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A review by erunk24
The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor by Aubrey Hartman
4.0
Who are we without the stories we love? This is the question at the heart of Hartman’s debut novel and the one that Poppy must discover the answer to through a deal gone wrong with a water nymph. When Poppy’s family moves to Oregon to restore the Lark-Hayes Manor, she has a difficult time adjusting. Poppy lives in a world of books and magic, her favorite being the Narnia series, so when she discovers a water nymph living in the abandoned manor, she can’t believe her luck… magic does exist! In exchange for a real-life winged lion, Poppy gives the water nymph her own form of magic: her Narnia book. This seems like a great deal until one by one the books from Poppy’s house disappear and all memory of their stories along with them. Only Poppy is left to remember the stories that once existed as she watches those she loves most change overnight without the influence of the stories that once shaped them. Soon Poppy must choose: keep her winged-lion turned best friend, Sampson, or bring the books back?
As someone who does not normally read fantasy books, I truly enjoyed this one. There was just the right touch of magic and fantastical creatures mixed with real life. While I still have questions (why did the water nymph get banished to the human world? Who was the Lady of Lark-Hayes Manor and what was her story?), this was one of those books that provided a small escape from the world and wasn’t heavy to read, which was a pleasant change. It truly was just a nice book and one that I could see myself using as a read aloud in the classroom.
As someone who does not normally read fantasy books, I truly enjoyed this one. There was just the right touch of magic and fantastical creatures mixed with real life. While I still have questions (why did the water nymph get banished to the human world? Who was the Lady of Lark-Hayes Manor and what was her story?), this was one of those books that provided a small escape from the world and wasn’t heavy to read, which was a pleasant change. It truly was just a nice book and one that I could see myself using as a read aloud in the classroom.