11 Followers
18 Following
MichellePickett

These Words Tell a Story...

I am the author of the Amazon bestselling young adult post apocalyptic novel, PODs. 

Charmed Memories (A Princess of Valendria Novel)

Charmed Memories (A Princess of Valendria Novel) - Mary Waibel First, I have to send my sincerest apologies to [a:Mary Waibel|6456213|Mary Waibel|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1344285139p2/6456213.jpg] for taking so long to post my review. I over scheduled myself and, by doing so, missed posting my review on a dear friend’s release date. I’m so sorry, Mary.

Now my review of Charmed Memories: where to start? I have to say, I absolutely loved, LOVED, Mary’s debut [b:Quest of the Hart|15787222|Quest of the Hart (A Princess of Valendria Novel)|Mary Waibel|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1361533257s/15787222.jpg|21506976]. I thought it reached beyond the boundaries of being just another “young adult novel” in a pile of books. It was truly a story of growth and empowerment for teen girls. So I was very nervous going into Charmed Memories. I thought, “There’s no way she’s going to be able to top [b:Quest of the Hart|15787222|Quest of the Hart (A Princess of Valendria Novel)|Mary Waibel|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1361533257s/15787222.jpg|21506976]. Well, color me wrong.

Mary has a way of taking what a reader thinks is going to be a simple, fun story and turning it into a life lesson. She did it in [b:Quest of the Hart|15787222|Quest of the Hart (A Princess of Valendria Novel)|Mary Waibel|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1361533257s/15787222.jpg|21506976] and she’s done it again in Charmed Memories. And the best thing about her writing is she doesn’t beat the reader over the head with a moral. She doesn’t write like she’s jumping up and down on your shoulder yelling in your ear, “Get that? That’s how life should work! That’s how we should live.” No, she writes a story that’s interesting, engaging and fun to read, and then sneaks that little morsel of wisdom in when the reader isn’t looking. It wasn’t until I was done with the book and put my Kindle on the nightstand that I fell back against my pillows and said, “Huh. Yeah—you did it again.”

If you’re a regular follower of my blog, you know I don’t like to go into the story when I review a book. I don’t want to TELL you what the book is about, that’s why you read it! I’m just giving you a quick overview of my opinion on the writing, plot, grammar, blah, blah, and blah. I know all the people who aren’t authors stopped reading as soon as they saw the word ‘grammar.’  But, I’ll give you a little heads up of what’s going on in Charmed Memories, because truthfully, there’s a lot of stuff happening.

So, Charmed Memories is the second in the Princess of Valendria series by Mary. The first book is [b:Quest of the Hart|15787222|Quest of the Hart (A Princess of Valendria Novel)|Mary Waibel|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1361533257s/15787222.jpg|21506976] (go read it, seriously). Prince Trevor is our yummy hero in Charmed Memories. He also happens to be the brother of the heroine of the first book of the series. Prince Trevor is engaged to Princess Elsbeth. Unfortunately, she was lost at sea four years earlier and presumed dead. But what kind of hero/prince would he be if he just took things at face value? Not a very good one. So throughout the pages of Charmed Memories we go on a fantastical journey with Prince Trevor as we follow clues over and under the sea, from continent to continent, looking for his betrothed, Princess Elsbeth.

But is that all? Nope. Enter stage right…Bri. Who’s she? Well, read the book. You’ll want to know. Trust me on this. Read the book. It’s full of deadly twists, turns, swoony moments, and times when the characters test their limits of love and devotion…and their fear of loss.

Mary has sewn together a complex tale of human emotion. Not only does she thrust the emotions on her characters, she writes in such an intricate, beautiful way as to pull us into their world with them. Somehow the reader finds themself alongside them and feels the same love, loss, strength, and ultimately…renewal.

So bottom line time: Buy the book. Buy both books. Give them to your teen daughters. They’ll enjoy them. They'll probably even learn something, too. Don’t have teen daughters or granddaughters? No worries, buy the books anyway. You’ll enjoy them!