I also like how they added a unicorn. Floriano is sarcastic, funny, and completely how a unicorn should be. Mostly because he loves gazing at himself in the mirror. Like any unicorn should. Thats my review!

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Funny and suspenseful. Really keeps you reading. Great book for girls in between the ages of 7-11.👧 Love how she is the heroen, 🛡,and that she douts her self. I will say that in chapter 18 they make it out of the desolate Barrens pretty easy. Just because they ride a dragon the the whole way.🤔 So in conclusion I love the book and it's written very well but I wish there was a little more fighting.🙄⚔🏹

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a review written by a member of the teen book club I run at the library I work at. We did a blind selection from books I have received as Goodreads giveaways.

Each member wrote an honest review, this is the review submitted for this title...

Marabel and The Book of Fate was written by Tracy Barrett and is the first book in a series. The rest of the series has yet to be written. I will admit that I have read an advanced copy and that I am well above the recommended reading age, which is 8-12 years of age. These things taken into consideration, it was a fair book. It follows Marabel as she, and a few of her friends, venture into an unknown to try and save her brother from her aunt Mab.
I did enjoy the book, to a degree. Marabel was a strong female character who overcomes trials in a non-conflictive way. But, there was little else for me to enjoy. There was hardly any humor, other than magic-themed puns. The characters had little to no backstory other than what is written in the first two pages or so. None of the characters have motive to do anything. Most of the characters were useless because they served no purpose to her journey (the main plot of the story).
Marabel was an interesting character and my favorite by default because all of the other characters were either evil or had no background/ development at all. Even Marco, her brother is simply her brother, he doesn’t even have much dialogue. All the hero characters (who help Marabel) are weak or selfish while Marabel has none of these negative traits. She appears to be perfect, yet everyone dislikes her and favors her brother for no other reason than that he is next in line for the throne. Either Marco has some redeeming quality that the reader doesn’t know about, or they are all very sexist. And, they have no reason not to like her. If they paid attention to her, they would see that she is an ideal ruler because of her kind and empathetic soul. But no, they ignore her for no reason.
Plus, her family other than her brother and father are useless to the story and are all very underdeveloped. At the beginning, you are introduced to her step-mom and her step-siblings. Marabel only interacts with one of the children and that doesn’t end well. From there, none of them talk or do anything. They are still there when she gets back but it’s like they don’t know her at all.
And then there is the Book of Fate. Honestly, I thought it would be more important to the story since it was in the title. Other than being mentioned a few times and being actually read once, it gives nothing to the story except for adding to the magical element. They follow this book so closely that it is reminiscent of old Catholic/Christian beliefs. No average person knew the original language of the book well enough to interpret it on their own. So, they relied on priests (yes the book calls them priests) to tell them what they should do. There is a level of corruption here because the priests (in the book) assume that Marco must be the next person to rule. That he is The Chosen One. This interpretation of the book leads to extreme neglection of Marabel herself. Her father and mother-in-law barely even talk to her and don’t notice when she heads out for her journey that lasts almost two weeks.
The part that I liked least about the book was how it was so obviously written for a younger audience. The “surprising” elements were visible to me from miles away. I don’t know the effect that they would have on the target audience, but hopefully it is better for them. And, most of the information is simply written rather than incorporated into the story in an interesting, crafty way. The first few pages are straight backstory. Basically, just a list of what you need to know to get the gist of the story. I found it incredibly stupid and it just tried too hard to be new, fresh, and not-your-average-princess themed. Also, the ending was sloppy and it wasn’t a cliffhanger but it wanted to be.
There is a great deal of books that were written for a younger audience that are good in my opinion. Such as, Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, which is such a beloved story because of the characters’ personalities and how they change throughout the story. I think that spending more time on the characters themselves increases the interesting quality to a book. If someone can understand a character’s personality so well that they can make up scenarios in their head, I think that is when a character finally has a complete description. And, it doesn’t have to come only from text, it can come from speech or body language.
Overall, I give this book a 1 out of 5 because it was not good in my opinion. There was much that could have been improved. Younger readers should read it if they are fans of magical fairytales because they might enjoy it.

Emily, 14