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alliebookworm's review
3.0
I thought this book was cute. I really liked each of the characters (especially Ronan the fox, of course). The language is very descriptive and interesting to follow. I didn't enjoy finding out so little about the overarching plot (ie why it's so important for them to learn magic, more about Susan, anything about the bad guys). I didn't want everything to be given away, but a little more information would have been nice. Overall, meant for a younger audience than I, but still entertaining.
mrsparadox's review
3.0
This book would make an excellent plot for a show geared toward tweens/teens. I throughly enjoyed it.
mheinlein's review
3.0
I received a copy of The Phoenix Girls from the LibraryThing s Early Reviewer Program. [return][return]This is a story of two girls who discover a friend in each other, and a magical world at the same time. The town bullies turn out to be the least of their problems as they have to use their newly acquired powers to save themselves, and possibly the town, from a dark presence. [return][return]Unlike other Children s Fantasy novels that can appeal to older readers, such as Harry Potter and A Wrinkle in Time, this book would not have much appeal to someone over the age of 12. The characters do not have much complexity, but are likeable. The plot is predictable, and at times a bit choppy. The author leaves enough unanswered questions at the end, so an invested reader would want to read the next installment of the series. If you are an established fan of the fantasy genre, this story may disappoint. If you know a budding fantasy fan, this story would be a good stepping stone to the more complicated stories in this genre.
ravencrantz's review
4.0
I won an ebook copy of this book as a part of Library Thing's early reviewer program.
This was a fun read about two girls who discover they have a talent for magic and have to learn to use it to defeat the evil that has come to their little town. And it has a beautiful cover, which is always a plus for me. Even if I can't keep looking at it since it's an ebook. I still enjoyed this and I will be looking forward to the second one.
I honestly think my favorite character is Ronan, the little talking fox. I have my theories about him, maybe possibly being Penny's father, or at least connected to him in some way, and I'm really curious to see if I'm right or if Knight can come with something even better. I love how he doesn't really teach the girls anything, but rather watches their progress and helps them without actually helping. He lets them learn without giving them the answers. And he's a fox and foxes are adorable, even though he disappears for most of the book and Penny and Zoe never really give it a second thought. They just kind of notice it and then get back to practicing their spells. I guess they really wouldn't have been able to do anything about his disappearance, but I still would have liked to see them try something. They didn't even call out for him. Just didn't see him and assumed he was off elsewhere when he'd been watching over them the past few weeks. Then there's his sudden reappearance. We know why he disappeared, or at least how, but we don't know what really happened or how he came back. I guess it was kind of assumed he was dead, but then he makes his grand re-entry to help save the day. But what happened to him? How is he okay? Why'd he suddenly decide to come back? These are all questions I hope to get answers to in the next book.
Penny's story is still mostly concealed. Her mother didn't tell her much about life before Penny, so we don't know much either. Only that there was a car accident that led Penny to be born prematurely and that her father disappeared after that incident. Generally, though, her story is similar to many of this genre. An orphan going to live with a relative she had no idea existed and thus learns that she has some special ability that she has to hide from said relative for who knows what reason other that "It's not safe!" The difference here is the way it's played out. Susan isn't the evil step mother of fairy tales, and is actually a pretty nice person, for what we know of her. I feel like if Penny and Zoe mentioned something to Susan, then she could help in some way. There's no way Penny's mother could have this big secret and not share it with Susan, the God mother of Penny. There's so much more to this story than what we got, so I'm glad there's a sequel coming. I can't wait to learn more and see how my theories pan out.
This was a fun read about two girls who discover they have a talent for magic and have to learn to use it to defeat the evil that has come to their little town. And it has a beautiful cover, which is always a plus for me. Even if I can't keep looking at it since it's an ebook. I still enjoyed this and I will be looking forward to the second one.
I honestly think my favorite character is Ronan, the little talking fox. I have my theories about him, maybe possibly being Penny's father, or at least connected to him in some way, and I'm really curious to see if I'm right or if Knight can come with something even better. I love how he doesn't really teach the girls anything, but rather watches their progress and helps them without actually helping. He lets them learn without giving them the answers. And he's a fox and foxes are adorable, even though he disappears for most of the book and Penny and Zoe never really give it a second thought. They just kind of notice it and then get back to practicing their spells. I guess they really wouldn't have been able to do anything about his disappearance, but I still would have liked to see them try something. They didn't even call out for him. Just didn't see him and assumed he was off elsewhere when he'd been watching over them the past few weeks. Then there's his sudden reappearance. We know why he disappeared, or at least how, but we don't know what really happened or how he came back. I guess it was kind of assumed he was dead, but then he makes his grand re-entry to help save the day. But what happened to him? How is he okay? Why'd he suddenly decide to come back? These are all questions I hope to get answers to in the next book.
Penny's story is still mostly concealed. Her mother didn't tell her much about life before Penny, so we don't know much either. Only that there was a car accident that led Penny to be born prematurely and that her father disappeared after that incident. Generally, though, her story is similar to many of this genre. An orphan going to live with a relative she had no idea existed and thus learns that she has some special ability that she has to hide from said relative for who knows what reason other that "It's not safe!" The difference here is the way it's played out. Susan isn't the evil step mother of fairy tales, and is actually a pretty nice person, for what we know of her. I feel like if Penny and Zoe mentioned something to Susan, then she could help in some way. There's no way Penny's mother could have this big secret and not share it with Susan, the God mother of Penny. There's so much more to this story than what we got, so I'm glad there's a sequel coming. I can't wait to learn more and see how my theories pan out.
carolikesbooks's review
4.0
Originally posted at: A Girl that Likes Books
I received this book as part of the LybraryThing Early Review and here is my review
What's the book about?
Penny has recently become an orphan. If this wasn't enough life changing, she moves from San Francisco to the little town of Dogwood in Washington. There she will meet her mother's long time friend and her godmother Susan.
She will also meet Zoe who will become her best friend and her companion in adventure.
What was different of this book?
I think a lot of people will read the book and at first get the feeling that they've heard this before. Magic, poor orphan, evil magician? But, fear not, the story is not a copy cat version of Harry Potter in anyway. Even compared with the first book of the HP series this, The Conjuring Glass is more oriented to younger children.
What about the main character?
In the book Penny will have to learn a lot by herself and about herself. If you put yourself in the shoes of a 10 year old I think this is a very relatable character. The book also touches a little bit of bullying because Penny is physically "different" (she is very, very short and gets teased about it a lot) and I wish in the second book we will see her standing a bit more for herself.
The 10% moment
It was easy to get to this point of the book. The prose is very easy to follow and there is not a lot of twists and turns about the characters, all of them introduced to a slow, agreeable pace.
Final thoughts
I loved the drawings in the book. Another reason why I think this is more a Middle School oriented book than a Young Adult. I liked the fact that we have strings of the story that lead to the second book, without giving everything away yet remaining quite straight forward. Even though is not a book full of surprises is a nice reading and I think it would please is target audience.
I received this book as part of the LybraryThing Early Review and here is my review
What's the book about?
Penny has recently become an orphan. If this wasn't enough life changing, she moves from San Francisco to the little town of Dogwood in Washington. There she will meet her mother's long time friend and her godmother Susan.
She will also meet Zoe who will become her best friend and her companion in adventure.
What was different of this book?
I think a lot of people will read the book and at first get the feeling that they've heard this before. Magic, poor orphan, evil magician? But, fear not, the story is not a copy cat version of Harry Potter in anyway. Even compared with the first book of the HP series this, The Conjuring Glass is more oriented to younger children.
What about the main character?
In the book Penny will have to learn a lot by herself and about herself. If you put yourself in the shoes of a 10 year old I think this is a very relatable character. The book also touches a little bit of bullying because Penny is physically "different" (she is very, very short and gets teased about it a lot) and I wish in the second book we will see her standing a bit more for herself.
The 10% moment
It was easy to get to this point of the book. The prose is very easy to follow and there is not a lot of twists and turns about the characters, all of them introduced to a slow, agreeable pace.
Final thoughts
I loved the drawings in the book. Another reason why I think this is more a Middle School oriented book than a Young Adult. I liked the fact that we have strings of the story that lead to the second book, without giving everything away yet remaining quite straight forward. Even though is not a book full of surprises is a nice reading and I think it would please is target audience.
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