Marabel and the Book of Fate
By Tracy Barrett
Hi! Have you ever been ignored by your mom or dad? Well, that’s what happens to Marabel in this story.
Marabel’s twin brother, Marco, is “The Chosen One.” He gets all of the attention. So when Marabel found an adventure, at first she didn’t recognize it...
It was Marabel’s (and Marco’s) birthday. Although, they were mostly celebrating Marco. They had lots of cake and a big celebration. That is, until someone kidnapped Marco! He was taken by his aunt who was in a feud with the King. Since Marco was The Chosen One, it was a big deal for the people of Magikos. They read from The Book of Fate. “The Book of Fate” is a book (obviously) that tells the future. It said “When The Chosen One recognizes himself, he shall prevail.” Marabel’s father (the King) is positive that Marco will find a way to escape by himself. But Marabael doesn’t think so. She goes up to her bedroom and tells Ellie (her best friend/servant) that she wants to save Marco. Ellie packs their things up and says she’s coming with Marabel.
Ellie said that she knew a secret passageway out of the castle into the forest. It was in the stables. On the way to the passageway, they met Floriano, a unicorn. It was the first time that they had ever heard a unicorn talk. He told them that he wanted to go on their quest, too. Marabel and Ellie refused. They went down a secret passageway without him. The unicorn appeared at the other side of the secret passageway and said that he still wanted to go on the adventure with him. Finally, Marabel gave in. It was then that they realized that they were in the palace’s garden. Ellie told her that the secret passageway was built a long time ago, so there must have been woods there when the passageway was built. Floriano provided a distraction for them while they ran into the woods. (Floriano was the King’s unicorn, so it was sort of a big deal if he got out of his stall.)
They wouldn’t be able to tell if Floriano had made it or not, so they just ran on without him. Finally, he caught up to them. Something was odd, though. There was a door standing in thin air. Marabel went and tried to open it, but couldn’t it. She decided there must be something around it. She bonked into this invisible wall. As soon as she touched it, the invisible wall appeared. Marabel and Ellie kept trying to open it but couldn’t. Then, Marabel asked, “How did you get out of your stall? We never let you out and the door was locked tight.” Floriano told them to stand back. As he aimed his horn at the door, something shot out of it and the door unlocked. “Oh, so that’s how you got out of your stall! You unlocked it!”
They made it into the land behind the wall. Everyone knew about the land behind the wall. All kinds of magic was behind that wall. Will they be able to rescue Marco or will all their plans fail and Magikos be destroyed? As I always say, read the book to find out!
I recommend this book to readers who take it to the end. It’s a little scary, but it is very good. If you like Ella Enchanted or Harry Potter or pretty much any book with magic, then you will love this one!
A few helpful things I like to say about the books I read:
“Run and Get Mom” (how I describe the scariness factor):
There were a few scary parts, but none that I couldn’t handle.
“Yucky-Lovey Stuff” (how I describe the romance factor):
None. Zero. No. Nada.
I give this book 5 wands.
The scariness was just the right amount and it was perfect in all ways. My favorite part of this book was how brave Marabel was to go on a journey to save her brother. Especially since his being gone could have meant that she would become the leader. Such courage! Such bravery! Hope you like this book.
Source: Review Copy
