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The Chronicles of the Virago
The Chronicles of the Virago Book Three: The Triumviratus by Michael Bialys is a middle grade fantasy that continues the story of a thirteen year old girl with a powerful destiny. Makenna Grace Gold, the Virago, is charged with protecting her infant siblings, Noah and Emilyne. The twins are fated to be the hope for the future of the world. Makenna is guided by her fairy mentors, Marigold Frith and Bree and Dee Delphine. But after her father’s soul is stolen, it is up to her friends, Sam and Stephen to rescue her father’s spirit from the Under Realms. Can they succeed before it’s too late?
I enjoyed reading this dramatic book for the creativity in its setting and plot. My favorite part was the scenes of Sam and Stephen figuring out how to get past the levels in order to try to complete their mission. I liked the way the two plot lines were woven together with the boys working to recover the soul of Makenna’s father while Makenna stayed with Noah and Emi to protect them and covered for her friends’ absence. There were some humorous moments when two of the fairies changed their appearance and took the place of Sam and Stephen, and Fluffy the talking earthworm turned in to Makenna’s dad.
While there is plenty of entertainment to be had in this book alone, to best enjoy it and appreciate the depth of the overall story, I think this book should be read after book one and two in The Chronicles of the Virago series. The beginning of the story might be a bit confusing for readers who have not read the previous books. There are certain details about various characters that are not fully explained in this book, and I think readers will pick up on all these interesting details if they already know the backstory revealed in the other books.
There is an impressive and fascinating ensemble cast within this book. The story was told from multiple points of view of more than half a dozen different characters, which was handled well overall. However, I felt that some of the changes in point of view happened frequently and there were places where I would have enjoyed staying with the character a bit longer before switching to another character.
The Chronicles of the Virago Book Three: The Triumviratus is a stimulating children’s adventure novel that fans of magical realism and adventure stories will find entertaining.
Pages: 353 | ASIN: B0B6758HHD
The Chronicles of the Virago
The Chronicles of the Virago: The Novus by Michael Bialys is a thrilling paranormal fantasy novel about a twelve-year-old girl named Makenna Grace Gold who lives in Southern California. She becomes a big sister when her twin brother and sister, Noah and Emilyne, are born. But these babies are special–they are The Gift that can save humanity. Makenna learns she is The Protector, tasked with guarding her newborn brother and sister and their parents from harm. But even with the help of the Ancient Weapon and three fairies guiding her, she doubts herself. How can a twelve-year-old girl protect her family from Evil and his minions?
Author Michael Bialys has written a spellbinding action adventure story that’s filled with middle school drama, but remains deeply compelling. One thing that strikes me about this novel is how fun it was to read. It was an adventure novel following an underdog that you liked to root for. I liked the main Protagonist, Makenna. She was spunky, and I loved that she was a skateboarder, which is much more commonly seen for male characters in stories. As Makenna tried to take on this huge responsibility of keeping her family safe, she makes mistakes, but it was believable because she’s still just a kid herself. I really felt like her character was authentic, although she rarely used words I thought were outside a kids vocabulary. I liked the three fairies in the story, cousins Bree and Dee, and Marigold, who worked together to mentor and train Makenna, and I liked the form that the Ancient Weapon took for Makenna, it was all imaginative and entertaining. I also enjoyed the addition of Makenna’s new friend at school, Stephen, who jumped in to help her despite the danger. Readers will be excited to discover Makenna’s continuing adventures to protect Noah and Emi in Book Two of The Chronicles of the Virgao: The Apprentus.
While I loved the overall story and arc of the novel, I didn’t think the inclusion of the Bible story about David and Goliath fit in a children’s fantasy novel with fairies and a talking earthworm. There was so much fantastic imagination that went into developing this world and I didn’t think that religion fit with the mythology in the book. Also I would have liked to see Makenna involved in more physical training before she was able to go head to head with such powerful adversaries and succeed against them. But this desire comes from the story being so grounded to begin with, and author Michael Bialys does a great job of providing good reasoning for things happening already.
The Chronicles of the Virago: The Novus is an urban fantasy novel that I would heartily recommend to young readers, and even adults, who are looking for a fun fantasy adventure that is easy to follow and is thoroughly entertaining.
Pages: 126 | ASIN: B07BN5T8CY
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